This past May, I had an opportunity of a lifetime. As most of you already know, I am the producer of ADVENTURES IN FISHING WITH CAPT. RAY KELLY, a weekly television fishing show. This gives me the opportunity to film fishing in different parts of the world. We really expanded the show this year and traveled to some exotic places including Mexico and Hawaii. In this article I want to tell you about how fantastic the fishing is in Kona, Hawaii.

I was very excited about the trip. I had read and seen other TV shows about fishing in Hawaii and I knew the experience would be great. I had contacted Jim Wood, the owner of the charter boat "The Janet B". I explained about producing a segment on board his charter boat and he agreed to the filming. He knew it would be great advertising. He also said that it would be prime time for Marlin fishing - Blue Marlin fishing.

The flight was the longest I had ever experienced, but upon arrival it was worth every minute. We stayed at the Royal Kona Resort which is a beautiful hotel located right on the beach in Kona, Hawaii. Our suite overlooked Kona Harbor and the Pacific Ocean. The views were spectacular. The sunsets were the most beautiful I had ever seen. But let¹s get on to the fishing.

Jim picked me up at the hotel at 6:15 AM on a Tuesday morning. He drove to the Honokohau Harbor marina which is where the Janet B is docked. I met Captain Phil Bell and his mate, Clay. They had a half day charter with Paul Barnhart of Angier, NC. Paul brought along his wife and 5 year old son, Arthur. It was good to see that Paul had his son involved in fishing.

We shoved off and as soon as we left the harbor, the lines went in the water. The baits being used were customized trolling lures along with a small wooden dolphin (Mahi-Mahi) colored teaser which attracts the fish. I also might add that Jim made the attractor himself. It looked like a real dolphin in the water. Capt. Phil trolled along and within twenty minutes there was a fish on one the lines. Paul already had his fighting vest on and jumped into the fighting chair. He had a battle on his hands and was getting a good workout. Clay brought in the other lines. It really is a team effort when you are doing this type of fishing. The fish did not jump and when it was about fifty feet from the boat you could see it was an ono. Wahoo are called ono in Hawaii. The fish came alive again at the boat and was not landed.

The lines went right back in the water and half hour later another one was hooked up. This fish was bigger than the first and Paul really struggled to get it to the boat. As soon as he did, Clay gaffed the fish and brought it aboard. It was about fifteen - 20 pounds. Paul said it was the biggest fish he had ever caught.

The lures were then changed to bigger trolling lures that were about 12 inches long with the biggest hook that I had ever seen. I kept saying to myself "I hope we get a blue marlin on film!". The onos were good but we had never filmed blue marlin and that¹s why we were there.

We started trolling again and there was another hookup. This time you see the fish skyrocketing out of the water. At times it would dance on the surface. What a sight to see. It was a Marlin. Paul was already tired from the two ono but immediately grabbed the rod and started fighting the fish. The fight lasted about an hour. Paul was exhausted. You could see the marlin when he finally reeled to the leader. The fish was lit up. The colors were spectacular. And guess what? It was a Blue Marlin. Clay and Capt. Bill gaffed the fish and put it on the swim platform for the ride back home. Paul could not believe it -- he landed a Blue Marlin. Jim Wood offered him a free afternoon trip. Paul declined. I could see he was exhausted.

The Janet B returned to Honokohau Marina docked photographed were taken, the fish were weighed and sold. Paul¹s Blue Marlin weighed 177 pounds. After dropping off Paul and his family, we headed back out. Jim had decided to do a little fishing himself. We were trolling for about two hours and everyone was wondering if another blue marlin would hit. It was already a successful day. Just then the fish came up and hooked up with the lure. Jim got into the fighting chair. It was another Marlin. This marlin was bigger then the last. Jim fought the fish like a pro. The marlin came up jumping and dancing four times but it could not shake the hook. Jim is in great shape and made the fifty minute fight seem easy. It was about twice the size of the first one.

Capt. Phil and Clay gaffed the monster and I could see Jim was happy and proud. All three grown men let out screams and congratulated each other. It was truly a team effort. There really is fantastic fishing on board the Janet B. Jim was not telling me a fish story when I spoke with him on the phone. We headed back to the dock and this time Jim had his own photograph taken. The crowd at the dock was amazed at the size of the fish. It weighed 395 pounds.

I hated that the day had to come to an end. Jim, Capt. Phil and Clay really knew their fishing. We got that Marlin show filmed and it is a great marlin show at that. There truly is great fishing in Kona, Hawaii. I'll definitely go back there again -- and I¹ll be on board the Janet B.

Capt. Allan can be reached at 1-800-743-8898 or give us a call at (516) 929-6711 and we will arrange your fishing vacation for you.

Visit Capt. Ray at his website http://www.adventure-fishing.com or drop him a line at [email protected]