Charter Fishing in Hawaii
Hawaii is known as one of the premier game fishing destinations in the World. There are an abundance of deep sea fishing charter boats on all the major Islands. Though the Big Island is probably the most popular destination for the hard core fishermen and outdoors type. Deep sea trips can run several thousand dollars for the day. The price is comparable to the cost of a private charter in Florida, Texas, and Louisiana.
For more affordable fishing options in Hawaii, there are 3 hours bottom fishing boats that do not venture too far off of the islands. It is unlikely you will catch a big game fish on one of these trips, but you never know. There are a few charter services that offer single shared trips with a few other anglers for as low as $300 for a half day trip. For a little extra money you can go for a ¾ day trip or the full day trip.
Fishing off of the beach
This is not as popular as it is on the mainland. You can’t fish on the beach in Waikiki, and most of the fishing I have seen here has been right off of the harbor. You can fish in the Diamond head area just off of Waikiki Beach, but only on even numbered years.
There is one outfitter that runs a trip to fish off the beach on the North Shore of Oahu. It’s around $130, but also available in many of the tour packages. It’s catch and release only, not really my cup of tea.
Fishing from a Kayak in Hawaii
I have not seen this advertised anywhere so far. So, if you wanted to go this route, I think it would have to be a DIY trip, and one that would not be easy to pull off. I found one YouTube video of a guy that was pretty hard core about it. Going miles out and targeting big game fish like mahi mahi
Buying, renting, or bringing your own fishing gear to Hawaii.
My plan for my first trip to Oahu was to buy some geat at Walmart, and then either trip to ship some of it home, talk my kid into keeping in in her dorm room, or maybe even renting a storage unit. The walmart in Oahu is a total zoo. One of the biggest walmarts I have ever seen. But it has a real lack of fishing gear, including a poor selection of rod and reels, and the lures, hooks, and other gear were almost non existent, and what few spoons they had were $10 each for small ones. You have to venture outside of the main strip of Waikiki to find any good fishing stores. Check out https://www.shorefishinghawaii.com/.
Types of fish you can catch in Hawaii
BIg Game Fish
Marlin
The biggest baddest sportsfish in the ocean. My fun blogging crew was lucky enougut to land one of these many moon ago. While I understand the fun of it, you don’t get to keep the catch on these bad boys, you might get a portion, but they don’t like to freeze this fish, and it’s part of the deal the boat keeps any big catch
Tuna
There are 5 different species of tuna on the menu off the waters of Hawaii. The bell of the ball is the “(Ahi)” or yellowfin. Like the Marlin,don’t expect to fill the coolers and ship it back to the mainland.
Mahi-Mahi
One of the most popular gamefish, it’s also in the range of you get to keep it and eat it. The dolphin fish, aka el dorado, is a super fun and tasty gamefish to target in the deep sea waters off of Hawaii.
Wahoo
The Hawaiian word for Wahoo is “Ono”, which translates to “delicious”. This is a large gamefish that is in abundance off the islands of Hawaii that is considered by some to be the finest table far there is for sashime
GT (Giant Trevaly)
I fish to eat my catch, so fish like the GT that are of questionable table fare do not get my attention. The smaller ones are considered OK. Larger ones have a connect of some risk of ciguatera poisoning, a potentially severe illness caused by toxins in the fish’s flesh. I’m gong to catch a few just put it on my species list, but I can pass on this one.
Bottom Fish of Hawaii
Snapper and Grouper are the name of the game for Hawaii’s bottom reaf fish. Most of the list is dominated by the wide range of snapper, with a few grouper to round out the fisherman’s targets.
The Onaga (longtail snapper),Etelis coruscan and the Ōpakapaka (pink snapper), Pristipomoides filamentosus are the soft after table fare of the bunch.
Explore all the Islands of the Hawaiian Island Chain. From Oahu, Maui and the Big Island, to the lesser known smaller islands, fun is everywhere.