March 6, 2011 Lahaina Harbor, Maui

[Das it]

Aloha from Lahaina Harbor. The fishing is still good on the leeward side of Maui. The striped marlin run has been going for almost a month strong now and is showing no signs of slowing down. As usual, there are quite a few mahis and tunas being caught as well. Start Me Up has recently taken out several first time anglers that caught fish. We’re always happy when we can share the thrill of fishing with first timers. If anyone has questions, call Start Me Up’s booth at Lahaina Harbor at 808-667-7879 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Hawaii time or email startmeupfish@gmail.com. Start Me Up’s anglers and some of their catch for the beginning of March are pictured below.


Matt Stewart, Dan Kobi, and Dave Milmine had plenty of action behind Lanai. They caught and released two striped marlin and one shortbill spearfish. If they had only traded in a striped marlin for a blue marlin, these anglers would have completed the Hawaiian billfish slam. As an added bonus, they caught two mahis for the barbeque.

This striped marlin was hooked solidly as the trailing hook went cleanly through the fish’s lower jaw. The striped marlin was tagged, the hook was removed, and the fish was successfully released.

Jordan Quayle did a short afternoon trip and came across this mahi at the inside pinnacle called secret spot. As a first time offshore angler, Jordan was very proud of her catch.

Rich Davidson, Harold Sigfusson, Dave McLachlan, and Mark Gerhard were all smiles after they each landed a shibi while trolling the deep water behind Lanai. These anglers knew that they were going to enjoy some good sashimi.

Ben Ayton fought his striped marlin to the boat and decided to release the fish. The clean release continued a good streak for Start Me Up.

Mitch and Kathy McGaughey, visiting from Colorado, somehow managed to avoid all of the marlin activity. They caught fish anyway as they went two for two on mahis.

These three lucky anglers had a wonderful time on their four hour afternoon trip and found a few fish as well. They caught a couple of mahis in addition to a very nice aku. If the mahis were equivalent to the aku, they would be pair of forty pounders.

Lorraine Vanduker and her husband opted to sleep in and do a short midmorning trip. Leaving later was no big deal as they caught and released a striped marlin.

This mahi cooperated for Dan Day on an afternoon trip and bit a general jet. The fish surely provided a nice meal for Dan and his family.

With all of the striped marlin around Lanai, most boats have not been fishing around Kahoolawe. Mike and Louise Duboise, Mickey Bigalke, and Bill Taylor decided to break the trend and fished the shoals of Kahoolawe. They came up with a pair of mahis.

Mary Ann Sabino caught a shibi just south of Olowalu. She was pretty happy about getting some sashimi.

Kevin Zimmerman boated a 25 lb. ono while trolling. Even though the ono’s torpedo-like body allows the fish to reach great speeds, Kevin was still surprised at how fast the line came off the reel.

Jane Wiehe from Fort Wayne, Indiana boated a mahi on an afternoon trip. Jane was all smiles after catching the first fish of her life. That’s a great catch for a first time angler. Now that she has experienced the thrill of catching a fish, Jane will certainly take more interest in fishing.

David and Joni Cover had a nice day on the water and caught three mahis. They said that their trip was a great experience and that they would fish again.

Austin Larison caught a nice 20 lb. cow mahi that was nearly as big as him. Austin’s catch is truly impressive. Way to go Austin! Keith Lewell also had a nice catch as he tagged and released a striped marlin. Catching a billfish is always an accomplishment.

Tony Lisbona and Petro Zakyrias came to Maui all the way from Australia. They caught these two mahis between a couple of billfish bites. Catching the mahis definitely lessened the sting of missing the billfish. Plus there’s always next time to catch the one that got away.

Torrey Knorr, a veteran lieutenant fireman from Washington state, was not able to relax much on his fishing trip. He did Start Me Up’s early trip and left Lahaina Harbor at 2:30 a.m. The boat headed to N buoy on the north shore of Molokai and, upon reaching the destination, proceeded to hook fish after fish on a combination of lures and bait. Torrey proved that he was tough by fighting all of these mahis and shibis on standup gear. Good job Torrey!

Thanks for taking a look at the report. If there are any questions, remember to call Deli in Start Me Up’s booth at 808-667-7879 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Hawaii time or email startmeupfish@gmail.com. Until the next report, tight lines.

Aloha,
Jonny

[LuckyLady]

Aloha Jonny thank you for the great write up and pictures for me to drift off in ..its been way to cold here for too long and I am looking forward to getting back to the water asap!