A Reel Thrill by Steve Harris

Sunday, May 7, 2006 dawned gray and a bit windy, but I was committed to make it to the 2006 Hui Waa Kaukahi “Bragger’s Rights” fishing contest.  It was to be held at Malaekahana Regional Park, near the Mormon Temple, and was also billed as the “Rusty Lillico 2006 Kayak Fishing Contest.”  In recent years the contest had taken on the name of the previous year’s winner, who also had to organize the next year’s contest.  Last year it was known as the “Alan Calhoun,” and Rusty had scored a 10 pound Ulua at Malaekahana to take first place.

I got to the park just about 7:00 which is when the starting gun was supposed to sound.  There weren’t too many fishermen around as I rushed to unload my boat and get in the water.  “No problem, I’ll roll all my stuff by the registration table in one trip on the way to the beach,” I thought.  Stan McCrae was pulling out of the parking lot, heading for Kahana Bay so he would be able to paddle with the wind back to the weigh in station.  Good idea, but I had already unloaded my truck so I headed for the registration table.

Wow, nobody had launched yet and it was still pretty gray and windy.  Rusty said no hurry, he was extending the finish time from 12:00 to 1:00.  That didn’t bother Alan who said all he needed was 20 minutes.

I ended up first to launch, just ahead of Chuck Ehrhorn, even after driving all the way out from Waikiki.  After Stan’s comment, I decided my strategy would be to head straight out into the wind and just go as far as I could before turning around and running back downwind to the campsite.  If I went left or right, up or down the coast, I’d be battling the wind all day instead of just until I got tired.

But first I had to get out through the pretty healthy breakers that were filling Laie Bay.  I knew there was a way, but it looked pretty risky.  I charged out, going right, then going  left, getting lucky, and finally making outside the surf zone.

Whew, that’s over.  In the water with my frozen opelu hooked to my double hook deep sea fishing rig on my lucky new rod and reel.  It was still breezy and the swells were big and steep, but they weren’t breaking, so I was good to go.  I was by Goat Island and soon I was by the next little island on my left.  Then I was by the Laie Point islands and the sailing was pretty smooth.

All of a sudden I got a big knock down on the opelu rig and I knew I had a good fish on.  The reel was really singing as the drag was set very low for mahimahi.  This is because at slow kayak speeds mahi attack from the back and eat their way forward up your bait.  If they feel resistance, or the hook, they let go and spit the bait out.  I stowed my paddle and grabbed the rod, but the line went dead as if the fish was off the hook.  Big disappointment and I madly reeled in line to see if she was still on and swimming toward me instead of away.  Yea, there’s tension, she’s still on!  Wow, she’s heading away again, and now she’s jumping.  Oh what a sight!  It’s a mahimahi alright; she’s jumping all over the place, and heading straight out to sea.   Tighten up the drag.  But not too much; let her wear herself out.  Mahimahi are very active and dangerous when boated too early with their wild energetic flopping.  Many an angler has been hooked by loose hooks when this happens.

Well, so far so good, several jumps and she hasn’t thrown the hook, she’s not stripping all my line of my reel, I seem to have her under control.  Look at those colors – iridescent blue along the top of the back – how beautiful.  Whoa, there’s some more jumps!  What a great feeling holding on to this rod!   She’s definitely getting tired and getting closer to the boat.  Just a little more, take it easy.

Ah, here she is, very close now, open my back hatch, I’ll want to get her in there as quickly as possible. She’s really tired now and can barely move her head, good, she’s ready.   OK, bring her in close and grab the line.  Oh, oh, what’s this, one last wiggle;  the loose (front) hook went into my nylon sun pants.  Oh, shoot, gotta get that out before I can get her up and slide her into to the hatch.  Yank, yank, nuts, it won’t rip out of the pants, and hey, it kind of hurts, I better check this out.  Pull up my pant leg.  Oh no, it’s not only in my pants, it’s in my outside upper calf.  Swell… but it’s not too deep, I’ll just tear it out, no problem.  Wrong!  It just won’t come; your skin is very strong, just like Kerry Cloward said after he hook badly hooked a few years ago.

What do I do now – I have one hook in my leg and the other hook deep in her mouth and a 700 pound stainless steel cable between the two.  I don’t think about cutting the wire, plus I don’t have wire cutters.  Well, how ‘bout I just cut my leg between the two points where the hook goes in and out.  It won’t be bad, just a little shallow cut, the hook is very close to the surface.  No problem.  My hatch is open, just get out my Leatherman, open the blade. Oh, wait wrong one, close that and get the other one.  OK, good, reach over, hold up the hook, take a cut.  Oh, wait a minute, that kind of stings,  well it ought to, it’s my leg, not just any old piece of fish to clean.  Hesitate.  Heck, I can’t stop now. There’s no other solution.  Wow, this is like that guy in Utah who had to cut his hand off to rescue himself.  No way, this is not nearly as bad as that, it’s just a little flesh wound.  Try again, that did it, almost out, just one more little thread.  Great, got it!  Perfect.

Alright, lift her up, and there she goes sliding right into the hatch.  She’s caught on my life jacket, give another little shove.

OK, that’s it, she’s in the boat!  I landed a prize fish in a fishing contest!  It’s a deep water fish.  And, it’s on O’ahu, just like the Screaming Reel guys in Kona off the Big Island.  Wow, am I excited!