Headed to Maui in early March. I was wondering if anyone had fished there at that time of year and what to expect. Marlin, durado, I don't know what to expect. Also, does anyone have a guide you'd recomend? It's my honeymoon and my fiance acctually suggested we go fishing.

I have fished Oahu that time of year the Ahi are starting to show a bit and wahoo and mahi mahi are about and always lots of cuda. We fish R, S, and T bouys off the shore of Waianae on the north west end of Oahu. There are also Bone Fish about the islands if that's your game. Mostly wadding sight fishing for these bad boys, but well worth it.

I'm looking at being there in mid May to visit the inlaws, cant wait to fish warm water for a change

Good luck!!!

mahi fishin's probably still pretty good thru april or so...'ahi fishin' starts to pick up in april/may but po'o nui or bigeye tuna can be good in march, they're around in winter months in good numbers...a'u/marlin's a little slow then...best in summer...got 'ono around in march....
or you can chase oi'o/bonefish or ulua from boat or better from shore....all depends how much kala/$ you like spend.and what kinda fishin you like....i go back big island next month...looking forward to opening of mullet season and chasing some bones.....

I can recommend Diver Dan's Specialty Charters, also known as Kaanapali Sportfishing. Here is a >> LINK << to their site.

The boat was in top shape, the captain (Dan) sober and knowledable, the mate knew what to do and was on top of it.

I got married and spent my honey moon in Maui at the begining of March. My wife, not a fisherman, agreed to a gold bracelet in trade for a fishing trip (I scored). I chartered Diver Dan's on advice from a couple of locals there at one of the Marinas. The recommendation was good.

I knew that this time of year my chances of getting in to a Marlin were slim so I chartered the boat as the sole fisherman because I didn't want to cycle rods with other fisherman if we did get into Marlin. The rate was quite good too.

We left at 6am and he took me out to a bouy that marked a bank many miles out from Maui. We were in 300+ fathoms and you could see what looked like gravel on the bottom. It was the backs of tuna in huge schools. We fished 20-30 lb tuna with stout spinning rods and jigs until my arms burned with pain, along with dorado, and a couple other species I can't remember, related to the tuna family. We spotted and chased three Marlin but didn't hook them. I primarily wanted to have fun on the trip and asked the mate and captain to share in the adventure. We all had a blast.

The end of the trip came at dusk and we made our way back in the dark, arriving at about 8:30pm. We were flying three flags indicating the fish on board. I didn't want any of the catch and the captain retained as much as legal. All the fish were sold on the spot when hitting the beach so keep that in mind. Good Luck!

Just to be clear, you can't keep the fish and the guide keeps the proceeds from the fish?

I didn't want to keep fish and yes the guide kept the proceeds from the fish which btw were substantial.

TC-
I'm headed to Maui in May/June and appreciate your reference for the charter boat.

The place I'm staying has a kitchen, is it appropriate to keep a few pounds of fish for yourself and the family?

Very few captains will let you keep any fish almost unherd of. I have only fished with my girlfriends family for this reason.

Dan did ask me if I wanted to retain any fish. I was aware that many captains did not but I also think it's a lot of what you make of the trip that may determine this. I wanted the trip to be an adventure, not just a fishing trip.

Since I was the sole occupant on board we pretty much did what I wanted to, one of the advantages. If you're with a party that all know each other I think the same would apply but first and foremost I didn't want a guide and mate that appeared to be slaves to my becon call, which was initially the situation I found myself in. I wanted someone to have fun with. When we hit fish I learned how to handle them so that we could all take turns fishing which was my goal, to have a blast and share in the adventure. I know that I am an exception to the rule with the trip I had but as I said, I think it is all pretty much what you make of it and the tone you set with the captain and crew. I'm pretty sure it's also the reason we returned at 8:30pm and not 3 or 4.

Mark,

Thanks for the tip. I'm going to Maui at the end of March with the fam for spring break. I was just getting ready to plan our father/daughter off-shore trip. My daughter caught her first wahoo when she was 5 (OK, I helped), and it's been a tradition ever since. Where ever we go, we fish.

I'll be giving Dan a call this week.

I was lucky enough to go twice last year (May and Oct.). Everytime I was down in Lahina I saw people walking away from the boats with their fresh catch fillet out for them. Saw a lot of nice fish down there.. Anyway it must depend on what boat you are on what you get to keep. But, yes you can keep some of your catch. Here is a great link with a ton of INFO

Here is a nice guide to use for seasons also.

Fished out of Lahaina in March of last year. Pretty good swell as we headed towards the nearest fish buoy (attractor). I nailed a nice mahi. The fish came back to my condo and we que'd it up that night. Can't remember the name of the outfit and truthfully the service was just ok.
I would go with the guide the earlier post had given.

like the others said....rarely will you get to keep your catch ....unless you're payin' a chunk or you work it out with the crew before you go...they mainly depend on the money they make from selling fish not the fares ( 'ahi goes for $25/lb during winter you know)....so they will only be willing to part with a pupu/manini size amount most of the time...you guys should think about shore fishing too while you're there, though...150 pound ulua have been caught off the beach on maui , you know....and it don't cost nothing...no fishing license needed....just bring some gear....

Thanks for the replys - I'll be sure to ask to bring home a fillet before I reserve my spots.

I saw one charter online for Maui that was all beach fishing. The guy has the gear, breakfast, lunch and a nice jeep that can reach remote areas. It was cheaper and looked like a lot of fun w/o the seasickness meds :p

I'll bring my rod regardless, can't imagine being around all that salt without it!

if you go with the guide work him for info on the where and how of dunking,sliding and whipping....
some free advice...on sand beaches if you're gonna whip/dunk...cast just past the surfline or at the end of rips along the beach...bones and papio cruise the outer edge of the zone looking for grinds stirred up by the waves...you can use plugs,jigs,strips of akule belly ,strips of brined squid etc....if there's reef around look for channels or sandy spots in the reef
...if you can get out on some points you can fish the drop offs and ledges too..
flood tides are better ...flood tides at sunrise and sunset are best...usually 2-3 days after a full moon you get perfect tides...fishing at night is usually better than in the day....that's when the big boys really eat...there are a few sites that will show you how to rig some whipping and dunking setups....hawai'i actually has some really good shorefishing ..average size bonefish in hawai'i is around 5 pounds.....

a good investment ,too, if you want to shore fish in hawai'i is pick up a copy of 'Fishing Hawai'i Style vol 1' by Frank Rizzuto.....good intro into it.....

Thanks Bodysurf

I also agree with Bodysurf, and lived on Maui for a summer when i was 10, before moving to Oahu where I lived through high school.

Fish the southwest beaches (south of Lahaina) in your swim trunks, with ultralight spinning gear or flyrod. Popio (young Jack Crevalles) are aggressive shoreliner feeders which hunt in schools When popio mature and become Ulu'a, they move out to deeper reefs where only boat anglers can reach them.

To find popio, use smaller shrimp pattern flies or tiny Dick Nite-sized spoons or bobber and jig tipped with a tiny bit of shrimp meat. Retreive FAST. Look for small fish being chased, and move til you find em. Poppio in the 1-2 lb range are your target, and pound for pound they fight as hard as any fish of their size. They are also very tasty pan-fried in a little butter and lemon.

O'no (bonefish) are not always around, and I don't remember if March is a good month or not. The Popio are always around, always on the feed.

o'io best from sept thru march.especially dec and thru jan.....but they're ALWAYS around...
hanapa'a!!!( fish on)

tanks an hana hou bra