I think this might be the first time I've actually been able to accomplish my new years resolution. I picked something that wasn't impossible but something that also wouldn't be the easiest of feats either.
(for those not big on reading skip to the last paragraph, I didn't realize how long this story wasrofl)
My resolution for this year was to shoot and land an ono (wahoo). For some, that may not be a big deal but for myself it took some time. I dont have a boat so most of my blue water attempts are done from a kayak, or the occasional invite from a friend. My close friend who I have taught and mentored in freediving in Hawaii landed his first one a few months ago... that was bitter sweet. Ive had countless experiences in the water with them, one in which I was schooled by about 50 monsters only to have my shaft enbeded in the skull of my largest uku to date. I never thought I would feel sick about shooting a 20+ lb uku but at that moment I was sick to my stomach. They followed me within arms reach all the way to the float as I struggled to get the shaft out of the fish.
Fast forward to yesterday (July 19th) got a call the previous saturday about the possibility of a boat trip to the back side of Lanai scheduled for monday. The ono have been running hard the past month with 57 caught out of Lahaina Harbor in one day so I knew that the time was as good as any.
I was finishing up a Blue water gun for my brother in law so I thought to my self "what better way to test out the gun than on a BW trip?" I spent all of sunday putting the final touches on his 63" enclosed track gun with only one thing on my mind.
So monday morning we spent an hour loading the boat, fueling, and waiting for some of the guys. Ended up getting a late start but I wasn't too concerned. First stop was K buoy which is a FAD located a few miles off of the SE coast of Lanai. Jumped in the water but only saw small balls of bait no big fish. Shot my brothers gun a couple of times to see how it handled, trigger needs adjustment but recoil is minimal and muzzle flip is non existant... sweet!
Next stop was an undisclosed spot on the backside of Lanai. Due to the funky trigger pull on the BW gun I opted for my smaller reef gun, a 110cm enclosed track with a reel and tahitian flopper. We dove this spot for about an hour with not a whole lot of action. After some time I meandered over to where a couple of guys were hunting the reef I stopped off of the back of a big ledge. I was watching one of the guys fiddling with some chum when I turned around to see a 25lb ono looking me in the eyes, well within range of my reef gun but as I made eye contact, it quickly swam back the other way. Excited to see ono non the less I let the other guys know and we started tossing flashers. Some time goes by and out of the corner of my eye I see three shapes. Three nice ono are swimming directly at me from about 100ft away. Not wanting to spook them I quickly turned my right shoulder to them and tossed my flasher out infront of me. All three made the turn and swam directly for the flasher giving my my pick and a great shot. I chose the biggest one:blackeye and made what I hoped would be a stone shot for the spine just behind the pectoral fins. Thought it was a great holding shot, the ono quickly peeled off all the line in my reel and began towing me out to see. The fight was fierce but pretty quick. I swam with it as to not put too much pressure on it and slowly retrieved line, quickly got a hold of it and finished him with my knife. After a quick round of "nuckles" and "flipping of the birds" I swam the ono back to the boat. It took about an hour before I realized that I had fulfilled my new years resolution. Pretty pumped! Back at the dock the fish weighed in at 39.5lbs, not bad for my first!
(for those not big on reading skip to the last paragraph, I didn't realize how long this story wasrofl)
My resolution for this year was to shoot and land an ono (wahoo). For some, that may not be a big deal but for myself it took some time. I dont have a boat so most of my blue water attempts are done from a kayak, or the occasional invite from a friend. My close friend who I have taught and mentored in freediving in Hawaii landed his first one a few months ago... that was bitter sweet. Ive had countless experiences in the water with them, one in which I was schooled by about 50 monsters only to have my shaft enbeded in the skull of my largest uku to date. I never thought I would feel sick about shooting a 20+ lb uku but at that moment I was sick to my stomach. They followed me within arms reach all the way to the float as I struggled to get the shaft out of the fish.
Fast forward to yesterday (July 19th) got a call the previous saturday about the possibility of a boat trip to the back side of Lanai scheduled for monday. The ono have been running hard the past month with 57 caught out of Lahaina Harbor in one day so I knew that the time was as good as any.
I was finishing up a Blue water gun for my brother in law so I thought to my self "what better way to test out the gun than on a BW trip?" I spent all of sunday putting the final touches on his 63" enclosed track gun with only one thing on my mind.
So monday morning we spent an hour loading the boat, fueling, and waiting for some of the guys. Ended up getting a late start but I wasn't too concerned. First stop was K buoy which is a FAD located a few miles off of the SE coast of Lanai. Jumped in the water but only saw small balls of bait no big fish. Shot my brothers gun a couple of times to see how it handled, trigger needs adjustment but recoil is minimal and muzzle flip is non existant... sweet!
Next stop was an undisclosed spot on the backside of Lanai. Due to the funky trigger pull on the BW gun I opted for my smaller reef gun, a 110cm enclosed track with a reel and tahitian flopper. We dove this spot for about an hour with not a whole lot of action. After some time I meandered over to where a couple of guys were hunting the reef I stopped off of the back of a big ledge. I was watching one of the guys fiddling with some chum when I turned around to see a 25lb ono looking me in the eyes, well within range of my reef gun but as I made eye contact, it quickly swam back the other way. Excited to see ono non the less I let the other guys know and we started tossing flashers. Some time goes by and out of the corner of my eye I see three shapes. Three nice ono are swimming directly at me from about 100ft away. Not wanting to spook them I quickly turned my right shoulder to them and tossed my flasher out infront of me. All three made the turn and swam directly for the flasher giving my my pick and a great shot. I chose the biggest one:blackeye and made what I hoped would be a stone shot for the spine just behind the pectoral fins. Thought it was a great holding shot, the ono quickly peeled off all the line in my reel and began towing me out to see. The fight was fierce but pretty quick. I swam with it as to not put too much pressure on it and slowly retrieved line, quickly got a hold of it and finished him with my knife. After a quick round of "nuckles" and "flipping of the birds" I swam the ono back to the boat. It took about an hour before I realized that I had fulfilled my new years resolution. Pretty pumped! Back at the dock the fish weighed in at 39.5lbs, not bad for my first!
