The Kona Coastline, from the Airport all the way to South Point, is considered by most professional anglers and sport fishing magazines as one of the absolute best Big Game fishing grounds anywhere in the world. There is no other place that has better weather, calmer waters, nicer boats and more consistently documented 1000lb+ Blue Marlin than Kona.
This coast lines dramatic underwater topography and mid island “Kailua” swirling current also brings in other large Pelagics which navigate and feed on the abundance of baitfish being grouped and pushed over the island ledges including Black Marlin, Striped Marlin, Pacific Sailfish, Spearfish, Yellowfin Tuna, Big Eye Tuna, Mahi Mahi’s and Ono’s to name just a few. If you are on the Big Island and don’t book a day of fishing in Kona, you are really missing out on something magical. This is “Grander Alley” and a place where Fishing Dreams come true all the time.
When fishing the Big Island of Hawaii, most of the shared and charter boats will be departing from Honokohau Harbor (located between the Kona Airport and the town of Kona). When driving to the harbor from North Kona (Waikoloa /Mauna Lani Resorts) it will take you approximately 40 minutes.
The sharp drop offs happen just outside Honokohau, as less than mile out you are in depths of 100+ fathoms and quickly the depth drops off to more than 1000+ fathoms wen you are only three miles out from the Honokohau harbor entrance.
Kona has worldwide reputation of producing very large Pacific Blue Marlin and a few occasional Blacks year after year. According to records, 70 marlin weighing 1,000 pounds or more have been caught off the Kona Coast, which has is known as "Grander Alley," a reference to the number of big fish that inhabit Kona’s waters.
The largest "grander" ever, caught in Kona was in 1984 and the fish weighed in at 1,649 pounds. In 2015, (3) 1000lb+ (2) 1200lb+ and (1) 1300lb+ fish were caught off of the Kona Coast. The largest was 1398lbs and was 21’ in length!
Many local fisherman love to run from just south of the Harbor all the way down to the very tip of the Big Island, which just happens to be the very most southern point of the United States “South Point.” This stretch and Lane of coastline (Depth of 40-60 Fathoms) is known to produce an abundance of Ono’s all the way to the Point and back.
South Point itself produces more Ono’s than any other spot on the island when they’re running, and also is home to some terrific bottom fishing and other types of angling.
The Kona coastline produces both Big Eye, Skip Jack and Yellowfin Tuna’s in some very healthy quantities and weight. A tuna under 30lbs is called a “ “ while a Tuna caught weighing over 100lbs+ is referred to as an “Ahi.” Tuna’s in Kona are commonly caught trolling lures through or along side the porpoise schools, as well as caught in the blinds while dragging marlin lures.
Tuna Green Sticks that bounce Squid Jigs off the top of the water are by far the most productive way to fish for Tuna in Kona.
The Big Island’s Kona Coastline offers the best fishing in all of the Hawaiian Islands as there are many varieties of Big Game Fish caught in these deep waters. The Pacific Blue Marlin, Black Marlin and Striped Marlin, Sailfish are Spearfish are some of these "Bill Fish". Tuna, Ono and Mahi Mahi are a few of the smaller fish that are also caught daily in Kona’s waters. All of these fish are great to eat and served in the many seafood restaurants.
The Big Islands Kona Coast is considered by professional anglers as one of the Top (3) Big Game Marlin fishing spots in the entire world. When visiting Hawaii and you plan to be in Kona, you should definitely not miss out on your chance to have the fishing experience of a lifetime. Kona’s underwater topography could not be better, as just offshore there is a huge ocean drop-off that descends thousands of feet to the ocean bottom. Big game fish live in the deep waters and they come up to the surface and into shallower fathoms to eat.
It is also a fact that the Big Island is the first of the Hawaiian Islands that many migrating fish encounter and the advantageous currents off the Kona Coastline also bring in a ton of bait fish. It is undeniable that Honokohau charter boats bring in some of the world's largest big game fish. Multiple 1000lb Marlin and 200lb+ Ahi Tuna are caught every year right off of this Majestic Lava Rock coastline.
Some of the popular fishing areas around Kona are named "the grounds" and "the trail", but now, with the onset of Fish Aggregation Devices (FADS) (Fish Aggregation Devices) and newer landmarks such as "OTEC," "The Hilton," “Red Hill” and "VV" further define the mystique of this amazing fishing location. The general fishing area fished by local captains is roughly seventy miles long, with Honokohau Harbor sitting right in the middle.
The State of Hawaii has placed Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs) in the waters surrounding the main Hawaiian Islands. These buoys attract schools of tuna and other important pelagic fishes, such as dolphinfish (Mahimahi), wahoo (Ono), and billfish. FADs allow fishermen to easily locate and catch these species.
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