Story and photos by Mike House

Lady luck shone brightly at the 2000 Ahi Fever in Waianae, held June 10 and 11 from the Waianae Small Boat Harbor, though the luck shone in different ways for different people.  For the tournament organizers, the Waianae Boat Fishing Club, they got their 260 boat maximum in shorter time than last year with 150 new entries coming on board.  A long waiting list ensured organizers of a packed house on tournament day, so once again good fortune was bestowed upon the sleepy town on the backside of the mountains.

For the merchants and people of Waianae, great weather meant a couple of nice days on the beach and at the harbor, extra ice and drink sales at the local eateries, fuel sales and food sales at the gas stops, and more general interest in the leeward coast of Oahu.  Yes, it was June in Waianae, the time when fishing becomes first and foremost in everyone’s minds.

For the anglers in general, the fishing wasn’t great in total numbers, but some great fish were caught, and the lucky anglers who did manage to pick up some large fish sure weren’t complaining.  For the few who prevailed, lady luck was indeed smiling brightly, and nobody had the luck shining brighter than Tim Tucker of the Ao’Lani and Alex Kea of the Kealii III.

Team Ao’Lani with their 183.8 lb Ahi

Tim couldn’t commit to entering the tournament when the event filled up so quickly, so he placed his name on the waiting list and sweated it out.  The day before the tournament began, Tim got notice that a spot was open and he could enter.  He called his friends to join him from Canada and California, and within a day, the group was assembled on board in Waianae for the 6:00 am start Saturday morning.   

For Alex, it was a different story.  He had his entry in place at least two months before the event, and 2000 would be his fourth straight year of fishing the Ahi Fever in Waianae.  In the inaugural Ahi Fever, Alex and his crew caught a 99.6 pound Marlin that didn’t win anything, and in the second and third years he caught a couple of Aku, again, not claiming any prizes.  But Alex loves this tournament, and this relative fishing newcomer spent a couple of months of preparation to get his 19-foot home-built boat ready for action. 

No fish caught the first day by either of the anglers left them shaken, but not down.  They knew another day would decide the tournament because the largest fish to the end of day one was 170 pounds.  At 6:00 on Sunday, the shot-gun start rang out and the anglers went to sea again, 260 boats churning up the waves in a cacophony of diesel and gas, charter and private, with skippers and crew from every ethnic and geographical background imaginable.  Ahi Fever is truly a society within a society, bringing people together to share their passion year after year. 

This 739 lb Marlin was a Tournament Record

No sooner had the tournament started on day two when Tim, and his diesel-powered Bertram 38, almost immediately found a porpoise school only 3 miles to the North of the harbor.  Figuring there was fish in the area, he took the boat off the plane, and proceeded to set the lines along with several other boats.  Alex, meanwhile, went further to the North, headed for Kaena Point. 

As boats made their passes through the porpoise around Tim, the bite didn’t happen, and all the other boats began to leave the area.  Soon, Tim had the area to himself.  “Patience” he thought, “there’s fish here, so let’s see what we can do.”  At about 6:45 am with some dozen or so passes through the school, it suddenly happened.  A big strike on the starboard rigger and a screaming reel made the crew jump to life and get to work.   

45 minutes later, the fish was next to the boat.  The crew got together and combined their strength to lift the fish onto the boat, taking about 15 minutes to do so.  After some high-fives, they called their fish in at about 160 pounds, and carried on fishing for the day.   

On board Kealii, things got interesting at about 11:00.  Out toward CO buoy some 20 miles from the harbor, the crew settled into what they thought was going to be another grueling day.  Suddenly, the two corner reels suddenly rang out.  Then the center went off as well, and the group thought they had themselves a triple Ahi strike.  Alex began cranking in the inactive lines, and unbeknownst to him the center line had come slack but then struck hard again.  They thought they had a 4 banger and the excitement level grew about 80% higher than it already was.    

After confirming the strike was ‘just” a triple, the two corner lines came slack again, leaving tension on just the center.  They never saw the other fish they had hooked, and at first wondered what they had on the center.  Suddenly, the line ripped out hard, and Alex backed down as quickly as possible to avoid spooling the 130-class reel.   

Slowly they stopped the fish, and after about 20 minutes into the fight, they got their first glimpse of what was going on.  A huge Marlin breached the surface just twice, but the vision of the fish in the air told the crew they were in for a battle.  After a 45-minute fight, the fish came to the side of the boat quite docile.  The belly was up, and she had a couple of little flicks in her tail.  A flying  gaff was procured to secure the fish to the boat, which prompted a little bit of a skirmish where some battle scars would remain on the boat. 

Eventually, the group was able to get the fish tied off and secure, and amazingly, they managed to get the fish up on the deck of their small craft.  They radio called their fish to the scales and estimated it at just over 400 pounds.  Knowing a couple in the 400-pound range and a couple in the 500 and 600 range had already been weighed.   The crowd and tournament control just figured another contender would be coming home soon.  Little did they know what was in store. 

At about 3:00 or so, Ao'lani, carrying Tim’s crew, returned home and took the fish to the scales.  As it was hoisted up, guesses of everything from 130 to 200 pounds were shouted out from the crowd.  The fish looked bigger than the 170 of the day before, and as weighmaster Uncle Paul announced the weight of 183.8 pounds, the crew leaped in excitement, embracing and showering high-fives all around.   

Taking over the lead, team Ao’Lani knew that more fish were out there and the event wasn’t over yet.  A few more boats had called in some Ahi as well, but until the last fish is weighed, it’s never over.  Tim and the gang enjoyed about 2 ½ hours “on the bubble” as boats brought home their fare.   

Shortly afterward, Kealii II came to the scales.  Since the fish was on the boat and the boat was then loaded onto the trailer, it was easy for everyone involved to manage the fish.  As they drove the truck and trailer to the weigh area, the weigh crew connected the tail rope and hoisted it up the scale.  Interestingly, the fish appeared to have been in a previous battle near a boat before but got away.  Part of the bill was broken off and healing over, and what appeared to be a substantial gaff mark some 8 inches long in the dorsal area was also healing.  Nonetheless, 739.2 pounds was the official call from Uncle Paul before a huge crowd of cheering onlookers.  Alex and the crew of Kealii III set the new tournament record for largest fish ever caught in the Ahi Fever, and it was good for $2,000 in winnings and all the bragging rights that could accompany it. 

The Spectacular Ahi Fever Perpetual Trophy

A perspective of just how big this 739lb marlin is

But since this is an Ahi tournament, all Tim was worried about was boats flying white flags bearing a blue fish insignia.  He anxiously looked at boats flying this flag all over the parking lot and rows of slips, because he knew this flag was only thing that could unseat his position.  Soon, the number of fish to weigh was down to two, then one, and it was soon over.   

Tim Tucker and the crew of Ao’Lani succeeded in their mission of combining luck and skill to win the 2000 Ahi Fever in Waianae, taking home $17,000.00 for both the largest Ahi and highest total weight divisions, plus having their names inscribed on the beautiful perpetual trophy.  For Alex, he collected a fine payday as well and enjoyed knowing he was now the one to beat next year for the largest fish overall. 

So while not everyone in Ahi Fever won the cash and prizes, everyone came away a winner.  And for Tim and Alex, whose fates were drawn together by circumstances as diverse as the world around us, this was a weekend neither would forget.   

For a complete breakdown on the tournament and a look at the total fish recorded as well as the prizes paid out, we’d invite you to take a look at the Ahi Fever website located at www.ahi-fever.com.

Click here for Tim Tucker's story in his own words

....and the marlin was caught and hauled in the 19' Kealii III