edited by RONNIE KOVACH


I've been lucky enough to have the opportunity to spend many days fishing with Peter Hoogs along the Kona Coast and found this home-grown Hawaiian skipper to be a wealth of knowledge on big game fishing. He has many closely held strategies and personal theories about marlin and how to catch them. He was kind enough to agree to share some of them with readers of THE JOURNAL in this question and answer interview. We both hope you will find these insights informative and helpful to your angling pursuits.

 THE JOURNAL: The fishing for giant marlin just doesn't seem to be what it used to be in Hawaii, the number of big fish getting thin. Are there still granders to be caught along the Kona Coast?
 Hoogs: There are still a lot of 1,000 pound marlin to be caught here, although some years are better than others. Really big blacks and blues migrate through the waters near Kona each year and it is still probably the best place in the Pacific to find a grander.

ABOUT THE PRO: Captain Peter Hoogs has been a pro- fessional charter captain working the waters off the island of Kona in the 50th state for over thirty years. Born and raised in Hawaii, he is the skipper of the charter boat PAMELA. His record of accomplishments include an incredible legacy of angling awards and tourna- ment wins and places, capped this year by garnering honors for the top tag and release boat in the 1997 Firecracker open and taking first place prize in the 1997 Kona Skins Tournament. Peter Hoogs is one of the original anglers to participate in the prestigeous Hawaiian International Billfish Tournaments starting way back in 1958. today, as one of the pre- mier charter operations on the island, Hoogs continues to put his clients on big fish. He has scored two marlin over 1000 pounds on the PAMELA, a 1,143 pound blue and a 1,060 pound black. This past sea- son his best catch was a 942 pound blue marlin, a remarkable fish by any standard. He also scores quite well on the big yellowfin tuna that migrate through the area. ******************************************** Editor's note: Capt. Peter Hoogs was one of the very first subscribers to THE JOURNAL from the great state of Hawaii. We can remember his call to our office about the time our second issue was going to press, congratulating us on what he fet was the finest big game fishing magazine he'd ever read. We're pleased to have him contributing to this issue as he is one of the pioneers of the Kona big game fishery.

 THE JOURNAL: We read about or see pictures of some of the enormous marlin that have been caught here, but just how tough are they to handle?
"Hoogs: An angler challenging these really big billfish on 50- or 80-pound class tackle has to have a lot of stamina and a good understanding of the dynamics of how the tackle works. We can teach the technique, but they have to bring the staying power. Big black and blue marlin will usually fight for a long time. Anglers have been on huge fish here for up to 37 hours, even with 130-pound test tackle! Unfortunately, fish that fight that long frequently die on the line and sink before they are beaten. Once that happens, there's no way you can raise the fish, on any tackle, in the deep water we're fishing in.

 THE JOURNAL: Do you find that each big fish has its own personality during the fight?
 Hoogs: All big fish are different and can react differently once hooked. I've seen 500 pounders fight like granders for over five hours and then again, one local boat landed a grander in a matter of minutes. There's no telling what an individual fish will do, but most put on quite a show.

 THE JOURNAL: How do you set your reel drags when hunting for trophy fish?
 Hoogs: Most of the time I like to have the drag set at about one third of the breaking test of the line when trolling. That's my normal strike setting. I'll jack the drag up if we are missing a lot of strikes, fish coming up and hitting a lure but not getting hooked up. Then, I'll back it off to a little less than one third once the fish is on early in the fight. We might change drag settings on a day-to-day basis, depending upon what the fish are doing and how they are reacting to the lures.

 THE JOURNAL: Do you think color matters much in lure selection for marlin?
 Hoogs: I've heard so many theories about whether or not marlin can see color that I'm not sure anyone really knows. Some scientists say yes, others disagree. Here in Kona, where my experience can speak for itself, I feel there are definitely days when these fish key in on specific primary colors such a blue, purple or black. When they show a preference, they'll usually stick with it all day long. If it's not the actual colors they are responding to, they must at least see shades or respond to the reflective quality of different colors under varying light or water conditions, possibly the way a specific color silhouettes against the sky above.

 THE JOURNAL: On that note, let's delve into some particulars. What does the typical lure menu on the PAMELA look like?
 Hoogs: I like to set out a menu of different colors and sizes to start the day. It is very important to provide a good mix, and we are constantly watching and are prepared for the fish to isolate a certain style; to tell us what their preference is on any given day. For example, there are many days when the fish want relatively small lures. On other days, the big fish might show a preference for chasing chrome jet-heads. One day they might want purple skirts, the next blue. Sometimes they will get on a specific pattern and it will remain hot for days. It is important for a good fisherman to remain observant and to be ready to adjust the lures he is running for prevailing or emergent patterns.

 THE JOURNAL: What would a typical trolling pattern look like from the menu of lures you mentioned? Are there any rules of thumb you can pass along?
 Hoogs: In Kona, we especially like to run small to medium jet heads on the long-rigger lines and in the stinger position off the bridge or from the center-rigger. Some days the stinger, sitting way back behind the boat in clean water, gets over fifty percent of the bites. We are very precise regarding the placement of specific types of lures and which wakes they will be situated on behind the boat. A typical pattern consists of five trolling lures.

 THE JOURNAL: You mentioned the effectiveness of the stinger position. Do you have specific situations when you run lures in relatively long drop-back positions?
 Hoogs: We run a lot of lures back in the spread when the ahi (yellowfin) are around. For instance, we usually have to let out a lot of line with jet heads to get them way back beyond the last wave in clean water. The big yellowfin tuna really like to hit jets that are placed a good way back behind the boat.
 If the yellowfin are biting well, we sometimes run two very long lines, usually beyond the eighth wake, to generate double hook-ups with jets doing the best job in this position. This double long line pattern also makes for easier turns, as they don't tangle with the other three lures run in tight to the transom for marlin.

 THE JOURNAL: Can you describe your basic trolling spread for our readers?
 Hoogs: It's really rather simple. First, we have the ultra-long stinger down the center, like I said, usually a jet. Then to complete the pattern, we usually mix it up by running a short-rigger line on the second wake, a long-rigger line on the third, the fourth wake is reserved for the other short-rigger line, and the other long-rigger gets set at the fifth wake. The stinger is way back beyond the eighth wake. This completes our five lure pattern, but the lures we run in each position will change to meet conditions and what the fish are showing a preference for. We've been using this configuration for a lot of years on the PAMELA and it continues to produce fish for us, year after year!

 THE JOURNAL: Do you use birds in front of lures very often?
 Hoogs: We use birds pretty regularly. We get a lot of the smaller blue marlin coming up to lures positioned behind a bird. We found birds work especially well with soft-head lures.

 THE JOURNAL: What is the preference for leaders with trolling lures? I remember some years back when skippers ran wire leaders with marlin lures. If this still common practice?
 Hoogs: Today, we only troll wire leaders when the one (wahoo) are around in numbers. Sometimes you just have to or the ono will cost you a lot of expensive trolling lures with their sharp teeth. Recently, we've started to use fluorocarbon leaders for tuna because the material seems to increase the number of bites. It also has excellent abrasion resistance and allows us to use lighter material when the tuna seem leader shy. Our deckhands love the fluorocarbon because it has a good solid feel and very little stretch. It's expensive stuff, however.

 THE JOURNAL: So wire leaders are a thing of the past for the marlin?
 Hoogs: No, not exactly, just with lures. I'm a strong proponent of using piano wire with live baits for billfish. The big live baits swim better and go deeper because wire ofers less resistance through the water. I find that live baits also last longer fished with single-strand wire leaders. When you hook-up, the marlin's bill will not chafe and weaken wire either, giving you a better chance of bringing the fish to the boat successfully.

 THE JOURNAL: Since you fish live bait, where do you typically find and catch it off Kona?
 Hoogs: One of the real mysteries of life here is why we often find a school of aku (skipjack) crashing all over the surface, and cannot get them to strike one of our tiny trolling lures. Sometimes catching live baits is more frustrating than any part of the fishing day. I find schools of this primary bait-fish will usually stack up on the North Grounds area on a very regular basis. Many days they will respond to our lures and jigs and we're off to the marlin grounds in no time. But other days we may not be able to catch even one, even though they are there and pushing water on the surface.

 THE JOURNAL: Is a live aku the most deadly bait for big blue marlin?
 Hoogs: They are excellent baits. We slow troll them most of the time. But let me tell you, there are instances when a marlin will trail an aku behind the boat for some time. It shows interest in the bait, but doesn't light up and strike it. When this happens, I have a little drill we run that works very well. I have my deckhand wind the bait in slowly, pick it out of the water and literally throw it at the marlin. It sounds crazy, but this tactic, throwing the aku at the fish, having it see the marlin and begin to dart away, often triggers a vicious strike. It turns a lazy fish into an aggressive feeder!

 THE JOURNAL:How do you decide when to use lures or live bait?
 Hoogs: There are some rules of thumb. Lures don't always work well when there is fast current running through the grounds. That can be an indicator of when to go to live bait. If I find schools of bait piled up on the 100 fathom ledges, I will usually resort to slow-trolled aku because marlin traverse these ledges and it keeps us tight on the spots longer. But, conditions change here all the time. One day live bait works great; the next day the water looks the same, but the marlin ignore the bait and show a preference for lures. There are so many variables you have to be ready to make adjustments in your approach on a day to day basis. On the other hand, if I feel I have a solid game plan based on prevailing conditions and good signs, I'll stick with it until it either pays off or proves to me it's time to change.

The Pamela backing in at the Kailua-Kona Pier with a 942 Lb. Blue Marlin

 THE JOURNAL: Do you like to work certain key areas more than others?
 Hoogs: The $64,000 question along the Kona Coast is where will the fish be today? The conditions change so quickly that during an eight hour period, an area that appeared dead in the morning might turn out providing a red hot bite by late afternoon. After all these years, I still look at every day as different and try not to put too much faith in fishing any specific spots when the signs don't warrant it.

 THE JOURNAL: Do you ever use downriggers as part of your arsenal of techniques?
 Hoogs: I do use a downrigger with live baits pretty regularly. While my main baits are slow trolled at the surface, I'll fish one off a downrigger at about 25 fathoms to take advantage of any fish holding deep. You never know what's going to eat a bait at that depth. It could be a marlin, swordfish, big shark or, very frequently, a wahoo. I have found when fishing is slow, the downrigger is often the only thing that produces fish. I never hesitate to drop a bait deep on the downrigger when I meter meatballs of bait hanging deep. It's the only way to get a bait in the strike zone when that's where the feeding is going on.

 THE JOURNAL: You've been at this game for a long time. What pearls of wisdom can you offer our readers that might halp them with their fishing?
 Hoogs: Confidence is as important as technique in fishing. When getting on the water, you have to assess the conditions and at least start your day in an area you believe in. If it looks good when you get there, if the signs are right, stick to your guns, have confidence in your choice. If you're a charter captain, you have to hope your charter will have confidence in your ability, too.
 Confidence is born of experience and that only comes with time on the water. For example, here in Kona, I like to fish an area known as "The Grounds." I have placed high in numerous marlin tournaments working this area over the years because I have learned it well. I pretty much know where the bait should be stacked up in this area and where the fish should be.
 Let me give you another piece of advice. There is an adage that I live by that says "never leave fish to find fish." I never leave an area showing fish even if they are not biting at the present time to look for other fish elsewhere. This is almost always a huge mistake regardless of where in the world you fish. Sometimes all it takes is a tide change and the fish go on the feed! If you're there and they're there, wait 'em out.

 THE JOURNAL: Peter, do you think visiting anglers come to Kona with expectations that are too high?
 Hoogs: If you are talking about expectations of find great numbers of trophy marlin, I'd say yes. Kona is known for its big Pacific blue marlin, fish that weigh in the 300- to 1,000-pound range. You don't catch lots of big marlin in many places in the world and we don't get great numbers of smaller ones. If you are looking for sheer numbers, this isn't the place. If you want to catch the fish of a lifetime, then Kona is a real good bet.

 THE JOURNAL: There are some developing fisheries away from the main island that appear to be growing in popularity. Where do they take place?
 Hoogs: That's right! Many visiting big game fishermen have no idea of how many great angling opportunities there are offshore of Kona island. There are sea mounts about 130 miles out that are loaded with fish, not just blue marlin, but giant ahi, ono, and mahi mahi. Few boats ever target these more remote areas, but multi-day trips are becoming part of the array of fishing options being offered.

 THE JOURNAL: How about closer in. I understand you have some interesting prospects for inshore fishing and are even making night trips available?
 Hoogs: In ninety fathoms of water or less, near shore, we have huge amberjack, ulua, and ono. This action can be spectacular with light tackle using either yo-yoing metal jigs or casting spoons or jigs and running them near the bottom. This is geat fun.
 Night fishing is becoming popular and it can provide a variety of different species we rarely catch while marlin fishing during the day. We go after albacore at night and rarely catch any under forty pounds! They're great sport on the right tackle. Few people know it, but we also get bigeye tuna up to 300 pounds, swordfish, yellowfin and mako sharks in the dark! We drift fish using a parachute (sea anchor) to maintain a slow, comforable drift speed, then set up a chum line with fresh-caught squid. All the tuna family members find this chum line in the dark sooner or later! The fishing can be spectacular.

 THE JOURNAL: Peter, do you ever get tired of the day to day grind of charter fishing or dealing with the customers?
 Hoogs: Not really. I love what I do and I've been at it for over thirty years. I guess to do anything for that long, you have to like it and feel comfortable. On the PAMELA we really work hard for our charter customers and it pays off in catches and satisfied clients. it seems that some of the best catches over the years were made by fishermen who had an air of good karma.

 THE JOURNAL: That's an interesting observation. What do you mean by "good karma"?
 Hoogs: Fishermen who come out here, have a certain respect for our experience and dedication we bring to the day's fishing and for what we are trying to do for them. They listen to what we say and believe in the captain and crew. They enjoy this incredible island and the day we share on this magnificent body of water. They have the right attitude and the gods seem to reward them with the best chances of hooking up with the fish of a lifetime.

 THE JOURNAL: Thanks for spending time with our readers, Peter, and for your insight into fishing Hawaiian waters.

 Captain Hoogs operates his 38' Bertram, PAMELA, from the big island of Kona year round. If you would like to inquire about charters, he can be reached at 808/329-1525 (home) or 808/329-3600 through Kona Charter Skippers Association, Inc.

BIG GAME FISHING JOURNAL * Winter 1998

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