Hook-Up In Hawaii - Where to Toss the Bags

Where to Toss the Bags

Peruse the yellow pages in Hawaii and you’ll be amazed at the seemingly endless listing of hotel choices. To at least get started, decide on which island interests you the most as a headquarters site. Blue marlin aficionados will undoubtedly choose Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii. Then again, Maui’s tough to beat when it comes to enjoying much of the best scenery and ambiance that Hawaii has to offer.

The best place to start digging includes the Hawaii Visitors and Conventions Bureau, 800-GOHAWAII or www.gohawaii.com (and also do a site search with words “sport fishing”). Another good source: Maui Visitors Bureau, www.visitmaui.com. For those wishing to really roll up the sleeves for serious research, get a copy of Frommer’s Hawaii 2007.

Many of the game fish caught in Hawaiian waters rate mighty high in plate value, and anglers intent on releasing their catch should confirm that desire with their skipper when discussing charter rates or before leaving the dock. Many Hawaiian charter crews supplement income or support families by selling or eating the catch. Most will be happy to share the catch, and tipping further encourages releases. Let the crew know up front that you understand their “keep it and pay the rent” or “release it and make the angler happy” dilemma by offering a generous tip.

Fly fishing is just beginning to blossom in Hawaii, and only a few skippers in Kona and Maui possess the requisite experience in that style of fishing, The good news: Several world records on fly have been set in Hawaii with opportunities for many more.

Whether your visit to Hawaii involves attending a convention, your sister’s wedding, or appeasing your in-laws’ unfathomable desire to vacation together, you know what will be on your mind. You didn’t travel to the planet’s most isolated islands only to leave without experiencing some of the greatest blue marlin fishing in the world, right? Whether participating in a tournament, pursuing world records or fishing for fun, the sport-fishing options across these beautiful islands will satisfy your piscatorial passion. After all, Hawaii’s been doing exactly that for the better part of a century.

If festivals flip your wig – especially those featuring hula dancing – Hawaii simply can’t be topped. Take a look at just a sampling of the celebrations that run throughout the year:

• Cherry Blossom Festival (January – March), features a variety of Japanese cultural events, most of which occur on Oahu.
• Ka Molokai Makahiki Festival (January) on Molokai is a week-long celebration featuring a fishing contest, Hawaiian games and sporting events, music and hula dancing.
• Honolulu Festival (March), represents Hawaii’s premier event promoting cultural understanding, economic cooperation and ethnic harmony between the people of Hawaii and the Asia-Pacific region.
• Prince Kuhio Day (March 26) is a state holiday honoring Hawaii’s first delegate to the U.S. Congress. The festival lasts a week and features canoe races, music, dance and a royal ball, are held on his native island of Kauai.
• Merrie Monarch Festival (April), a one-week festival of cultural events including Hawaii’s most prestigious hula competition at Edith Kanaka`ole Stadium and the Miss Aloha Hula competition.
• In Celebration of Canoes (May), Maui’s acknowledgement of Hawaii’s rich heritage, honors the voyaging canoes that united all of Polynesia. Cultural delegations from Pacific island nations come together with master carvers creating Polynesian canoes.
  

Other notes of interest

Hawaiian Islands:

• State Name: The Aloha State
• Origin of state name: From the native word Hawakiki, which means “Homeland”
• Capital: Honolulu
• Population: 1,186,602
• Languages: English, Hawaiian
• Area: 6,427 square miles
• State Fish: Humuhumunukunukuapua`a (try pronouncing it!)
• Weather: Mild temperatures year-round & significant differences in rainfall within short distances

For over 25 years, Hawaii-based Rick Gaffney has been an award-winning author and photographer. Although he specializes in Hawaii, his travel writing, fishing interests and photography take him to all areas of the world.