UTERJanuary
Striped marlin off Kona; ōʻio spawning in the sand channels
Troll the Kona ledge for stripers; bait the sand channels for big spawning ōʻio; ulua slide-bait at night on the lee shores.
Kauai to the Big Island
Hawaii fishing
What's biting in Hawaii in October: mahi-mahi and wahoo at their peak, with yellowfin tuna, blue marlin and bonefish around too. Fish Scouter's season calendar follows 9 fish here month by month, from Kona to Lihue.
Fall mahimahi and ono
Volcanic islands with deep water close to shore — the Kona coast drops to thousands of feet within a few miles — fringing reefs, sand channels and flats on the older islands, and a network of FADs (fish aggregation buoys) offshore.
KonaHiloHonoluluWaianaeLahainaKahuluiLihue
Updated
Now · October
Fall mahimahi and ono
Floating debris and FADs; fall ono on the Oahu and Maui ledges.
Mahi-mahi (dolphin)WahooYellowfin tunaBlue marlin
This month here
From the season calendar, best firstPeakPeakLeavingLeavingAroundAroundAroundAround
Mahi-mahi (dolphin)
Peak fall mahimahi; floating debris and FADs.
Wahoo
Fall ono strong on Oahu and Maui ledges.
Yellowfin tuna
Tapering.
Blue marlin
Tapering.
Bonefish
Skipjack tuna
Giant trevally (ulua)
Papio (juvenile ulua) on topwater along the reefs year-round.
Bluefin trevally (omilu)
The water
The tide here
Mixed semidiurnal, 1–3 ft
Small tides — one to three feet — so the moon and the trade-wind swell matter more than the table. Shoreline ulua fishermen watch the moon; the flats fish on the incoming.
Structure that matters
Artificial reefLedge / hard bottomGrass flatBeach / surfPass / inletChannel edgeFishing pierOther
After a cold front
No cold fronts — the weather is the trade winds and the swell. Kona storms (southerlies) flip the calm side; winter north swell closes the north shores and summer south swell the south. The lee coasts (Kona, Waianae) fish all year.
Month by month
What's happening, and what to throwFebruary
Stripers peak; spearfish; winter ōʻio
Kona stripers and shortbill spearfish; ōʻio on crab and shrimp in the sand channels.
March
Spring mahimahi run begins
Troll the current lines and FADs for mahi; omilu on the reef at dawn.
April
Mahimahi peak
FADs and floating debris for mahi; last of the spawning ōʻio.
May
Ono season opens on the full moon; big ahi arrive; ulua spawn
High-speed trolling on the ledges for ono; aku under the birds; ulua schooling to spawn.
June
Summer: blue marlin, big ahi, ono and aku
Big lures on the Kona ledge; live opelu or aku at the FADs for ahi; flats ōʻio on the incoming.
July
Peak marlin and ahi; shoreline ulua at night
Tournament-season marlin; ika-shibi at night for ahi; slide-bait ulua on the ledges.
August
Granders season — blue marlin peak
Kona's summer tournaments; ono on the ledges.
September
Marlin and ahi still strong; fall mahi starts
Last of the summer marlin; mahi showing on the FADs.
October · now
Fall mahimahi and ono
Floating debris and FADs; fall ono on the Oahu and Maui ledges.
November
Mahi; ōʻio spawning season begins
Mahi on the current lines; big ōʻio moving into the sand channels.
December
Stripers arriving; ōʻio and ulua
The first stripers off Kona; winter swell closes the north shores — fish the lee.
Fish guides for Hawaii
When, where and what to use, fish by fishBlue marlinBluefin trevally (omilu)BonefishGiant trevally (ulua)Mahi-mahi (dolphin)Skipjack tunaStriped marlinWahooYellowfin tuna
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