KONA'S JURASSIC PARK

KONA'S JURASSIC JANUARY

- Capt. Chris Donato

Being out on the water when the marlin start to chew can be a challenge in and of itself. But more times than not, it's the reward for fishing every day. Some fisheries are more telltale than others, giving away the secret with the forecast of an approaching cold front. Or, sometimes you can see it coming with an abundance of surface activity, such as birds, tuna and flying fish on an edge. Other spots seem to give only subtle whispers, and Kona, Hawaii, is one of those mysterious locales. The clues are always there; however, it often takes a seasoned captain to pick up on them-and to be in the right place at the right time.

Unfortunately, the nature of the beast-or should I say beasts-is that you can never be 100 percent sure of when the bite will happen, especially when speaking about Pacific blue marlin. Oftentimes in Kona, the captains might call or email clients to inform them that they are seeing the signs of a bite about to explode off the coast and to get on a plane. Of course, that tactic can work us into hero status, or, by the time your clients have finished their first cocktail in the departure lounge, the bite has already shut down.

YOU SHOULDA BEEN HERE YESTERDAY

More common than not, a condition will change overnight, and the fish will be gone or never even show up. It is often said that when people ask about when to come to Kona, "when you can" is usually the answer because the nature of this place is that if the conditions line up, it can happen whenever. In terms of big fish, a lot of times, the truly large ones might make an appearance for a day or two, with no real indication. So, that is why, when these epic bites occur, it's the holy grail of biggame fishing. If you are fortunate enough to be a part of it, especially as a traveling angler, you can consider yourself lucky and definitely in the minority.