February 18, 2011 Lahaina Harbor, Maui

Aloha from Lahaina Harbor, Maui. The fishing has continued to be reasonably consistent. We have been bringing in mostly mahis as well as a few tunas. In addition, we released a couple of striped marlin over the past three days and missed a blue marlin. Live and dead baiting around FADs has been producing success as always, but the trolling bite is also pretty good. These signs indicate that there are quite a few fish currently swimming around out there. Hopefully the fishing will continue to be productive in the near future and beyond. For more information about the fishing, call Start Me Up’s booth at 808-667-7879 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Hawaii time or email startmeupfish@gmail.com. The photos below contain our anglers and some of their catch from the past four days.

Tammy McCaluso took some time off from the beach on Valentines Day to go fishing. Tammy was compensated for her sacrifice of beach time in the form of a mahi. Besides, boats are just as good as the beach when it comes to working on a tan.

Joel Davidson and Todd Benge went two for two on mahis at the shoals of Kahoolawe. The shoals have been a hot spot for several weeks now.

Allan Housh was delighted to catch this mahi on a nine inch jet while trolling. Allan carpooled to the harbor with a fellow fisherman and was thrilled to get out on the water. Catching such a nice cow mahi was just icing on the cake.

Mike Schaat caught a huge bull mahi that weighed in at a hefty 47 lbs. on Start Me Up’s early trip. A specimen of that quality is a real treat to catch since large mahis are incredibly strong and can probably rival any fish in the ocean pound for pound.

The big bull mahi was only part the early trip’s catch. Mike, Steve Fagerness, Pat Mauer, and Dave Newton combined for a total of four mahis and a nice shibi. Steve’s shibi weighed in at 40 lbs. as the tunas around the buoys are slowly creeping up the scales.

Allan and Darren Martin caught these two mahis while skirting the island of Lanai along the 150 fathom ledge.

Wayne Randall fished all by himself and had a very pleasant day on the water. Wayne’s four mahis came on a combination of bait and lures and at the end of the day when the action was all over, he posed for a picture with his captain.

Tom Hogan and a good friend went out for a short trip. Their short trip, however, was long enough for them to come back to the harbor with dinner.

Mark Taylor caught a couple of mahis while trolling the deep water for marlin. He described the trip as one of the higher quality charters he has been on, a compliment that the crew surely appreciated.

Nebraska’s Jim Edmonds, Kevin Keegan, Jeff Pieper, and Bill Winberg had a good time fishing in Maui county. They actually trolled behind Lanai, where they landed three mahis and two shibis.

Some guys go fishing just to get away from their wives. Gary Reep, on the other hand, fished with his wife and having lady luck onboard paid off big time. Gary and his wife were joined by fellow anglers Ron Okon, Jerry Wieddenhoff, Gary Lacen, and Mike Cannon. Together, the group reeled in a mixed bag of fish off a very productive floater. Their total catch ended up being six mahis, two shibis, a rare winter ono, and a rainbow runner or kamanu.

Anglers Hidal Alabedi, Doug Yeomans, and Dody Hawthorne, who fishes regularly with Start Me Up when visiting Maui, each caught a mahi. This group had a perfect record for the day, getting three bites and catching all three fish.

Robert Goff and his daughters Sissy and Kathleen made fishing a family affair and caught two mahis. They said that fishing is a great way to spend quality time together.

Diane Halass did an afternoon trip and could not have imagined having a better time. She was excited about catching her mahi and, as an added bonus, was able to see many humpback whales, which migrate to Hawaii in the winter. Diane said that she would recommend fishing to anyone.

Malcolm Scott spent a few hours fishing and was lucky enough to find a mahi right in front of Lahaina town. This mahi retained some of its color despite being chilled on ice.

Barb and Chris Tomei had a busy day, catching five mahis and missing a blue marlin. Chris is displaying the lure that drew the marlin strike. Even though the marlin could have been hooked better, the strike certainly caused Chris and Barb to get hooked on big game sportfishing.

Adam Lichtman’s day involved a catch and release while Dennis Lavique chose to catch and consume his mahi. Adam released a striped marlin, which have been attacking trolled lures as of late.

Denise and John Kasper, along with their son Adrian, caught this mahi off an inshore pinnacle during their afternoon trip. John was unable to contain his enthusiasm at the prospect of eating some mahi.

Chuck and Sue Lee went out on their afternoon trip decked out in Start Me Up gear and came back with a mahi and a kawa kawa. They were glad to get fresh mahi steaks for their thirtieth wedding anniversary since that quality of seafood is hard to come by back home in Middletown, New York.

Jeff Wilkenson’s first trip to Maui from Canada ended well with this mahi. The mahi was caught on a trolled lure near sweetheart rock, which is at Manele bay on Lanai.

Angler Al Giesbrecht hooked his mahi while trolling off Manele. Al’s mahi was one of the two caught in the Manele bay area.

Anglers Kolten Kantterud and Colter, Lauren, and Clay Christian had a good day on the water. Kolten and Lauren each boated a mahi and Colter caught and released a striped marlin. Releasing marlin is always nice when the mahis cooperate and provide some food for the dinner table.

This mahi was picked up in the final minutes of the trip, serving as yet another example of the fact that the fishing is never over until the last hook is out of the water. Knut Dahmann was the lucky angler.

Scott Peeler, an Alabama native, boated his first Maui mahi mahi while trolling in the vicinity of LA buoy.

Roy and Deloris McMurren, Scott and Todd Barrett, Dick Posthumus, and Jerry Veldhuis had a catch of mahis and tunas. They found the fish at N buoy on the north shore of Molokai.

Thanks for checking out another Start Me Up fishing report. Our next report will probably be up within a week. For anyone who wants a report in the meantime, call Deli or myself at 808-667-7879 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Hawaii time or email startmeupfish@gmail.com. Thanks again for taking a look. Tight lines.

Aloha,
Jonny