Fishing Club Winter Banquet

The MMS Fishing Club members put on a banquet for themselves on December 18.  Besides an endless buffet table, Mr. Tracy made sure members were entertained by having tons of games and prizes lined up.  A fun time was had by all!  Mr. Tracy would like to thank the Fishing Club members along with their parents for attending the banquet.

Mahalo!

Thank you for all the student volunteers who helped at the Hawaii Fishing and Seafood Festival this past Sunday at Pier 38.  Also, Mr. Tracy says there is a Halalu run at Campbell Harbor.

Field Trip News

Congratulations to Mr. Tsue (Bryce's Dad)  for catching two papio during Mililani Middle School's fishing excursion at Waimea Bay this past Saturday.  Other fish caught by students were Iheihe, Moiliili, Mamo, Aholehole, Oama Gobi and some baby papio which was released due to size requirements.  Mr. Tracy is already planning the next field trip which is tentatively an overnighter at Malaekahana and scheduling our next speaker, a well-known newscaster from Hawaii News Now.

Field Trip to Waimea Bay

We will be leaving Mililani Middle School at 5am this Saturday.  Meet at the back of the school near the bus lane.  Don't forget to bring all paperwork to the Fishing Club meeting tomorrow if planning to go on this first field trip.

Halalu at Waimea

Mr Tracy wants everyone to know that fish tend to come in to feed when the weather is humid.  There is also a Fishing Club meeting tomorrow and next Tuesday is an important meeting with Kurt Kawamoto from NOAA.  Hopefully the Fishing Club t-shirts will be in and ready for distribution.

Fishing on Friday

Mr. Tracy will be at Waimea Bay early morning on Friday. The intel he got was a new school of Halalu is in and Opelu is gone for now.

Fishing Club Meeting

There is a Fishing Club meeting on Tuesday, 8/7/12 from 3:10pm to 4:10pm in B104.  Mr. Tracy will be going over how to tie a whipping rig.  All new and old members need to turn in their membership, t-shirt and disclosure forms.  We will also be going over our first field trip to Waimea Bay

Opelu Update

Mr. Tracy went to the right side of Waimea Bay at 5:30am Friday and caught 50-plus Opelu/Halalu.  He used 1/2 inch Ika strips on a 12-foot pole with 2-pound test.  He also whipped with a 2-pound test leader.  He dried his catch and will bring samples to tomorrow's meeting at B104 from 3:10pm to 4:10pm.  Remember to return all forms to Mr. Tracy.

North Shore Opelu and Halalu Run

For all the whippers out there, word is that opelu and halalu are arriving at the North Shore.  Mr. Tracy's advice is to whip for them as they are remaining outside of the reef.  Happy fishing!

Friends of Mr.Tracy this morning gave a heads-up that Halalu, or young Akule, running at Haleiwa and Waianae Boat Harbors.

The first meeting for Mililani Middle School's Fishing Club will be held today from 3:10pm to 4:10pm at Room B104.  Please attend if interested.  Sign-up is ongoing.  See Mr Tracy (security) for applications.

Join the MMS Fishing Club

Mililani Middle School’s Fishing Club will begin its 14^th year with a recruitment meeting in July for interested students here.  Under the guidance of fishing club advisor Tracy Momohara, and other school employee volunteers, the club has consistently year to year carried out its vision of marine education, both in the classroom and on Oahu’s shoreline.  “We will teach anybody interested how to fish,” said fishing club president, Devon Ando.

The 6^th to 8^th grade students first learn about the basics of fishing to include knots, different disciples such as whipping and dunking, and the techniques used to complete your rigs.  The club then plans a field trip on the weekend to allow the student’s an opportunity practice what they have learned in the classroom.  Parents and family members also attend these field trips in support of the students.   “Our normal schedule in the past has been using the hand pole for ‘Oama at Waimea Bay, dunking in the early evening around Kahuku, and whipping at Haleiwa Harbor,” said Ando.  “If lucky, we sometimes catch fish,” he added.

The students learn more than just fishing here.  “We also teach ocean conservation, ocean science such as moon phases, tides, and seasons, ocean safety, how to make fishing buckets, sand spikes, and looking boxes, fish printing, and my favorite, how to cook seafood,” said Momohara.  All of this would not be possible without the help of those in the fishing community.  “We have had Kurt Kawamoto of National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) explain the barbless hook project, Kimberlee Harding from the O’io Tagging Project, Clayward Tam from the Ulua Tagging Project, and Naoki demonstrate the art of fish printing,” added Momohara.

Those that volunteered their time to speak to the students also participated in the first annual Mililani Middle School Fishing Tournament held at Haleiwa in April.  There were around 15 student participants and with the support and donations by these organizations, all went home with prize, ranging from fishing poles and reels to tackle boxes.

Conservation will continue to be a focus for this upcoming year’s club.  “Lately, I’ve noticed the fish population on a decline due to over-fishing and reefs being destroyed,” said Ando.  “I hope more will start tagging fish so we can learn more about certain species and hopefully sustain or increase the amount of fish for the future,” he added.  Ando hopes more students will get involved in fishing the correct way and to follow the fishing club’s motto taken from a Chinese proverb, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day.  Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”