However, it wasn't entirely a bust as some die-hard kayak fishers snuck out a few times during the short interludes during which "rainy" gave way to "partly cloudy."

Ed Kawasaki and Mike Ichiyama, on one of those relatively good days headed out at Makapuu after work. To their surprise, Mike hooked up with something that ran his line out quicker and stronger than anything he had ever seen and he proceeded to fight it thinking it was a big mahi, ulua, or kahala perhaps. Eventually, in a series of characteristic leaps, the fish showed itself to be a striped marlin... about 100lbs. they estimated.

Mike Ichiyama contemplates the outcome (if not prays)during a few moments of anxious waiting during his half-hour fight with a striped marlin!

Mike fought the marlin for about a half hour with a great deal of trepidation as it fought its way toward the rocks rather than toward open ocean. The marlin eventually threw the hook leaving Mike with the biggest fishing tale any of us owned to date. And although he lost the fish, Ed was there to verify the story.

I guess there's not much you can say to Mike to console him after losing a marlin, but at least he had a witness, right? For the rest of us, the good news is that the striper is still out there. Now that the rains have passed, maybe the wind will die down?

Upcoming Product Review

Other news that only a kayaker can get excited about... we ordered some of those Surf-to-Summit GTS-Elite seats, the ones that look like the seat out of a Porsche or Ferrari, since our butts seem to be getting a bit sorer after those 4+-hours-on-the- water days. We'll let you know how they feel after we've had a chance to try them out! If you want to check out the seats ahead of time, visit their site... Surf to Summit

Summer Plans

My brother, Bob, visits Hawaii this summer. He's been wanting to do some fly-fishing while he's here (like I know where to take him, right?. I just talked to local television fishing personality, Stan Wright, who just looooooves all kinds of fishing. We'll try to hook up with Stan and son, Chris, for some Lake Wilson flyfishing. In the meantime, check out Chris's unreal site HawaiiBassFishing. Or better yet. I'll be starting a page on hawaiibeachcombers.com on flyfishing soon!

Hope all is well wherever you are! If you can, drop a line and let us know what you'd like to hear about!

Warmest Aloha,

Richard
HawaiiBeachcombers.com