Winners of the 2009 Wahine Tournament
168.0 lb. Marlin
September 26, 2009
(left to right) Rain & Capt.Jay Swift, Charlene Pule, Jacob Liana,, Darlene Kaahaaina,Shailain Liana
Jayson Swift,Kailee Kaahaaiana,Lauren Swift on the Rain Anne
This year's 13th Wahine Tournament started out with questionable weather but the tournament chairman Jesse Nohoikaiu checked everything and gave the justified go ahead and the tournament was on. Started at 6:30 with the first fish being caught around 8am by Pii Aloha aboard the Susanna Maria, a feisty marlin at 123.6 lbs but the Skipper Jesse Nohoikaiu Jr. had a triple knockdown and was glad to bring in this marlin. Shortly after that Brittany Okuma outside Makaha hooked up to another marlin weighing in at 126.4 lbs aboard the Colleen with Capt. Walter Okuma. The day started to slow down a bit until getting a knockdown after lunch was the Kylie Kai with Capt. Lloyd Machida put his wife Kari to work pulling in the only Ahi caught in the tournament and she did and impressive job for a 151.4 lbs. Ahi ‘s have been rare lately and was real good to see some are still out there, they normally come around in November and December just in time for Christmas and New Years parties. Getting back to the tournament we were just about to close up the scales when we got a call at about 4:15 from the Rain Anne that they just hooked up to a marlin and wanted to make sure they qualify yet because stop fishing is at 4:30 the chairman acknowledged their catch and told them we ‘d be waiting with the scales. Charlene Pule was fighting this fish and was her first time on a boat and fighting this fish accidentally put the reel in free spool and the captain Jay Swift took a few seconds to figure out what was happening while he was clearing all the other lines, well as any fishermen would know it doesn’t take long to have all your line disappear in front of you and Charleen screamed “ we are out of line” Capt. Jay looked at the situation and realized he better just stay with the angler as she needed his help if they ever wanted to bring this fish aboard, Charleen had to reel all the line back and that is hard enough with out a marlin attached but trying to beat the time and still get this marlin aboard took everything this team had, they helped her keep the line from balling up and she did a great job wasted no time and 30 minutes later they had it up to gaff, knocked it’s head and brought it aboard, well it came back to life when it got in the boat and started to bang everyone with it’s tail and deckhand Jacob Liana jumped on the tail and he got a little ride for awhile while the crew of the boat couldn’t stop laughing, but the Capt. Jay knew he had to get back in a hurry so he sped up the boat and made it in the harbor with time to spare. Jesse weighed the fish at 168.0 lbs and everyone cheered cause they new the fish to beat was a 151.4 Ahi. Well it made this tournament so exciting was really nice. This boat has had it winning streak lately with catching the winning fish during the Keiki tournament last month also when Kaytelyn Kaahaina age 15 picked up a 4.24 lb Weke Ula, and all she could say then was “ I went from last place in 2008 to first place on 09” I guess Kaytelyn’s mom Darleene who was part of the crew for this Wahine Tournament repeated the same quote,” in the Wahine Tournament we went from last Place in 08 to first place in 09” good going to all the entries and boats that entered hope to see them again in 2010. sea ya Norman