Your Maui fishing charter is not guaranteed. Bottom fishing does have slightly better catch odds than sport fishing, but even on bottom fishing trips you might not catch a single fish. Fishing is fishing, after all. It is beyond my (or the captain’s) control, and no refunds are provided if you don’t catch a fish.
Your odds of catching
While the following statement is by no means scientific, over the years we’ve come up with a pretty good formula:
A sport fishing boat’s catch odds are roughly 10% for every hour spent on the water, up to about 85%. This means that no matter how hard you try, no matter how good the captain, or tricked out the gear, a boat gets “skunked” as much as 15% of the time. This is for the BOAT catching, not the individual angler. Catch odds are a bit better for those boats that leave before dawn and fish for 8+ hours, but even they come back with an empty fish box now and again.
A bottom fishing boat’s catch odds are higher (but the fish are usually smaller). The majority of anglers catch something on a 4-hour bottom fishing trip, but there are still slow days when no one catches.
Increasing the odds
- Fish for the longest amount of time possible.
- Choose a private charter over a share. This gives you more lines in the water with your name on them!
- Look for a boat that has well-maintained gear, an experienced captain, and goes out frequently (we can help you with that).
- Bring your lucky charms …and leave the bananas at home.
Where can I find Maui catch reports?
There are no official, published catch reports on Maui. While boats are required to report their catches to NMFS, these aren’t published online. A few sport fishing boats have facebook pages, and will upload photos every now and again, but not with any regularity. Contact me. I’ll let you know who’s been catching what.
How to enjoy your fishing charter (even if the bite’s off)
Put your cell phone away.
Watch the sunrise. You’re fishing in one of the most beautiful areas of the world. Enjoy it!
Reconnect with family/friends
Enjoy the stories of new friends.
Practice Aloha.
Landing a big fish is the icing on the cake!
