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Trout-Tuna-For.Me
12-17-2007, 02:30 PM
Does anyone know how the offshore fishing is around Maui? Are the ahi and mahi mahi around this time of year? I read up on some offshore fishing around the islands....being better to book trips with boat owners rather than book thru a tour guide service, the boat owner owns the fish the boat catches unless you make arrangements with the owner, and no fishing license needed. I also read that these trips can be about $100. + per person, which I would definately be game for. Are there more of these customs/laws? I'm not into billfishing, just want to catch a nice meal of mahi mahi or ahi while I'm there later this month. I'll be there with two bro-in-laws and the wives, but just the three of us to fish. If any of you have names/numbers of boat owners in Maui for this kind of charter, please PM me with the details. Also the info about ahi/mahi mahi seasons there in Hawaii. Will apreciate the help guys. Mahalo

Ambassadorhawg
12-18-2007, 06:04 PM
I think I read once that january was a great time of the year out there, so you should be in for some fun!

Trout-Tuna-For.Me
01-05-2008, 03:25 PM
OK, here's the skinny on fishing offshore off Maui....Most of the boats to fish off Maui are based in Lahaina and there are about 12 that you can either charter the whole boat or be part of a group of up to 6 ppl. Costs for each are different. To charter a whole boat for up to 6 ppl starts at $750 per day, which is all the time you need to catch whatever you're after. If you're by yourself or have a a small group of less than 6 ppl, the cost for each person starts at $150 for 8 hours of fishing. All boats considder a full day of fishing is 8 hours. Some of the boats even have shorter periods of time on the water to fish. There are 4, 6, and 8 hour periods of time to fish. Winter is the slowest time of year to fish around Hawaii but there are still fish available to catch. Marlin and either bigeye or yelowfin tuna are available to catch during the winter and the ono (wahoo) are available to catch during the warmer months of the year. These are the 3 fish I was hoping to catch on this trip so I don't know about the other species which are good to eat. Most of the offshore fishing is done by trolling because with the 3 different currents that go around the island and between Maui and the big island, it's hard to put a GPS mark and find fish at that same place the next day, so trolling (looking) for fish is the only way to get them. Remember that it's not far to the fishing grounds after you've left the harbor, so you actually start trolling about 10 minutes out. When trolling they use all sizes of trolling lures because of the chance of maybe cathing a marlin. Certain species may hang out near a spot or be where the water is at it's deepest, but trolling is the only way to go. There's no such thing as using live bait like we do offshore here in CA, but they still use dead bait for trolling. As far as keeping some of the fish you catch for your own consumption while in Hawaii, most Owner/Operators will let you keep some of the catch as long as you tell them before you leave the dock in the morning. Some will charge you maybe $1.50 a lb, and others will give it to you for free after being filleted. The rest they take and sell to restaurants and fish markets. At the Lahaina dock there are individual booths for each small charter company that you can see, ask questions, and price, so depending on what you can be happy with for your trip is your decision. My 2 bro-in-laws and I went out on a full day charter with Lahaina Charter Boats, Slip #8 in Lahaina Harbor. The cost for each of us was $150 for an 8 hour day of fishing. There was 3 others onboard to fish so it was a full load of fishermen. I liked the boat we were on because it has a full walk around deck, not like many of the other charter boats available which are like 6 pac boats here in So Cal. So, you want to know what we caught???? . . . . . . .DRUMROLL PLEASE............................................ ..........*the total fish on the boat caught for the day was ............................................... .2 BIGEYE TUNA (about 18 inches long) :D better than nothing :banana:
Fishing offshore while on Maui was an experience which I may do again depending on what time of year I go again. Hope this helps others and those who have the wrong idea of how those charter boats work. MAHALO

sansou
01-05-2008, 04:17 PM
Great info Trout-tuna!!

Gerald
01-06-2008, 05:08 AM
Thanks for the info.

sashimi
01-07-2008, 12:45 PM
Nice post. Good info.