Big Fish Battles at Hawaii Marlin Tournament Series

During the Hawaii Marlin Tournament (HMT) Series each year, about 95 percent of all marlin caught are tagged and released. Through this year’s first three tournaments and into the final day of the fourth, 89 marlin were tagged and released. No big marlin were scaled until August.

Three tournaments were held in July: the Kona Kick Off; the Lazy Marlin Hunt Returns; and the Lure Maker’s Challenge. Fishing started a bit slow but improved as the week progressed away from the full moon.

Twenty-five teams tagged and released 13 blue marlin in the Kona Kickoff. Six teams in the Lazy Marlin tagged 15 blue marlin. At the Lure Maker’s Challenge presented by Kraken Lures, the catch got even better. Eighteen teams released 23 marlin, and the ‘ahi showed