If you have never been deep sea fishing on a charter before, you might be nervous as to what this type of fishing entails. This is especially true if you’re used to freshwater fishing. Some questions that may be floating in your mind when you think of your upcoming deep sea fishing trip could include: What should you bring, how is it different than “normal” fishing, and etc.. Today’s article should help you understand what to expect when deep sea fishing on a charter boat. We hope we’ll see you out on the Kona Fishing Charters charter boat with us after reading all about what to expect when you go deep sea fishing. After all, there’s nothing like experiencing deep sea fishing out on the Hawaiian waters.

What is Deep Sea Fishing?

Deep sea fishing requires deep waters. It should be at least 30 meters in depth and take place farther away from the land and shore than most other types of fishing. It’s also called other things such as sports fishing, big game fishing, and offshore boat fishing. Typically, in deep sea fishing, an angler will be attempting to fish for large open-ocean species of fish (like the ones we have covered in previous articles). Fighting big game fish can be a fun challenge for a lot of anglers.

Big game fish such as sharks, marlins, tuna, and others, are typically found in the open ocean rather than by the shores because they have more room and prey – causing deep sea fishing boats or charters to travel far out, sometimes beyond the sight of land.

What to Expect When You Go Deep Sea Fishing

If you’ve never been deep sea fishing in Kona before, you may only have a vague idea of what it entails. Most of what you know about deep sea fishing may in fact be from television shows and movies, which are often stressful examples (especially Deadliest Catch). However, most often you will have a very relaxing and fun time. The best part about deep sea fishing is not knowing what you’re going to catch.

First thing you should do is introduce yourself to the captain and listen to any instructions. He may instruct you where to place your gear – if he doesn’t, try to avoid putting it on the deck. It gets slippery and everyone needs room to walk on the deck without tripping. Once your trip has begun the captain will speak to you again giving you more instructions as well as what to expect for the day (which will depend on weather and other unique factors), and tell you how to rig up. It could take up to an hour to reach the destination of where you’ll be fishing that day so try to enjoy the ride to the fishing spot.

Once you get to the fishing location, wait for the captain to tell you to drop the lines after you find a spot on the rail. Don’t take out your bait (if it’s live fish) until you are ready to fish! If you bait your hook early it won’t attract a fish to bite. Check your live bait ever so often to make sure it’s still alive.

When your awesome day of fishing is over with, make sure to gather your gear together. Depending on what type of sports fish you caught you may be able to bring it back to shore for pictures and weighing. At Kona Fishing Charters, we can filet Tuna, Wahoo and Mahi Mahi for guests to take home.

More Basic Deep Sea Fishing Tips

• If you’re prone to seasickness make sure to take some medicine beforehand, or bring some aboard. Ginger is a natural way of curbing nausea so possibly bring along some ginger ale or ginger cookies if you’re worried about this.
• If you’re fishing with live bait, check on it often.
• Listen to the captain and crew
• Have fun and enjoy yourself!

We hope this gives you a basic idea of what to expect when you go deep sea fishing. Our FAQ should have more information if you’re interested including questions about what you’re allowed to bring. The FAQ however, refers to our own information for the Kona Fishing Charters. But where else would you go but to the Kona Fishing Charters when you want to go deep sea fishing off the Hawaiian coastline. There are lots of sports fish all year round and you can’t go wrong with the beautiful weather while you angle for a marlin or a swordfish. Have the time of your life out on the Kona waters and come out fishing with us on the Kona Fishing Charters. Call us at (808) 960-1424 to book your fishing trip!