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Maui offers great fishing opportunities for experienced anglers and first-time fisherman alike. For some people their ultimate goal is to catch fish that they can take back to their condo and eat. For others, they want the chance to land the "fish of a lifetime."

Bottom Fishing with Maui Fun Charters

Maui Fun Charters is Maui's most personalized Maui Fishing Charter company. This family-operated business has been fishing Maui waters on board their 25' Farallon Cabin Cruiser called "Marjorie Ann" for over 15 years. She is outfitted for Maui sport fishing and Maui bottom fishing as well as snorkeling, diving and whale watching (in season). Departure is from Maalaea Harbor slip #97.

While other bottom fishing companies may take out 15 or more anglers at a time, Maui Fun Charters takes no more than 6. They are an affordable choice for a private family charter. The day begins with a checkin at 7am at Maalaea Harbor. Following a safety briefing, you'll head out to the bay where the crew will deploy sportfishing tackle and troll for big game fish while the Marjorie Ann is on her way to the bottom fishing location.

Equipped with GPS to find their favorite productive spots, and a fish finder to hone in on their exact location, a morning excursion with Maui Fun Charters gives you the best chance you could possibly have to take home some tasty and fresh catch for you to prepare in your condo later that night. The advantage of this approach to fishing is that you spend more time actively fishing (and frequently catching) and less time sitting around on a boat that is trolling around in hopes of finding a big one. The crew of the Marjorie Ann does a great job of instructing you on the basics of using the reel, and they'll even fillet the fish that you caught while en route back to the harbor.

For those who want an affordable trip, Maui Fun Charters offers a 4 hour share for a rate of $139 per person. For families who want the entire boat to themselves, a private 4 hour charter is $699 per boat. Additional hours are just $175 more per hour. We suggest a 5 hour charter for the ideal length, especially if you are here on Maui from December through April when humpback whales are here in large numbers. You can spend some time watching whales on your own private boat after loading up the cooler with fish for the grill!

Maui Fun Charters supplies all the fishing gear, bait, and expertise that you need. No fishing license is required. Bring you own beverages and snacks (no glass containers and no bananas). They provide a cooler and ice.

Start Me Up Sportfishing

6 hour private $799/day
6 hour share $169 per person

8 hour private $999/day
8 hour share $199 per person

Reserve now and you can fish with the best! Start Me Up operates a fleet of tournament-equipped 37 foot Bertrams. START ME UP SPORTFISHING boasts Penn International rods and reels in 50# through 130# class. She has a fishfinder, GPS, auto pilot, twin control stations, an air conditioned cabin, refrigerators, and 2 color TVs/VCRs.

No fishing license is required. START ME UP provides all tackle, as well as ice and a cooler. All you need is to bring your own food and beverages for the day. Departure is from Lahaina Harbor.

Their rates are no more expensive than other fishing charters on Maui, but they are very popular and advanced reservations before arriving on Maui are a must! We recommend that you book at least three weeks in advance. Start Me Up has a great success rate, and part of this is because they leave Lahaina Harbor very early. This enables them to get to the productive fishing buoys ahead of many other boats, which increases productivity. Check-in is typically at 5:15am and they depart at 5:30am!

Private charters are limited to 6 passengers per boat ... since they have more than one boat they can handle larger parties of 12 or 18 but only if their schedule for the day is completely open.

Fishing charters in Hawaii traditionally keep the fish that are caught as a part of the crew compensation, but Start Me Up allows guests to keep as much fish as they would like ... with the promise that you will put the fish to good use and not waste it. You may keep the whole fish. They charge a nominal cleaning fee if you'd like them to fillet the fish for you.

Start Me Up supplies all the fishing gear, bait, and expertise that you need. No fishing license is required. Bring you own beverages and snacks (no glass containers and no bananas). They provide a cooler and ice.

NCL cruise ship passengers in Kahului are able to do a fishing charter on the morning of their second day on Maui, but this will require a rental car and the drive time is about an hour. For rental cars with cruise ship shuttle pick-up see our rental car page. Lahaina cruise ship passengers are able to do a charter on the morning of your second day and the boat leaves from the same harbor where your tender arrives in Lahaina. A better fishing option may be in the port of Kona on the Big Island. See our Big Island fishing page.

ACTIVITY TIPS:

There are two kinds of clients who go fishing. The first kind of client is after the thrill of landing the big one ... the fish of a lifetime ... the kind of people who spend thousands of dollars to have the fish stuffed and mounted above their fireplace. For this sort of client the best choice on Maui is to go with Start Me Up. Their boats are well maintained and equipped with state of the art fishing gear. Some days are productive, catching a number of mahi mahi in the 20-30 pound range. Other days the action is slow, but they'll land a big 100 pound ahi tuna or even a world-class marlin. Occassionally they get skunked. This type of charter is for the high roller who wants a shot at the big one, and if they don't get that big fish they swear they'll be back another day to get even.

The second kind of client who goes fishing is looking to have a great time and their ultimate goal is to catch something they can take back to the condo, and brag to the other tourists using the BBQ grill "Hey, I caught that fish this morning!" This type of client would rather be hands-on and reeling in tasty fish sized just right for tonight's dinner than troll for hours and hours looking for that elusive big one. For this type of client Maui Fun Charters is the way to go. Bottom fishing is often extremely productive, and it is much MUCH less common for the charter to get completely "skunked". It is an especially good choice for parties that include kids who might get bored on a fishing charter that is going to spend the whole time trolling.

The most common question we are asked is "What type of fish are in season during the week I'm in Hawaii?" Most of Hawaii's game fish are here all year. It is very common to catch Ono, Mahi Mahi, Ahi, and Marlin all year round. Bottom fishing yields even more diversity; several types of trevally, a variety of snapper, grouper, baraccuda, and more.

Please be aware that bananas are strictly forbidden on fishing boats. Everything about a banana is slippery ... everybody's heard the expression "One foot over the edge and the other on a banana peel." In time bananas became known as a symbol of bad luck that would even affect your ability to catch fish.

The other thing you shouldn't bring on board ... glass bottles. All beverages should be in cans for safety of everyone on board.

Occasionally we have clients ask "What are the chances that I will catch fish?" Of course that's impossible to answer with a certain percentage. In general you'll catch MORE fish but smaller fish on a bottom fishing charter. For sportfishing charters, many factors come into play that make some days excellent and other days average ... surface conditions, tides, schooling patterns. There's also the human element. How lucky are you??? How's your karma??? Have you been nice to people lately? It's rare, but occasionally a boat gets skunked ... there are no guarantees. Just remember ... the sport is called "fishing" and not "catching." But the crew of your boat will try their very hardest ... they are professionals who know what they are doing. When you go to a restaurant in Hawaii and see a wide variety of fresh fish on the menu, just remember that SOMEONE caught those fish ... might as well get out there and let it be YOU!