Hawaii?

[mainbutter]

Well the parents are treating the family to a trip to hawaii for christmas. I'm so freaking stoked.

Of course the first thing that popped in my head is "time to plan some fishing!".

We're going to be staying in a beach cabin on kauai. Other than that, everything's up in the air.

Anyone have experience with hawaii fishing that time of year, and hopefully know anything about the island of kauai?

Off to the search engines for more info. Thanks a ton for any suggestions, I'm hoping I can share some cool pics with you all in a few months!

[traveler]

MB; I have no real tips for Hawaii as I've never been, but I can tell you this much; Hawaii is well known amonst saltwater fishers as bein one of the few ports to kill and sell to market a large percentage of thier catch, including billfish. One of the big reasons I've never been there.

Basically, they keep thier charter prices (relativly) low by subsidizing with the selling of fish. pay close attention to the websites you visit and check out theier policys on the customers keeping fish, even tuna or other fish ordnarily the property of the client. Most will still allow you to keep some, but they retain most of it. Not necessarily wrong, it's just that Hawaii does it differently, and I'm OK with it until they start killing billfish, then we part ways. There ARE C&R charters there, but you'll find the prices quickly jump to what one might expect to pay for world class fishing, upwards of 1,0000/day for the big boys. I'm sure if you do some research, you should be able to find something that fits your needs, but try to find an outfit that at least releases thier bills.

[mrfish1991]

My one tip for fishing hawaii is to take a charter in the morning. When I was there several years ago, we took an 6 hour afternoon trip and we did not catch anything but the bait for the next day. The next day we went down to the marina when the morning charters were coming in and every boat was loaded with mahi and other fish. good luck and hopefully we can all get some good pictures after xmas

[buddha]

I have been to Kauai 3 times, however I have not fished. I have been in Feb once and March the other two. We did look into fishing this last time but opted for some other things. Most of the fishing goes out of the south tip by Poipu Beach, Port Arthur I think. The Ultimate Kauai Guidbook is an excellent place to start as far as research. They have been very accurate as far as food, drink, things to do etc. Look them up and see what they say about fishing charters/captains etc. Chances are you won't be able to keep anything you get but every situation is different. There is lots to do and you will have a blast. Have fun and good luck.

[Double D]

The parents are paying?

Hey mainbutter, it's me, your long lost brother Double D!!! Didn't Dad ever tell you about me?? He forgot to send me my ticket!!

Have a good trip, be sure to post when you get home.

DD

[mainbutter]

lol double d, they sure are awesome aren't they?

[KLoopBinaction]

I have been there a great plenty, call Kai Bear, they dock outa nawillie willi south end of island , I might still have their number,NOPE

[Far-I]

went on a charter there where the deal was a 50/50 split as far as the catch went. Captain gets half to sell and we get half to release or keep for ourselves. We caught an average Mahi and a small tuna, and a couple of other "plate worthy" fish. We did not fare too well and the Captain let us keep everything.

We ate a good portion of the tuna, raw, right on the boat. That was a GREAT experience! Freshest sashimi grade sushi stuffer around! The other fish we brought to a friend of mine's who lived upcountry and had a traditional cookout in a dugout hole in the ground (forget what the term is)..

If charters are too expensive I would reccommend shore fishing as well! You can have a lot of fun fishing from shore that time of year. For best results, sniff out where the locals fish (some good spots to the west, or a couple different river mouths, Kealia Beach or Kalihiwai.) What i like to do is get on a body board with the bait in my hand, and kick it way out, farther than i could cast.

Have fun!