Kona Hawaii fishing report

[Capt Jeff Rogers]

Kona Hawaii fishing report – Sept. ’05 wrap-up.

Fishing in September is really a gamble in Kona. I was just looking at my September fishing report from last year along with my own catch records from September ’04. What I saw prompted me to go ahead and look at my ’03 and ’02 reports also. I did find somewhat of a pattern. September is a good month for marlin overall but the bite seems to turn on and off throughout the month. Not just a slow down or pick-up. I’m talking` a definite ON / OFF. It also seems to be one of the best months for big marlin. Several 500+ marlin are caught in September and this year proved it again with quite a few big marlin both brought in and many released. We also got to see Kona`s second “grander” marlin of the year this month weighing in at 1197 lbs. caught on the 5th during a Labor day benefit tournament. So what tides, moon phase, solunar table should you look at before picking the day(s) for your September big marlin trip? I suggest the most scientific method. Stand back and throw a dart at the calendar! The pattern I found is that there is no pattern to this ON / OFF month.

Ahi are still a fairly common catch right now but the bite is quickly turning from a blind strike bite to a porpoise school only bite. The mahi mahi stuck with us all summer with a few here / few there and the season for them is just around the corner so expect the bite on these to pick up real soon. As for ono and spearfish, not too much action on those. Otaru are around feeding on shrimp at the surface but don`t seem to be very interested in any trolling plugs you want to throw at them.

The bottom bite is usually a little slow in the summer. My last bottom fishing trip got me fast hook-ups but I`m not sure the slow season is over yet. Live bait was harder than usual to get this summer and with live bait being the best bait, it definitely had an effect on my summer catch rate. The mackerel finally started showing up and they`re biting so there`s hope that even if the top water bite shuts OFF, we can get a good tug on the line by dropping live bait to the bottom.

See `ya on the water,
Capt. Jeff Rogers