Kona Fishing Book a fishing trip with us!

We got called on for what I call now mission impossible. Sandra Hiler in Indiana called to charter the Northern Lights to catch her two of the 9 billfish species she needed to complete her slam of billfish. I assumed we would start the first week of February or so to start trying. I suggested the dates around that time and she said that it was time sensitive and we would need to get a Pacific Blue and a Spearfish by the 27th of Oct. I made sure the odds were clear and we booked a week to try. We started early everyday and gave it all we got. Day 1 and 2 were slow fishing. I stayed outside the 1000 most of the day trying for the spear because I have good luck with them out there. It isn’t my favorite for blues but the spears like it out there so we found no fish at all. We caught a Mahi and could have caught other gamefish but stuck to the plan and hunted spears. On day 3 we caught this nice Blue which got the Pacific Blue out of the way. We went back out to the deep and pounded the 1000 with no luck on spears.

The weather played a big role in the fishing the last days we were there. It was frustrating for us but as the days ticked on and the wind blew we couldn’t get out. The water got dirty for the wind and we finally got out for 2 days right at the end of our trip. The bait was hard to find and the tuna were no where to be found. We searched the ridge for the bait but everything had moved. We had a great time while we were there and it was a blessing we had two great days fishing. We were able to see the giant Bluefins of Nova Scotia. Thanks to Captain AJ Francis and mate John of Tuna Adventures for being such a great hosts. A big thanks to Ron at Pelagic for helping Jeff and Rob hook up with AJ. Capt Aj did a great job and has one of the nicest boats in the fleet. He is a nice fishy young Captain that is has a good nose for fish and is really nice to fish with. Mat and I want to also thank Jeff Kahl of the “Piper” and Rob Hytner for a great trip

It felt great going back to start chumming again having released a fish so soon. The weather was great and once we started marking the bait we started chumming again. We made a few drifts on The Ridge before tuna came back to the chum. We selectively served baits to the fish trying to give the bait to the big fish in the chum. I pulled it away from a few and once a big one took the bait we let it eat the bait. The fight went smooth and this fish really pulled. AJ chased the fish down and Rob put good pressure on the fish. The fish neared and I got the wire the first time. To add to the drama when I let go of the leader the first time I burned a little glove mark on the leader that we had to watch for 10 more minutes as it went up and down right at the boat. I got the leader the second time and was able to finish the fish off. It made some nice circles on the leader and popped its head out of theater one time about half way up. I really didn’t want that but was able to settled the fish down once it dove back down. We got good measurements of the fish and the consensus was that the fish would be over 900. AJ called the fish 950.With a 10 foot short measurement it was long enough. The pictures we took sure don’t give the fish justice.  Fishing on the lobster style boats it is really hard to get good pictures of the fish. They would have looked huge next to our 37 Merritt.When we were face to face with the fish they were so big it was incredible. Peter B Wright and I got one 971 pounds in the Bahamas that looked huge to me when we got it.I remember it was really hard to judge the size of that fish until it went to the scales as it is every time I weigh a fish of that size. The release was awesome the fish was magnificent and made our trip.

Jeff Mat and I could barely sleep the night before day one. The weather was good and the tuna were biting. Seeing the one at the dock made it real and shook the cob webs out from all the traveling. Rob and his friend Sam met us at the boat and we headed out to catch herring for bait. We had some frozen but caught fresh on the way out for hook baits. We then ran about 20 miles to “The Ridge” where we caught mackerel while we chummed with the frozen herring. We were there for a half an hour and Capt AJ saw fish swimming through the chum. I looked hard but couldn’t see them at first. I finally saw one by seeing the fin lets going through the water. They blended in with the color of the water so well they were hard to see down deep. 1 turned to 2 and 3 turned to 4 until we had them going well enough to get bit on our first tuna. Rob got it to the chair and our first fight was under way. Jeff was up first on the wire and got ready as Rob fought the fish with 35 pounds of drag. after 10 minutes we started to inch the drag up until we got to about 60 pounds of drag in about 45 minutes. Everything went smooth with the fight as Jeff reached for the leader of our first fish. He got good first wraps and did a great job on the wire finishing it off with no trouble. We got good measurements and pictures and let him go. The first hour of fishing and we got one over 800! What a start.

After we missed one on a live bait and pulled the hook on the first run Sam got hooked up to a blind bite that bit a bait close to the bottom. Sam did a great job on the fish and Mat rolled it over on the leader in about 35 minutes.

It was a great opportunity for Mat Bowman and I to be included in the trip that Rob Hytner of New York and Jeff Kahl of the Piper out of Maalaea Maui put together with Tuna Adventures. Rob and Jeff fish together on the Piper and set up the trip to fish together this fall in Nova Scotia. When Jeff gave me the call to come along help out on the boat and take pictures and video I jumped at the chance. Mat Bowman my co captain drove 10 hours from Maine where he shrink wraps boats and met Jeff and I at the Halifax Air port. Our hosts Capt AJ and Ron from Pelagic set us up with a nice cottage to stay and Mat was our wheels while we were there.