Kona’s “100 Blues Club” is a small and very selective group. Over the history of sportfishing here, only a few charter captains have caught 100 blue marlin during a single year. On Thursday, the sportfishing boat Raptor joined the club by catching numbers 98, 99 and 100. On Saturday, Capt. Bruce Herren, crew K. J. Robinson and angler 
Carol Hinkle-Herren added one more for good measure to up the Raptor total to 101. (Worth noting, all but a few of these were tagged, released and sent off to keep on growing and spawning.)
What’s more, there are still three months left to run up the score and a lot of unseasonably warm, blue marlin water, around to keep billfishing hot. According to Bruce, they were still finding sea temps as high as 88 degrees F at the end of the week. Most years, we don’t see readings like that even during the height of the summer blue marlin run.
For fear of jinxing himself for the rest of the year, Bruce wasn’t really ready to talk about hitting the mark, but I already had the numbers. Raptor has been calling in its catches after every trip and we’ve been publishing them here every week for all to see. The 101 is unquestionable because you’ve already seen the dates, weights and baits here every Monday.
Beasts of the week (marlin weighing 500 pounds or more).
September 20: Blue marlin (671) Mike Kehoe, Capt. Oskie Rice, Ihu Nui
Tag and Release
September 20: Blue marlin (100 and 150) John Bawers, Capt. Brian Wargo, Kila Kila
September 20: Blue marlin (150 and 250) Mike Holtz, Capt. Jason Holtz, Pursuit
September 20: Blue marlin (120) Larry Peardon, El Jobean
September 20: Blue marlin (200) Jim Robinson, (150) Pat Corgin, (150) Rick Shedore, Capt. Scott Fuller, JR’s Hooker
September 20: Blue marlin (130, 140, 140, and 150) Heather Masunaga, Capt. Kerwin Masunaga, Rod Bender
September 20: Blue marlin (140 and 150) Jada Holt, Capt. Chip Van Mols, Luna
September 20: Blue marlin (140) Nick Cala, Capt. Al Gustavson, Topshape
September 20: Blue marlin (100) Steve Marinello, Capt. Al Gustavson, Topshape
September 20: Blue marlin (130) Carol Herren, Capt. Bruce Herren, Raptor
September 20: Blue marlin (200) Tim Wurster, Capt. Marlin Parker, Marlin Magic II
September 20: Blue marlin (130 and 200) David Tubbs, Capt. Neil Isaacs, Anxious
September 20: Blue marlin (170) Shawn Weaver, Capt. Bryan Toney, Marlin Magic
September 20: Blue marlin (120) Heidi McBride, Capt. Reuben Rubio, Sundowner
September 21: Blue marlin (150) Carol Herren, Capt. Bruce Herren, Raptor
September 21: Blue marlin (200) Christina Green, Capt. Jeff Watson, Linda Sue III
September 21: Blue marlin (180) Hiroshi Koyama, Capt. Guy Terwilliger, High Flier
September 21: Blue marlin (170) Nate Wilkerson, Capt. Marlin Parker, Marlin Magic II
September 21: Blue marlin (110) Linda Frank, Capt. Kerwin Masunaga, Rod Bender
September 21: Blue marlin (200) Tim McBride, Capt. Reuben Rubio, Sundowner
September 22: Blue marlin (150) Michael Taylor, Capt. McGrew Rice, Ihu Nui
September 22: Blue marlin (280) Tim Trevatehen, (125 and 150) Tom Trevatehen, Capt. Kenny Fogarty, Hula Girl
September 22: Blue marlin (180) James Pelt, Capt, Tobin Hudgins, Silky
September 22: Blue marlin (140 and 140) Jason Flanary, Capt. Marlin Parker, Marlin Magic II
September 23: Blue marlin (160) Brooke Gammon, (200) Kenny Gammon, Capt. Kenny Fogarty, Hula Girl
September 23: Blue marlin (150) Bruce Shewalter, Capt. James Dean, Blue Hawaii
September 23: Blue marlin (160, 180, and 200) Hiroshi Koyama, Capt. Guy Terwilliger, High Flier
September 23: Blue marlin (150 and 200) Carol Herren, Capt. Bruce Herren, Raptor
September 23: Blue marlin (150) Allen von Hollend, (175) Jean Von Hollend, Capt. John Bennett, Topshape.
September 24: Blue marlin (200, 200, and 250) Carol Herren, Capt. Bruce Herren, Raptor
September 24: Blue marlin (170) Nicole Banks, Capt. McGrew Rice, Ihu Nui
September 24: Blue marlin (150) Michael Balda, Capt. Guy Terwilliger, High Flier
September 24: Blue marlin (225) John Carter Frank, (200) Linda Frank, Capt. Kerwin Masunaga, Rod Bender
September 24: Blue marlin (275) Steve Lopez, Bill Jardine, Kakalina
September 25: Blue marlin (200) Antti Sironen, Capt. McGrew Rice, Ihu Nui II
September 26: Blue marlin (180) Bill Twible, Capt. Chris Cawthon, Ohana
September 26: Blue marlin (200) Carol Herren, Capt. Bruce Herren, Raptor
September 26: Blue marlin (125 and 125) Mike Jacobsen, Capt. James Dean, Blue Hawaii
Notables:
September 20: Blue marlin (435.5) Mike Holtz, Capt. Jason Holtz, Pursuit
September 22: Blue marlin (454) Joe Page/Mark Childers, Pekekini
September 24: Ahi (103.5) Dick Russell, (167.5) Mike Watson, Capt. Bobby Cherry, Cherry Pit II