Going Fishing In Your Living Room
By .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
| Share
Del.icio.us
|
Darren Park and Chris Kadooka have so much fun fishing, it turned into a business, C4 Video Productions.
Because they saw a need for a video on shorefishing, they started the company in May 2006 and released their first DVD, Baitcasting Basics, in October of that year. The video is available at Borders as well as most fishing and tackle stores across the state.
Park says the video answers basic questions people ask about fishing, such as “How do you tie a hook?” and “What bait do you use?”
“It’s easier to show on the video how to tie a hook, so you can see if the knot goes over or under,” says Park. “And you can watch it over and over again if you want to.”
To start shorefishing, all you need is a fishing pole with a reel, some line, a hook, sinker and bait.
“You can hear the fish dragging the reel, it’s almost like a slot machine,” says Park. “The adrenaline rush is exciting. It’s dramatic if the fish is big. You hear the bell banging away, and sometimes your pole falls down.”
Not only do they want to share the joy of fishing with others, they want to teach good fishing stewardship as well.
“Don’t leave your rubbish behind,” says Kadooka. “If others leave trash, then pick it up and leave it cleaner than when you got there. You’re not a good fisherman by only the fish you catch, you’re a good fisherman by how you treat the ocean and the world.”
The company name, C4, comes from conservation guidelines: Cast your line out, catch a fish, capture the moment on camera and conserve the resource by releasing it if you aren’t going to eat it.
The partners practice what they preach regarding conservation. They also participate in the ulua tagging project with the Division of Aquatic Resources under the state Department of Land and Natural Resources. They, among other volunteers, get information on the fish that they catch for the state, which then takes the data to help determine how they can keep up with the needs of the fish and fishermen. Fish that are tagged and then released carry information such as where the fish has been, how many miles it has traveled and how much it has grown.
Kadooka and Park agree on one of the challenges of running their company: “Marketing. We want to get more exposure so more people will know about our video.”
The two met in 1991, introduced by a mutual friend, but they didn’t start fishing together until several years later. Park, a Mid-Pac grad, grew up fishing with his family on a boat, while Kadooka’s friends and family caught fish from the shore. When Park’s family got rid of their boat, he missed fishing. So he started shorefishing in Kona with Kadooka, a Konawaena grad. Kadooka started video taping fishing trips with their friends and, just for friends, he made five DVDs of their adventures. Then friends suggested that fishing DVDs could be sold.
“There’s really no way you can learn unless someone shows you,” says Kadooka, who maintains a day job with the botany department at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. “This is one way to learn if you don’t know anyone who can show you.”
Kadooka says when he tells his 5-year-old daughter Caitlyn and 3-year-old son Chase that they are going fishing, they are happy and eager to wake up in the early morning hours to get a good fishing spot. Kadooka appreciates the support of his wife, Cherilyn, for this business.
Park is an environmental health specialist with the Department of Health, and an adjunct faculty member with the University of Hawaii’s Cancer Research Center. Park acknowledges his wife, Ann, and 3-year-old son Ryan for their support.
To get this business going, Kadooka and Park got assistance from their network of friends and colleagues.
“Between the two of us, we almost knew someone in every category where we needed help,” says Kadooka.
“We had good contacts and good friends,” adds Park.
Additional projects include a summer release of Shorefishing Hawaii Volume II, which will include different topics from the first DVD.
Park says fishing is lots of fun, and they hope to continue to do more of it with their upcoming video.
“Going to the beach is relaxing,” says Kadooka. “It gets you back to nature, and grounds you.”
For more information, call 223-9231 or log onto www.shorefishinghawaii.com
E-mail this story | Print this page | Comments (0) | Archive | RSS Comments (0) |
Most Recent Comment(s):
