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Kona Fishing Videos
Kona is one of the world's great big-game fisheries, where the bottom drops into thousands of feet of blue water within sight of the beach. These courses cover what that access produces: blue marlin with Kevin Hibbard aboard 2nd Offense, wahoo and yellowfin with Shawn Rotella, and the lure rigging and boat work that Kona's deep ledges and calm mornings reward. If you are fishing the Hawaiian Islands or planning a trip, this is the film to study first.
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2024, Vinyl vs. Rubber Trolling Lure Skirts for Fishing Blue Marlin
7:36 · Kevin HibbardVinyl vs rubber trolling lure skirts, sorted by the head they go on. Kevin Hibbard explains why rubber belongs on a bullet and vinyl on a pusher in Kona, what black smoke and white smoke look like in the water, and which skirt survives wahoo and long storage.
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2024, Wahoo Fishing Lures and Rigging Concepts: Shawn Rotella
4:28 · Shawn RotellaCustom wahoo lure making provides advantages commercial offerings cannot replicate when targeting formidable predators at high speeds. Captain Shawn Rotella's process crafting lead bullet lures with strategic skirt colors, piano wire leaders, and non-IGFA hook rigs demonstrates how construction quality and rigging techniques affect both lure longevity and action during trolling sessions demanding constant performance.
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2023, Rigging Marlin Lures with Sta-Stuk Hooks
11:45 · Kevin HibbardSta-Stuk hooks rigged aboard Kevin Hibbard's boat in Kona, right after a blue marlin ate one in the new Little Hibby. Kris Ishibashi covers the crimp, the grease and the tape, which way the leader should curve in a slant face or a bullet, and the one fish, one rig habit behind every leader on the boat.
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2023, Lure Spread Setup for Marlin Fishing: Kona Style
21:24 · Kevin HibbardKona marlin fishing with a four line lure spread, set by Kris Ishibashi aboard Kevin Hibbard's Second Offense. Four lines, not five, because the boat turns hard off its sonar, a teaser on the second wave, the tube in the trough, and a heavier bullet because big blues have been pushing the light one away.
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2023, Fundamentals of Fishing Structure for Blue Marlin
29:51 · Kevin HibbardBlue marlin position predictably where ocean structure concentrates baitfish rather than roaming randomly. Captain Kevin Hibbard's insights reveal how currents and upwelling interact with bottom topography creating nutrient-rich zones that establish food chains, determining where marlin patrol and feed most actively rather than trolling aimlessly through surrounding waters appearing identical on the surface.
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2023, Blue Marlin Hooks with Kevin Hibbard
23:17 · Kevin HibbardBlue marlin hooks chosen by tackle class, out of Kona. Kevin Hibbard lays out the Sta-Stuk, Fudo Kona cut and conical points and the Jobu, explains why the Sta-Stuk stays off his 50 lb gear at HIBT, and shows why a turned in point holds when a marlin wraps the bill.
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2023, Rigging Blue Marlin Lures with Vinyl Skirts and Sta-Stuk Hooks
1:03:36 · Kevin HibbardRigging blue marlin lures with vinyl skirts, start to finish, with Kevin Hibbard in Kona. He cuts and seals the vinyl so the lure won't roll, weights the inner skirts to the belly, builds a 10/0 Sta-Stuk set on 900 lb cable, and explains why skirt color matters less than most anglers think.
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2023, Bottom Fishing with Baits and Vertical Jigs
29:57 · Shawn RotellaDeep structure off Kona at 75 to 80 fathoms, roughly 450 to 480 feet, holds amberjack (kahala) around ledges, wrecks and rock piles, and finding them is a drift problem before it is a bait problem. Captain Shawn Rotella sets up systematic drifts over that structure, drops baits and vertical jigs at the same time, and reads where in the water column the bites come so every drop that follows goes to the depth where the fish are feeding.
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2023, Lure Trolling for Yellowfin Tuna with Shawn Rotella
23:51 · Shawn RotellaYellowfin tuna trolling tactics shift dramatically when skipjack schools appear, demanding lure adjustments most anglers miss. Captain Shawn Rotella's Kona expertise reveals how predatory patterns, tide influences, and habitat structures determine which lure colors and trolling speeds trigger strikes from Thunnus albacares, plus post-catch gilling and cooling techniques preserving quality for premium table fare.
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2023, Mahi Mahi Trolling Tactics with Captain Shawn Rotella
40:36 · Shawn RotellaFloating debris creates mahi mahi concentrations in open ocean by establishing food chains attracting dolphin fish to structure. Captain Shawn Rotella's Kona expertise reveals trolling strategies around flotsam including approach angles preventing school dispersal, speed adjustments for lure action, and when to switch from trolling to live bait deployment based on fish response and feeding behavior.
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2023, Slow Trolling Live Bait for Wahoo with Shawn Rotella Part 2
20:13 · Shawn RotellaSlow trolling at 3 to 6 knots creates wahoo opportunities in Hawaii when high-speed presentations fail, requiring understanding of biological drivers affecting feeding behavior. Captain Shawn Rotella's legendary expertise reveals why speed ranges with live bait, dead bait, and lures trigger selective fish, plus gear and tackle differences between slow and high-speed trolling approaches matching ecological realities.
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2023, Slow Trolling Wahoo with Shawn Rotella Part 1
51:27 · Shawn RotellaSlow trolling live bait unlocks wahoo opportunities when fish won't chase high-speed presentations, requiring understanding of how weather, tides, and moon phases affect feeding patterns. Captain Shawn Rotella's expertise reveals when to switch from speed trolling, how structure and current relationships concentrate wahoo, and drag management techniques preventing common mistakes that cost fish during fights with powerful speedsters.
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Featured
2023, Rigging Bullet Lures for Wahoo Fishing
8:54 · Shawn RotellaWahoo bullet lures excel at high-speed trolling through streamlined cone design and heavy metal heads that dive and dance unlike other presentations. Arthur Bjontegard's rigging expertise covers wire leader changes, hook placement, and skirting techniques determining whether lures maintain proper action at velocities wahoo fishing demands, plus skirt color significance and trolling speed adjustments for triggering aggressive strikes.
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Featured
2021, Blue Marlin Fishing Tackle with Kevin Hibbard
29:16 · Kevin HibbardBlue marlin fishing unpredictability demands tackle capable of handling 1200-pound giants even when targeting average-sized fish. Premier destinations produce big marlin frequently enough that Captain Kevin Hibbard emphasizes reel capacity, drag systems, and mainline strength must handle sustained runs and extreme pressure rather than gambling on lighter setups adequate for smaller fish but inadequate when mama strikes without warning.
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2021, Blue Marlin Trolling Technique with Kevin Hibbard
14:58 · Kevin HibbardBlue marlin trolling effectiveness depends on using satellite data to locate temperature breaks and current convergences concentrating bait, then interpreting tuna and porpoise signals revealing real-time feeding activity. Kevin Hibbard's techniques for positioning lures relative to bait schools in open water versus around structures create systematic approaches rather than random trolling hoping to intersect marlin patrolling productive zones.
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2021, Blue Marlin Trolling Lures with Kevin Hibbard
37:56 · Kevin HibbardBlue marlin trolling lures from a Kona captain's own bag. Kevin Hibbard names the four lures he would take on any trip, explains why a bullet is always in his spread, and makes the case that color is for the angler, not the marlin, and that changing lures all day is a mind game.
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2021, Fishing Kona with Kevin Hibbard for Blue Marlin
22:33 · Kevin HibbardKona blue marlin fishing requires understanding how feeding times, water conditions, currents, and structure interact rather than single-factor approaches. Kevin Hibbard's decades of experience reveal that consistent success depends on reading how these variables combine to create high-percentage zones, recognizing bite time patterns when marlin feed aggressively, and knowing when bait versus lure presentations produce better results in Kona's unique environment.
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2021, Boat Driving Skills for Blue Marlin with Kevin Hibbard
16:47 · Kevin HibbardBlue marlin boat driving determines fight outcomes through simple spread setup allowing quick line clearing, understanding fish behavior patterns that inform positioning decisions, and achieving superior position early. Kevin Hibbard's worldwide marlin experience reveals how drag settings, line angle management, and strategic use of current create control needed for landing trophy fish rather than reactive responses after marlin establish advantages.
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2018, Big Game Legends - George Parker Part 2
34:22 · George ParkerGeorge Parker shares his valuable insights on marlin fishing in Hawaii for the In The Spread prject Big Game Legends.
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2018, Big Game Legends: Marlin Parker on Kona's Big Fish, Part 2
19:50 · Marlin ParkerWhy Kona fishes almost every day, the ledge and point behind Marlin Parker's biggest blue marlin, Bobby Brown's 1,376 pound world record and Bart Miller's 1,656, and why Kona fish fight for eight hours or more.
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