531 lb Blue Marlin. Hilton Grand Vacations Fishing Club- Japan. Angler: Hidemi Hayashi. (Photo courtesy of HIBT)

It only took 43 minutes for HIBT angler Hidemi Hayashi to land the only boated fish of the day. Hayashi caught a 531pound Pacific blue marlin on day two of the Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament (HIBT).

Hilton Grand Vacations Fishing Club – Japan knows the importance of landing big fish; this team won the 2007 HIBT.

Fishing aboard Marlin Magic, captained by Jason Holtz, Hayashi fought a good fight.

“We were fishing way down south. The fish did not take out a lot of line, which made for some quick time,” Holtz said. “At the back of the boat, she was jumping and splashing. It felt like being in a rodeo!”

And with three minutes left before the end of fishing, Marlin Magic radioed again to headquarters “Team 19 hooked up.”

Hilton Grand Vacations Fishing Club – Japan teammate and fellow angler Shuu Yamaguchi then proceeded to tag a Short Nose Spearfish, propelling the team to first place.

There was also one that got away. At 11 a.m., Team Lantana hooked up to a feisty Pacific blue marlin. But after nearly five hours of fighting a good fight, the fish broke the line and swam away.

“Your fingers are crossed for anglers who are out there fighting fish,” said Peter Fithian, tournament founder. “Today one got away. Tomorrow is day three and with 9 hours of solid sportfishing along the famous Kona Coast, we will wait and see how that story plays out.”

The women anglers of HIBT spoke up Tuesday. Janice Allen, Whangaroa Game Fishing Club from New Zealand, tagged and released an estimated 160 pound Pacific blue marlin on 50-pound test in an impressive 37 minutes, putting points on the score board for her team.

A key component of the strict tournament rules is the tag and release rule. Tag points often become an important strategy in gaining valuable team points. Boat a fish under 300 pounds, no HIBT points. Tag a fish under 300 pounds and release it back into the ocean, earn your team valuable HIBT points.

Before that happens, captains, crew and teams must quickly be able to estimate the weight of the fish, often during the heated battle of reeling in the fish. This is where experience and knowledge come into play. Most Kona captains and their crews will tell you that estimating the weight of a fish is done quickly as the fish nears the back of the boat.

As an example, if the length of the fish is thought to be more than 99 inches you have a 300 plus pound fish. This is called the short measure. HIBT teams rely on the extensive knowledge of captain and crew to determine the estimated weight of each hook-up.

But perhaps the spirit of the tournament was best expressed today by Old South Marlin Club #2 angler Ken Onion.

“This is my second fish this week,” Onion said. “I’m having a great time fishing here at the HIBT.”

By the end of day two of the Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament 12 fish were caught and all but one were tagged and released.

The Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament is underwritten by the generosity of the County of Hawaii and sponsored in part by KWXX Radio and numerous corporate and community donors.

For more information on the Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament, including team listings, IGFA world-record rules and a daily video recap of tournament standings, log onto www.hibtfishing.com

DAILY CATCH (Day 2 – Tuesday)
9 Pacific blue marlin tagged & released
1 Pacific blue marlin weighed
1 Striped marlin tagged & released
1 Short nose spearfish tagged & released

HIBT WEEK TOTAL
19 Pacific blue marlin tagged & released
3 Pacific blue marlin weighed
1 Striped marlin tagged & released
3 Short nose spearfish tagged & released
1 Ahi boated

TEAM STANDINGS
Place Team Points
1 Hilton Grand Vacations Fishing Club, Japan 1008
2 Game Fishing Club of South Australia 900
3 Olympian Dream Fishing Club, Japan 627

CAPTAIN STANDINGS
Place Captain Boat Points
1 Boyd DeCoito Foxy Lady 1200
2 Jason Holtz Marlin Magic 1008
3 Kevin Hibbard JR’s Hooker 927
4 Lance Gelman Long Ranger 900

*Note: in the event of point ties, place standings are determined by the time the fish is boated.

Old South Marlin Club #2 Angler Ken Onion and teammates pose alongside their second tag of the tournament and Miss Billfish Sonja Ascino. (Photo courtesy of HIBT)