SECOND TIME IS THE CHARM

    6:15 A.M….Dawn was just beginning to strike the high peaks. The suns first rays highlighted the vales of mist rising from the forested high country.light winds, traveling west, gave us a boost as we paddled out of the harbor. Today’s mission was to guide  Don Iokepa  to his first Kayak catch. This was my second trip with Don. I had some luck and was able to land an Uku our first time out. But I just couldn’t get Don hooked up. This day would be different, both the moon and the tide were in our favor. The water was crystal clear. We left the harbor and turned northwest. With our lines set we began trolling the 300 foot line. We had been fishing for almost an hour when I spotted a familiar shimmer on the surface a few hundred yards ahead. As we got closer, my hope of hitting an O’pelu school was confirmed by my fish finders constant beeping.  I told Don to drift for a few minutes while I tried to get a live bait, doubling our chances of a strike. Within seconds of dropping a gold hook rig over the side, I had my first hook-up of the day. Reeling in a 13 inch live O’pelu is almost as exciting as landing a game fish, because what ever eats him will be much bigger. I told Don to reel up and remove the dead bait rig from the snap swivel. I produced a live bait rig from my pocket and inserted the pair of 2/0 hooks. I clipped the rig to the snap, told Don to open the bail, and let the bait loose. He immediately darted down into the depths… and certain doom.  I separated from Don and started jigging for a live bait of my own. Don’s bait decided to swim north and Don’s line was now behind him. I told him to spin around so he could face his line, and be pointing towards the strike. A hard hitting fish could throw him off balance if he were out of position.  Don spun around as I had suggested, and was just stowing his paddle when I herd a high pitched scream from his reel, a scream that wasn’t stopping. Before Don could get his rod from it’s holder, his kayak was racing to the north. Don got the rod free, grabbed the spool of his Penn 950 spinning reel and set the hook. Now that steel was firmly planted, Don tightened the Drag and the battle was on. For 30 minutes I watched Don go toe to toe with his catch. Like a prize fighter, each would get in his licks in. The beast would make a wild swing for the bottom, and Don would counter with a series of hard jabs, gaining line with every lift of the rod. Near the ninth round the two would be locked together, no one taking, no one gaining. Each trying to rest with out giving up ground.  The fight was won by knock-out when The 80 pound mono leader finally slid through the tip of Don’s rod. His opponent lay unconscious on the surface a foot from his Kayak. A few minutes later Don was holding the biggest rod and reel fish of his life. For a man just getting started with kayak fishing, Don was able to drop a heavy weight his first fish, a 50 pound Ulua. After photos and hand-shakes, we turned and set coarse for the ice chest. My failure to guide Don to a hook-up on our last trip didn’t worry me any longer.

My only worry was that Don may become “spoiled” by such early success

 in his kayak fishing career.