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Hawaii Fishing

Hawaii fishing is one of the most popular activity on these islands. Hawaii is home to many international fishing tournaments, such as the World Cup, the Pro-Am Hawaiian Billfish Tournament, the Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament, the Lanai Rendezvous, the Lahaina Jackpot Tournament.

Hawaii fishing offers six species of billfish plus yellowfin (ahi), skipjack (aku), dogtooth, bonito, albacore and bigeye tuna. Other species of offshore game fish include wahoo (ono), dolphin fish (mahimahi), great barracuda (kaku) and rainbow runner (kamanu, or Hawaiian salmon).

There a lot of good places on Hawaii for fishing, but Kona (Big Island) is the most famous spot. It has deep blue waters and gentle calm seas which offers some of the best conditions for world class blue marlin fishing found anywhere, from small fish ideal for light tackle, to big game trophy fish over 1000 pounds. Kona is called the Pacific Blue Marlin Capital of the World.

Inshore waters of Hawaii, with 700 miles of fishable shoreline, draw the most activity from anglers. Heavy-duty shorecasting rigs allow anglers to tackle giant ulua (jacks) of up to 200 lbs as they prowl the reefs at night.

Bottom fishing is also popular in Hawaii with good catches of snapper being made in depths of 10 to 100 fathoms. Freshwater enthusiasts are not to be denied as Hawaii has more varieties of freshwater game fish than most areas of the mainland; these include largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, oscar, tucunare, channel catfish and rainbow trout.

Hawaii fishing is good all year around. Some months tend to be more productive than others, especially for certain species of fish. But pay attention that during the tournaments listed below it's difficult to find a boat to go fishing. The tournaments run anywhere from 1-5 days. Many of the boats shut down to prepare for them a few days in advance, and often a day or two after.

Hawaii Fishing Tournaments

• April - Blue Marlin Spring Shootout
• June - Outback Steak House Fishing Tournament
• June - Annual Hilo Casting Club Tournament
• late June - Annual Kona Classic Tournament
• July - Pearl Harbor Fishing Tournament
• late July - U.S. Nationals Spearfishing Championships
• August - Hawaii International Billfish
• August - Annual Big Island Marlin Tournament
• September - Lanai Rendezvous
• late October - Lahaina Jackpot Tournament