| The island of Oahu in the Hawaiian chain has the privilege of being a gathering spot for large pelagic predatory fish. These fish constantly migrate in deep blue ocean water and when their migration is interrupted by an island they have a tendency to swim into the shallow water to feed. The Waianae coast of the Hawaiian Island of Oahu is just such a place and large concentrations of Giant Blue Marlin, Mahimahi (Dorado), Wahoo, Yellowfin Tuna, Bigeye Tuna, Skipjack Tuna and at times even Bluefin Tuna congregate on Oahu's southwest shore along the Makaha coast. A quick perusal of the trophy fish images on this site will give you an idea of the quantity and quality of the big game fish available to anglers fishing on the "Live Bait". |
| ||
| Yellowfin Tuna - Ahi |
On the Makaha coast of Oahu, Hawaii
Giant Yellowfin Tuna (Ahi) school in large numbers along the calm Makaha Coast of Oahu. Unlike the north shore of Oahu where the fish occasionally migrate along the coast, every summer large schools of Ahi stop offshore of the Waianae Boat Harbor, sometimes staying in the same area for months at a time.
While other charter fishing boats are traveling for hours from distant harbors like Haleiwa, Ko Olina, Waikiki, Pearl Harbor or Honolulu to reach these fish the "Live Bait" is just minutes away. Because this annual congregation of big Yellowfin Tuna, the Waianae Boat Harbor is home to Waianae Hawaii's Ahi Fever Fishing Tournament.
Shannon and the crew of "Live Bait" missed a first place finish in the 2009 Ahi Fever Tournament by two pounds but were happy to go home with a second place in the 2009 "Ahi Fever" Hawaii's most prestigious fishing tournament.
| ||
| Largest Marlin - Ahi Fever 2008 |
The large schools of Skipjack and Yellowfin tuna that take up residence on the Makaha Coast are marlin magnets and Shannon and the crew of the "Live Bait" know how to catch them. Unlike the boats coming from Waikiki, Haleiwa, Ko Olina, Pearl Harbor or Honolulu which primarily use the troll and pray methom of Marlin Fishing, the "Live Bait" uses a live skipjack tuna and because the "Live Bait" doesn't have a several hour run to get to or from the area Shannon will often catch a marlin (or two) long before the other charter boats arrive and long after they leave.
Along with Black and Blue Marlin a lot of other billfish frequent the Waianae coast of Oahu and the "Live Bait" catches lot's of Striped Marlin and Spearfish and occasionally a sailfish. Schools of Billfish are fairly common in the calm waters along the Makaha coast. The "Live Bait" caught the biggest marlin in the 2008 "Ahi Fever" Fishing tournament on Oahu, Hawaii and also in the 2010 Ahi Fever Tournament.
| ||
| Hawaiian Mahimahi |
Another big game species the frequents the western shore of Oahu is the Mahimahi. Although not as large as the Ahi and Blue Marlin, Mahimahi are ferocious feeders and fun to catch. A large bull mahi (male) will weigh in at 60 to 70 pounds and a large female at 35 to 40 pounds. Mahi travel in harems with one or two big bulls and a group of females. The "Live Bait" has developed a system, using live mackerel (Opelu), that allows them to catch most of the harem.
Wahoo are another big game fish that are frequently caught on the Waianae coast. They tend to congregate on deep water ledges and around floating debris. When the "Live Bait" locates a school of Wahoo (Ono) they will use wire line and downriggers to catch them.
| ||
| One of Hawaiia's Giant Blue Marlin |
The state of Hawaii places offshore buoys around the islands to congregate fish, these buoys are called Fish Aggregation Devices or FAD's. Any place a small fish can hide from or out maneuver a larger fish will attract and hold large schools of smaller fish and the larger predators that feed on them. A log, cargo net or any other naturally occurring debris will often be a gold mine of mahi, tuna and Wahoo.
The state sponsored FAD's work the same way. Due to the low frequency of commercial ship traffic the state places more buoys along the Waianae coast than it does on the Eastern or North Shores of the island of Oahu. Because the Waianae coast is on the leeward side of Oahu the water is generally calm and as a result the buoys are much less likely to break away as they do in the always rough water on the windward North Shore.
If someone tells you that rough water fishing is better, don't believe it, they just don't have an option. Nothing competes with feeding live mackerel to tuna's or mahi's in calm water around a natural floater or a Fish Aggregation Device.