FISH HAWAII??
 

SO, where's the best fishing in Hawaii? My husband LOOOOOOOOVES to fish and we'd like to go to the best place/island. We're going to be in the islands in mid-November. Recommendations????

You don't say if you have deep sea fishing or surf fishing or fresh water fishing. A good start would be to visit www.fishmaui.com I have never been there but plan on spending 2 weeks there in March fishin' sunnin and eatin' !! I'll keep my eye on your post to see if others have hints on hot spots to surf fish on Maui or Kauai as well as recomendations on preferred charter captains.

It's good to see that someone else is interested in fishing in Hawaii. I tried several times (on several web sites) to get some feedback, with no luck. I ended up choosing a charter based on location and price. I went with "Sportfishing Kauai" and the captain's name was Julian Chapa. It was a very pleasant experience and I have no complaints, but I have nothing to compare it to (in Hawaii), as far as the best spots to go. A lot of the magazine articles say that the Kailua-Kona area off the Big Island is one of the best spots in the world. If you're interested in Kauai, you can e-mail me for more info on the charter that I used. I'm still interested in any other recommendations or comments since I plan on going back in a few months. Thanks! <BR>

When you went fishing, were you able to keep your catch? Are there companies there that will freeze and ship it for you?

salz14 - I don't know if any of this has changed, but it used to be that the fish belonged to the Captain (or owner) of the boat. No freezing and shipping that I know of. And the fisher can't sell the catch to a restaurant because he doesn't have a license to do so.
If the client wants the fish stuffed (taxidermist), it had to be shipped to Florida (which was where they did it) and it cost a fortune. Air freighting a 200+ pound fish costs big bucks.

Most people were just happy to have a photo of them with their catch. If any of this is wrong, please advise. Thanks.
((S))((*))

Take a look at http://www.hawaiifishingnews.com
This is a good starting point and also lists plenty of charter boats on each island.
Kona on the BI has world class game fishing very close in with very calm waters.
The fishing here is vastly superior to Maui and other islands.
There are PLENTY of charter boats there for this reason. Big boats, little boats, new boats, old boats, cheap boats and the more expensive.
Each skipper/boat has different policies but you will find many will happily release billfish (marlin etc) but yellowfin tuna (ahi), mahi mahi etc are a prime food source and the sale of these fish keep charter prices low by world standards.
You need to establish catch, release and ownership issues before you charter and leave the dock.
Many boats will happily provide a reasonable, usable amount of food fish for anglers. Again check with skippers or look at their websites. Having the ownership and release issues agreed will ensure a day free from drama. It's a bit like going to a hairdresser and not agreeing what the end result will be - not a good way to go!
There are various classes and styles of boats with various prices in Kona.
I have only fished with Capt Kevin Nakamaru on Northern Lights. He is a top shelf Capt with a very beautiful boat and the very best equipment. He has world-wide game fishing experience and is friendly and professional.
If you are a keen angler (of any type) you do owe it to yourself to try a day or two on the waters here. Even if big game fishing is not your bag it's a great experience and will give you an insight into this particular angling pursuit. At worst you will have a once-in-a-lifetime experience and at best you may be hooked yourself and have a whole new world open up!
A trout or bass may never look the same again....
Also look at http://www.fishinghawaiioffshore.com/ for weekly fishing reports.

Avoid Aerial Sportfishing! We went last August. Captain put boat on auto-pilot &amp; never changed the type of lures/bait for 6 hours. No one caught anything as the captain slept. Not a good experience.

However, on the Big Island: Highly recommend Reel Pleasure. It is the way to go. Excellent Captain &amp; mate. Caught lots of fish(Wahoo, Mahi-mahi, &amp; tuna) &amp; had a great time.