Too Little, Too late
by: Traci Shintakuposted: Thu Jan 01, 2009 at 12:15 PM
"Na Wahine O Keehi Tournament"
I was so excited about the Na Wahine O Keehi Tournament held on 10/21/2007. Our team won 1st place in 2005 catching the largest fish ever in the Keehi Boat Club Wahine Tournament with a 529 lb. Marlin. In 2006 we didn’t enter because I was hapai.
The morning of the tournament couldn’t have been more beautiful with sunny skies and flat waters. Our crew included myself Traci, Captain Reid Yamashita, Rodney Yoshikawa and Ryna Ordinado. As we and the 19 other boats headed toward the starting buoy at 6:30 am, we were discussing our game plan, Reid said hold on tight and soon we were blitzing to the spot where they caught 3 large tuna the day before. They were still disappointed from the previous day’s Open Competition. Although they had a nice 3 ahi catch, it was a largest fish tournament and they were edged out by a 180.1# ahi, their largest being 161#.
It took us about 4 hours to get to the spot. When we finally got there it was so amazing with all the porpoise swimming all around us, it was the first time in my life I had experienced something like that, as Reid and Rodney were setting the lines Reid said to me “which lure do you want to run on your pole?” (I had a pole made for me just for the tournament; it was pink). As we drove thru the porpoise pile the corner pole started screaming….HANA PA’A! After about a minute the fish came off, 10 minutes later we got another bite, it too came off. How disappointing.
We had no bites for the next 3 hours, so we decided it was time to start heading back. With Reid in the driver’s seat and Ryna in the passenger seat, Rod and I were in the back of the boat enviously viewing the previous day’s video of Reid, Larren Tang and Sean Okano catching the 3 Ahi. Suddenly, I happened to glance up and saw a Marlin’s bill come out of the water. It was trying to bite the corner lure, I yelled “FISH”, “FISH!” For some reason “Marlin!” didn’t come out of my mouth, I guess it was easier to yell “Fish!” Anyway Reid and Ryna turned around to see what I was yelling about, Rod said, “yeah I see the fish.” He thought I was referring to the fish on the video we had been watching.
The Marlin had missed the corner lure and went for the middle lure which was on my pole, I was soooooo happy, as the pole started to scream Rod put down the video camera and ran toward the pole, Ryna and I started to clear the other poles as the Marlin jumped in the air I thought OMG the Marlin looked bigger than the one we caught in 2005.
It was 4:00. At first we thought we could make it to the 5:00 weight-in so Reid and Rod tried desperately to horse the fish in, but after 20 minutes the boys realized there was no way we were going to make it back to the weight station in time. We were still 12 miles out, so now it was the girls turn. As Ryna and I took turns fighting the fish it took us about 45 minutes to an hour, it really gave a good fight, to get the fish to where Reid could hit it with a .357 bang stick. Now it was time to bring it into the boat, Reid and Rod struggled but eventually got the Marlin in the boat, although it took them another 15 to 20 minutes.
Unfortunately when we reached the pier it was so late the scales where already gone. We couldn’t weigh the fish, but after measuring the length and the girth, the approximate weight was 570 lb., too bad the fish didn’t bite earlier in the day…..What an awesome day of fishing, one to remember for the rest of my life, I had a natural high for a few days.
Although, for the two day Tournament, the Hana Pa’a crew’s spectacular catches did not have a single award to show for it. The catch was too little on Day 1 and too late on Day two…..
Thank you to the Keehi Boat Club for putting on a great tournament and to all those who helped make it a success. Much mahalo to our sponsor Mabel & Sterling Kaya of Hana Pa’a Fishing Co. Mahalo to our captain Reid Yamashita crew Rodney Yoshikawa & Ryna Ordinado. Thank you Larren Tang & Bryson Iwane for the creation of my special pink pole, Uncle Larry Tang & Jon Corrales for the lures, Lance Ohara for letting me borrow his camera and underwater housing, to our family and friends for all your love and support.
I was so excited about the Na Wahine O Keehi Tournament held on 10/21/2007. Our team won 1st place in 2005 catching the largest fish ever in the Keehi Boat Club Wahine Tournament with a 529 lb. Marlin. In 2006 we didn’t enter because I was hapai.The morning of the tournament couldn’t have been more beautiful with sunny skies and flat waters. Our crew included myself Traci, Captain Reid Yamashita, Rodney Yoshikawa and Ryna Ordinado. As we and the 19 other boats headed toward the starting buoy at 6:30 am, we were discussing our game plan, Reid said hold on tight and soon we were blitzing to the spot where they caught 3 large tuna the day before. They were still disappointed from the previous day’s Open Competition. Although they had a nice 3 ahi catch, it was a largest fish tournament and they were edged out by a 180.1# ahi, their largest being 161#.
It took us about 4 hours to get to the spot. When we finally got there it was so amazing with all the porpoise swimming all around us, it was the first time in my life I had experienced something like that, as Reid and Rodney were setting the lines Reid said to me “which lure do you want to run on your pole?” (I had a pole made for me just for the tournament; it was pink). As we drove thru the porpoise pile the corner pole started screaming….HANA PA’A! After about a minute the fish came off, 10 minutes later we got another bite, it too came off. How disappointing.
We had no bites for the next 3 hours, so we decided it was time to start heading back. With Reid in the driver’s seat and Ryna in the passenger seat, Rod and I were in the back of the boat enviously viewing the previous day’s video of Reid, Larren Tang and Sean Okano catching the 3 Ahi. Suddenly, I happened to glance up and saw a Marlin’s bill come out of the water. It was trying to bite the corner lure, I yelled “FISH”, “FISH!” For some reason “Marlin!” didn’t come out of my mouth, I guess it was easier to yell “Fish!” Anyway Reid and Ryna turned around to see what I was yelling about, Rod said, “yeah I see the fish.” He thought I was referring to the fish on the video we had been watching.
The Marlin had missed the corner lure and went for the middle lure which was on my pole, I was soooooo happy, as the pole started to scream Rod put down the video camera and ran toward the pole, Ryna and I started to clear the other poles as the Marlin jumped in the air I thought OMG the Marlin looked bigger than the one we caught in 2005.
It was 4:00. At first we thought we could make it to the 5:00 weight-in so Reid and Rod tried desperately to horse the fish in, but after 20 minutes the boys realized there was no way we were going to make it back to the weight station in time. We were still 12 miles out, so now it was the girls turn. As Ryna and I took turns fighting the fish it took us about 45 minutes to an hour, it really gave a good fight, to get the fish to where Reid could hit it with a .357 bang stick. Now it was time to bring it into the boat, Reid and Rod struggled but eventually got the Marlin in the boat, although it took them another 15 to 20 minutes. Unfortunately when we reached the pier it was so late the scales where already gone. We couldn’t weigh the fish, but after measuring the length and the girth, the approximate weight was 570 lb., too bad the fish didn’t bite earlier in the day…..What an awesome day of fishing, one to remember for the rest of my life, I had a natural high for a few days.
Although, for the two day Tournament, the Hana Pa’a crew’s spectacular catches did not have a single award to show for it. The catch was too little on Day 1 and too late on Day two…..
Thank you to the Keehi Boat Club for putting on a great tournament and to all those who helped make it a success. Much mahalo to our sponsor Mabel & Sterling Kaya of Hana Pa’a Fishing Co. Mahalo to our captain Reid Yamashita crew Rodney Yoshikawa & Ryna Ordinado. Thank you Larren Tang & Bryson Iwane for the creation of my special pink pole, Uncle Larry Tang & Jon Corrales for the lures, Lance Ohara for letting me borrow his camera and underwater housing, to our family and friends for all your love and support.
