Hinatea Sportfishing - Lahaina, Maui

Skippers: Doug, Mark and Kevin (it’s all a first name basis around this group)
Boat: Hatteras 41'
Power: Cummins C-Series Diesels, 300 HP each
Top Speed: 23 knots
Cruising Speed: 18 knots

Largest fish to Date: 675 pounds is the largest fish on board.   In 1999 the largest was 655 pounds.  In 1998, 615 pounds.  They’ve had some heartbreakers, too.  In 1988, a fish broke off after a 15 hour fight, and another was lost after 5 ½ hours.  Hinatea has also brought in some excellent Ahi catches at 195 pounds tops, and captain Mark did catch a 215 pounder while skippering another vessel. 

Amenities: Tuna tower, spacious open salon, galley with fridge, comfortable restroom facilities, wide open clean cockpit with fighting chair.  Also have GPS, depth, and Stereo. 

This well-maintained Hatteras is open and spacious, and one of the classic strike boats.  Her tuna tower complements classic lines, and the clean wake invites fish into the lure pattern as well as any vessel operating on the water today.

Fishing Gear: Full complement of Penn International 50 and 80 class reels, Rupp Riggers, transom door, Murray Bros. fighting chair.  Tackle and leader rigs all neatly organized below.  The Hinatea is laid out to fish.

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The Bridge
Experience, Style and Substance.  Hinatea has been operating from Lahaina harbor since the early 1980’s.   The boat remains busy year ‘round, running well over 300 trips a year, and the crew feels is such a well defined team that they have developed a rotation to allow each skipper and deckhand plenty of time off.  This rotational system keeps everyone enthusiastic at sea, and they clearly love their work.  It has also allowed them the opportunity to run the boat almost continuously, and earn the favor of most of the higher end hotels in Maui.  Knowing that complaints usually lead to removal of “in favor” lists at upper level hotels, the Hinatea is well represented and recommended by the concierges and activity desks

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The Fishing Deck and Penn International's

 Love the Job and the fish will follow.  Mark has fished out of Lahaina since 1985, Doug for a little longer, Kevin a bit less.  At first when they committed to this style of life, they often wondered if it would ever not be fun and start to feel too much like a job.  But their principle mode of operation has been all along “don’t wait for the fish to start biting before you have fun,” and this is why people get off the boat feeling like they received good value.  They love to be out there and it clearly shows.  From the beautiful views of Maui to the majestic scenery of the North shore of Molokai and the “back side” of Lanai, these fun-loving skippers enjoy being tour guides as much as fishermen.

But don’t let that fool you.   The other motto on Hinatea is “no boat rides here, we go to catch fish!”  Hinatea is distinguished for consistent catching and tag and release, and they hold the State record for the most tagged and released billfish with 101, set in 1995.  They are proud to have tagged and released more marlin than any charter boat on Maui in the 90's and continue to set an example for conservation.  

Hinatea also offers 2-hour specialty private charter cruises for whale watching, sunset cruises, cocktail cruises, and other special occasions upon request.

Consistency leads to repeat business.  Doug, Mark and Kevin are proud of their high repeat business, and they feel a lot of this is attributed to the crew's longevity in working together.   Doug has skippered the boat since 1980, Mark has been a co-skipper since 1992, and Kevin, who also recently obtained his captain’s license, has been with the team since 1994.  Though many boats will have skippers for a long time, finding a boat with this type of consistency among their crew is tough to do

Sportfish Hawaii is honored to represent Hinatea Sportfishing in our fleet of high class charter boats.  Please call 1-877-388-1376 or email to book your trip today…..otherwise they might be sold out!

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The Spacious Salon

 
Photos courtesy of Mark from Langley, BC Canada who fished with the Hinatea
  
From Tom who chartered Hinatea,

"Just wanted to drop a line saying how much Mary and I enjoyed our day on the Hinatea with captain Doug and Kai as crew on April 16.   We missed what was undoubtable an ahi that managed to stip line out for 4-5 minutes before shaking the hook. It seemed like ideal conditions, thousands of porpoise feeding at the surface with lots of birds looking for baitfish. That is what makes it fishing. Doug and Kai put us on the mahimahi shortly afterwards. Just amazing to see a school of iridescant blue darting throuhg the water. Catching a 49 in, 24 lb female mahimahi near FAD "MC" was a treat that I will always remember. That may not seem like much to those used to fishing Hawaii, but I am used to freshwater. There is no freshwater fish that even comes close to the experience.

When I checked the charts to see how far out the guys had taken us, I realized that they actually followed their motto of avoiding boat rides. The extra effort and time to put us on the fish was greatly appreciated. If you only have one day, these are the folks to go out with.

They also did a terrific job of showing us the ropes of saltwater fishing. It was obvious that Doug and Kai not only enjoyed fishing but also enjoyed teaching other fisherman their skills. Their efforts to point out the sealife also made the trip extra enjoyable. Gray whales, pilot whales, porpoise, flying fish, a manta ray, and the lifetime thrill of having a tweny foot whale shark bask at boatside for fifteen minutes are just not the kind of things folks from the Midwest get to see. All in all, one memorable day. I have your website bookmarked and the business card for the Hinatea is in my rolodex."