Hilo Seawatch

Ahi Fever Hits the Hilo Trollers

The ‘ahi bite has been good, and many boats have been going out during both the day and night. There was plenty of pent-up interest among Hilo Trollers’ captains, so the board decided to hold the July 5th tournament. Everything went smoothly. Social distancing and mask wearing were expected of the check-in crew and weigh-in crew. Many of the observers wore masks, too.

Seventeen boats were entered, and nine brought in qualifying flag fish. One marlin, six ‘ahi, five ono, and one mahimahi were weighed. The largest ‘ahi and largest fish overall was a 159.2-lb yellowfin tuna landed by, Capt. Ricky Torres and the crew of the . The largest. The largest ono was a 38-pounder landed by, Capt. Aric Okuda and crew of the KAY L C 5. The largest mahimahi was a 37.8-pounder landed by, Capt. Nathan Mattos and crew on the . Grand Champion Award honors went to the for their marlin and a nice-sized ‘ahi with a combined total weight of 250.7 lbs. The only aku weighed in was a 22-lb otaru landed on the .