Hawaii fishes in blue superlatives: granders off Kona, ulua on the lava ledges, ahi under the birds. Residents fish the sea with no licence; visitors aged 15 and over need the stateβs non-resident marine licence. Our coverage begins at the sport's Pacific capital: Kona.
Reports current for Friday, October 23
Every one of the 12 Hawaii waters we cover has a live read this morning. 8 are scoring 4 out of 5 or better, and none is slow. Water is around 79 F. Pressure is holding steady on most of them, so the day comes down to water temperature and wind. 5 have a better-than-even chance of rain.
Best right now: Hanalei Bay 4/5, Hilo Bay 4/5, Kahului Harbor 4/5
Live verdicts from this morning's reports.
Kona: Hawaii Island's leeward coast, where deep water lies a few miles out.
Kaneohe Bay: Oahu's windward bay, with a no-take refuge around Coconut Island and a regulated fishing wharf at Heeia Kea.
Hilo Bay: a Big Island harbor and two river mouths under their own state fishing rules, with a shared limit on ulua, moi and mullet.
Maalaea Bay: the Maui bay that holds the state's Maalaea Small Boat Harbor, with one launch ramp and DOBOR's Maui district office.
Hanalei Bay: a north-shore Kauai bay where DOBOR runs Hanalei Pier and a seasonal offshore mooring area.
Kailua Bay: windward Oahu water off Kailua and Lanikai beaches, with two state seabird sanctuaries, Popoia and the Mokulua islets, offshore.
Waianae Coast: Oahu's leeward shore, where the state's Waianae Small Boat Harbor has seven ramps and Pokai Bay has its own catch rules.
Waimea Bay: a North Shore bay inside the Pupukea Marine Life Conservation District, open only to shore hook-and-line fishing for finfish.
Nawiliwili Bay: Kauai's Lihue harbor, with a state fisheries management area inside the piers.
Kaunakakai: Molokai's south shore harbor town, facing what USGS calls the longest continuous fringing reef in the U.S.
Kewalo Basin: Honolulu's small-boat harbor for commercial fishing, charter and cruise boats, where state harbor rules ban fishing from its piers, wharves and bulkheads.
Kahului Harbor: Maui's primary north-shore port and a state Fisheries Management Area with its own catch and gear rules.
Species activity across the state's covered waters. Peak of the year: June.
1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.
Seasonal surface curve for this state's dominant water type (estimated).
| Water | Type | County | Live gauge | Peak month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kona fishing report | Coastal | Hawaii | modeled | Jun |
| Kaneohe Bay fishing report | Coastal | Honolulu | modeled | Jun |
| Hilo Bay fishing report | Coastal | Hawaii | modeled | Jun |
| Maalaea Bay fishing report | Coastal | Maui | modeled | Jun |
| Hanalei Bay fishing report | Coastal | Kauai | modeled | Jun |
| Kailua Bay fishing report | Coastal | Honolulu | modeled | Jun |
| Waianae Coast fishing report | Coastal | Honolulu | modeled | Jun |
| Waimea Bay fishing report | Coastal | Honolulu | modeled | Jun |
| Nawiliwili Bay fishing report | Coastal | Kauai | modeled | Jun |
| Kaunakakai fishing report | Coastal | Maui | modeled | Jun |
| Kewalo Basin fishing report | Coastal | Honolulu | modeled | Jun |
| Kahului Harbor fishing report | Coastal | Maui | modeled | Jun |
Hawaii's fishing is the open Pacific compressed against volcanic slopes: 6,000-ft depths within sight of shore, FAD buoys organizing the pelagic parade (blue marlin, ahi, mahi, ono), and a shore tradition: ulua slide-baiting from the ledges, whipping for papio: that predates any licence. Each island runs the pattern: calm lee coasts for boats, surge ledges for the shore tribe, and reef flats for family days.
Summer: peak blue marlin (Kona's tournament season) and calm-lee glass mornings. Winter: striped marlin and the world's best shortnose spearfish run (January-April), whales sharing the grounds. Year-round: ahi when currents set up, mahi after storms stack debris lines, ulua on the big summer moons. The constant: weather windows rule the windward sides: the lee coasts fish almost daily.
Residents need none to fish the sea. Visitors aged 15 and over need the Nonresident Recreational Marine Fishing License, sold online by DAR ($20 a day, $40 a week, $70 a year), and fresh water needs the Freshwater Game Fishing License. Gear, species and area rules apply to everyone.
The local shore-casting style: long spinning rods working poppers, jigs and flies for papio, small ulua and reef predators at dawn. It is the accessible half of the ulua tradition: no overnight ledge vigil required.