The Hawaiian gazette., 1910-09-16
THE LANDING AT LAHAINA


LAHAINA, September lS.-Here, in
the sleepiest, prettiest town in the
whole group, is to be enjoyed sport
which would gladden. the heart of any
angler.
Maikai Keliilike and Jim Roberts
both own power sampans and fish regu
larly for the local market, which is con-
trolled by Japanese. Maikai is the
champion cowboy of the Territory and
Roberts is captain of police; both are
good sportsmen and only too glad to
take visitor on their boats to the fish
ing grounds.
went out with Maikai yesterday to
location off Molokai. With us were
Harris Hull, AN old Kamehameha boy;
Aluno, one of Lahaina s veteran fisher
men, and another.
We anchored in forty fathoms and
let down our lines. Two hooks went
to each line and were suspended about
six feet below the six-pound sinker.
They were the old style Hawaiian
barbless hook in which l had not pre-
viously had much faith. a piece of
cocoanut fiber was attached to the lead,
measuring about eight inches by five
inches.
On our way to the fishing grounds
we had stopped and obtained lot of
opelu from couple of natives who
were catching them in a net from a
canoe, using crushed pumpkin for
ground bait. All the sampans here get
their bait in the same way and two
canoes are regularly kept busy.
Modus operandi.
The modus operandi on board our
boat was to split an opelu in two and
to fasten half on each hook, impaling
it craftily so as to protect it from too
speedy loss at the mouth of the ever
present bait thieves Then the hauna
had to be adjusted. This was done by
MASKING up quantity of opelu and
depositing some on the fiat surface of
the sinker. Next the hook leaders were
cooled and laid on the hauna, the baited
hooks being placed in the center of the
coil. After this the cocoanut fiber was
wrapped round the whole and several
turns of the line taken around it. Then
a loop in the line kept the hauna from
unwinding until the proper depth was
reached.
The sinker and hauna were next
thrown into the sea and the line al
lowed to pay itself out until slack
ening told that the bottom had been
reached. The line was then drawn up
two or three fathOms and sharp jerk
released the loop and the lead could
be felt rolling down the line.
AS soon as the cocoanut fiber opened,
the hauna hOated down the current and
the fish in the vicinity followed it up
until the baited hooks were come upon.
Then the man at the end of the line
was generally rewarded by bite and
fish was sometimes pulled into the
| boat.
Much Depends.
Successful fishing in this way depends
in great measure on the state of the
current. When the current is setting
right the fish take the bait 30 quickly
that the supply of opelu is soon ex-
hausted and the boat crew return TO
Lahaina to sell their tish and TO lounge
in the sun, telling fish stories and
conscious of days work well and
quickly done. Should the tide be
lSapakahi, however, many hours of
patient fishing under a broiling sun
have to be spent before the catch is
large enough to warrant heading the
sampan for home.
As rule the hooks are kept fathom
or 50 from the bottom, a knot taken ia
the line guaranteeing the bait's return
10 the depth al which the fish are feed