| Nearshore Fish | Weight | Angler | Location | Date |
| Parrotfish, Bullethead | 2.80-lbs | Fasil Bizuneh | Kailua-Kona, Hawaii | 11/23/2021 |
I met my dive partner, Max, early one Saturday morning. We were planning on diving at a spot that required a decent hike and a swim to reach. I had been to this spot a few times before, and it had always been super-fishy and worth the trip. I spotted this bullethead parrotfish (uhu) nibbling on some coral at a depth of about 30 feet and positioned myself above and slightly behind it to ready myself for a dive bomb. I have caught many large uhu in this way while they were distracted. I did a quick breathe-up and began to descend as quietly as possible. The fish recognized my approach as I came within 10 feet and began to swim toward the depths. I dropped a few more feet and took a longer shot. I landed a solid holding shot in the uhus body. I pulled the fish up and checked its size on the tape measure sticker on the bottom of my gun. I was aware of the record and knew that at 16 inches this one would be close. I decided to not gut the fish, as is my usual custom. Instead, I brained the uhu and stuck it in my CreekKooler floating cooler. After I got back to my truck, I weighed the fish with my handheld scale and knew that I had caught a new state record. I picked up my kids and headed to Nakahara Store in Hawi for an official weight and picture. I posted a catch-and-cook of this beautiful uhu on my YouTube channel, Mrdabizzzz  |
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