Oahu Sportfishing

Most Oahu shared and charter fishing boats will be departing from Kewalo Basin in Honolulu (approximately 2 miles from Waikiki) but sometimes boats will be departing on the West Side of the island from Ko’ Olina, which is approximately 35 miles from downtown Waikiki.

It is known that the best and most productive sport fishing spots around the island of Oahu will all be located on the leeward coastlines, which means its best to be departing from Kewalo Basin in Honolulu. Oahu captains and local anglers know these waters well and will often focus on the sharp drop-off ledge that is not far off the coast of Waikiki (simply heading north toward the north-west corner of the island at Kaena Point.)  This lane is the most commonly fished to catch the big game fish as they swim up from the deep waters of the channel that lies between Oahu and Kauai. Another proven trade secret that is used by many local fisherman is to reverse course completely and take their boats to the shallow water fishing grounds to the south of Waikiki called "Pinnacles” or an alternative area called "The Penguin Banks." These best option strategy is usually determined based upon the combined angler catch of the previous days as well as the the changing of ocean conditions that can absolutely alter the location of fish. It should be mentioned that trolling the depth curves at the 1,000 fathom line have proven quite successful for many anglers and of course heading to any of the offshore surface objects such as FADs (Fish Aggregation Devices) "HH", "BO", or "S" all well within reach from the harbor.

The beautiful waters that surround Oahu are home to some of the most sought after big game fish in the ocean including the Pacific Blue Marlin, Sailfish, Striped and Short Billed Marlin, Skipjack and Yellow Fin Tuna, Mahi-mahi, Wahoo (Ono), Trevally, Shark, Barracuda, and the Hawaiian Salmon. These are many of the same fish found on dinner menus around the island on most nights. The largest reported Marlin ever caught (an 1805lb Blue) was caught one mile off of the coastline of Oahu near Ko'Olina. 

The State of Hawaii has placed Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs) in the waters surrounding the main Hawaiian Islands. These buoys attract schools of tuna and other important pelagic fishes, such as dolphinfish (Mahimahi), wahoo (Ono), and billfish. FADs allow fishermen to easily locate and catch these species.