DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM Ben Wong, host of the "Hawaii Goes Fishing" television show on OC16, cast his line from his boat in Kaneohe Bay last week.

Hey, everybody,
let’s go fishing!

Question: How do you prepare for a show?

Who: Ben Wong Title: Producer of "Hawaii Goes Fishing" Job: Produces and stars in a television program devoted to fishing. Ben Wong first appeared on KHON's "Let's Go Fishing" in 1998 as a guest, when it was hosted by the legendary Harry Kojima. A short while later, he was its new co-host, along with Kenny Walsh, who later moved on to ESPN. At the same time, Wong was active in the restaurant business, most recently as co-owner of The Bistro at Century Center, from which he is withdrawing. He also has acted in "tons" of local television commercials and many of the national TV and movie productions in Hawaii since "Hawaii Five-O." Last year, Wong and his two production partners moved their venture, now called "Hawaii Goes Fishing," to Oceanic Time Warner Cable's OC16, where, he said, "things have been great; the ratings have tripled." Wong lives in Kaneohe and is married to the former Cindy Tagami, with whom he has three grown children.

Answer: The production schedule is based on the calendar because certain fishing activities are more season-friendly than others. It can be very challenging. You can go fishing all day and come up empty. Other than that, it's just a matter of managing a lot of elements at once: arranging for a boat, the chefs that will be on the show, the tackle tips, and, if we're shooting off island, making the arrangements for the air transportation needs and the accommodations.

Q: How many shows are there a year?

A: We're committed to 26 a year.

Q: How often does it appear on TV?

A: It comes on several times a week-- weekends at 5 and then about 10 times throughout the week. The reason I think the show succeeds is, it's all about the local people. You won't see me catching the fish all the time. It's uncles and nieces and everybody's neighbor on the show. This is a show a lot of us grew up watching. It's a cultural icon. It really is. The opportunity to keep it going is awesome.

Q: What are the topics of some of your upcoming shows?

A: One is about a four-day trip we took to Nehoa, about 250 northwest of Oahu. Another will be about our trip to Alaska earlier this year.

Q: Does working on the show take up a lot of your time?

A: The fishing show takes up a lot of time. Not only the field footage of the fishing, but going into the kitchens of the chefs, going down to Honolulu Community College to produce the segments on boat repairs and boat basics, and then we're always going down to the Pacific Ocean Producers for the segment on tackle tips.

Q: You do catch-and-release, right?

A: We do both. To put this in context, I was lucky to be involved in fishing from the moment I was born as a recrea- tional endeavor. For the generation before us, it was a mater of sustenance and livelihood. I'm sensitive to all the issues regarding conservation and fisheries management. Catch-and- release plays a part, and also the satisfaction of bringing home your dinner plays a part.

Q: What's your favorite fish to eat?

A: Gosh. ... OK, moi. If I had to make it one, it would be moi. It's the food of the aliis, so far as Hawaiian culture is concerned. It's a shoreline fish that is a predator by nature. Its flavor is fantastic.

Q: After you complete your withdrawal as co-owner of The Bistro at Century Center, would you like to get back into the restaurant business?

A: I would like to one day, but right now it's just one foot in front of the other with the television show.