Kona Hawaii fishing report - Nov. wrap-up

[Captain Jeff Rogers]

Kona Hawaii fishing report – Nov. ’05 wrap-up :

Well, this month was definitely better than last month. The current has slowed down and the fish are starting to come back. The marlin bite is still slow. The striped marlin haven’t showed up yet but there has been a few blues here and there. My luck with the blues has me singin’ the blues. Up until November I had only lost one lure this year to a big marlin. In November I lost 3 big blues along with 3 big lures. The first one wrapped up in the leader and broke off leaving me just 5 inches of scuffed up leader when I got the line back. A boat near-by said he saw my fish with the lure stuck on the end of its nose. Another was lost with the failure of a professionally made wind-on leader. Another was lost when my crimp at the hook failed. I had a lot of pressure on the fish but it should have held. It seems like many of the boats are having the same kind of luck I am because few marlin catches have been reported this month. The mahi mahi bite is doing well. Most of them are pretty decent size. Mahi mahi tops the list of the most common catch right now. Currently we’re having another flurry of spearfish. The 100+ ahi bite has slowed to near nothing but the babies (shibi) are hanging around the ledges and buoys.

The bottom bite has been tough because the jacks and sharks only want live bait right now. It’s hard to imagine sharks being picky eaters but I’ve seen it with my own eyes. If it’s wigglin’ then it gets bit pretty fast otherwise, you can almost forget about getting a bite. Sharks are pretty much ruling the North grounds right now and with the marlin bite being slow, a greater number of Kona sport fishers are targeting the sharks for some action. Sharks don’t fight anything like a marlin. Marlins usually make those spectacular runs and jumps at the beginning of a fight and typically wear themselves out fast and are pretty easy to get in after that. Sharks on the other hand tend to fight consistently and don’t seem to tire out even on a long fight. Pound for pound, I think a marlin has the potential to fight harder than a shark but usually doesn’t. The shark, while generally looked down upon in the sport fishing world as a good catch, deserves some respect for it’s fighting ability. Even more respect if you’re trying to get your hook back!

See ‘ya on the water,
Capt. Jeff Rogers ,
Kona Hawaii fishing