It was just a short run out of the harbor after the shotgun start. Keith O’Brian, better known as “O.B.” set out the spread of polished handmade Hawaiian marlin lures. The shimmer off of the gold Penn 130s is just enough to make you turn away as you daydream about giant blue marlin while staring at the glassy, gin-clear, purple water. It didn’t take long for the long corner to explode. It was then that I knew we had the Kona blues.
Anthony Hsieh had invited me over to Kona to spend the week hunting giants from the Big Island aboard Bad Company, nicknamed Nai’a, Hawaiian for dolphin or porpoise. Nai’a, a 1994-built 45-foot Rybovich game boat that had recently been shipped over to Kona, had actually just received its name through a contest; people emailed in their name ideas, and the team made the final choice. I had no idea that we were fishing one of the largest money tournaments in Hawaii, the Maui Jim Series Skins Marlin Derby.
Hsieh has a beautiful plantation-style house that he, his wife, and four daughters reside in during the grander-hunting season, and I had the pleasure of staying with them there. One great point regarding Kona that Anthony brought up is that there is nowhere else in the world where he can chase granders so close to home – and know that his family is safely with him through the whole ordeal. His oldest daughter even came out on the boat to bring Daddy luck during the Skins!
The Beautiful Desert
When the first day of the tournament arrived, the crew was as cool as could be – just another day on the water. Interestingly enough, most of the boats fishing the tournaments in Kona are actually charter boats; teams fly in to fish on them. Few contestants are aboard privately owned vessels, like Bad Company.
From Kona, the run to the fishing grounds is very short, with some granders being taken within a couple miles of the harbor. Lures were in before I could finish the first cup of coffee for the day. Fishing had been slow this year, so expectations were set pretty conservatively.
Though we’d headed south into an area known for holding big fish (when they are in town), hardly anybody was home, yet. That first day held only a few bites for the fleet, but we had one of them, resulting in a small 175-pounder that was tagged and released for a couple hundred points.
This season seems to be off to a bit of a late start – slow for Kona standards, anyway – but good weather and the fact that we had released one kept our spirits high. No fish were weighed in on the first day, so the big money rolled over to the next.
Fishing in Kona, the way team Bad Company does it, is interesting. They prefer running jigs over live baiting. Very few signs of life show on the surface, making it seem like you are trolling in a beautiful desert. Despite the fact the surface gives very few clues, Randy keeps an eye on his scanning sonar to locate fish and bait. Every fish that bit us had been spotted on the sonar. The guys have this kind of fishing down to a science.
The Money Rolls Over to Day Two
One minute out of the harbor on the second day of the Skins, we saw a boat hooked up. Then the sportfisher to our port side was bit as well; needless to say, it was an even shorter run to the fishing grounds.
Jigs went in, and the helicopter that was taking video for the tournament buzzed us, giving Nai’a a salt bath that Randy and O.B. were not pleased about! Our day’s first fish bit and ran through, snagging up on another line, and eventually jumped off. Another rat-sized Kona blue, but this tournament looked as if releases might take the money so every one was important.
We were fishing just north of the harbor, following the deep fathom curves. Just moments later another blue exploded on the long corner, and we were on again. These Bad Company guys’ performance when the reel goes off is outstanding. Anthony grabs the rod and is in the chair before you can say hookup! O.B. clears the lines, and Randy is already backing up and gaining line on the fish. I don’t think we had a fish take longer than 10 minutes.
Eventually that fish jumped off, and the jigs went back in. We did have one more that day, and according to Randy that one had the dorsal of a nice fish. Though the bite was back on, we just could not make them stick.
A Moment Makes All the Difference
As we got breakfast the morning of the final day, I think everyone had that feeling we might see the big one that day. Heading slightly south, we put the jigs in early again. After some time with no bites in this zone, we started heading farther out. Moments later the boat right behind us – where we had just traveled through – hooked up. It was a 500-plus-punder. No question. Ten minutes later, after almost being spooled, they lost that fish.
Trolling on, another rat began following but just would not take the bait. Once things had slowed down and O.B. was cooking up his famous ahi burgers, the short rigger went off in a big way. Anthony jumped on the rod, but this one was smoking us. O.B. came running out and cleared the lines, and within moments the chase was on.
Randy ran hard on the fish as it greyhounded out to sea. Watching a big blue marlin fly through the air with the Big Island for a backdrop is breathtaking. The fish maneuvered quickly, but Randy had Nai’a on his tail the entire fight. Soon after, O.B. had the leader, and this fish looked right on the cusp of the 300-pound money mark. Knowing that there had been a larger one boated and that this fish was on the cusp, the team decided to let this one free to give us another couple hundred points on the release board.
Kona fishing really levels the playing field. There is no real way to dominate the tournaments because fishing is spread and fish move quickly, giving the field a blank slate day after day. Lure fishing seems to be the most effective and explosive way to fish here. Having a lot of bites one day on the grounds does not mean that the next day they will be there, and in most cases they are not.
Turns out it just wasn’t in the cards for Bad Company to take the Skins tournament this year.
Just for one second, it’s easy to start dwelling on what might’ve been. But just having an opportunity to see this awesome crew in action, cruising around on one of the hottest sportfishers through some of the bluest waters, a tropical paradise for our backdrop – at the end of the day, how could anyone not feel like a winner.
Maybe that’s really what it means to have the Kona blues. To keep up with team Bad Company visit, www.badcoteam.com
Nai’a is 1994-built 45-foot Rybovich game boat, one of the last two Rybovich game boats ever built. Owner Anthony Hsieh did a major overhaul on her, dropping in around $1.7 million, with all work done at the Rybovich yard, including new mains, teak deck, varnished teak bulkhead, full varnished teak transom, complete Furuno electronics (including the CH300 dual frequency sonar), and new interior by Liz Dalton.
When asked why the Rybo? Anthony answered, “One, it is a true classic and a very rare find. Two, it is the perfect boat for fishing the cool blue waters of the Pacific around Kona.” And, as they always say, “They just don't make 'em like they used to.”
“The forty-five Rybo is also unique since it combines luxury, performance, and the latest in technology. I wanted a boat with luxury accommodations, but not too large, Nai'a is the perfect blend of modern technology (sonar, Furuno electronics, new electronic Cummins QRM 715), agility, and luxury, with her two-stateroom interior, spacious salon, and dinette. She’s big enough to spoil you, yet light on her feet to move in any direction to chase fish and do it with extreme elegance,” said Hsieh.
Rybovich is known as the first name in sportfishing yachts, with innovations such as the fighting chair, aluminum outriggers, and tuna towers. After the ’90s, Rybovich and Merritt started making larger boats, now in the 70- to 80-foot range, with Merritt moving to fiberglass hulls. The last true game boats sized in the mid 40s range were made by Rybovich in 1994. Nai’a is one of two produced.
Bad Company is captained by none other than Randy Parker, who’s been fishing Kona his entire life and is looking to boat his third grander.
With two local grander marlin catches to his credit, Parker belongs to an elite group. His first was a 1,045-pound blue in July 2001. Next came an 1,174-pounder in April of 2002. Randy is an exceptional captain who knows the area as well as anyone and has the lineage to die for.
Working the deck of the Nai’a (the Hawaiian nickname for the Bad Company) is Keith O’Brian, “O.B.,” who actually grew up just down the street from me in Costa Mesa. As most big game fisherman know, the percentage of fish lost are lost at the boat. O.B. is phenomenal on the leader and actually leadered both of the winning fish in the Bisbee’s Black & Blue for Bad Company that earned them 3.9 million dollars! They say O.B. is a master in the art of dead bait presentations – rigging, sewing, and otherwise turning a dead bait into a lifelike swimmer that the big fish just can’t resist.
Anthony Hsieh, owner of team Bad Company and head angler, spends the month of July and most of August chasing giants off the coast of Kona. Hsieh and his crew troll the area’s local waters day in and day out during the prime season. It seems that this year the fish are showing up late. Last year they had over a half-dozen fish over 500, including two at 700 and one at 900. By the time this story prints, I’m sure they’ll have released
their first giant.
