Trip was great, boat and crew were too. Boat and crew are always suspect when you book sight unseen or have never used them before. I was very happy with your reccomendation/choice. Boat was fine. Clean, in good shape,comfortable. Tackle was top notch. Crew was great. Nice guys who wanted to make sure we had a good time, rather than the sometimes encountered "do it my way" bunch that are more concerned about having something to hang at the dock so they book the following day. As far as using you again---no question, and yes 2 of my friends have already
been in your web-site. One is planning a trip for April and may even request the Alibi.
 

I thoroughly enjoyed my day of fishing with Tom Christy. I rate your service a 5 and would strongly recommend it to others.  In fact, I already have done so. As for Tom, I have used guides in the past and he rates among the best.  He is knowledgeable and experienced.  His efforts to develop fresh water fishing on Kauai are to be commended.  I look forward to next year.
 

Thanks for the followup. We had a great time fishing on the Hinatea. I would rate everything a 5 as we thought it was a great experience. Both the captain and mate were excellent. The mate Kai was exceptional and couldn't have been any more accomodating. I hope we get to go back and do it again. I know my 2 sons couldn't agree more. Thanks for your help in securing accomodations.
 

The fishing that day was not great, but the Maka Hou caught more fish that day than any of the other boats.  We caught an Ono and a MahiMahi.  Ryan and JD were great as capt and mate and did everything they could to get us onto some fish that day, which resulted in a quick three mile ride to a different spot where we caught the MahiMahi.  The crew gave us some of each fish to take back to our resort, where we grilled them as they suggested and they were delicious!  All in all a wonderful day spent with my four daughters.
 

Great time on the Kono today - got my first Marlin!! My daughter also caught her first mahi! Look forward to using your service again in the near future!
 

Thank you again for the great time on the water that you provided my kids and I. I have been on many sport fishing trips out of Hawaii, Mexico and Southern California and never have I been with a guide so keen on producing fish.

I think that you are on to something really exciting with the Shark and Amberjack fishing. This really breaks up the monotony of trolling all day for that one fish. I have been on numerous other boats in Kona and yours truly produces. I look forward to booking with you again in December. See you soon.
 

We enjoyed our trip very much. The crew was friendly and very efficient. They were good at making everyone comfortable and happy. They had good equipment and were active in serving their clients. The trip was as advertised and we were not disappointed.

The Sashimi offers a special, family type of enterainment with a fantastic view of the sights. I would suggest that trip for the visitor. It is not intended to be a hard core fishing trip and I would suggest the trip for the average tourist. We went on this trip for the sights and the fun and were very happy with that. I would generally rate the trip at an average of 4.  Your service was very efficient and well done. You would rate a high 5.
 

Answers to our charter survey:

Service and friendliness (The captain and crew were both very friendly).(5)
Condition of Boat (The boat was in top condition). (5)
Condition of Gear (The gear was also in top condition). (5)
Fishing effort by the crew (i.e. how hard did they work at finding fish)(They worked very hard to find fish. I was very impressed by their efforts). (5)
Overall rating of the boat (5)
Sportfish Hawaii's referral service (5)
Would you fish in Hawaii again? (why or why not). Yes, most definately.
If you would fish in Hawaii, would you use our service again? (why or why not) Yes, The information in setting up a trip was very useful and took the guesswork out of it). The web site was also very well done and educational to beginning marlin fisherman).
 

Recently my family and I took a share charter with Tim Gray and his 1st mate Mike on "The Wild Bunch". I can honestly say this was THE BEST trip we have EVER been on.  Tim and Mike are SO knowledgable, and not to mention, freindly as hell. We only caught 4 fish the entire 10 hours. 1 -Skip Jack Tuna. 1- Dolphin fish , 1- Wahoo and 1- 181 lb. Marlin. Capt. Tim and his crew never gave up on finding us fish. And in the two hours or so between hits they were as cordial as can be. Our family NEVER expected to catch anything like a 181 lb Marlin. My back is still sore and my son and daughter are still smiling ear to ear. We all agreed that even without catching anything, the sight of numerous porpoise and flying fish was a thrill in itself. On return to NY I will advise anyone planning to fish in Oahu to book with Capt. Timmy and his cohorts aboard the Wild Bunch. Mahalo to your organization for setting us up with them. 

Our experience in Hawaii was great. The luck we had of course added to the experience but we were happy with the experience. We felt that the crew of the wild bunch were very accomidating and worked hard to help us enjoy the fishing trip and I don't know that much about finding fish in the ocean but they were successful and persisted with the lines out after the big marlin had been caught and they were very helpful in teaching me the techniques of fighting such a fish from a boat. The services of Sportfish Hawaii was satisfactory and I believe we were matched to a good choice of boat and crew for our family trip. I don't know if I will ever fish Hawaii again but I would use your services if I did and would recommend them to others interested in such a trip.

Dear Mike just to let you know that our trip with Capt Kent and Sarah was a great trip. I would rate all catagories a 5 and we caught 2 beautiful blue marlin( 150 and 250).I have been on many fishing and hunting trips around the country and would rate this trip as one of the best.   Thanks.
 

The trip and the staff were top notch. Everything went great and we would definately fish in Hawaii and with you again. Thanks for all of your help.
 

Many thanks for the follow up. I must admit that I had the best fishing trip of my life.I have fished a lot in the South African waters but have never seen so many beautiful fish being caught. I would and have already recommended your service to a few people that are looking at going to Hawaii in December so hopefully they hook up with you.

Service and friendliness-Excellent..Condition of Boat-Really a great boat with excellent facilities..Condition of Gear-Top class..Fishing effort by the crew-The crew were just great.They were the friendliest and most helpful that I have ever fished with...Overall rating of the boat-10 out of 10..Sportfish Hawaii's referral service-I had really great service from Sportfish Hawaii and especially you Mike.   Many thanks.
 

I would just like to say that we had a wonderful time in Hawaii. Our trip on the Hinatea was excellent. Neither myself, nor my wife Felicity had the opportunity to fish for Marlin before so this was our first. Although we didn't land any monster marlin, we did successfully land one 40lb. striped marlin and one 170 lb blue marlin. It was definitely a trip we will never forget.
 

I'm not a sport writer, but if I was what a story I could tell you in your survey. The captian and mate was top notch.  There were 5 of us on board (my wife and another lady) the crew showed alot of respect towards the ladies and help them alot.  My wife caught her share of fish. We caught 38 mahi mahi and had the best time on board the boat Wild Bunch.  All the guys on board were USCG people needless to they look the boat over good ,the Wild bunch is a good boat. The equipment was the best and Mike you are the greatest.  What a trip if I never go fishing the one you set up was the best (i'll go again). I have showen my fishing pictures to all my friends and highly recommended yall.  Thanks for a wonderful time.
   

Our trip on 5/22/01 aboard the Wild Bunch was good. We were only able to hook up to one fish each, but it was worth it. I caught a 18 pound Mai and my father-in-law caught a 12 pounder. The deck hand cut us off a half slab of
the 12 pounder. I cooked it in the hotel room that night and at sunset out, on our balcony we had the best fish we had ever had. Truly MARVELOUS!!!
  

We went freshwater fishing with Tom Christe on the 15th of May. We had a great time and caught enough fish to keep things interesting. Tom is a very interesting guy and both my wife and I enjoyed his company. Next time we come to Kauai we will book Tom again. Thanks for following up with us. We had a great time on Kauai. It is indeed a wonderful place.
 

Many thanks for a wonderful trip out with Captain Don and his crew on KONO. We all had a good day and the fishing was great. I was first up so I got a ono and then another later on plus a skip jack tuna so I was really pleased. One of the other chaps caught a 180 lb blue marlin so overall it was a really great day. Captain Don and his crew really did a great job in finding the fish and spent most of the day chasing birds and fish. I think that in total there were 16 fish landed.

Mike please can you pass on my thanks to Don and his crew. I have sent out an email to about 50 people that I know that travel a lot that if they want a really great fishing trip to contact you. Thanks once again.
 

The fishing trip was great with Kevin. The Hinatea was a great boat it was very clean and the crew was fantistic. We caught some great fish. The captin and the crew worked very hard to make our trip a success. You wanted me to give you numbers on how we would rate our trip from a 1 to a 5....I would give this crew and fishing trip a 6 because a 5 is just not good enough for the great time we had in Maui. Thank you so much, Patty
 

Had a great trip.  Crew was great.  Weather was sort of rough.  Caught 8 Mahi Mahi, 1 Ono, and one Marlin.  I have fished enough to know that was a great trip on anybodies ocean.  Thanks for all the help. 
 

We had a great trip. The weather was terrific and the fishing was pretty good. We caught a nice Spearfish right off the bat while he was giving us an orientation of the equipment. Didn't hook anything for the next 5 hours, then caught a couple of Dorados. A little later we caught a couple of Wahoo's, and then we hooked into about a 250lb Marlin, but  it was only on for about 30 seconds. Did some aerial jumps which was wonderful. Captain thought it was probably bill wrapped and not hooked. Survey answers (on scale of 1 to 5):

Service and friendliness - 4 Only reason I didn't give a 5 is because the captain didn't talk a whole lot. Probaby because he was trying to find the fish. Condition of Boat - 5. Condition of Gear - 5. Fishing effort by the crew (i.e. how hard did they work at finding fish) - 5 We left at 6:00 and didn't return until a little after 4:00. Seemed to me they worked real hard to catch us fish!
 

Hello Mike. My parents, Tom and Barb, sister Jennifer and I have booked Mike Rand's boat for June 22nd and we're all looking forward to it. Your website and follow up have made planning this extremely easy and I appreciate it very much. Today I've had the time to go through your website in depth. This is a tool you should be extremely proud of. For years I've dreamed of fishing Kona. The possibility of MAYBE catching a large big blue marlin is too good to pass up. Your website, particularly the "University," is fantastic. I'm going to encourage my family to go through it before we leave so that we all have reasonable expectations while on the water...

Just wanted to drop you a note to say how pleased we were on our charter of the 'Magic' last Thursday. The boat, Captain Russell and 1st Mate Eric bent over backwards to make us feel at home on the boat. The Georgia landlubbers didn't do too good on the big waves. I guess we did not prepare with the Dramamine properly.

Russell and Eric both worked hard and put us on Mahi-Mahi (biggest fish I have ever caught). I didn't get the big one (blue marlin) but that's the way things go sometimes.  Rest assured that we have been talking it up at work and if you need us for a reference or recommendation, please do not hesitate to give our e-mail address to any prospective customers. Many Mahaloes for your attention to detail.
 

Hello, I had a great time on the Kono, the Skipper and the Crew were great, I wish I had more time there in Hawaii I would have gone Fishing again on the Kono. I'm Hopeing that in the next year or two I will be able to do it again this time with my husband. I couldn't have a better time or asked for a better Skipper or Crew. Thank You of all that you all have done.
 

I am glad you contacted me...our fishing trip was excellent. Kent/Fish Wish was outstanding. Not only did we catch fish...we caught the most for the day and came in with the most variety of flags! Kent and his deck hand, Kai were great. We actually had a Wahoo hook up when Kai was explaining the procedures to my husband. From there my husband hooked another Wahoo and tagged a 40 lb. Spearfish, my nephew caught two Mahi Mahi's (one being very large, almost 6 feet long) and I caught a Mahi Mahi and an Ono. We had a great trip...Your referral to Fish Wish/Kent could not have been better!   You were quick to respond to our initial inquiry, you were very professional, yet very personable.
 

It would be a pleasure to fill out your survey. THe trip was a success, even my wife (phobic about water and boats) had a good time. The Big fish was an approximate 30-35 lb Mahimahi. We interacted with Ben most of the time and he was patient and helpful.

You all found us a Good boat, good crew and you internet site was user friendly and helpful.
 

Mike, I would rate everything on that trip a 5. It was by far the best fishing trip I been on. Toots and Eric worked together well as a team. Toots would find the fish, and Eric would help us bring them in. When Eric wasn't working on the fishing gear, he was cleaning the boat. It was exciting to see Ken bring in the huge blue marlin. I think I was more excited them him. Ken is my brother-inlaw who love fishing. He's caught a few big samon, but nothing like this. Ken is 65 and retired. He deserved to catch a fish like that. My goal is catch one like that before I'm 65. I'll be back. Thank you for a wonderful experience.
 

What a blast. Bob and Larry were wonderful hosts, and we had a great day. We got stripped by a blue, but even that was fun. In the end we went back with a Mahi and an Ono, and more importantly, great memories. I've chartered many other boats in my time, including three others out of Honokahou, and this was by far the best charter boat experience I've ever had. Thank you very much and pass this on to Larry and Bob if you would.
 

Recently, my husband and I visited Oahu Hawaii on vacation.    It was our first time visting Hawaii.  Before our trip, we chartered a fishing trip through your service( 4/3/01).  We just wanted to write and tell you what a great experience we had.  

When we scheduled the trip over the internet, your service was very helpful.  We had never been sportfishing before and were concerned that some crews might not be as patient as others.  Your service recommended the Wild Bunch for their fishing know-how and their friendliness.  And boy were you right.

Tim and Ron were great.  Tim captained the boat and spent most of his time on the bridge trying to find fish for us to catch.  Ron gave us a quick fishing lesson during the early part of the trip, and it was a good thing he did

It wasn't long before we heard Tim yelling to Ron about a Mahi Mahi he saw in the water.  It was amazing to see how well they worked together.  Ron changed from lures to bait quickly, so we wouldn't lose our chance.  My husband was the first in the chair, and with helpful instruction from Ron, he caught his first Mahi Mahi. 

A little while later it was my turn.  Ron was very helpful and talked me all the way through catching my first fish.  It was a great feeling.  Tim and Ron seemed as excited as we were and that just made it more fun. 

Our day didn't stop there.  My husband brought in another Mahi Mahi, a very large one this time.  Then about two hours later, I brought in a Striped Marlin.  What a rush.  Ron was great after I caught the Marlin, he made sure we got some fantastic pictures.

After these catches, my arms were tired, but there was not time to rest, we had another striped Marlin on the line.  My husband reeled him in, and after that he had another.  I thought we were done.  After all, we had caught six fish at this point.  But to our surprise, we were able to get two striped Marlin on at the same time.  My husband reeled in one, while I reeled in the other.  Ron had his hands full helping us both on our first sport fishing trip.

We were so excited, and so were Tim and Ron.  You could tell they really enjoy what they do. Their entusiasm was contagious.   We were lucky to have gone out with the Wild Bunch.  It is a great boat with a great crew. 

As we pulled back into the marina, Ron raised the flags to show what we had caught for the day.  It was such a good feeling when they hung our fish and we saw all eight lined up in a row.  They made sure we got some great pictures.  After all, we knew no one would believe us unless we had some sort of proof. 

This trip was an experience my husband and I will never forget.  We had a wonderful time.  We would like to thank your service for putting us in touch with the Wild Bunch.  And, we would like send a BIG thanks to Tim and Ron for taking us on the fishing trip of a lifetime. 
 

Overall we had a great time on our trip (4/17). The fishing was slow to start, but my two nephews started things out by each taking a turn reeling in a pygmy Mahi-mahi. A little later, my Dad caught an Ono. And last, but not least, I caught a Blue Marlin which they estimated at 175#. We also got a chance to see some humpbacks breaching from fairly close by. All-in-all a good day. Mitch (crew) filleted the mahi and ono and we took some back to the condo and grilled out. Yum! (It WAS ono!)
 

The trip was great, fishing was great and the Captain Jeff was excellent. This was the best trip I have ever booked in Hawaii (Over the past ten years I have fished charters in Hawaii about 6 times). Also, the trip was very straightforward to arrange over the internet. Your booking service is great.

My new wife and I caught a small yellowfin, 4 Amberjack (30 lbs +) and we hooked and fought a 300 lb+ shark for over 20 minutes before it broke off. All on standup tackle. I am not sure the shark knew that he was hooked, however he did a lot of damage to our muscles in the short battle. Very exciting. Next time we visit again, I would like to take this same charter, but at least one more day on the water. Awesome Trip !
 

Being a hunting consultant and experiencing the same questions with whom you represent, I know to well how important feedback is. I would definately use you guys again and rate the entire experience a 5. These guys made the trip very enjoyable. I highly recommend your outfit to anyone wanting to fish Hawaii. Boat, service, crew, all were great. Having but one hit all day was a rather surprise, but it turned out to be a good one!

Hope this helps and I'll be glad to be on your list of references. Thanks and until I call again for my next Marlin trip.
 

I wanted to tell you Thank You for a great trip with the "Start Me UP" Capt John and Neal did an outstanding job and really knew their stuff, to say the least. We came across a olive tree branch which was about 8" in diameter and probably 12' long which we trolled past and picked up a couple small Mahi's after that slowed down we trolled a couple miles out to the channel marker where we had two nice size bulls on, but we lost them at the boat when the hook pulled out of their mouths. Several hours later we had 50 buzz off which was set in the center off the bridge.. Neal brought the rod down and handed it off to me so I could hoist the fish in!

We initially thought it was another small Mahi, but when it continued to peel off line I knew it was much more than a little cow on. After about 10 minutes the fish broke the water, what a beautiful big bull it was! It peeled me down once again and ended up breaking the water 4 times before Neil put the gaf in him. This Mahi was 58" and weighed 37 pounds. Since this was one of the largest Mahi's I had caught I decided to have a mount made so I could remember this day. Soon after we started our troll again we had a wild strike, which ended up being a big beautiful Blue Marlin this fish hit the artificial lure and in a mater of minutes broke the water 6 times and unfortunately it charged at the boat and with both trottles buried and cranking the hell out of the 80 the line slacked up to much and we lost a big blue.

Neal estimated that fish at about 400 pounds! Just think if that little Mahi in retrospect pumped my forearms up I could just have imagined if we didn't loose that Marlin how I would have felt at the end of the fight! I look forward to getting back to the island soon and will look you up when I do. I will have a picture of the 58 incher scanned and send it off to you.

Just returned from Maui and wanted to let you know what a great time we had with Denny and Bill on Start Me Up! The entire trip to Hawaii went great except for a bout with food poisoning the day before our fishing trip. What a disaster that was. We almost had to cancel.  In fact my wife didn't decide to go until 4:45 that morning. She slept the sickness off until about noon. She was able to watch me catch a striped marlin, then went right back to sleep. Those guys were very enjoyable and we appreciated their work in trying to get us hooked up. Only one bite all day, but at least we were able to come away with a great fish.

Mike, I would rate all categories as a 5 spellbound is a great  boat with a great crew.  I certainly would use them again.  please relay my regards to them.   Scott, Missoula, Mt. 
 

The Kono was absolutely fantastic!...Could not have had a more enjoyable time...Don, and his two crewmen were just outstanding...We appreciated their patience, and their professionalism..We thoroughly enjoyed the experience, and we will definitely look forward to contacting you again in about a year for another super outing!!...We caught 4 Mahi-Mahi, and 1 Marlin..Nancy, my wife, was so excited, it is a wonder that she didn't fall out of the boat...Thanks again for a wonderful first time deep sea fishing adventure...
 

We had a GREAT time! These guys were great!! They made us feel right at home, offering us fresh fruit and muffins. We didn't waste anytime and got out of the harbor and started fishing. About 30 minutes out we got a couple of "hits". It hit about 10 times and we couldn't hook it, and then it surfaced and rolled.....DAMN.... this thing was BIG!!! Kip said it looked like a Short Nose Spearfish. Well we didn't get him but our interest was peaked. This was a lot like fishing for King Salmon in the saltwater in our home state of Alaska. Things slowed down. No hits for hours. We chased a small school of Porpoise for a while until they just disappeared. We were looking for the Tuna they were chasing. Never found them though. But we didn't lose hope.

Let's see we were in Hawaii instead of at home where it was snowing....OK, slow fish is good. Well several fishing stories later from Billie and Kip as well as our stories of fishing in Alaska, and Billie decided to head to the "Grounds". He said the shelf was running parallel to our heading. He said we had to get something here. He was right! A Striped Marlin hit and we hooked him! I got in that chair and no sooner had I sat down and up he went. Jumping and Dancing in the air. He was back in the water and 20 seconds later he was up in the air again twisting and trashing trying to get the hook out of his mouth. No such luck! I fought him for about 20 minutes with some excellent maneuvering of the boat by Billie a coaching by Kip. We landed my very first, but not last Marlin, in the boat. Everyone was happy, including me. I had a grin from ear to ear, as the pictures show. It may not have been a Big Blue Marlin but I was happy with a 6' Striped Marlin.

We got back to the harbor after being out for 9 1/2 hours. Billie went the extra mile to help get me a fish story to go home with. We got back to the harbor and we did the paper work for mounting and Billie filleted the fish for us.   We shore fished a couple of times while we were there and that was fun, but nothing like being out on the water looking for the big one! I will be back to fish another day there. I will recommend Sportfish Hawaii and the Eclipse w/ Billie Ross and Kip anytime and everytime. The boat and gear were all of top quality. We fished 80lb. test line instead of 130lb test, and that made for a more challenging fight. I would give them a rating on a scale of 1 to 5, a perfect 10. I will be back! Thanks, Mike for handling all of the arrangements, and to Billie and Kip, good job and happy fishing!

The charter fishing we did on the Ho'okela was the best part of our vacation. And we would highly recommend this charter to anyone we know is heading that way. Your service was also helpful and prompt and we will recommend you to people also. Thank you for all your help we had a great time.
 

Pete was excellent and so was the hand. Knowing I do alot of sportfishing, they took the time to answer all my questions and even showed me how to rig some baits!! Great fun and learning experience.
 

In answer to our follow- up survery:
How was the fishing? Excellent (3 mahi, one small marlin)
More importantly, how was the service? Excellent
Were the skipper and crew helpful? Yes, and professional and courteous
Did you feel you given every opportunity to catch a fish? Yes, they worked they worked hard
Would you fish in Hawaii again? (why or why not) Yes, because it was a great experience, from the initial information call (from the website) to pulling into the dock it was fantastic service.
 

Aside from catching only one fish, the overall experience was excellent. Excellent gear, good boat and very amicable captain and crew who went out of their way to try to find fish. I would definitely return.
 

In answer to our survey:  Would you fish in Hawaii again? (why or why not) Yes - We caught a lot of fish but I want to come back and catch the "Big One"

If you would fish in Hawaii, would you use our service again? (why or why not) Yes, It was very helpful and we had a great time.
 

Just wanted to tell you how much we all enjoyed our fishing trip on Magic (even though I felt kind of "green" a few times!). Russell and Preston were great! They both apologized for not hooking us up with anything "big", but if they only knew how much fun we had catching the Mahi and tuna! It was a thrill for all of us. Thanks so much for all of the great service and making our trip so much fun. Now if only you could send us some of that wonderful weather! (It's snowing - again!)
 

I enjoy the emails very much. Please continue to send when you can. They tend to make a long winter seem a little shorter sometimes!
 

The trip with Tom Christy was great!! The fishing was slow,but conditions were less than optimal at the time(lots of overcast sky and rain). This time of year is not particularly good for peacocks.Tom said that the best time is in april and may when the weather is hotter and sunnier.Oh well though..it was the only time off I could get so it had to do. I ended up catching 3 peacocks, 2 largemouth and a Talapia.The peacocks were about 2-3 pounds but were absolute demons when they were hooked!!We saw some 6# plus peacocks, but they just would not take anything.  All fishing was done from a John boat (about 14 feet) with an electric motor. Unfortunately, the reservoir was very low due low rainfall this year and this made it impossible to fish the jungle.

Tom has access to some other very good water, but Kevin Costner is using the property filming the movie "dragonfly" right now so the water was off limits when I was there. Tom was a great guide and my wife and I enjoyed spending the day fishing with him.  He did everything in his power to put me on fish and give me some great opportunities.  They wouldn't touch lures or baby talapia so Tom got out a through net and netted some baby peacock bass (about3") to use for bait.They were the ticket. We sight fished the peacocks and cast the baby peacock bass to them. The larger peacock bass either struck violently or just swam away.

The equipment was in good condition (Shimano rods (6 1/2 foot) and reels spooled with 12#test).  Overall, the trip was good.  If I have a chance I will try to schedule a trip with him in April or May of whatever year I get back to Kauai.  I would like to fish the water Kevin Costner is on right now and I would like to fish the jungle if the water level is higher and conditions better.  Thanks again to Sportfish Hawaii for putting me in contact with Cast & Catch.  It was a great bonus to be able to do this type of fishing in paradise.  I will use your referral service again for some sportfishing as well before my next trip to Kauai.
 

The trip was great!  You did a fine job of finding good boats and making all the information available to me. I got just what I wanted -- a chance to fish during a trip when I couldn't spare much time (I was actually in Hawaii for business).
 

First, thanks again for organizing our recent trip with Magic and for taking us out for a "spin" on your boat during the Friday night race. That was a very enjoyable bonus.

We thoroughly enjoyed the day out with Magic, even though the marlin forgot to come out to play. We did not come back empty handed, we had a couple of nice tuna (20-25lbs) and a third over 30lbs that got off at the boat (the ubiquitous "one that got away") as well as a Mahi mahi (about 15-20lbs)

Although we did not get one (a marlin) it seemed like Hawaii is a good place to get a marlin (I have fished in Puerto Rico, Australia and Mauritius before and felt that Hawaii was the most "fishy" in this respect)....Everyone was very professional and friendly. Everything went like clockwork... apart from the bloody marlin!
 

Had a great time and can't wait to come back although it won't be for a while.   Will refer you to my friends and family that will travel to Hawaii in the future.   Did appreciate crew's professionalism and friendly personalities. They worked hard and were as excited and happy as we were when we caught fish (Mahi). We would have liked the opportunity at some billfish (that's not to say that we didn't try hard-it just wasn't meant to be). Overall, we were all extremely satisfied.
 

First I wanted to confirm that I have received your confirmation, directions etc. Second I would like to thank you for the prompt and professional responses to all of my queries and my booking, I am confident that my friends and I will be very well looked after on 27th Jan, now if you can just arrange for a hungry marlin to join in the fun we will be all set!
 

....Your website is informative and professional. It is very important to me that I have a reasonable level of comfort with the charter service I select. A professionally run operation is more important to me than the pricing (within reason) Saving a few dollars on a poorly run charter service is not worth spending thousands of dollars on your vacation, flying 13 hours from home, and finding out when you get there that you can't go fishing unless you scramble to find another boat while your wasting your vacation time to do it. (Never happened to me...just not as risk I'm willing to take)....
 

We had a great time!  The next time we go to Hawaii, we'll definitely try to get the Spellbound again.  This service was so easy, and to have it online made it simple for us to get what we needed.  Thank you- I completed the survey below.
 

The fishing was fabulous, as was the service. Skipper Lee and Crewman Mike were very helpful. We were definitely given every opportunity to catch a fish because Lee had just started to head back when BJ hooked his Big One. We stayed out long enough for the guys to bring in the 586-lb marlin, so we got back to shore? dock? quite late. It was an experience that BJ will remember for a lifetime, so it turned out to be a wonderful birthday/Christmas present for him. My sister caught a 30-lb mahi-mahi and a few smaller fish. Unfortunately, I was seasick the entire time - I followed the instructions of my pharmacist instead of the instructions on the package of motion sickness patches, and didn't apply the patch early enough before starting out to sea. Mike was very helpful in keeping me supplied with ice bags for my head and neck, and I was happy that BJ and Robin had a successful day of fishing.

BJ plans to have a display/shadow box made with the 8x12 photo of him with the marlin, the lead, the T-shirt & bumper sticker.
 

Onbehalf of the family, I wanted to thank you for our wonderful day with Tim and Ron aboard The Wild Bunch on Dec. 27th. We had a great time and caught 'some fish' as well. Tim and Ron were just great with all of us and, in particular, were adored by the kids.

We got an early start and were the first to show up on the FAD...this, along with the demonstrated expertise of the captain and mate, led us to the capture of a 524# Blue Marlin. What a treat that was. Notably, they both spared nothing in landing the beast...First, I would note Tim's blood on the deck; second, Ron's broken knuckle; and third was the portion of the Marlin's spike embedded in the port side of the boat. What a show that was. I am attaching a number of photos in this and a second e-mail that I hope you will share with Tim and Ron. Thank you again.

See Mark's story in the Fishing Tales section.

We had a wonderful time fishing on the Grand Slam. Both the captain and crew were great to be out with. We were late getting to the boat due to some friends that were flying in to go with us and they were very understanding and patient. The only potentially negative thing that happened is one of the fishing rods broke which was really not a very big deal as it was one of the spinning rods and broke during while trying to free a snag while jigging. I don't know if this is a reflection on the quality of the rod or not but it really didn't affect the charter at all. If we came back we would love to fish with them again.
 

We had a great day. The water was rough but that did not stop us from catching fish. We caught 4 Mahi, 1 tuna and 1 swordfish and had three Marlin strikes and fought one for a few minutes before losing it. Eric was excellent at helping us and teaching us about the ocean and fishing the ocean. Eric is a person you need to hand onto as he is a pleasure to be with. Russell could have been more talkative and tried a bit harder to be friendlier, but he is an outstanding captain and works very hard and intensely at finding and catching fish. He is very good at what he does and that may be way he stays more to himself as he is so focused on catching fish.

The boat was as expected. A very nice boat and very clean. Equipment was all working and no problems. Yes, we will be back to fish and will use the Magic and request Russell. Our son caught 3 fish, Emily our daughter caught the biggest a 41 pound Mahi. We truly had a great day and was fun to come back into the harbor with the fish flags flying and have people admire our catch as it hung on the rack.
 

We just booked the boat again for the 27th of February - the fishing trip was defnitely the highlight of my trip! I am bringing my new brother in law down to catch a fish. I would rate all questions on the survey with a 5, and will recommend your charter to all of my friends!
 

How was the fishing? We didn't catch anything, but had a beautiful 10 hours out on the ocean with a beautiful view, in a gorgeous boat. A nice big Marlin would have made our day, but we fish here a lot and know how it works.

More importantly, how was the service? We were very pleased. The first mate was very friendly, cordial and knowledgable. The captain was polite and friendly. Kept to himself mostly, but someone had to steer the boat!

Were the skipper and crew helpful? Yes, we were very pleased.

Did you feel you given every opportunity to catch a fish? Definately, we paid for an 8 hour trip and we stayed out 10 hours trying.

Overall rating of the boat - 5 (scale of 1-5)

Sportfish Hawaii's referral service - 7 (scale of 1-5) You guys went above and beyond! You emailed back and forth with us repeatedly. You quick with your responses to our emails. And you were knowledgable with your information. And if you didn't know, you investigated the information, let me know that you would get back, and then within a day or two, you responded with the information. You guys actually deserve a 10!

Would you fish in Hawaii again? (why or why not) You bet cha! We are already talking about when we can get back again, and investigating which boats are in you fleet on the islands we haven't seen yet.

If you would fish in Hawaii, would you use our service again? (why or why not) Yes. We were extremely happy with you. You guys go above and beyond any service we have ever dealt with.
 

Look, I could answer every one of those questions point by point, but there is no reason to. Spellbound, from top to bottom is the best charter that anyone could hope for. That's it. End of story. I will gladly give a reference anytime. Your service worked exactly as it should. Perfect. I will gladly give you a reference also.
 

Just wanted to say thanks for the incredible day we had out on the water with the Wild Bunch. Tim and Ron are good people who have to be among the best in the business. We were pretty happy with the three good sized mahi mahi we caught; the addition of a twenty five pound skipjack made the day a complete success.

But the 377 pound marlin we hauled in next was the experience of a lifetime! I am recommending the Wild Bunch to all my friends who are heading to Honolulu; not only do they know where the fish are, but we wouldn't have gotten them on the boat without their expert advice. Thanks again to Tim and Ron for a day we'll never forget!
 

We had a great time aboard your boat, it was the highlight of our Hawaii trip.   The Hawaiian islands are beautiful, we'll definitely be back and we'll definitely charter the Fish Wish or any boat that has you (Capt. Kent) as the captain.  Our experience aboard your boat was fabulous, you and Chad made the experience what it was.   I know we caught a lot of fish (2 mahimahi, 14 ono and 1 tuna) which is exciting, but the personal touch you and Chad put on the trip is what made it the memorable experience it was.

When I asked my wife Kellie what she enjoyed most about our vacation, she said the fishing trip aboard the Fish Wish.

I had a great time fishing on Start Me Up. Captain Alan and Scott (Crew) were very informative and their knowledge of fishing paid off for us. I caught 2 Mahi - Mahi's weighing 30 lbs each and another Mahi around 18 lbs. I can't wait to get back to Maui to go fishing again.
 

Although we only hooked up with 2 Ahi (195lbs & 180lbs) between the six people on the boat, I was extremely pleased. Russell's expertise and determination is unsurpassed. This fact was made even further apparent to me when I tried my luck in Maui. I booked another share charter (on a boat in Maui, on his own).  I do realize some days fish are tough to find, but there wasn't even a pair of binoculars on board. Enough bitching, my views of "Magic" and "Hawaii Sport Fishing" are expressed below. (Ratings are 1-5)

Service and friendliness 5, Condition of Boat 5, Condition of Gear 5, Fishing effort by the crew (i.e. how hard did they work at finding fish) 10, Overall rating of the boat 5, Sportfish Hawaii's referral service 5

Would you fish in Hawaii again? (why or why not) Yes, next time I believe I'll travel to Kona in search Large Marlin.

If you would fish in Hawaii, would you use our service again? (why or why not) Yes, I wish I had called you to book something in Maui. You probably could have set me up with a more determined captain.
 

I enjoyed myself so much on the trip my wife bought me, that I went out on my own two days later. This was due mostly to the fact that I caught a bad case of marlin fever, but also due to how impressed I was with how hard Peter & Teddy worked to put me on fish. Even though we got skunked, I believed that they were going to get me my marlin--I don't know how anyone could work harder to try to catch fish.
 

The trip was excellent. The captain and mate were both friendly and informitive. The boat was in great shape and the equipment was first rate. I was impressed that you were able to find us such a quality boat on such short notice after our first choice went down. I would definitely recommend your service again.
 

Dear Russell and Eric (skipper and mate),

We can't tell you enough how much fun we had on our trip with you. We had no idea how much work goes into an all day trip. Boy, did you two work!! I caught a 27lb Mahi-mahi, and we had a Marlin strike. Not bad for two first-timers. Like we told you at the dock after the day was over, we will be back every year if we can! Our trips to Hawaii will always have you at the top of our list. We are driving all our friends here in Seattle crazy with the telling and retelling of the entire day. You are two very special people. We made two new friends that day. Friends we look forward to seeing again. Again, Mahalo!!

Sportfish Hawaii is GREAT! I've passed this on to my fishing buddies. I belong to South Bay Lady Anglers, here in the Mainland. We'll be having a meeting soon. I plan on showing them the pictures and give them the information they asked for. There's nothing like fishing the islands. In fact, we enjoyed the Magic so much that I will recommend them.

We had a great trip... Both the Capt. and Mate were outstanding, and did all they could to make our trip one of our best...Service and friendliness 5, Condition of boat 4, Condition of gear 4, Fishing effort 5, Overall rating of Boat 5, Referral service 4.

Fish again Hawaii Absolutely, next trip out, the most beautiful place to fish on Earth...Where else can you fish Big game 2 miles from the beach... Absolutely would use your service, it was super... I would recommend to anybody for a professional and fun trip... We were on the Aug 2 trip...Maka Hou... Please forward my Thanks to the Capt and Mate..PS.. The Ono was delicious... We caught two big ones...Best regards...Bill

Thanks again for working me into the busy shedule and accomadate my needs. It was very much apreciated. The fishing itself didn't work as well as we hoped but still had a great time in the pursuit of it. Just part of fishing, you win some and you loose some. Enjoyed the boat ride inspight no fish. Every opportunity was given too us to catch a fish, the only problem was the fish had other intentions that day and decided to visit some friends or something.

Fishing hawaii or >fishing in general is an excellent experience. Work hard and play hard is a good mado to live by and I plan on playing again around christmas time over there, will keep you on the top of my list when I return.

Thanks and enjoyed seeing a followup and happy to see excellent customer relations great business!

While the trip did not produce the marlin I was looking to catch, it was enjoyable to take four teenage boys (my son and three friends) out for a taste of salt water fishing. Each landed a mahi mahi, which was the biggest fish they had caught in their lives. As the commercial notes, sometimes these things are priceless.

Overall I would rate this trip a 5. Service and friendliness 5. Condition of Boat 5. Condition of Gear 5. Russell and Eric worked very hard to find fish 5. Sportfish Hawaii referral service 5.   I would fish in Hawaii again because the fishing was great I'd use Sportfish Hawaii again because you e-mailed me back very quickly Yes I would the boat was great and the service was also excellent.

That's the best word I can find to express our fishing trip with Russell & Eric on The Magic in Aug.  I never knew fishing was so much work!!  Of course, I didn't do any work, but they did!!  I spent my trip laying down trying to be REALLY STILL!!  Everyone else had a magnificent time though and my husband was thrilled.  Poor men were working their asses off and being tortured by my mother-in-law the whole time!!  They handled it very well.  Let them know she still wants to marry either of them!! LOL!!  (which by the way means laugh-out-loud!!)  They caught 9 tuna that day, roughly 800 lbs.  Talk about bragging, between Scott and his mom, I don't know how much more I can take!!  Anyway, I just wanted to let you know what a great job they did and how happy we were.  We are planning another trip for next year and I will contact you again when we have a more definite date and I will have enough sense to take some Dramamine, so I can actually see the water this time!!  We have been looking at the website photo index for our picture and Scott wants to know if it's possible to put it on there.  It would be really cool for him and his mom if they could give all their friends the website address and have them see all those fish!!  thank you again so much!!!

For your comments page, I'd like to say sometime to the people who are reading this and are not sure whether to charter a boat and fish - DO IT !, you never know when you'll have the opportunity again. Mike and Kathy made sure that everything was organised perfectly for me before I arrived - not even the slightest glitch with the organisation or anything else. Do your research, find a boat / skipper you like the sound of and you'll have one of the most memorable days of your life; I did !

Mike....I had 2 wonderful trips on Wild bunch who I would recommend to any serious Marlin chaser (I had 2 Marlin strikes ....one did not hook up and second (est at 650#) lost after 10 mins when line broke...took the 80# gear and nearly spooled us!) Skipper Timmy and crew John and Darrel were the best!!