For so many people around the world, fishing is a means of livelihood, whether for survival or for commercial purposes. For some others, it is a hobby. There are those who live by the Lake and simply go flyfishing every other day, while there are some who go on a fishing adventure at least once every week on their small fishing boats or even large vessels. Whatever the case, fishing is a truly refreshing activity. It is not only relaxing, but also rewarding.

Ever gone sportfishing? In Hawaii, sportfishing is becoming an extremely popular sport among residents and visitors. Hawaii sportfishing is mostly deep-sea fishing. Whether it is a game for you, or you just want a relaxing moment out in the open waters, this is something you must try out. Think about the feeling of accomplishment you get, the adrenaline rush, the oxytocin trigger of making a big catch and how you earn some reputation. It is even more pronounced when it is sportfishing.

Hawaii is not just known for it is amazing natural scenery, landscape and beautiful beaches and tropical climate, its deep blue majestic waters are also home to the world’s biggest blue Marlin and Yellowfin Tuna. The Black Marlin, Striped Matlin and the Spearfish are some other species you are likely to find all-year round. So, if you want to indulge your cravings in some big game fishing, the Hawaiian waters seem like the place to drop your lines. You never know what is waiting to bite it.

Here are a few tips to consider if you want to go sportfishing in Hawaii.

Fishing Charters and Boats

Hawaii is home to some of the biggest fishing charters and boats in the world. These are companies that organize fishing adventures and games for visitors to make their time truly memorable. The Pacific Sportfishing LCC is one of them. The 41-foot Hateras nicknamed Play and Hooky is powered by a dual 220 Horsepower Detroit engines. The boat is captained by Joe O’Neill with almost 50 years’ experience exploring the Hawaiian waters. He is sure to give you a rewarding adventure.

A top-rated Kauai fishing charter Ohana Fishing Charter comes highly reviewed with over 56 Google reviews rated at 4.6 stars. They are a family owned charter led by Captain Lance lead the way with his over 25 years. The vessel is a 30 x 10-foot Wilson, custom built and wider than the majority of deep sea fishing boats on Kauai, and is equipped with modern, top notch equipment.

Another option is the C Lure Charters. A certain Captain Harry Rivera who has been fishing the coastal crystal-clear waters of Hawaii is there to make your fishing adventure truly memorable. The 41’ Noosa Cat Catamaran makes these trips great for up to six anglers. You are sure to enjoy deep sea fishing within and around the waters of Kauai. There are several other options like the To the Max Charters, Silky Sportfishing and Hooked Up Sportfishing that you can choose from.

Fishing Seasons

There are fishes that you will find all year round in the waters of Hawaii. This is because there is plenty of water for the fish to remain all year round. But let us not push it, we all know sportfishing is great during summer. However, the species you are targeting will also determine when you should go fishing.

• Freshwater Fish: You’d normally find Largemouth Bass in the spring. And when the shallows can no longer hold the bigger fish, the Peacock Bass come around and stay until the Fall. For Rainbow Trout, you will pretty much find them all year round.
• Reef Fish: While you will find the Reef Fish in Hawaii all year round, you are not allowed to harvest them in the summer. But there is always the Billfish to worry about currently as well.
• Offshore Fish: If you are looking to hook the Black, Blue and Striped Marlin altogether on the same day, you should consider heading out around May or June. This is the period when they mostly have a much higher chance overlapping. For the Spearfish, Mahi Mahi and Wahoo, spring and early summer are your best bet.
• Notable Fishing Spots

Ever heard of the Kailua-Kona? It is regarded as one of the best fishing spots in the world. It is just one of the fishing spots in the whole Hawaii Island chain known as Big Island.

Another notable spot is Maui. This area may not have the abundance of Bluewater, but it very much makes up for that with the many reefs that adorn the Island. More so, you will find that unlike many other counties in Hawaii, Maui has more flat ocean beds, stretching almost an hour of sailing than it does vertical ocean floors.

Oahu and Kauai are two other important fishing spots in Hawaii that you may want to consider for your next fishing expedition. Both places are known for their big game fishes and breath-taking coastal views. They should certainly make your shortlist.

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It does not matter what type of fisherman you are, you have too many lures. And you are going to keep adding to your lures, so you have the perfect one for every situation.

This is true of any enthusiast or expert.

You could be a snow skier, or a fly fisherman, or a bow hunter, or a gun enthusiast. More is always better when it and sportfishing lures are no exception.

But all jokes aside, you want to have the right lure for the right situation. If you are trolling for mahi, you might need different tackle than trolling for marlin. And if you are trolling for a specific species, let’s say marlin, then you are still going to be testing which lures works best, always looking for the perfect one.

So your collection will grow. But it is important to make sure it’s growing intelligently and that there is some type of system or thought behind your lure and tackle acquisitions.

For the longest time, scientist maintained that fish like marlin could not see colors. Yet if you would ask any experienced marlin fisherman, they would swear that certain colored lures and lure skirt and certain color combinations of the two, did in fact help to catch fish.

Anglers were convinced that these aquatic predators could detect colors and swore that some of their lures worked better than others, based on their color and the science could be damned, this stuff worked.

Well, turns out, the science was damned, and Dr. Kerstin Fritsche is a leading researcher in this field of fish physiology and vision research, which you can read more about here: http://masweb.vims.edu/bridge/datatip.cfm?Bridge_Location=archive0305.html

Of course, the idea that fish can detect colors is nuanced. Certain fish can detect certain colors, and it also depends on factors like depth of water and how close or far away they are to an object.

This makes sense because this sounds very similar to human vision.

Anyway, that is a long way of saying that fish can see color, so if your lures match the colors that a marlin or a dolphin’s favorite prey look like, then you probably have a better catch of success.

If the species you are targeting likes to snack of smaller fish like skipjack, then having purplish black lure setups on your tackle box are going to really improve your odds.

Now remember, this only matter is the species you are targeting swims in somewhat shallow depths. Color needs light to distinguish it and at a certain depth, the sunlight doesn’t penetrate and at that point your lure and skirt color combination cease to make a difference.

Do Some Lures Work Better Than Others?

Yes, like anything some lures are better at catching fish than others. But there are a lot of factors that go into one lure performing better than the other. It’s obviously important that the lures are high quality like the hand make trolling lures from Fathom Offshore. Do not buy cheap crap made in China if you are trying to land a large predatory fighting fish.

Now, even when you have got a great lure that has colors that match the prey that the fish eats and that makes movements that closely mimic the prey, be prepared for variation. Sometimes a great lure will work amazing and your landing fish left and right, and the next day that great lure won’t do anything and it will be completely ignored.

There is nothing wrong with that. That is just the way it is, that’s fishing.

How can you improve your chances?

It is pretty common for an angler to fall in love with a favorite lure, and decide to fill their entire trolling spread with that favorite lure. The thinking is, the favorite lure has worked so well in the past, why not just multiply your odds of success by filling the entire spread with the favored lure?

As simple as this idea is, is not a bad one. If something works, keep with it!

If you are a beginner, this is a solid plan to follow. Complexity is not your friend. You can get lost in all the different tackle combinations to add to a spread. And you will lose confidence. If you do not have confidence in your approach and your choice of lures, then you will constantly be readjusting and basically just messing around.

Then you will find yourself at the dock at the end of the day with no fish.

So, if you have something you think works for you, even if it is a bit unconventional, stick with it. What you want to look out for, is when this approach stops being effective. When your success rate falls off, that is the time to add some variety into the spread.

If you are using all dark colored lures, try mixing in some brighter contrasting lures and skirt combos. If you are using mostly larger trolling lures, try mixing in some smaller ones. The small ones can be just as effective, if not more so, than larger and extra large lures.

And the opposite is also true. If you look and realize that your trolling spread is a complicated mess of different size lures, colors, and tackle, and you are not getting the results you want. Switch it up by simplifying your spread. Cut down on the lures, squids, sizes, and colors.

Mix it up. Variety is your friend.

Think about how the bait would look in nature. An entire pod of baitfish seems like it should be effective. But if it is not, mix in tackle that mimics a feeding predator. This will attract larger gamefish because they will have to investigate because their instincts recognize that they might have a chance to feed.

Location, Location, Location.

Where are you fishing? Are you off the coast of the Outer Banks of North Carolina? Or are you trolling fifteen miles offshore in the Florida Keys? Are you fishing in a dead or lifeless area of the ocean? Or are you trolling around reefs and submerged structures and places that are teaming with aquatic wildlife.

Location is always important. You don’t want to use brightly colored lures, if there are no brightly colored bait in that area of the ocean. This being said, if you are picking colors that mimic the baits the species you are targeting prefers, then this problem basically solves itself.

But you still need to be aware of the second problem. Life begets life. If you are fishing in an area where the isn’t a lot of other aquatic wildlife, then why would the predatory fish you are trying to catch hang out there?

It wouldn’t. Fish hang out where the have a good chance of getting food.

As always, you need to go where the fish are.…