The best time to fish the Hawaiian Islands is whenever you can get there. The fish bite year round. However, there are peaks seasons when availability for certain species is especially strong.
Oahu Fishing Seasons
Oahu offers some of the best deep sea fishing in the Pacific. The largest Blue Marlin on record was caught off the coast of Oahu. Marlin can be targeted year round but peak activity for this giant billfish is between June and August.
Black Marlin are a bit more elusive than Blues and your best chance at hooking one these pelagic billfish is during the winter months of January and February. This also when Striped Marlin activity is at its peak.
Fishing for Skipjack and Yellowfin tuna is what draws most anglers to the waters of Oahu. Fishing for Skipjack is pretty consistent year round and the Yellowfin bite hits its peak from June through August.
Mahi Mahi and Wahoo are also popular targets that tend to be most abundant between March and September, with Wahoo fishing hitting its stride from June to August and Mahi Mahi fishing reaching its peak during April and May.
Maui Fishing Seasons
Maui has an abundant year round fish population with several species at their peak more than half the year. Rest assured that any time is a good time to go Snapper fishing off Maui as this species is always present and eager to take your bait.
Blue Marlin are also present in these waters and tend to be found in greater numbers than at Oahu. Most of the year offers good fishing for this pelagic billfish with peak season for Blues running from May through September.
If you arrive during late winter or early spring you can still try your hand at fishing Blue Marlin, but your more likely to land a Striped Marlin this time of the year. Striped Marlin fishing is good December through June with peak availablity January through May.
If you really want to hit Maui when the fishing is hot, May is your month. During May, most fish species are at their peak. The bite for Marlin, Spearfish, Mahi Mahi, Wahoo, Tuna, Snapper and Amberjack are all at their peak during the month of May.
Kauai Fishing Seasons
Kauai offers especially strong year round fishing opportunities for anglers. Of the dozen or so sport fish found in its waters, availability is good, or at its peak, all twelve months of the year. Wet your line at Kauai any time of the year and you’re bound to get a bite.
Blue Marlin fishing is exceptional off the coast of Kauai with peak availibility extending from February all the way through Septemember. If Blue Marlin is on the menu, Kauai should be your most important destination.
Billfish fishing in general is exceptional on Kauai. Blue Marlin, Spearfish, and Striped Marlin are available year round with peak season for all three fish overlapping between February and May.
Tuna fishing in Kauai’s coastal waters is no exception. You can expecct to catch Bigeyes, Skipjacks and Yellowfins any time of the year with peak availability extending from April through September for Yellowfins, May through September for Skipjacks, and January through May for Bigeye tuna.
Mahi Mahi and Wahoo are found in these waters, and it should come at no surprise that fishing for both species is strong year round. Peak season for Wahoo runs from April through July and you’ll find abundant populations of Mahi Mahi just about every month.
Interested in some bottom feeders? Drop your line down just about anywhere along Kauai’s coast and you’ll start reeling in Amberjack, Blue Line Snapper, and Gray Snapper.
Hawai’i (Big Island) Fishing Seasons
Some of Hawaii’s best fishing is to be found on the Big Island (Hawai’i). The waters near Kona are a billfish angler’s paradise with abundant populations of Blue Marlin, Black Marlin, Striped Marlin, Swordfish and the elusive Sailfish.
Peak season for Blue Marlin is June through September, and for Spearfish and Striped Marlin January through March. Black Marlin and Sailfish are available year round, but in fewer numbers. Best time to catch Swordfish is April and May.
Populations of Mahi Mahi and Wahoo are pretty consistent, with peak availability for Mahi Mahi January through March, and April through June for Wahoo.
Tuna abound in these waters and are available year round. If you’re visiting during the winter, Bigeye Tuna fish is where it’s at. Peak season for Skipjack and Yellowfin is during the warmer spring and summer months of May through August.
