Kona Hawaii fishing report - Archive -

Kona Hawaii fishing report - Dec. wrap-up.

Better late than never. The striped marlin have finally showed up. They're running very small this year. Bad if you're looking for a good fight but great if you're looking for food fish. Hawaii striped marlin babies make the best sashimi! It's also great seared on the outside and raw in the middle. Unlike the striped marlin caught off of Southern California and Mexico, Hawaii striped marlin meat is light pink and can even be orange in color. A very light, non-fishy flavor and if they're less than 40 pounds, very tender also. Mahi mahi and spearfish are still biting along with blue marlin of all sizes. Over all, the trolling bite is slow. The current is going South and that usually slows the fishing here. It should switch back North soon. Shibi (baby yellowfin & bigeye tuna) are on the FAD's and ledges as is typical in the winter time here.

The humpback whales have started to show up also. While they don't have any effect on the fishing, it's an added bonus to see these huge animals. At the beginning of the Hawaii humpback season they're pretty shy. Having they're babies and teaching them a few things. Toward the end of winter, they start mating and that's when they put on the big show. Jumps, tail slaps and fluke waving. I never get tired of seeing these animals play.

The bottom bite is good for pink, red and gray snapper right now. The bigger bottom critters like amberjack, almaco jack, giant trevally and shark are in short supply. I've been having good luck catching sharks at the green buoy right in front of the harbor entrance. It couldn't be kept a secret for long. Other boats saw what I was doing and I also told a couple of guys. Now there's a lot of competition for the few sharks that hang out there. Several boats are dropping baits at the buoy now in an attempt to make up for the slow trolling action. That makes it harder for me but it also forces to go find a new jack and shark honey hole close to the harbor. A friend of mine just installed a $30,000 forward and side scanning sonar on his boat. He's very anxious for me to come out and play with it. I'm anxious to go find some spots near the harbor full of fish and not have a bunch of boats hitting my hole.

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