Fishing with my friend Capt. Steve Kaiser on the Medusa

by Joe
(Kona )

Steve was my first customer when I opened my shop here in 97, his wife Jennifer who handled my new shops insurance at the time sent him to me and we've been friends ever since.

The other day he stopped by and asked if I wanted to go fishing Sunday. Of course!
So that's where I've been all day today.

So I got up early this morning packed a snack and headed down to the harbor where Steve's boat the Medusa is located. Steve, his wife Jennifer, his oldest fishing partner Ross were already there. Just after I arrived Duane and Marsha showed up. My wife Eila couldn't go because of photography commitments.

We headed north out of the harbor. The further north we went the rougher the water got. I was feeling kind of queasy myself. Even Ross whose been a fisherman forever admitted he was a little queasy, so I offered him one of my bananas that I had packed to help him ease the queasyness.

You'd a thought I'd offered him a rattle snake by the expression on his face. I had committed the cardinal sin, I brought bananas on the boat. Some fisherman are VERY superstitious and bringing bananas on the boat is TABOO. The infraction is so serious on some boats that they cancel the trip and return to port. Really.

Lucky for me Steve and the gang weren't that hard core. They were satisfied with me throwing the bananas overboard and blaming any and all bad fishing on me the rest of the day. There was talk of making me walk the plank. We trolled down Kealakekua and back and thankfully about a mile straight out from the harbor one of the reels went off and we had a 47 lbs. Mahimahi on the line. Phew! If they had not caught that fish I would have been labeled "Banana Joe" for the rest of my natural born life. And, I don't think they were sure if I shouldn't swim the last mile back to shore had they not caught that fish.

It was a group effort, Duane was in the fighting chair, Steve and Ross handled the rigging and gaffing. Marsha and Jennifer oversaw and I filmed the whole thing.

We got back to the harbor with this gorgeous fish and Steve filleted it right there at the boat slip. Everybody got lots of fish to take home.

When I got home my wife asked how it went. I started off by telling her that I had committed the cardinal sin of fishing. You know what she said? "What did you do, bring a banana on the boat"? Jeez. Everybody on the planet seems to know this except me.

She cooked the delicious Mahimahi and we laughed the whole time.
Mahalo Steve! I had a great time.

If you're coming to Kona and you want to go fishing with a fun crew, call Steve Kaiser at 808-936-4383

Stay tuned... I'm working on the video I shot of this trip. I'll have it up asap!