Black & Blue Striped
  Shootout 2004

2004 Reults

By: Donnell A. Tate

The First Annual Hawaii Blue Marlin Spring Shootout drew 17 boats from Maui and 29 from Kona for the statewide event. The tournament was presented by Lahaina Shell. The way the format was set up, each harbor would win half of the harbor's total entry fee for their largest marlin. The other half of the entry fee from each harbor would go into a statewide kitty, with the largest marlin in the state getting the additional statewide purse.

Everyone expected that Kona would weigh the largest marlin and sweep the tournament, but the Maui boats took first, third, fourth and sixth out of seven places.

The winning marlin was captured aboard the Lahaina Harbor based Star Me Up Too. Angler Marlin VanDuisen cranked in a 499.4-pound blue to give the team a total state purse of $26,775.($7,225 from the Maui entries and $19,550 from the statewide kitty). Marlin was fishing with Captains John Burke and Jake Walsh and team members Wes Rado and Nate Mann.

John found the marlin on the 200-fathom ledge south of the Palaoa Pt. Light off the southwest corner of Lanai.

The second place marlin weighing 464.0-pounds was landed in Kona by Oleh Hunka. He was fishing aboard the Jun Ken Po with Captain Mike Holtz and crew Bobby Dobson and Casey Armfield. The team won $12,325 from the Kona entries and free entry into this yearís Kenny Takashima Halloween Shootout held in Lahaina.

Mike raised their fish about an hour south of Honokohau Harbor. Once boated, the fish didn't look that big for Kona standards, so the team decided to stay out and hunt for a bigger fish. With 28 other boats looking for a winner, some boat was bound to catch a larger marlin.

About a half hour later they had a 'Beast' come in on the short corner lure. It took off on a 100-yard run, made a couple of jumps then came off. If they had landed this marlin it would have definitely won just about any tournament.

The third largest marlin was boated on the Kula Manu also out of Lahaina.

Tom Bogar cranked in a 356.8-pound blue while fishing with Captain John Sullivan and crew Randy Evans. John was working an area two-miles outside the Palaoa Pt. Lighthouse off the southwest corner of Lanai.

The Marlin Monroe, another Lahaina boat, weighed the fourth largest marlin of the tournament with Alex Schulz pulling in a 303.2-pound fish. He was fishing with Captain Tio Kearney and crew Lee Strom finding their fish off the Lanai 'Slides'.

The fifth qualifying marlin was caught by Captain Dan Shaffer weighing 295-pounds. He was fishing aboard the Piper with Captain Steve Avichouser. Even though the boat is based out of Ma'alaea Harbor, the team decided to fish out of Kona, thinking they would have a better shot at landing a winner.

Another Maui boat, Aqua Adventure out of Ma'alaea Harbor, had the sixth largest marlin. Captain Dan Peavy brought in a 290.8-pound blue while fishing with brother Captain Mike Peavy.

The last qualifying marlin was weighed in Kona. The Start Me Up hoisted a 262.5-pound fish by Shane Yoshida with Captain Jeff Peck at the helm.