PORT ALLEN — Herbert Keamoai, skippering the “Manu Kai,” finished with two top fish in the 13th annual Port Allen Fishing Club Deep Sea Derby, Saturday.
Keamoai ended the day with runner-up honors in the ono and top honors in the aku categories, his heaviest of four aku tipping the scales at 27.75 pounds.
Close on his heels, the “Late Fisherman II,” skippered by Howard Plahy Jr., finished below the “Manu Kai” in the ono and aku categories.
The marlin was so big, “Nakoa,” skippered by Robert Silva, made a special trip in to weigh the fish before returning to the ocean.
Centered around the Port Allen Small Boat Harbor, Steven Niau said the marlin, which weighed in at 525.6 pounds, was caught about midday when Silva radio-ed in.
Thirty-six boats took part in the derby. Nakoa’s crew claimed the heaviest marlin category followed by Ryan Koga and the crew aboard “Kiana Kai” bringing in a marlin which weighed in at 175.2 pounds. Calvin Braun and the crew aboard “Daddy’s Girl” had the third marlin which tipped the scales at 133.4 pounds.
The decimal setting was the downfall for Bailey Chevron and the “Hukilau” crew when its ahi weighed in at 150.4 pounds — just .6 pound lighter than the leader.
J.D. Ornellas and the crew aboard the “Carol Ann” took the lead with its 151.0-pounder, sending the “Hukilau” crew, weighing in after Ornellas, into frustrated leaps.
But that tight competition was broken late in the weigh-in when Darrell Rapozo and the crew aboard “Alani Rose” captured top honors in the Ahi division with a fish weighing in at 193.2 pounds.
Keamoai, skipper of “Manu Kai,” had an ahi tipping the scales at 95.0 pounds, good for fourth place in the standings.
He rose to runner-up in the ono class with one of three ono which weighed in at 42.6 pounds. His other two ono came in at weights of 34.8 pounds and 27.0 pounds.
Plahy Jr. and the crew aboard the “Late Fisherman II” were on the heels of the “Manu Kai” in the weigh line, Plahy Jr. hopeful his ono would be the heaviest.
But his 37.8-pound ono settled for third place below Keamoai’s 42.6-pound entry. Larry Ragasa and the crew of “Hailey T” filled in fourth place of the Ono category with a fish weighing in at 35.8 pounds, the heaviest entry in that 17-fish category coming from the crew aboard the “WRB102” (Red Baron) with a 45-pounder.
The competition between the “Late Fisherman II” and “Manu Kai” was not limited to the ono category as the “Late Fisherman II” was relegated to runner-up in the aku category with a 14-pounder to Keamoai’s 27.75-pounder. Its consolation came with a 9.25-pound aku which filled in the No. 3 spot.
Alapai Toulon and the crew aboard “Aukaka Too” finished with three mahimahi, the heaviest grabbing the lead of that category with an 8.5-pound weight followed by a 7.75-pound entry from the “Big Ta Do.”
Four fish at 7.5 pounds tied for third place, fish coming from the “Kanaloa,” “Mayag II,” “Papa Tani II,” and the “Carol Ann.”
