# 56729: Subject: Kona, Hawaii

Submitted by Capt. Jeff Rogers (ip 66.8.190.203)

• Fished on 9/25/2007

• Report received: 9/25/2007

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Report:
Kona Hawaii fishing report – September wrap-up.

September is typically the slowest tourist month of the year. The trolling bite on marlin was a bit slow too. Part of the reason was the lack of boats going out. You might think, well, not many boats out so there’s more fish for me but that’s not really how it works. Picture this: A map of the Kona coast and off shore in a 25 square mile area, make a dozen scattered blue pinpoint dots that represent marlin. Then make a dozen scattered black pinpoint dots representing boats. As these dots are set in slow moving motion, remember that they have to randomly touch each other for a hit (hopefully not boats colliding) to occur. The more dots of either blue or black, the more likely the chance of a hit. Take away some of either color of dots and the chances of a hit diminish. Yea, it would be great if there were tons of blue dots but that’s just not realistic. Take away half of the black dots and you’ll now see the chance of a hit decreases by a whole lot and the overall situation may look like there’s no fish around when the real reason is the lack of fishing effort. It happens many times in fisheries management that when a total catch rate diminishes that it’s assumed that the cause is a lack of fish when sometimes the real reason is a diminished fishing effort.

There weren’t any spectacular marlin catches this month but the sailfish continue to make weekly appearances of the fish catch board. The otaru are mostly gone now but some small yellowfin tuna have shown up on most of the FAD’s. Mahi mahi are starting to show up too so I guess you could say that the Fall run has started. I’ve given up even trying for ono.

The first ever seasonal bottom fishing closure for Hawaii ends in less than a week. The closure made it illegal to keep six different kinds of snapper and one kind of grouper but fishing for bigger bottom fish like jacks and sharks luckily wasn’t prohibited. Some Dept. of Aquatic Resources people think that when the season opens that there will be such a rush to catch those valuable seven kinds of fish that it will negate the closure. I think they’re wrong when it comes to Kona. I can’t say what the other islands will do but I predict that little Kona town will see the same few boats that were out there bottom fishing prior to the closure and not much more than that. Hey, I’m not really a psychic but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

See ‘ya on the water,

Capt. Jeff Rogers ,

Kona Hawaii Sport Fishing

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