Water Ways
Hook 'n Cook a celebration
of fishingIT sometimes comes as a surprise to Hawaii's fishermen that on the mainland, fish caught during tournaments often go to waste.
That's because, in the islands, nearly every ounce of fish weighed in is either sold to a market or given to friends and family.
A case in point was to watch how the price of marlin and ahi dropped in the fish markets the week after the big catch in the Ho'ole'a Tournament on Labor Day weekend.
So when the Big Island's Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament director Sue Vermillion recently sent out invitations for a fishing tournament that will combine catching with cooking and eating, I knew it was the perfect contest for our state.
Even its name, the Bounty of Keauhou Hook 'n Cook Fishing Tournament, told me there would be no question about its appeal to local anglers.
Created as a benefit fundraiser for the West Hawaii Chapter of the Read To Me International Foundation, registration and an angler's briefing reception will be held at the Big Island's Keauhou Resort on Nov. 1.
The fishing contest will take place the following day, Nov. 2, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
But the contest will be unlike any tournament I've heard about as it will allow all fish species caught to be weighed in -- up to 200 pounds. All fish more than 200 pounds are required to be tagged and released, no matter their species.
Then, because all teams will be fishing in the "kau-kau" division, the rules further stipulate that all fish weighed in will be donated to the Hook 'n Cook event.
"Fabulous prizes will be awarded for the highest number of pounds weighed in by each team," Vermillion said. "And there will be special awards given to the top kane, wahine and keiki anglers."
Teams of up to four anglers can register for a fee of $350 and additional team members can be added for $90 each.
As in most fishing tournaments, anglers receive gift goody-bags and T-shirts for their registration fees, along with tickets to an awards banquet. But in this event the banquet is planned to be more like a food festival.
"It will be a celebration of a life-long love of cooking and fishing by Kailua-Kona's Oodles of Noodles executive chef and owner Amy Ota," Vermillion said.
And this celebration is where all those donated fish that were caught during the tournament will end up.
At the Keauhou Resort on Nov. 3, from 4 to 7 p.m., celebrity chefs, such as Ota and Honolulu's Alan Wong will prepare exciting seafood dishes at individual serving stations using the tournament's combined catch.
The chefs will be in a competition of their own for a perpetual trophy named after Ota's mother, Adelaide W. Ferguson, who taught her how to overcome dyslexia through reading.
Live entertainment will be presented by Jan Brenner and the All-Star Band and premier wines and cocktails will be available.
Perhaps the best part of this fishing tournament is that the public is invited to attend the awards banquet. Tickets will be available in advance for $55 and at the door for $65.
Additional information, entry forms and banquet tickets for the Hook 'n Cook tournament are available by mail from Vermillion. Contact her by phone at (808) 329-7371, or by e-mail at info@hookncook.com.
Ray Pendleton is a free-lance writer based in Honolulu.
His column runs Saturdays in the Star-Bulletin.
He can be reached by e-mail at raypendleton@mac.com.