fishing in hawaii

[75johndeere]

has anyone been on a charter in hawaii is so what did you do with the rest of the fish that you couldnt bring home i want to go fishing while im there but im only going to bring home about 50 to 100 pounds and on a good day you can catch fish that weigh way more than that.

[HighCountryHunter88]

I went while in Kona, and actually they keep almost all of the meat. Its been a few years but i think they told us that the guide fees cover gas and other costs to run the business and the money they get from taking the catch to market it a large part of their profit. when i went we caught a marlin and some mahi mahi. they did cut us some steaks to eat that night.

[jackelope]

 

There's a few charters that advertise allowing the fishermen to keep the fish but mostly the boat keeps the fish from what I've seen.

[CoyoteSlayer]

When I went I was under the impression that a lot of charters don't let you keep all of the meat anyway. I think they usually keep a lot of it to sell to the local markets and restaurants (at least this was the case in Kona). We caught some yellowfin, but nothing huge, so they let us keep all of it. They will probably let you keep all the meat you want, and then take care of the rest themselves. That may be something you would wan't to talk to the captain about before heading out. We had a great time though, I would love to do it again- best of luck to you.

Now I see someone else had the same experience. I was there last summer so I am sure that is still generally the case.

[Dustin07]

I went while in Kona, and actually they keep almost all of the meat. Its been a few years but i think they told us that the guide fees cover gas and other costs to run the business and the money they get from taking the catch to market it a large part of their profit. when i went we caught a marlin and some mahi mahi. they did cut us some steaks to eat that night.

yeah that's how I understood it too. I see their point (and angle), but I have a hard time not being able to keep meat if the fish isn't C&R

although It's also my understanding, like you pointed out, that they do let you keep some if you ask. probably best to call the charter and ask the captain what status quo is at the time...? 

[GoldTip]

 

When I was there I fished with a local, got lucky in him being a friend of a friend who just has boat and loves to fish.  I kept one of my Mahi and one fish that looked like a barracuda, don't recall the name, but even he had a deal with the local resort to bring in the fish he would boat.  From what I saw, Hawaii doesn't have things set up like AK does to get your fish ready for shipping.  So, if your going fishing with any idea that you'll be bringing home fish, then I think you should rethink your plans.

[h2ofowlr]

I went over and brought 2 coolers home.  The fish has to be frozen and you will want to keep it under the restriction weight or you pay a pretty penny for the fish.  I brought home 2- 50lb coolers.