What A TRUE Fisherman Is

          All my life I have always grew up around the ocean. I can consider it like my second home.  A true fisherman does more than just fishing. He should be well rounded in all the different things that the ocean has to offer.
          When I was young my father and I would always go fishing almost every weekend. I started off using a small spinner pole with light tackle. Catching Ta'ape and Moana would make us more than happy; and if we caught a good size Papio that would be a bonus. Every summer we would wake up early and head down to Waianae Boat Harbor to catch the small but very tasty Halalu. I will always remember the site of sitting out on the break wall with many other people and everyone catching hundreds of Halalu.
          As I grew older my father introduced me to surfing. I started off riding my dads old Primo beer board and eventually got boards of my own. I entered a few surf contest and did alright in all of them. Surfing taught me that you should never underestimate the ocean and treat it with respect.
          My first diving experience was on the island of Kauai. Haena to be exact. Being able to see whats under the oceans surface is very amazing. Its almost as if your in a whole other world. As soon as I jumped in with my goggles I was HOOKED! It took me many years to be where I am now in diving. Now that I am a better diver I catch my own Tako for bait when i go Ulua fishing.
          During the 8th grade I would go with my uncle and cousins to go Ulua fishing. As I watched them cast out 13ft fishing poles with really big reels it was just a matter of time before I got a set up of my own. It took me 3 years before I finally caught an Ulua of my own witch weighed in at 16lbs. I am a senior now and im still proud to call myself a hardcore Ulua fisherman.
          In conclusion I want to say that a true fisherman should be well rounded with the ocean and its elements. He should treat it with respect as if it were his own house. A true fisherman knows the feeling of being by the oceans side overnight relaxing and relieving stress. To me the ultimate feeling is just being one with nature and making the best of what it provides.

How To Make Your Bottom Time Longer

          When you start to dive you'll find out that in order to shoot more fish you need to stay down longer. These are some tips of my own and that I learned to help myself have a longer breath.
          Before you even start to dive down for fish on the paddle out you should take a couple practice dives. This will get your lungs ready for when you really need them the most. When I find a good spot to dive down I take a couple really deep breaths and I try to let all my air out of my lungs. Right after that I take in one really big gulp of air. The point of this is to try and let out all your air and suck it all back in at one time. On the way down DO NOT RUSH YOURSELF! The key to a longer bottom time is relaxation. The more relaxed you are the less energy you use up. Try to let your weight belts take you down by themselves without paddling with your fins. When you finally reach the bottom try to make your movements as minimum as possible. Remember, the less energy you use the better.
          If you keep this up I guarantee you that you will get a better down time. I myself is still working at it and need improvements. Till next time, HANAPA'A!
    

Importance Of My Video

          In this post I want to share with you the importance of my video. There are some safety precautions that I want all of you to know before diving and while diving.
          Before diving you want to make sure that your equipment is right for you. If you have the wrong equipment your diving trip could be really uncomfortable. First you need goggles. Make sure that it fits you good(not too loose or not too tight). To stay warm you will need a rash guard or a wet suit. This also helps to prevent cuts from the reef. Make sure your suit is not too tight and not too loose also. Diving gloves helps to hold reef and hold fish tightly. If you are using big diving fins I highly suggest you use dive socks. This helps prevent blisters and cramps in your leg. You can use any type of fins you want. You'll just have to get use to the stiffness of them. ALWAYS dive with a buoy and a partner!!! The buoy is essential so that you dont get hit by a boat and if you get caught in a current and get tired you can hold on to it to conserve energy. It also lets other divers know where you are so that if you drown they can find you easily. ALWAYS use the buddy system. One diver up, one diver down. Your partner should pay attention to your surroundings and watch your actions to see if you dont black out. 
          I hope all of you remember this information and have a safe and fun dive!

My Rigs For Different Spots

          When you fish at different places your always going to have a certain rig for that spot. I wanna share some of my rigs for some of my fishing spots.
          My bait casting rig for Barbers Point is really simple. I use 30lb test lead line with an 8ounce lead and 60lb test line connected to a small hook.(but not too small). I have caught many fish using this simple set up while just bait casting. When I slide bait in Barbers Point I usually make long rub line because of the reef. My rub line is usually 100-150lb test. I then connect that to my stop ring. When I slide bait I use 40lb test for my 9ounce wire lead. The length of my lead line is usually 1-1 1/2 arms length. After all this I tie it to my main line which is 60lb test and you ready to go.
          When I go to the west side or north shore I make my rigs really heavy duty.(always ready for da 100 poundah) My bait casting rig is almost the same but I use a little bit bigger hook for bait fish and Papio. My slide bait rig is the same but I use crimps to hold everything together. Crimps are very strong and can bring in really big fish. After all that is done I connect all that to my main line by tying it together with a double clinch knot.
    

Hanap'a 2010?????

Man! This summer I went Ulua fishing like 10 times and I havnt even got one strike! What the hell is going on? Could it be the spots that I go to? Could it be the tides? Could it be my set-up? Im from the Island of Oahu and I know everyone says "Oahu no mo fish already"! But the fish over here cant be that depleted right? Some of my favorite fishing spots are in Barbers Point, Moi Hole and Mokoulaea on the North shore side. I know for a fact that those spots get action but I just havnt been catching. Oh well better luck next time!