Hawaiian Ocean Sport Fishing

duckhuntr07 · Post by **duckhuntr07** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 11:20 am

So, I'm going to Ouahu in July and I was wondering if anyone would be so kind as to recommend a charter for some sport fishing while I'm there.

It's my first time there so I'm not necessarily going specifically for the big Marlins but I do want to have some fun and hope to catch some Ahi and/or Mahimahi.

So if any of you guys could point me to a good charter over there I'd be greatful.

Thanks,

Chris

JustinD · Post by **JustinD** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 11:26 am

hey big boy....never fished on Oahu but many times on Kauia. Over there they call dorado = dolphin and wahoo = ono. But I believe Kona is one of the best billfisheries that hit the 1000 fantom mark not far off the coast. Big pelagics. Where you been hidin' out?

duckhuntr07 · Post by **duckhuntr07** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 11:31 am

No Hiding buddy, just livin the deam (i.e. workin my arse off).

How about you? Been stickin any of those south Delta donkeys?

New screen name????

Dan McKenzie · Post by **Dan McKenzie** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 12:04 pm

IMHO- Hawaiin charters are typically very disappointing, others may disagree, but this has been my experience. They are very expensive (double what you would pay in Baja) short usually 6 hours, and they just don't work that hard for fish. My last trip I brought my rods and surf fished all over the island. There is a fresh water lake Wahiawa called Lake Wilson, it has LM/SM, peacock bass, red devils, oscars, and a whole bunch of other fish, hire a guide for half a day or a full day. In Waialua, stop at the Kuuloa Kai Hawaii‎, their a tackle shop, they can direct you to an inlet around the corner where you can catch mangrove snapper? Im not positive what they are, look like mangrove snapper to me.
On Saturdays and Sundays the people fish, picnic and bbq all over the island, ask anyone you see, everyone I talked with were generous and helpfull. Ratl traps worked on every beach I fished from. I have a friend who fished with these guys http://www.worldwidefishing.com/hawaii/ ... ght+Tackle
He said it was a blast, he fished with spinning gear and caught big fat bonefish.

good luck

Swimbait Wannabe · Post by **Swimbait Wannabe** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 12:13 pm

I agree with Dan. Oahu is also not the best place to go out of. Sure you might catch something but Kona or Hilo are the hot spots. With that being said go down to the docks the night you get there and see what the boats are bringing in, usually not much. The charters are big $$$ in Hawaii. There are some half day potluck trips or just hit the shore yourself, you don't even need a license if I am not mistaken. Bring a few big kastmasters, storm swimbaits, rat-l-traps, and a few topwater lures, who knows what you'll get

duckhuntr07 · Post by **duckhuntr07** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 1:17 pm

Man, that kinda bumms me out. They really make it sound great on the websites (Imagine that

).

Anyway, that's great advice on the surf fishing. Gan I rent gear there? Or do I need to take it?

Mark Pollard · Post by **Mark Pollard** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 1:34 pm

I just got back from Oahu 2 weeks ago. I hired a guide for lake Wilson. Stan Wright, and did Peacock bass fishing. What a kick.Dan, my father caught one at 6lbs that I thought he would never get in on 6lb line. We were cathing them on flukes fished fast on top and the biggest was on minners. Then that night we went night shark hunt. Talk about fun. i caught a 5ft reef shark. This fish kicked my @$#. that night we caught 4 sharks, biggest 8ft tiger.Sharkk hunt was $125.00 for 3 hours. Peacock was $350.00 all day.

duckhuntr07 · Post by **duckhuntr07** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 2:54 pm

Mark Pollard wrote:I just got back from Oahu 2 weeks ago. I hired a guide for lake Wilson. Stan Wright, and did Peacock bass fishing. What a kick.Dan, my father caught one at 6lbs that I thought he would never get in on 6lb line. We were cathing them on flukes fished fast on top and the biggest was on minners. Then that night we went night shark hunt. Talk about fun. i caught a 5ft reef shark. This fish kicked my @$#. that night we caught 4 sharks, biggest 8ft tiger.Sharkk hunt was $125.00 for 3 hours. Peacock was $350.00 all day.

Very cool. Great advice, thatks for sharing. I'll look into that for sure.

I'm just day dreaming about cutting some nice Ahi fillets and getting out the wasabi. Guess I'm just dreamng.

crawdaddy · Post by **crawdaddy** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 4:24 pm

As a former deckhand on a charter boat I have had many customers who did the charters in Hawaii. I have never heard one story of a great outing. They are expensive and the mates are not very helpful from what I have heard. Most of the people I talked with felt like the mates looked down on them. Hawaii has great offshore fishing, but only a few captains get them consistently and those boats have zero openings. The boats that are available are fringers and don't get on the fish very often. I would not spend the money for a charter, more often than not you will be disappointed.

Caudawg · Post by **Caudawg** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 6:00 am

I spoke to several of the boats in Maui. They are sportfishing boats but also commercial boats who sell the fish that are caught to local restaurants as well as to the public. To me, a former deckhand in CA, I find this to be a strange combo.

I monitored the success rates while I vacationed...and am glad I did not spend a dime on a fishing trip. Heck, I could hardly find a boat that had fish available to sell. Maybe it was the time of year??

Bill K · Post by **Bill K** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 6:39 am

Takes Dan's advise and go surf fishing. Check around with the locals and they will direct you to very good places. Remember those sportfish shows feature big names, lot's of money and it is differant than you going down to the docks and chartering a sportfishing boat. Go to the small, local bait shops and get some good advice, bait/tackle and go have fun. Bill K

Caudawg · Post by **Caudawg** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 8:07 am

As far as fishing tackle...check Craig's List for used tackle instead of trying to haul your own rods/reels over. Just try to find the stuff you need on the island you are on. And then you can just donate the stuff to some kid when you leave or re-sell it on Craig's list

http://honolulu.craigslist.org/search/s ... ing%20rods

I watched lots of guys using a unique in-line popper with a leader behind it attached to a small white or chartruese grub. The name for this technique is "whipping" They'd whip it way out there and quickly pop it back kind of like the way we'd work a Ricoh for bass.

Here is a website that you can glean some info from:
http://www.stripersonline.com/surftalk/ ... 951&page=2

JustinD · Post by **JustinD** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 8:24 am

Don't gather ALL charters in Hawaii as to expensive, not helpful, or just flat don't catch fish. That's is one of the first faults in argumentative relations. I have been on 10 offshore boats in Hawaii and all were fun and gorgeous. Some were 8 hour tours of the island while others were non-stop action but all were friendly, informative, and worth the time (esp. knowing how rich Chris is jk....). Offshore boats for some are a dream of a lifetime and Hawaii is so amazing why not take advantage of all the island has to offer. I just wish I had the photos to show you but lost those in the divorce......

bassrockstar · Post by **bassrockstar** » Sat Mar 29, 2008 3:55 pm

It sounds like you're dream is definitely not going to match up to the reality of hawaii sportfishing. Being a kauai local I know the system pretty well. The advice to fish the surf is the best bet. Ahi is very seasonal over there and if you do get one on a charter dont even count on tasting one slice of sashimi off that bad boy cause the charter owns the fish and will sell it immediately. Best case scenario this time of year is occasional Mahi Mahi or Ono. Throw some spoons and poppers in the surf for papio and maybe an occasional reef dweller.

Gator · Post by **Gator** » Sat Mar 29, 2008 4:12 pm

When I was over in Maui a couple of years ago, I went to the local WalMart I think, bought an inexpensive rod/reel combo, some hook, some weights and a couple of lures. I fished every day I was there and had a blast. The day before i was getting ready to leave, I gave all the stuff I had left to a young local boy who was around the resort every dday. I think I may have sepnt like $50, got to use it for a week and got to see the glow in that little boys eyes when I gave him the rod/reel!!

duckhuntr07 · Post by **duckhuntr07** » Sun Mar 30, 2008 5:19 pm

Gator wrote:When I was over in Maui a couple of years ago, I went to the local WalMart I think, bought an inexpensive rod/reel combo, some hook, some weights and a couple of lures. I fished every day I was there and had a blast. The day before i was getting ready to leave, I gave all the stuff I had left to a young local boy who was around the resort every dday. I think I may have sepnt like $50, got to use it for a week and got to see the glow in that little boys eyes when I gave him the rod/reel!!

This really sounds like the route I'm gonna go especially after hearing about the charter owning the fish even if I catch it. The bone fishing mentioned above sounds cool also and maybe even lake Wilson (even though it's stocked)

Did ya catch anything Gator?

Gator · Post by **Gator** » Sun Mar 30, 2008 5:29 pm

I caught a bunch of different fish and really couldn't tell you what they were......just tossed em back and fished some more.....nothing huge but I had fun.