An
Andre and Judy Pachon came to fish with us on the Northern Lights this Fall at the end of the year. Knowing it was the end of our season they came with low expectations and a great happy go lucky attitude. They understand the nature of the sporting game hunting and fishing back at home they knew that fishing is fishing and we would have to give it all we got and see what happened. Captain Boyd Decoito helped me with the Pachon’s 3 day trip I had after Mat Bowman went back to Maine for the winter. Here you see Boyd with the leader on Andre’s nice fish. We fished the first 2 days with no bites. There weren’t to many boats out so it was tough to find where the fish were. We did the runs we like to do in the fall and nothing worked for us until the third day. At lunch time we had a nice fish come to the shot rigger that bit and came off. On the way back from working the area we hooked this nice fish. On the bite it looked like a 300 pound fish. It stuck its bill up when it came for the long corner and it was a big bill but the fish didn’t show its size until it jumped across the wake after it bit. What a fish! i knew at that point it was over five but how much I didn’t know. We turned and chased on her right away and idled up the line as she went crazy ahead of us. Boyd got clear and Andre started getting line. Before long we were right up to the long corner mark and I started really chasing the fish in reverse to try to get a close look at her. Our sneak attack idle up to her worked so with in minutes we were in range. Charging back the fish came into sight and the leader popped up. Now I could see the fish and it really looked big. Boyd got the leader and got a couple wraps and she jumped going away. I said to all of them that I tough the fish was over 800 pounds and that we might want to see what she would weigh on the scales. It is rare for me to feel that a fish might have a chance to make a 1000 but this time my initial looks at the fish had me in the “We better gaff it to see how much she would weigh. The truth is as I have written many times before is that it is nearly impossible to tell exact ally how big the fish are when they get this size. Unless you weigh them or measure the fish with a good measurement it is impossible to make the call the fish is over a 1000. A few of the 1000 pounders I have weighed we were surprised they weighed so much. We would have let them go never knowing they would have made the mark. Because they came up dead we got a weight on them and they were in more than one case over 1100 pounds. A 100 pound fish is a special fish and so rare these days that it is probable that the fish wouldn’t make the mark. This one was in the category of it might have a chance so I asked Andre if he wanted to gaff the fish to see. He said no and he and Judy were absolutely in favor of letting the fish go. At that point our only chance to know for sure how big the fish was to see if it would fight so hard it would die from the fight. With release in mind Boyd and I charged the fish full speed not being afraid to loose it by breaking the leader or pulling the hooks. If the fish got away from us to many times it would be inevitable that she would fight so hard she would die. I drove up to the fish and passed it with the boat. Boyd was able to get really close to her on the leader. She was going away so I charged back actually having to slow down as she layer gaffing distance along side the boat. I went out of gear and glided back and Boyd stood with good wraps waiting to see what she was going to do. After what seemed and eternity she bolted forward Boyd dumped the leader and got it back again. After and awesome series of action at the back of the boat and Boyd hanging on the the fish eventually we ripped the hooks free to get the fish free. We didn’t get the tag in the fish but doing so would have probably killed her with us soaking her until she was ready. I could have run down and tagged her but choose to take pictures instead. Many times we don’t get tags in so I can get the photos and so that the fish can survive. We feel that being aggressive saves the fish. If release is the mission we want to be sure they survive. This approach is not good for the tag and release awards but better for the fish and that is the point after all. Congrats to Andre Judy and Boyd for a great catch on the Northern Lights! What a way to finish a great year of fishing on the Kona Coast.