Kona Hawaii fishing report – Feb. wrap-up

The striped marlin are still biting very good in Kona but they undoubtedly are working small. When they do indicate up in the winter months they are usually all shut to the exact same measurement. Some winters they’re all about fifty to 60 lbs. Other winters have had most operating all around a hundred lbs. but this time most of them are below 40 lbs. The spearfish bite has picked up and now it’s about fifty/fifty with the striped marlin bite. The spears are also under forty lbs.

Seems like wonderful fishing but there’s a dilemma. Really couple of Kona charter boats individual light tackle! Other than a few mild rods for catching bait fish, Kona is generally a large tackle fishery. Some charter boats troll only with 130’s. Some have a blend of 130’s and 80’s. Some even have a 50 that they use for the 5th stinger line when the smaller sized fish are biting but even that is a bit of overkill on little billfish, mahi mahi and ono. BTW, we’re finding a great bite on the mahi mahi and ono right now as well. So why all the hefty tackle? Nicely, due to the fact you merely have no idea if 1 of people large Kona blue’s is going to eat your lure. The huge ones are close to every month of the year but I’ve found that there is a feasible resolution to the tackle overkill difficulty.

A 130 (wide) is intended to maintain close to one thousand yards of 130 lb. test, an 80 (broad) is created to hold near to one thousand yards of 80 lb. examination and a fifty (extensive) is designed to maintain close to one thousand yards of 50 lb. test. You may possibly think that’s far more than ample line on there until finally you do hook up with one particular of these big Kona blue’s and see that 1000 yards of line vanish off your reel in much less than a minute!

The solution is braided line. I been utilizing a hundred lb. check Tuff Line for bottom fishing for decades now due to the fact anything lighter just won’t give you adequate stopping electrical power on some of people large sharks and jacks as they try out to wrap you close to the rocks. A thirty (broad) holds over one thousand yards of 100 lb. examination braided line! One more purpose that I use one hundred lb. is that braided line has a tendency to more than-check so 130 lb. braided line may possibly just keep you away from qualifying for that globe file fish.

You might believe that there’s an concern with the drag technique amongst a 130 and a 30 but I’ve been using the two speed Penn 30 VSX with a twin drag system for many years and it has all the drag you could inquire for. I know due to the fact sometimes I get stuck on the bottom and need to break off that a hundred lb. check. It’s not simple. I have a lot more Penn thirty stand-up rods that I use for trolling. I topped the one thousand yards of braided line with about 200 yards of eighty lb. test mono. The explanation for the mono leading shot is to get some line stretch and a thing else to contemplate, if you’re rod has roller guides braided line is skinny adequate to get in-in between the roller and the roller body on some guides when there’s a side load on the rod. If your fish will take a whole lot of line out, the braided backing isn’t an situation but when your fish is shut to the boat, aspect loading of the rod is most likely. All of my 30’s are mounted on stand-up rods without having rollers. It’s just easier that way but a quality rod with a excellent back bone, light tip and no rollers is a tough item to find now days. I also have a wide choice of high quality stand-up fighting belts and harnesses. A great harness is crucial for fighting big fish on stand-up but for tiny billfish, mahi mahi and ono, just a fighting belt is ample. That way you get to in fact sense the battle as opposed to the normal Kona battle from a chair with a large reel mounted on a rod as thick as a broom stick.

With the present fishing problems I’m nevertheless utilizing a 130 and an 80 for my quick and lengthy corner, pulling big lures looking for the beast marlin. I’m pulling tiny lures on the stand-ups for the smaller sized fish but that doesn’t mean that a huge fish won’t consume my little lures. It’s transpired many instances in the past and it even transpired recently but it wasn’t a issue, my tackle can take care of that! Even my bait rods are backed with braided line and I’ve been trolling the deep with them as well. My lightest bait rod is only rated for twelve to twenty lb. but I’m using a a hundred and fifty garden leading shot of 40 lb. mono and the rest of the reel is loaded with 50 lb. braid. The small striped marlin, spearfish, mahi mahi and ono are a blast to fight on this rod! My biggest blue marlin so far on this bait rod was a 300 pounder. Other than a slight concern with the lifting energy of the rod, there was enough line on the reel and ample line strength to get the position done.

With all this said, I have just 1 far more issue to say to all those guys who only troll with 130’s. “Lighten up, have some fun”.

See ‘ya on the h2o ,
Capt. Jeff Rogers ,
http://FISHinKONA.com