Back in the water

[Daryl Wong]

Aloha Friends,

I haven't posted in a while since I normally get heat for taking out of towners to shoot fish. But this weekend was special in that I finally got out after having my boat down for four months. It's a horror story, but that's past. The last time I did any serious diving was in Florida after the blue wild dive expo in late June.
Last weekend I went out on my partner Rick's boat since my boat was still in the shop. I got my boat back this past wed so decided to take it out to see if I still knew how to drive a boat.:eek:
Last weekend we...Joe Strona, Ron Ho, Pete Wolfgramm,Rick Bettua, Angela (Platypus), Claude Tamura and I went out of Kaneohe to shoot fish for a party. The last time a picture of me and Angela with fish that we got for a party I got heat for shooting too many fish according to some local divers here.
We'll after biting my tongue for a year I say tough shit. If I spear fish for a party and its all eaten then great. So here are some pictures from last Monday on Rick's boat and this past sunday.
Our popular fish here in Hawaii are the Parrot fish and Kumu's or goat fish. Ron got a Nohu or Scorpion fish family that is really good to eat and very colorful. We also target Mu and Uluas which are trophy fish like WSB, Carbos,Gags, and Cobia are to California and Florida divers. We took some of the fish to a Chinese restaurant and had them make Sweet sour Uhu, and steamed Kumu and Uku the following Wed. Ten of us ate till we were ready to explode.
Sunday we only had Joe Strona, and Pete Wolfgramm. Now understand Pete is 72 years young and has a static of 5:00. He's taken both Pippin's and Kirk's PFD class. He's an amazing example of how you can dive into the 70's. He and Ray Oder are our heroes.
On one particular dive I found a bunch of deep crevasses in the reef where some Uluas were schooling up. I stoned one and then went back and stoned another before the rest left. Later I came across another ulua house and stoned another one. We had a short day and came in early due to a Birthday luau.
It felt good too be back in the water again.:thumps:

Aloha Daryl
www.wongseparguns.com
Aimrite Hawaii

[Swimsuit]

nice report! sounds like a great trip with some great divers:)

[Hat-Nasty]

Way to go Daryl...nice to see you getting outta the shop and putting your guns to use. Next time you are down in the West Palm we need you get you out with us!!

[OceanEd]

Daryl:

I'm happy to hear you are back in the water! Having been without a boat for a year and a half, I know what it feels like to be land locked. It's not a pretty feeling.

We shoot parrot fish in the Bahamas and I think they taste great. I'll have to try goatfish when I get back down there in a couple of months. I don't shoot parrot fish in Florida because as far as I know, no one does, and I don't want to stir things up with any local groups. I am seeing more and more very large Rainbow Parrots (brown and green) and some Midnight parrot fish on the Florida reefs.

Most people probably don't realize how stong a large parrot fish can be.

[SpearMax]

I finally got out after having my boat down for four months.

Great news the boat is finally fixed Daryl!

We'll after biting my tongue for a year I say tough shit. If I spear fish for a party and its all eaten then great. So here are some pictures from last Monday on Rick's boat and this past sunday.


Fantastic catch! More power to you as there does seem to be some complainers out there on the islands. :loser:

I think maybe they are just jealous. :tongue:


Sunday we only had Joe Strona, and Pete Wolfgramm. Now understand Pete is 72 years young and has a static of 5:00. He's taken both Pippin's and Kirk's PFD class. He's an amazing example of how you can dive into the 70's. He and Ray Oder are our heroes.


Wow! a 5 minute breathhold static! :toast:

I am amazed by people like Pete, Ray Oder and I guess we should add Bill Mac into that senior club of over-acheivers. ;)

[Platypus]

Daryl forgot to mention we saw a Monk Seal - probably no big deal for him as he sees them often, but it was my first. So cool! :) AT first I thought it was a diver still in the water (kinda looked like Pete :eek: ;) jk)

[ichigolin]

I had no idea that parrot fish were worth spearing and eating? Do many of you actually shoot parrot fish? I grew up in FL and can't remember anyone ever trying to eat a parrotfish.

FYI.. there is a whopper of a midnight parrotfish on the Spiegel Grove. I had no idea they got that big. It followed me around for 2 days of diving there.

[Pastor]

Parrots are awesome eating, I've never shot one but I have eaten them in Egypt. That's a pretty mean haul there, I guess the finger must be holding up OK. 72 and a 5 minute static? I'm only 46 and I can't stretch it past 4, Pete must be super fit :)

[deepdown]

That is one hell of a Mu there Daryl. Glad to see you are back in the water.

Gerald

[StabbinBoy]

Glad you got past the fish huggers and shared your post. Great lookin stringers ya got there.

If you got all them fish with a homemade gun, just imagine how good u'd do with a store bought one! :D :D :D

[mjphawk]

If you got all them fish with a homemade gun, just imagine how good u'd do with a store bought one!

You mean like the one you just spent weeks trying to dial in? :D Ok that was low. :redcard: I'm sorry Todd forgive me.

Great report Daryl. Definately a healthy stringer. Its great to be able to go out and get fresh fish to share with friends and family who don't have access to the fresh fish we are so accustomed to.

I looked in the background of those pictures to see if you might have given my gun the proper break in. Didn't see it in the pics, so either its well hidden or the burden lies on me to christen it properly.

Keep the reports coming!!!

[ScottZeagle]

Great report, Daryl!!!

Keep up the good work!

Scott

[jfjf]

Very cool report.

If you are thinking of shooting parrot fish in Florida, you should check the regulations. They are included as ornamentals (see below), although I THINK that you MAY be able to take goat fish in Florida.

Spearfishing is defined as “the catching or taking of a fish through the instrumentality of a hand or mechanically propelled, single or multi-pronged spear or lance, barbed or barbless, operated by a person swimming at or below the surface of the water.”

The use of powerheads, bangsticks, and rebreathers remains prohibited. The following is a list of species that are prohibited for harvest by spearing. Any other species not listed that are managed by the Commission, and those species not managed by the Commission, are allowed to be harvested by spearing.

Billfish (all species)

Spotted eagle ray

Sturgeon

Manta ray

Sharks

Bonefish

Tarpon

Goliath Grouper

Snook

Blue Crab

Nassau grouper

Spotted seatrout

Red drum

Weakfish

Stone Crab

Pompano

African pompano

Permit

Tripletail

Lobster

Families of ornamental reef fish (surgeonfish, trumpetfish, angelfish, butterflyfish, porcupinefish, cornetfish, squirrelfish, trunkfish, damselfish, parrotfish, pipefish, seahorse, puffers, triggerfish except gray and ocean)

[Hat-Nasty]

Aside from the Regulations most Parrot fish that live on the Coast of Florida have High Levels of Mecury in their bodies. So eating them is a health hazard. The fish in the Pacific do not seem to have this porblem. Must be something in the Atlanic/Carabiean Coral the parrots eat.

[diligaf]

Hey Daryl,

Such problems you have… shooting too many fish! We should all have such problems.:D

Next time you are in Florida, we need to go out and shoot fish for a party or a big dinner at Joe’s.

[Daryl Wong]

Aloha Guys and Gals,

The Parrot fish are prized here for table fare. One of the favorite ways to cook them is to make them with sweet sour sauce at a Chinese restaurant or to stuff them with sausage, onions and rub it with Mayonnaise. Then wrap in foil and cook on a grill.

This past summer while in Florida, I took a side trip to Trinidad and saw the mother of all parrot fishes.
Evidently it is a delicacy there too. The fisherman can't hook them and they consider it like Viagra! :eek: The one boat driver who was named appropriately "Boat Boy," kept asking me to shoot big Parrots. I only saw 5-8 lb ones and he kept saying there were bigger ones. Only on the last day did I see something big come ambling by while waiting on the bottom. Imagine my surprise when it was the biggest UHU I ever saw! It was so strong it took half the line on my reel and dragged me around for a bit. At the pier it weighed 37 lbs. :thumps:

The biggest in Hawaii is only 18 lbs.
Platypus owns the Hawaii state Fantail uhu record.:thumps:
Sheri owned the State Whiptail record until just recently. Those huge blue parrots in Florida look like great eating, but I don't know about the toxins and I do know they aren't legal to shoot. Sometimes I just aim and imagine Hawaii uhus when waiting for the muttons to come in. Our Mu is like Florida muttons except 10 times harder to get in close enough to shoot.
Pete is an amazing guy. He also holds the World record for Spotted Kife jaw fish. But his bread and butter is blasting uhus.

I hope to get back and dive Florida again next year. Let’s hope for great weather the rest of the year. Especially since Hawaii and Florida have the same Hurricanes seasons.
Our Blue water season starts up soon and hopefully I can send in some reports on the onos (wahoo that show up).


Aloha, Daryl
wongspearguns.com

[skinnerusmc]

Great report Daryl good to hear about you getting back in the water. I've eaten Parrot fish sashimi style, and it is comparable to some of the best sashimi I've eaten. It is quite popular here in Okinawa. I wasn't aware of the toxins in these fish. I don't think it's a problem here. That UHU is HUGE!!!! Awesome!!

[BreathlessSight]

Damn Daryl! I havent seen an Uhu that big in awhile. Supposevely there are some big ones in japanese waters but I think thats near some northern islands. That thing is a beast! You should keep the chompers on that guy!
Pete still gettin fish and lookin young.

[Dave Ness]

Hey Daryl,

Good to see you're back in the water! I was bummed I wasn't able to get out there and see you because of that "hurricane" that hit the islands so hard while I was there :confused:. Oh well, there's always next time.

Nice fish!!

:thumps:

[zenspearo]

Awesome report Daryl. Great to see and the gang back on the boat. That's a great stringer there.

Pay no mind to the complainers. They are just jealous and there are always a few in a crowd.

[Captn Ron]

Daryl,
Great report :thumps: Good to see Pete is as hardcore as ever:D

[Trinigordo]

Nice haul Daryl, great to get back in the water isn't it?

I shoot parrot fish all the time back home in Trinidad, people love it... I'm not much of a fan myself.

[islandpressure]

Nice job Daryl!!

[diverlen]

Daryl:

I'm happy to hear you are back in the water! Having been without a boat for a year and a half, I know what it feels like to be land locked. It's not a pretty feeling.

We shoot parrot fish in the Bahamas and I think they taste great. I'll have to try goatfish when I get back down there in a couple of months. I don't shoot parrot fish in Florida because as far as I know, no one does, and I don't want to stir things up with any local groups. I am seeing more and more very large Rainbow Parrots (brown and green) and some Midnight parrot fish on the Florida reefs.

Most people probably don't realize how stong a large parrot fish can be.

Ocean Ed, if you read page 10 of the FWC fishing regulations, it specifically states that you may not spear parrotfish which are classified as a member of ornamental reef fish. I notice that there has been a dramatic decline of these beautiful and docile creatures on our reefs in the Jupiter area. Perhaps, it is because all fishermen are taking them and not aware of current regulations.
We need to spread this information around to everyone we know because I have this sinking feeling that this species is going to be extinct on our reefs in a very short time.

[Nikki]

Awesome report and fish :thumps: :toast: Thanks so much for sharing your spearfishing days with us in such detail - always a treasure! That sounds like some great eating for the party!!!!

I'm thinking of coming over there sometime soon - like December :D Happy hunting!!!

Nikki

[kill shot]

WOW, nice report there Daryl. That big parrot looks like what we call a Rainbow Parrot fish here in the islands. Enjoy the great eating.

Eric

[Sheri]

Daryl, Angela, Pete.....great job, guys!!! :thumps:

[Christo]

Aloha Daryl,

We go nuts over washaroo down here.

Aloha,Bobby :)

[The "Fisher"]

Those are some nice fish. Why wasnt that parrot submitted for records.

[herefishyfishy]

Hey Daryl... Nice story...

There's no such thing as too much fish (except if it is all shot in the same spot). I am sure you had fun on that trip... and that the fish got eaten!!!

Bruno

[Rifreediver]

congrats daryl... i cant wiat to get in the water... its gonna take to feb. at least..when i get the go ahead im headed back to hawaii

Frankie

[oceancurls]

Daryl, When someone says you shot to many fish just let them know how many seals you needed to kill to end up with that many fish that they just kept trying and trying and you had to keep shooting and shooting but I would tell you the story but am late for the dog fight that is starting at Michael vicks house. ha ha

Just kidding

[Daryl Wong]

Aloha Guys,


Here in Hawaii it can get very territorial as you probably noticed in past posts on diving off shore of other islands such as Maui, Molokai etc. :eek: We don't have the luxury or miles of coastline like our lucky Florida friends. Its nice to go to Florida and see that there are nice sized groupers, hogs, and muttons. All you have to do is know where to look, just like it is over here.
Here in Hawaii we are behind the rest of the states in that we still allow gill netting. I've been diving the same spots for over forty years and have seen the impact with the influx of fisherman using gillnets.
We have a new generation of divers coming in and now they don't know what it was like before. So to see someone or divers come in with what may be an average catch seems like overkill to those that don't know where to go or don't have access to nice spots.
Bottom line is that we should all have fun, enjoy the ocean and be happy when others do well. As long as no fish is wasted and taken in a sporting way, then have fun.
My buddies and I love to spend our dives shooting fish we like to eat. If we have extra, we give them away or better yet, we go to a restaurant and have them cook up the fish for the gang. Its funny how fish always tastes better when someone else prepares it for you.
Here is an Ulua we got on a cold nasty day last Sunday. Should have stayed home, but a bad day in the water is always better than doing yard work. I guess that's why I have weeds that are weed wacked every other weekend. :Dha-ha Unless you are my good friend Claude.... I asked him to turn around so that he wouldn't be seen hurling in the picture. He is a good diver who over looks getting seasick each time out so that he can spear fish. He's my hero. :thumps:I'm not that tough.
Here's a picture of Claude with his huge 79 lb ulua he shot a few years back.

Aloha, Daryl
wongspearguns.com
(808) 256-5628

[kill shot]

Very nice Darryl. I will be there next week if you guys have room for another diver.


Eric

[Daryl Wong]

Aloha Eric,

Give me a call when you get into town. 808.256.5628.
If we can't get out, we an at least get out to bs over a drink.

Aloha,Daryl

[Daryl Wong]

Aloha Guys,


I Feel for you guys in the cold. It's getting cooler here too. The water was 73 degrees and very cold by our standards.

I went out yesterday with Kaipo,Pete Wolfgramm, Ron Ho, Miles who is Ron's brother and Victor Dong a friend from the bay area.
It was victory at sea and normally wouldn't go out but Vic and Miles visiting were all the excuse I needed to take the boat out. The water was surprisingly clear, but rough. We tried to anchor in one spot that was 46ft and the waves were cresting due to the high winds and swells. So we dove some deeper spots. Victor and Miles were a tad under the weather to put it mildly. Not your typical bay area weather that they both are used to. Its not like AB diving!
I shot a nice yellow spot Trevally which was unusually large. The WR is 16.5 lbs and I set that last year. This one was 15 lbs.
Later while diving a spot for Kumu or goatfish, I saw Ron shoot a nice one on the side of a long ledge just behind the boat. I had just shot a Aawa or Hawaiian hogfish and was string it up on Ron's stringer. Ron was on his way back to the boat so I went down to see if any other Kumu's were there. While trying to decide whether to shoot a smaller one than Ron's, I say a Forked tail go by under the ledge. I had checked that ledge when we first got there and it was empty. After seeing the tail, I swam to the far end where I knew there was a pocket.
When I did my breath ups I went down and did my inverted look under the ledge. I was surprise to see a nice 25 lb ulua come by and just as I was going to pull, I saw another one about the same size and a bigger one behind. I though of getting greedy and waiting to line up both fish, but with only mono and a singe barb I thought better. When the big one passed in front of the first ulua I shot it in the head. I was trying to stone it but my aims not as good as the old days.
I stunned the fish and got it out from under the ledge, but it soon came too and dragged me down and it got back under the ledge twice. Then I got a cramp to make things even more interesting. I looked up and the boat was only 75 ft away so I called to Ron and Miles to bring a gun. Miles got to me first and was able to get a nice head shot. I shot it again with Ron's gun to make sure and we got he fish back to the boat. I have to thank Miles because my line was all frayed and ready to part. A great group effort on all of us! Ron weighed it at 45 lbs.
We have Brandon Casey coming to town and hopefully he'll bring good weather. The onos are in and the uluas are too. We just need nice weather.
Hope you all have a great holiday season! I got my xmas fish early.


Aloha,Daryl
Hawaii

[Christo]

Merry Christmas to you, your family and friends and heres to a happy and prosperous '08!:thumps::beer::D