deep sea fishing big island

My husband and I will be taking our first trip to Hawaii in mid-March, and are staying at the Hilton, Kona, HI. Where can we get a 1/2 day (possibly whole day) deep sea fishing charter? What fish are in that time of year? We are very experienced at trolling, but only in Fla. and Bahamas.

deep sea fishing big island

at the harbour...which is 40 min drive south of the hilton...Trolling is all that is done. Most boats dont let you keep the fish 1/2 day ( 4 hour)will cost about $450+tip...gear and ice furnished whole day about 650 to 800 (6 to 8 hr)

Many choices..I like BillFisher II 46ft

deep sea fishing big island

If you don%26#39;t mind a much smaller boat and just the two of you, I can recommend Craig Hawkins%26#39; and his 21 foot Grady White. My wife and I decided kind of last minute to go fishing and I saw his ad on craigslist. I emailed him and we arranged a halfday from Honokohau for $250 and we kept the four yellow fin tuna we caught at the fish buoy 10 miles out. He filleted them for us and bagged them and we had four great dinners at our condo. It was a slow fishing week but we lost three and caught those four. Craig will plan the day with you. Whatever you want to do, is what he will do. So we did some dolphine and whale watching on the way back into the harbor. Nice guy. Less expensive. A larger boat is nice, but the sea was so calm and it was nice that the smaller boat was no big deal at all. You can find him on the net if you search for chawk sea service.

My understanding is that if you want to keep some table fish you need to be sure the captain is agreeable. Selling your fish at the market in Hilo or to a local restaurant is how the charters supplement their income. You can also just show up at the harbor and ';shop.'; There are often more boats than tourists.

I enjoy fishing with Capt Kent Mongreig on the Fish Wish. www.fishwishhawaii.com I will be fishing with him on March 17 and can%26#39;t wait! You will be trolling just like you do offshore in Florida and the Bahamas. Only difference is that you will have the chance to hook into a half ton Marlin. You will also be able to start fishing within just a few minutes of leaving the harbor since the ocean floor drops off so quickly. Not like Florida where you have a 30 - 60 minute trip offshore to get to fishing grounds.

Most charters will do 1/2 days but you will find the cost for a full day is not much more. I always thing the next big fish is just a few minutes away so I would have a hard time just doing a 1/2 day.

You will get some fish to take to a restaurant that night. Only exception is billfish. Kent and many other charters will do catch and release with these for conservation reasons unless in their judgment, the fish will be unable to survive if released. Good luck and tight lines. I will expect a fishing report!

Labhunter made a great point! It is so cool that you are into deep water almost immediately and can troll in minutes. There%26#39;s no long haul out to the fishing grounds. What%26#39;s also cool for me was knowing that any bite could be a marlin or some billfish, mahi-mahi or just a plain yellow fin tuna. You can catch it all and most anything can be caught year round. Some are more likely to be caught at certain times of the year, but you could catch anything. That%26#39;s exciting!

Labhunter and OCL:

Thanks for the info. The smaller boat sounds good. My husband loves Grady Whites! Looking to hook up with a marlin or other biggies, but a Mahi or Tuna would do nicely.

Thanks!

self employed person