Fisherman, Artist, Father: MIKE SAKAMOTO

As we were going to press:

 

Michael R. Sakamoto 1949 - 2009

 

Our friend, Mike, passed away on January 14, 2009 in Honolulu while battling non-hodgkins lymphoma. We will all miss him dearly. Whether it was watching Fishing Tales every weekend or reading a new chapter in one of his many books, we all learned something new with every show and every page. What Mike shared with the fishing community and the people of Hawaii was immeasurable. In appreciation of everything he has done and meant to us, we will feature a tribute in the next issue to the man who truly was a fisherman of Hawaii, a Lawai’a. A Hui Hou, Mike, until we meet again.

Editors of Lawai’a

 

Having Mike Sakamoto for a father is not so different from having a regular, non-tv dad.  He was strict, scary, and hated all the boys I dated.  He made me scrub the kitchen floor, clean my room, and grounded me for grades.  He’d take me to the beach during the summer, practiced tennis with me, gave me my love for writing, and caught me frogs that I kept as pets when I was a kid. 

 

One thing you might not know about him: he’s uncomfortable in front of a camera.  Though you’d never know it from his eighteen years hosting and producing the Fishing Tales television program, Mike Sakamoto considers himself an artist, father, grandfather, and husband before a television personality.  Talk to him about art, his family, or his miniature dachshund named Cappy, and his face instantly lights up; talk to him about the business of running a television program from the ground-up, and the expression becomes more serious.  Not all fishing trips and fun, Sakamoto not only hosted the show, but served as editor, cameraman, salesman, producer, grip, writer, and director throughout its lifespan.  It was a tiresome, stressful, but ultimately rewarding job.

 

“We had no regrets,” Sakamoto says about shutting down the production in 2005.  Sakamoto, together with business partner and friend A.D. Ackerman of Kona, first came up with the idea for a thirty-minute fishing show because they believed that the market was ripe and the demand would be there.  Making do with whatever video equipment available in Ackerman’s tv station Channel 6 in Kailua-Kona, the pair ventured off onto what would turn into an 18 year journey marked by memorable adventures and a lifetime’s worth of education.  “He is the greatest friend a person could ever have,” Sakamoto says in reference to A.D. Ackerman, the man he attributes the success of Fishing Tales to.  “Fishing Tales would never have happened if not for him,” Sakamoto says, “He held it together.  I only hooked and landed the fish”.

 

 

Today, Mike Sakamoto is retired from the television life.  He now dedicates his life to two totally different passions – art and recreational fishing preservation.  Being faced with the possibility of near-total closure of shoreline to fishermen is the scariest thought for Sakamoto.  “All I want is for the average person to be able to carry a bamboo pole and some bait down to the beach and have a great time,” he says, “There are now large groups of people with large sums of money who want that to no longer be possible”.  In recent years, news and chatter of the overfishing of oceans and the strain on our ocean resources by pollution and the like has reached a level previously unseen, prompting the introduction of “closure legislation” which aims to simply close shoreline and oceans to fishermen and divers.  Unfair loopholes such as ethnic exemptions and the targeting of specific user groups have sparked anger and disagreement among the community.

 

Sakamoto’s take on the problem and its possible solutions are unique.  Instead of bans and closures, he believes that the key to preservation lies in simple proper management, which is what should have occurred all along.  A member of both the Gillnet Task Force and the Bottom Fishing Task Force, Sakamoto was able to have a hand in creating plans for regulation on both fronts.  “This was a good example of people getting together to create effective rules to govern themselves,” Sakamoto says, “It proves it can be done”. Unfortunately, in the case of both task forces, their reports filed with the State were ignored, fueling the distrust that now exists between the fishing community and the government.

 

Eventually, only after concerns about gill nets became news, the state was forced to reexamine the rules and regulations put forth by the Gill Net Task Force and adopt some of them. 

 

With closure being touted as the only solution to environmental groups to control ocean resources, Sakamoto is quick to point out that there are many other avenues yet to explore.  “Bag limits, closed seasons, slot limits, and maybe even a marine fishing license,” he says, listing other ways that the resources can be managed. 

 

When talking about the future of fishing, Sakamoto is both passionate and scared.  The possibility of fishing one day being a thing of the past is his greatest fear.  “I want to be able to teach my grandchildren to fish,” Sakamoto says, voicing a very common concern among those fighting yearly at the State Capitol to keep things fair for the community.  Four years ago, it was difficult to imagine a group of fishermen, divers, and netters hanging out at the State Capitol, lobbying, testifying, and rubbing shoulders with politicians.  Today, they have their own organization, a network of spokesmen, and have learned more about the legislative process than many learn in a lifetime.  They write testimony, call their Senators and Representatives on a regular basis, track legislation, testify at hearings, and understand the grueling process involved in trying to get their own bills passed.  “It’s hard work,” Sakamoto says of getting involved in the politics of fishing, “But we’re trying”.

 

In addition to fighting for fishing rights, these days Sakamoto also dedicates his life to his art. Interested in the impressionists since he was a boy, Sakamoto studied painting since his days at McKinley High School, where Mr. Charles Higa first mentored him.  Starting out mostly in watercolor, Sakamoto first began by painting waterscapes and fishing spots, places where he’d been and loved. 

 

One of my most vivid memories of Dad the Artist came very early one morning as I slept peacefully in my bedroom, only to be awakened by the sound of rummaging and the light on in dad’s office.  I got out of bed to see what was going on at 3 a.m., and saw my dad painting away.  “What are you doing?” I asked him, to which he replied, “I just had an idea!” with the happiest grin on his face.  It was truly then that I understood art and passion.  To be awakened in the dead of night and to have that need to rouse yourself from the warmth of your bed to put it down on canvas, well, if that’s not what defines an artist, I don’t know what does.

 

Since shutting down Fishing Tales, Sakamoto has been able to paint on a full-time basis.  His paintings have been featured in a number of shows and galleries over the years, and can be found for sale through the artist himself, and through an art gallery website, www.hawaiiart.com.  He’s also started to paint portraits of dogs for fellow dog lovers on a consignment basis, a side business venture that has proven very popular.  Sakamoto’s most famous dog painting in Hilo can currently be seen along Aupuni Street, on the wall surrounding the construction site of the new Hilo Judiciary Complex.  To deter graffiti from popping up, the community decided to use the blank wall for murals by anyone who wanted to contribute, and Sakamoto’s contribution ended up being a mural entitled “Dogs of the Judiciary”, the beloved best friends of the workers at the Third Circuit Court.  Sakamoto’s own dog is among them, since his wife – my mother – works for the Court.

 

Today, I can truly say that my dad is a very relaxed and happy person.  He fishes for fun now, going out sometimes multiple nights a week on his boat to catch “whatever’s biting in the bay”, golfs with his friends weekly, and paints at all hours of the day and night.  He spends time with my mom, his dog, my brother, and his family, and never stops fighting for fishing rights, sometimes emailing news and ideas back and forth with this fellow fishing fighters all day.

 

Life is still busy for him, despite being retired.  But, it is a different kind of busy now, one that he wholeheartedly enjoys.  Still, many things remain the same about him: his love for fishing, his tireless work ethic, and his dedication to his family.

 

 

 

I’ve thought about the episodes of Fishing Tales that were exceptionally memorable...the ones that truly stood out. The problem is; after 480+ shows produced over a span of 18 years, I can remember them all in great detail, but can’t really say one was better than another. Yes; we got lucky and landed some monster ulua, big marlin and ahi on the show, but seeing a teenager’s eyes lighten up when landing a two pound papio can outshine any grander.

 

In general, the “people who caught the fish”... made every show something special. Just the simple fact that they had a great time fishing and were delighted in hooking and landing some truly trophy fish or even just an average fish....made the show a good one.   

I was never one who looked down at anyone who landed a tilapia or taape....to me they were all good fish and deserved to be treated with great reverence and respect. And if the guest angler felt the same way and we got that message across to the viewers then that was a message more than worthy of sending. I guess that’s why we strived to release as much fish as possible. Yes; its a good conservation message, but the display of respect is a bigger and more powerful message.

 

After all those years producing shows I really came away believing some people will always land good fish because of their attitude. On every show one angler emerged who hooked and landed most of the fish. And this could be the least experienced angler of the bunch. Some people call it luck, but I think it’s just a good person doing the best he or she can and not giving up. I’ve seen some real hot-shot anglers come away with absolutely no fish and get upset about this for the rest of the day. “This never happens to me!!!!.....I always land fish and always the biggest....” is what he’d say and be very serious about it. Sometimes the angler just has too big of an ego and is trying too darn hard. Sometimes having too big of a reputation consumes them and destroys them from within. I try to help them settle down and not take things too seriously. If this can be done, usually it’ll break the ice and fish will be landed.  It’s all very strange in a way, but it happened all the time.

 

On another note; I’ve met some anglers that are true “naturals” in fishing. They’re humble. They know what they are doing and they do it well.  They are just extremely good and I’ve had the luck to meet one or two of those gifted guys in my lifetime.  They could land a trophy fish in a plastic bucket filled with seawater if they had to.....and probably think nothing of it.

 

So in summary; outstanding programs and trophy fish come from outstanding anglers with good attitudes. It’s all that simple. Our job was just to be in the right place at the right time with a camera rolling tape.

 

-Mike Sakamoto

 

 

 

Mike prides himself in being self sufficient. He raises chickens for eggs. He fishes in Hilo Bay and hunts pig for meat. He grows fruits and vegetables in his garden and trades with neighbors for things he doesn’t grow. “If worse comes to worse,” Mike states, “all I would really need to buy is rice and flour.”