A friend of mine from Los Angeles had come into town and wanted to go fishing so we made plans to go out today from the Ilikai Harbor and see if the water was going to be nice enough for trolling. While we were setting up to the boat prior to launching I just so happened to run in to Shinchan (Randy). His motor had been sputtering and so he decided to abort his fishing trip and head back to the barn. I decided to head toward Hi Kai which proved to be a bad idea with the winds blowing 15-20 knots and the seas were pretty bumpy with some good sized swells. We made it all the way down to Portlock and back to Diamond head buoy without a single strike. Once he got a little pass the Diamond Head buoy the water had calmed down a bit and made for a much nicer ride back. Not feeling very confident about catching around the inside of Waikiki, I told me friend that we probably wasn't going to catch anything so enjoy the boat ride. So with little to no expectations we took in on the great scenery of Diamond Head and the Waikiki skyline. As we were approaching Royal Hawaiian Hotel from the 40 fathom we finally took an outrigger strike and my friend Frank was able to land a 21 pound Ono. with the pressure no off my shoulders We continued to troll around on the 40 fathom for another hour and got in by 12:OO. I want to thank Randy for sharing his fishing information with me because I would have actually taken a right hand turn and gone up toward Barbers Point and probably would not have caught our "mercy bite" Ono! I kinda screwed up and took a video instead of a picture of my friend with his first ever Ono.
Good going on the ono Russell and nice meeting you at the ramp. I knew there was a few fish there, glad you found 'em!!!!
Good going Russ and crew, nice ono! Made a memorable day for a friend! Randy - Too bad had to abort your fishing trip, hope was nothing major. Good going for you guys to share info and see some good results! Have great weekend! Aloha, Jimmy
Russell, good talking to you yesterday, good going on the ono....you spoiled his hawaiian vacation, haha!
Russ and Frank, good going! They always strike when you least expect it, so you got a nice boat ride and a nice ono. Randy, props to you for sharing your knowledge. Better safe than sorry, karma will get you yours next trip out.
good going russell. we went up to diamond head buoy the past 2 weeks and nothing. going try again on sunday. if no strikes then we going drag shell again.
Hey Randy,thanks! It is always nice to meet fellow BDers at the boat ramp! Thanks for the infor....I was really going to BP but knowing where people was getting strikes and seeing fish really helps putting us in the right direction! Hope your motor is running OK and go get em the next time you're out there! Hi Jimmy, Thank you! All through the morning I kept reminding Frank that right now is pretty slow at trolling so he was'nt expecting to catch anything....I was pretty convinced too! Especially after running down to Portlock and back to Diamond Head with no strikes. Yep, Frank later told me that the ONo is the biggest he has caught so far! Nick, my friend Frank had a great time on the water, fought a fish and even eat a mixed plate From Rainbow Drive-in! Frank and his family got to enjoy some fresh fish too, Brian, Always nice to hear from you! Thank you! Too bad I had to work and he was tied up the rest of the week or we would have gone out again. Darren, Thank you! Isn't that so,true! What a nice surprise especially when you you almost gave up hope! Wade, Thank you! For what it's worth, the Ono bite blue/silver with black polka dots on the outside with a pink/yellow on the inside. My guess is that they are probably feeding on Opelu. I would try to hang around by the sunken ship /submarine area....small kine bird piles around that area......try jig for opelu and drag em around live! Good luck to you on Sunday!
Hey Russ, Don't fish out my new grounds. Can't go too many places with my "new" ride. Still have a few more things to do before my maiden voyage. Ala Wai seems like the best place for an OC1 canoe. When I get tired paddling I'll start up my 2hp Honda. Ken
Hi Jonny, Thanks! That one bite sure made our day! Howzit Ken, I'm impressed with your new ride even if its not a "real Boat"! Nah, just joking! All kidding aside, that canoe looks pretty mean! You can practice at the Ala Wai going for Ono and Mahimahi and I will be anxiously awaiting next summer seeing a thread from you on boating an Ahi off your canoe.
