Kona Hawaii fishing report - Archive -

Kona Hawaii fishing report - September 20, 2003

The trolling bite has picked up lately with a mixed bag of billfish, tuna and mahi mahi. The spearfish are back along with some striped marlin but the main billfish bite is Pacific blue marlin in the 150 to 200 lb range with some occasional 400 to 500 pounders in the mix. The "blind strike" yellowfin tuna bite has pretty much stopped and even the yellowfin bite in the porpoise schools is slow. The big skipjack tuna (otado) that usually come in late August are here but in small numbers. Even if you do find some, the bite is slow to nonexistent. While I haven't landed any mahi mahi myself lately, I see plenty of mahi mahi fish flags flying in the harbor and the ones I see guys filleting up are pretty good size.

The bottom fishing bite took another turn for the worse. Finicky currents and some big sharks in the best fishing areas have sent the giant trevally, amberjack and almaco jacks running for safer waters. There were two big tiger sharks hanging right in front of the harbor. One of them, over a thousand pounds was hooked inside the harbor entrance, landed and killed. The remaining one (just a little smaller) has been spotted several times just outside of the harbor entrance, a favorite spot for snorkelers and scuba divers. No one has been snacked on yet but you wouldn't catch me swimmin' out there.

See 'ya on the water,
Capt. Jeff Rogers
http://FISHinKONA.com