Kona Fishing - my Blue Marlin!

This 366-1/2 pound female Blue Marlin was caught on August 26, by Aloha_Jackie on 80 lb test line with a lure - aboard the Shogun out of Honokohau Harbor on the Big Island of Hawaii along the Kona coast. One hour to bring the fish to the boat, another half hour or so to tie the fish to the swim step. Hooked thru the mouth and the eye...am I good or what?!?! Crew and angler doing fine. Okay, I am a bit sore.....

WOW!! How cool! I live here and I really should do that some day!

CONGRATS!!

Emi

Very nice, Jackie!!

Spleen

mahalo Emi and Spleen - I thought you'd enjoy seeing it. We booked a snorkel/fish charter on the Shogun with Cpt RayJay Kalman http://www.konaseasports.com out of Honokohau harbor. We wanted to go down to snorkel Kealakekua during the times that the other tours arent there - after the morning tour leaves and before the afternoon folks show up. Theat way we would have theat lovely bay and excellent snorkeling to ourselves, then maybe toss a few lines in the water on the way down there and back and catch a wahoo or something. He gave us a very nice breakfast, fruit, bagels, pastries and lunch with softdrinks etc. We threw in a couple of adult beverages and went on our way, the deal was: anything over 100 lbs would belong to the boat, no problem --all we wanted was something to cook for dinner. We went out of the harbor and knew it was going to be a good day, flat water and beautiful, sunny skies. The captain had arranged for us to have a deckhand to handle the fish etc, his name was Tommy (a former commercial fisherman). We got to the dock and found the boat and saw they had Penn gold reels and nice lures....heaven. I got on the boat and told CPT Ray-Jay and Tommy both that I was going to catch a Marlin! We all traded fish stories and headed down south. I asked about really catching a Marlin and they told me conditions werent right, something about the current, water conditions, sea floor terrain (we were in 500 fathoms of water or 3K feet). We talked about what would happen if the line hooked up and they sat me in the chair measured the belts and adjusted things. Next thing....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz! Hookup!!!!!! I started to fight the fish and it felt like 100 lbs, (I had pulled in several 40 pounder Albies in Baja on a 3 day trip two weeks prior) - then a buddy on the crows nest yells "Holy Sh%#!" and points way back behind the boat - I see a marlin doing the dance and dont make the association. I figure I stole the fish that it was trying to eat and it was loose out there like a horse in a pasture, just jumping around....in shock, yes, that's me!

One hour to get the fish to the boat, would have practiced catch and release, but the fish was hooked in the eye as well as the mouth - long story short, incredible experience! My first Blue Marlin!

It was nice of them to offer anything less than 100 lbs to you since the general rule seems to be anything that you catch belongs to the boat. Did you catch something smaller for dinner as well?

Spleen

Aloha Jackie,

Thanks for the story as I have an excursion booked with Captain Rayjay on our trip to Kona. Glad to know what a great time you had and looking forward to fishing and snorkeling.

Jean

Hey Spleen - aloha again - no, we didnt fish any longer after catching the Blue Marlin. One bite, one catch and back to the dock for us. They said they needed to get the fish back. It was kind of a bummer, but thrilling to have caught the fish. They said the Blue Marlin isnt really edible, and that is has a lot of grisle (spelling?) but that they grind it up and make it into fish sticks and crab cakes etc. I know the fish monger man was there just as soon as we were and was busily calculating away with his trusty clipboard. I was happy to get my picture and wanted to take a piece of the meat, but no one else in my group really thought it was a great idea.

Cruise Freak - You will have a great time! We werent there on a cruise (this time), just a typical timeshare sort of vacation, Big Island is our favorite, and I found Ray-Jay on the web, just surfing around. Wanted something new, had done the Body Glove and Fairwinds tours etc - boy did I get it! Tommy the deckhand was really nice too - their equipment for fishing was more than adequate, so you neednt worry about that and they had everything for us - nice guys and boat...We go back at Christmas and New Years over from LA to the Islands aboard the Island Princess for fifteen days. We are really looking forward to that one!

Funny because Ray-Jay said that the last three people who got on his boat and said they were catching a Marlin, did it!

The group the week before us caught a 972 pounder!

I still cant believe I pulled that thing in by myself! :D

WOW!! That is awesome! I have always wanted to catch a BIG fish!

Mandy

I know the striped marlin gets turned into sushi and I'm pretty sure that the blue marlin can be used as sushi/sashimi as well ... The remainder of the fish does get turned into fish paste to make sausages, fish cakes, etc.

Spleen

thanks Mandy, now you are next!

I know the striped marlin gets turned into sushi and I'm pretty sure that the blue marlin can be used as sushi/sashimi as well ... The remainder of the fish does get turned into fish paste to make sausages, fish cakes, etc.

 

Spleen

I was told that the boat probably made $1 to $3 per pound...do you think thats accurate? just curious

Jackie,

I had to e-mail Captain Ray regarding our trip today and told him you had posted what a great time you had and a picture of the fish. He said thanks for the good word. We are really looking forward to our trip. I also found him while surfing on the web. I had talked to Fair Wind and I think that is too many people for me and Bodyglove was booked by another ship. There are five of us and we are going for 6 hours fish and snorkel to I believe the same area you were at. He said we will troll on our way to snorkeling. My husband would be thrilled to catch a fish like that. I will definately tell him to say he is going to catch a Blue Marlin. My husband goes fishing to Canada every year and fishes alot in Florida but this is our first trip to Hawaii. Thanks for your post about the Captain so now I know we will have a great day.

Jean

Jackie, thanks to your timely post we now know what we are going to be doing in Kona in early December. Originally had wanted to disembark our ship and do an overnight hike to the lava rejoining our ship the next day. That was vetoed by the Jones Act so we were floundering around trying to find something interesting. We did the Body Glove thing this past May and weren't impressed. After reading your post we called Captain Rayjay and booked his charter for our family. Really looking forward to it. Thanks for the "heads up." This is one of the fantastic benefits of these boards! :)

Now, I wonder if I could actually reel in a Marlin????? :confused:

Jean - I am glad that you are going out with Ray-Jay - you're going to have a wonderful time.

cctexan - you CAN catch it! I did it and although it wasnt easy, I am recovering from recent surgery and I did it! Strap yourself into that chair - give me whoop "Yeee haaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwwwww" and go for it! You are gonna love it!

When I booked my first trip, I tentatively booked for 12/26 - thats when we go in via the Island Princess...I cant wait to go again! Maybe this time we will actually get to snorkel! ha ha :D

I am so glad that you guys are going to go - give it a whirl and have a blast! If I dont hear back, I wish you Mele Kalikimaka - Merry Christmas!

No idea, Jackie, as to whether that's accurate or not. Maybe? :)

Spleen

Aloha Spleen - thanks. I hear that my fish will be mounted and ready for home delivery by Christmas. The captain of the boat really wanted me to use a company out of Pompano Beach Florida (Grays), but I chose to go with a local guy here in San Diego who supposedly invented the current process for the U.S. Govt approximately 50 years ago, prices were much less expensive and there is no shipping/crate charge.

If anyone goes out and catches a whopper, just so you know, they dont mount the original fish anymore, they do a composite, made of fiberglass and they dont even use the skin anymore. The use a composite process and automotive acrylic paint (yep, the same stuff used on cars & a type of clear coat!). My husband and I visited their showroom and their work is incredible, each scale is handpainted, etc. The fish and other wildlife/fish/fowl look real! AMAZING! It doenst fit where we intended, but we will be able to squeeze it in - cant wait to have that Bluen Marlin swimming thru my place! If you watched the Real World San Diego, you know that they even paint flames on now and all kinds of newfangled stuff!

None of this is cheap, take your time and make an informed decision on what to mount and the cost(s) involved. Taxidermy - They use the official photos and the measurements, 11 feet 9 inches and 51 inches in girth! woo hoo!

Jackie - you'll need to post a picture of the mounted fish on your wall in all its glory! :D

Spleen

We have a condo and we thought it would fit along one wall in the dining area, then we made a prototype after a visit to the taxidermy and got the measurements of the mold that they plan to use, the mold was HUGE and is slightly smaller than my fish...350 lbs... and when we made the prototype out of plotter paper, etc we hung it where we thought it was going to go - and of course it didnt fit, so we hung the prototype in the corner and headed it towards the living area and it fits, well, sort of, the bill (sword) sort of hangs over into the living room, but we are guessing it will make a sort of ingenious "hat rack"!

We got the Blue Marlin today - its lovely and so exciting!

Captain RayJay Kalman of the Shogun in Honokohau Harbor or Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii! He is incredible! We look forward to fishing with him and his wife again the day after Christmas, while we come ashore on the Island Princess 12/20/2004 - 1/5/05

No I dont get kick backs -- just trying to pay it forward - I hoped you all get to enjoy the FISH OF A LIFETIME!

My g*d, Jackie - that marlin is HUGE! :) Congrats on getting the mounted fish!

Spleen

thanks/mahalo Spleen - Mister Lucky picked it up today and it was sincerley the best Christmas present I have had in my life! I love it and it is ever so fitting in our place - I think it looks GREAT ! Yes, its big, but its wonderful! I'll never forget catching a World-Class fish on beautiful Kona!

We'll be there in a few days to give it another whirl!

Thats the best Christmas present this year!

Well, all we managed to catch was one 15-20 lb mahi mahi.....but it was a truly good day. Nice fishing, nice snorkeling and diving, and a wonderful crew! CCTexan and I highly recommend them! Thanks, Jackie, for telling us about the Shogun!

thanks/mahalo Divetex for the update. We go out with Rayjay next on 12/26 and I am hoping to get a Mahi Mahi. I am so glad that you guys enjoyed your time with RayJay and his crew - they really are a very nice bunch! When I caught the fish and was on my cell phone immediately to call my dad and tell him the news, Rayjay was right there confirming my whopper fish story and really shared in the moment! I think they knew what a huge deal this was to me and it was like having family there! I hope to report back after our sailing and let everyone know what I caught this time! Wish me luck!

signed, Aloha_Jackie AKA The Marlin Wrangler!

Aloha, Jackie, and BON VOYAGE! Hope you get that 45-50 lb. bull mahi mahi this time! Do say "Hi" to RayJay for us, OK?

Aloha and mahalo for the bon voyage Divetex! I will do my best to wrangle a mahi and will say aloha to RayJay and crew for "ya all"!

I'll post back with what will hopefully be another whopper, or at least a whopper fish story!:D

Just think a snorkel trip is worth the trip alone! Until later, Aloha_Jackie

off to catch the ship in San Pedro!