Capt. Shawn Rotella - "Fishing Kona Style"
Explicit content warning
02/07/22 • 123 min
Thank you for tuning into the SeaBros Fishing Podcast!
On this episode we sit down with our good friend and fellow charter captain, Shawn Rotella.
Shawn originally hails from Virginia Beach, VA and currently resides in Kona, Hawaii and has been running a successful charter fishing business (Night Runner Sportfishing) in Kona for 15+ years.
Initially, Shawn made the move to Hawaii to professionally surf, but plans quickly changed and he found himself on the path to being a full-time fisherman. We met Shawn several years ago through the tackle industry and lure making and we have been great friends ever since. Fast forward a few years and we have been lucky enough to fish together several times; both in Kona and up here in the Northeast.
Shawn is great example of a passionate and intelligent fisherman. His ability to stay relaxed, trust his instincts, and notice patterns on the water is incredible. He is also an extremely detail oriented guy. Every aspect of his tackle and vessel is rigged to perfection and is purpose built. Having a ton of experience with fiberglass and resin certainly helps him when it comes to preventative maintenance, customization, and innovation aboard the Night Runner.
We always look forward to sharing a conversation with Shawn. He's an incredible story teller and is always willing to share knowledge.
We hope you enjoy this discussion as much as we did!
Aloha,
- The Sears Brothers
Topics Covered:
- Big Blue Marlin Stories
- Adapting Hawaiian style lure fishing to the Northeast Canyons
- Heavy tackle rigging
- Being prepared for a monster
- Catching and fishing live bait for wahoo, tuna, and marlin
- Charter expectations
- Lure making
- Shaping surfboards
- Fishing lures properly for blue marlin
- Shawn's experience fishing in P.E.I Canada
- Breaking into the charter fishing industry in Hawaii
- Making the jump to full time charter fishing
- Fishing in Kona, H
Monahan's Marine
@monahansmarine
MBG24 for 10% Off in Store
Mass Bay Guides
Ultimate Fishing Adventures
@massbayguides
Black Oak LED
Premium Marine Lighting
Giantbluefin 20% Off
Afuera Coffee Company
massbayguides 15% Off First Coffee Order
SatFish "The Science of Being Lucky"
The all-in-one map resource to put you right in the zone to catch offshore fish species like tuna, marlin, and wahoo.
Use SEABROS for $20 OFF 1st Year Subscription
L.T. Marine Products
Commercial Grade Fishing Equipment: Rod Holders, Gaffs, Harpoons
@ltmarineproducts
10% Off Promo Code: seabros
Ultimate Fishing Adventures @massbayguides
L.T. Marine Products
Commercial Grade Fishing Equipment. @ltmarineproducts 10% Off Promo Code: seabros
Dekit New England
High Density Marine Foam Flooring. @dekit_newengland
Black Oak LED
Premium Marine and Outdoor Vehicle Lighting. 20% Off Promo Code: Giantbluefin
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.
Thank you for listening! Please follow @seabrosfishing on Instagram and Facebook.
Thank you for tuning into the SeaBros Fishing Podcast!
On this episode we sit down with our good friend and fellow charter captain, Shawn Rotella.
Shawn originally hails from Virginia Beach, VA and currently resides in Kona, Hawaii and has been running a successful charter fishing business (Night Runner Sportfishing) in Kona for 15+ years.
Initially, Shawn made the move to Hawaii to professionally surf, but plans quickly changed and he found himself on the path to being a full-time fisherman. We met Shawn several years ago through the tackle industry and lure making and we have been great friends ever since. Fast forward a few years and we have been lucky enough to fish together several times; both in Kona and up here in the Northeast.
Shawn is great example of a passionate and intelligent fisherman. His ability to stay relaxed, trust his instincts, and notice patterns on the water is incredible. He is also an extremely detail oriented guy. Every aspect of his tackle and vessel is rigged to perfection and is purpose built. Having a ton of experience with fiberglass and resin certainly helps him when it comes to preventative maintenance, customization, and innovation aboard the Night Runner.
We always look forward to sharing a conversation with Shawn. He's an incredible story teller and is always willing to share knowledge.
We hope you enjoy this discussion as much as we did!
Aloha,
- The Sears Brothers
Topics Covered:
- Big Blue Marlin Stories
- Adapting Hawaiian style lure fishing to the Northeast Canyons
- Heavy tackle rigging
- Being prepared for a monster
- Catching and fishing live bait for wahoo, tuna, and marlin
- Charter expectations
- Lure making
- Shaping surfboards
- Fishing lures properly for blue marlin
- Shawn's experience fishing in P.E.I Canada
- Breaking into the charter fishing industry in Hawaii
- Making the jump to full time charter fishing
- Fishing in Kona, H
Monahan's Marine
@monahansmarine
MBG24 for 10% Off in Store
Mass Bay Guides
Ultimate Fishing Adventures
@massbayguides
Black Oak LED
Premium Marine Lighting
Giantbluefin 20% Off
Afuera Coffee Company
massbayguides 15% Off First Coffee Order
SatFish "The Science of Being Lucky"
The all-in-one map resource to put you right in the zone to catch offshore fish species like tuna, marlin, and wahoo.
Use SEABROS for $20 OFF 1st Year Subscription
L.T. Marine Products
Commercial Grade Fishing Equipment: Rod Holders, Gaffs, Harpoons
@ltmarineproducts
10% Off Promo Code: seabros
Ultimate Fishing Adventures @massbayguides
L.T. Marine Products
Commercial Grade Fishing Equipment. @ltmarineproducts 10% Off Promo Code: seabros
Dekit New England
High Density Marine Foam Flooring. @dekit_newengland
Black Oak LED
Premium Marine and Outdoor Vehicle Lighting. 20% Off Promo Code: Giantbluefin
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.
Thank you for listening! Please follow @seabrosfishing on Instagram and Facebook.
Previous Episode
Chloe Mikles - Tagging & Releasing Apex Predators
Thank you for tuning into the SeaBros Fishing Podcast!
On this episode we sit down with our first woman angler and fisherman on the podcast, Chloe Mikles. Chloe hails from North Carolina and has spent the majority of her life on and in the water. Her passion for the ocean has lead her on some incredible adventures catching, tagging, and studying some of the world's largest and most highly migratory species of fish.
Over the past several years she has fished and worked along side a few of the most distinguished and successful scientists and fishermen; including marine biologist Barbara Block with the Tag a Giant Foundation and legendary captain and mate Charles Perry.
Chloe's research and efforts have taken her from Gulf of St. Lawrence off of Nova Scotia tagging and releasing giant bluefin tuna , all the way to the Outerbanks of North Carolina tagging and studying tuna, blue marlin and mahi mahi.
Not only is Chloe an aspiring scientist, but she has also been a dedicated athlete for most of her life. She was an undefeated high school swimmer and moved on to swim at a highly competitive collegiate level at Cornell University (class of 2020). Chloe is currently pursuing her PHD at Stanford University Hopkins Marine Station in Monterey Bay California.
We had the pleasure of fishing side by side with Chloe and her crew in Nova Scotia in 2021; watching them deploy over 50 tags on giant bluefin tuna, and perform sample studies on commercially harvested bluefin at the dock. We cover an array of topics in the conversation and I think we all learned a lot from each other. Some of the tagging studies and recaptures that Chloe has been involved with are absolutely fascinating. This is a great episode and we hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
Topics Covered:
- Fishing super powers
- Tuna tagging projects and expeditions
- Tagging mahi mahi
- Tagging and releasing grouper and other bottom fish
- Tag and release methods
- Mortality rates on released bluefin
Monahan's Marine
@monahansmarine
MBG24 for 10% Off in Store
Mass Bay Guides
Ultimate Fishing Adventures
@massbayguides
Black Oak LED
Premium Marine Lighting
Giantbluefin 20% Off
Afuera Coffee Company
massbayguides 15% Off First Coffee Order
SatFish "The Science of Being Lucky"
The all-in-one map resource to put you right in the zone to catch offshore fish species like tuna, marlin, and wahoo.
Use SEABROS for $20 OFF 1st Year Subscription
L.T. Marine Products
Commercial Grade Fishing Equipment: Rod Holders, Gaffs, Harpoons
@ltmarineproducts
10% Off Promo Code: seabros
Ultimate Fishing Adventures @massbayguides
L.T. Marine Products
Commercial Grade Fishing Equipment. @ltmarineproducts 10% Off Promo Code: seabros
Black Oak LED
Premium Marine and Outdoor Vehicle Lighting. 20% Off Promo Code: Giantbluefin
Dekit New England
High Density Marine Foam Flooring. @dekit_newengland
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.
Thank you for listening! Please follow @seabrosfishing on Instagram and Facebook.
Next Episode
Capt. Damon Sacco - "Fishing Hard is Easy"
Thank you for tuning into the SeaBros Fishing Podcast!
We have a returning guest on this episode of the podcast, Captain Damon Sacco of Castafari Sportfishing. Since we last had Damon on the show, he traveled to Mexico to fish on No Tuna No Chinga targeting monster yellowfin tuna, and we also had the entire 2020 and 2021 fishing seasons go by up here in the Northeast.
Damon is always a pleasure to talk to and collaborate with. We share some suspenseful and hysterical fish stories in this one, including a story about catching a 900+ lb blue marlin on one engine... We talk about his trip to Mexico, the 2021 Castafari season and tournaments, and get into details about tactics for targeting giant bluefin tuna in Cape Cod Bay. Damon is also heading to fish in Columbia soon, and he talks about the logistics for that trip.
We spend a bit of time talking about the upcoming 2022 Castafari Offshore Fishing Seminar (March 5th and 6th), which is always an educational and exciting event to attend. Damon discussed some of the new presentations on tap for this year's event and announces some legendary captains and fishermen that will be speaking.
We hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did!
Topics Covered:
- Fishing and organizing tournaments
- 2022 Castafari Offshore Fishing Seminar speakers and topics
- Giant fishing on Georges Bank
- Fishing for cow yellowfin in Mexico
- Targeting giant bluefin in Cape Cod Bay
- 2021 canyon fishing season
- Fishing in Columbia
- Fish Story: Monster Blue Marlin on One Engine...
Sponsors, Information, and Links from this podcast episode:
Guest:
Captain Damon Sacco
@castafari
Castafari.com
Monahan's Marine
@monahansmarine
MBG24 for 10% Off in Store
Mass Bay Guides
Ultimate Fishing Adventures
@massbayguides
Black Oak LED
Premium Marine Lighting
Giantbluefin 20% Off
Afuera Coffee Company
massbayguides 15% Off First Coffee Order
SatFish "The Science of Being Lucky"
The all-in-one map resource to put you right in the zone to catch offshore fish species like tuna, marlin, and wahoo.
Use SEABROS for $20 OFF 1st Year Subscription
L.T. Marine Products
Commercial Grade Fishing Equipment: Rod Holders, Gaffs, Harpoons
@ltmarineproducts
10% Off Promo Code: seabros
Ultimate Fishing Adventures @massbayguides
L.T. Marine Products
Commercial Grade Fishing Equipment. @ltmarineproducts 10% Off Promo Code: seabros
Black Oak LED
Premium Marine and Outdoor Vehicle Lighting. 20% Off Promo Code: Giantbluefin
Dekit New England
High Density Marine Foam Flooring. @dekit_newengland
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.
Thank you for listening! Please follow @seabrosfishing on Instagram and Facebook.
If you like this episode you’ll love
Episode Comments
Generate a badge
Get a badge for your website that links back to this episode
<a href="https://goodpods.com/podcasts/seabros-fishing-podcast-fishing-stories-tactics-and-interviews-from-to-240581/capt-shawn-rotella-fishing-kona-style-26781462"> <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/goodpods-images-bucket/badges/generic-badge-1.svg" alt="listen to capt. shawn rotella - "fishing kona style" on goodpods" style="width: 225px" /> </a>
Copy