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Deep
sea fishing on the west coast of Hawaii is thought by many to be the greatest
sportfishing God ever created on Earth.
In
the middle of the Pacific Ocean where the winds can be gusty and
the seas large stands an island with enormous mountains and incredibly
deep, calm, indigo colored water right offshore.
During
times when the rest of the state is landlocked by gale force winds
from the East which build seas to thirty feet, the fleet of boats
at Honokohau Harbor, Kona Hawaii, in the lee of mighty Mauna Kea, stands ready to
fish as though they were oblivious to the storm.
Some even
say the red flags used to depict small craft advisories and hurricanes
have never been removed from the package, but the flags used to
display the fish that were caught by each boat on a given day
fly until the rays of the sun tear them apart. Then they're replaced.
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7:00
a.m. start means no time to waste |
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Heading
out of the harbor and out to the grounds for Marlin on the United
States East Coast or the Gulf of Mexico means spending an hour or
two planing on the flats first, thus adding to fuel and engine maintenance
costs. Not Kona. The water is 100 fathoms less than a mile and a
half from the harbor entrance and 1000 fathoms only three and a
half miles from shore. Combine this with a sunny day and a flat
sea filled with thousand pound fish, and it becomes difficult to
argue just how perfect the Kona fishing environment is. The term
"legendary" cannot be overused when describing Kona waters.
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As
you venture out into this area where legend stands before you
as ominous as the mountains to the East and the open sea to the
West, you can't help but feel you are trespassing among the land
of the giants. As a humble human, you can't help but feel the
presence; as a fisherman you can't help but feel the power. Your
focus is sharp and your hearing enhanced. Your eyes become hawk-like
as you constantly scan the surface for signs of activity, and
your muscles stay itchy with anticipation of the next strike.
The scenery
is gorgeous, so take along your camera. View the lava flows that
have poured down these slopes for years, and you'll suddenly realize
why it felt like you had landed on the moon when you flew in.
Old landmarks used by the
early anglers are still used today. Fishing
areas such as "the grounds" and "the trail" still ring out on the
radio as much as when the pioneers of the sport first worked the
area. But now, with the onset of Fish Aggregation Devices (FADS),
hotels and resorts, newer landmarks such as "OTEC," "The Hilton,"
and "V V" further define the mystique of this amazing fishery.
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The general fishing area is roughly seventy miles long, with
Honokohau right in the middle, and most fish are caught within
5 miles of shore.
Large Marlin have been caught in almost every inch of
this 1,700 square-mile stretch of playground.
Some lucky folks return in short order with a huge fish caught
just outside the harbor, while others need the full day and
a good sized piece of the grounds to rally their fare.
A
quick scan of this chart shows why we suggest a full day's commitment
to fishing. It simply needs to be witnessed to be experienced.
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A
view of the calm water fishing grounds from above |
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©
Copyright 2001 KonaFishingCharters.com. All rights reserved.
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Last Revised on 10/12/03
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contact webmaster |
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