Japan fishing club takes lead on Day Two of the Hawaiian International Billfish tournament

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Only one fish was boated on Day Two of the Hawaiian International Billfish tournament taking place through Friday off Kailua-Kona, but it was enough to help secure the standings lead for the team landing it.

It only took 43 minutes for angler Hidemi Hayashi of Hilton Grand Vacations Fishing Club in Japan to land the 531-pound Pacific blue marlin, but the team realized the importance of landing such a big fish, having won the tournament in 2007.

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," said Holtz. "At the back of the boat, she was jumping and splashing. It felt like being in a rodeo!"

With three minutes left before the end of fishing, Marlin Magic again radioed to headquarters, "Team 19 hooked up," and teammate Shuu Yamaguchi proceeded to tag a shortnose spearfish, propelling the team to first place.   

The tag-and-release rule is a key component of the strict tournament regulations. Tag points often become an important strategy in gaining valuable team points -- boat a fish weighing less than 300 pounds and no points are awarded; tag and release a fish in the same weight category and the team earns points. Teams rely on the extensive knowledge of captain and crew to determine the estimated weight of each hookup, often done as the fish nears the boat during the heated battle of reeling it in.