Sportfishing
Half or three-quarter day off Kawaihae from a center console set up for every tactic — and the fish is yours to keep.
From$795 per boat
Book
Fish + snorkel · Kawaihae
Family Combo fish, then snorkel with honu
Troll the Kohala Coast, work the FAD, then slip into the water over a Hawaiian reef where honu are usually waiting. One boat, your group only.
4, 5 or 6 hoursUp to 6 guestsKawaihae South Harbor
Fish the FAD, then snorkel
Scott calls it the Family Combo because “it has a little of something for everyone.” You troll the Kohala Coast for ono, mahi and ahi, work the FAD offshore, then head in to snorkel a reef where honu are usually waiting. And we aren’t stuck with Kohala: Scott’s permit covers the whole west side of the island, so when the fishing is south the snorkel can be Kealakekua Bay at Captain Cook. Reach out and he’ll make a game plan with you — we never leave the dock without one.
Troll for dinnerOno, mahi and ahi on the grounds off Kawaihae
Work the FADThe offshore buoy where the whole food chain gathers
Snorkel with honuA Kohala reef with good coral and green sea turtles — or Kealakekua Bay (Captain Cook) when we fish south
Just your groupPrivate boat, up to six guests
“We take what the ocean gives us.”
“This isn’t really a trip where we follow a strict itinerary. Once we leave Kawaihae, we’ll start fishing pretty much right away… Keep your eyes on the water, because we never know what we’re going to run into out here. Later, we’ll head into the reef and get you guys in the water. There’s no rush.”
Capt. Scott, at the ramp
- 115 min before
Meet at the Kawaihae ramp
Park at Kawaihae South Harbor. Scott runs a safety briefing and shows you where everything is.
- 2Harbor mouth
Lines in straight away
Trolling gear goes out as soon as we clear the harbor entrance, working the first and middle grounds for ono, mahi and ahi.
- 3Offshore
Work the FAD
We troll a zone around the buoy. If that doesn’t ring the dinner bell, we try casting live bait or artificials.
- 4Along the way
Eyes on the water
Dolphins, flying fish, seabirds, turtles — and humpbacks in season. If something’s worth watching, we slow down and watch.
- 5The reef
Snorkel with honu
A Kohala reef with good coral and plenty of life, where green sea turtles usually are. Fresh pineapple or mango afterwards when Scott can get it.
- 6Back at the ramp
Your fish, filleted
Scott fillets the catch and you take as much as you want.
A buoy in the open ocean that draws life
FAD stands for fish aggregating device: an anchored buoy the state places offshore to attract fish. Hawaiʻi sits in the middle of the Pacific without resident open-ocean fish. Everything we target is passing through on what Scott calls a pelagic highway, looking for food — and apart from the islands themselves, there’s no structure for miles. A FAD gives them some:
- Plankton gathers around the buoy and its mooring chain.
- Bait fish stack up along the chain and hide under the buoy.
- Predators — mahi and ahi — circle, waiting for a chance to feed. That’s who we’re fishing for.
We don’t troll right on top of it. We work a zone around it and see who comes up to eat.
One price for the boat, not per head
| Trip length | Shoulder season | Peak season |
|---|---|---|
| 4 hoursHalf day · departs 7:00am | $795 | $895 |
| 5 hoursDeparts 6:30am | $895 | $995 |
| 6 hoursThree-quarter day · departs 6:30am | $995 | $1,095 |
Prices are per boat, for up to 6 guests — your group only. Peak season is spring break, Memorial Day through Labor Day, Thanksgiving week, and Christmas week through New Year’s Day. The rest of the year is shoulder season.
What’s aboard, what to bring
What’s included
- All fishing gear — rods, reels, bait and tackle
- Snorkel gear, plus flotation vests made for snorkeling
- Life jackets aboard, and a safety briefing before we leave the ramp
- Snacks, water and soft drinks — and fresh pineapple or mango after snorkeling when Scott can get it
- Your catch, filleted — take as much as you want
- A head (bathroom) on board
What to bring
- Towels — the one thing we don’t supply
- A hat. Shade is a T-top only, so this one matters
- Reef-safe sunscreen, lotion not spray. Spray turns the deck into a skating rink and ruins the fishing gear
- Polarized sunglasses for the glare off the water
- A fishing license if you’re visiting from out of state — Scott sends the link after you book
- Your own drinks if you’d like alcohol, and your own food for special diets
Before you book
- Snorkeling means being able to swim. Non-swimmers are welcome to fish and enjoy the ride.
- Minimum age is 5 — younger kids rarely enjoy a morning offshore.
- Scott captains solo, so he stays aboard while you snorkel. A family member usually buddies with nervous swimmers, and there are flotation vests and a line off the swim platform.
- Honu are usually at our reef, but it’s the ocean — no sighting is guaranteed.
What if we don’t catch anything?
It happens to every boat — Hawaiʻi is a big-fish fishery, not a numbers fishery. Scott works every tactic he has, and on slow days he shares from the cooler so you don’t leave empty-handed.
What about seasickness?
Start your preferred motion-sickness remedy the night before, skip alcohol that night, and take your medicine 45 to 60 minutes before departure. The twin-hull catamaran is also a steadier ride than most boats its size.
What happens if the weather cancels our trip?
If Scott cancels for wind or sea conditions, you get a full refund — or a new date instead, if you’d rather and the calendar allows.
More charters
Other ways to spend the day
Whale Watching
Humpbacks, calves and song through the water, with just your group aboard.
Introductory$695 per boat
Book
Sunset Cruise
Golden hour on the Kohala Coast — for anniversaries, birthdays, or no reason at all.
Introductory$695 per boat
BookReady when the ocean is.
Tell Scott what you want out of the day and he’ll build the trip around it. Private, up to six guests, from Kawaihae.