This was the worst fishing charter I've ever been on. I feel for the people whom this was their first experience with deep sea fishing. I've been on several fishing charters from Florida to Mexico and it was obvious to me that there wasn't any real plans to catch fish aboard the Hinatea. This was a scam. Trolling five lines with artificial bait randomly for 6 hours is not fishing. There was no attempt to catch live bait off shore, and the route taken by the boat to move toward shore at noon, was an obvious giveaway to me that they aren't experienced in catching fish and this was a boat ride. The other boats from harbor took different routes and we were the only boat in our area. The captain, deckhand and boat did not appear to be equipped to do anything with fish if they ever got one on the boat. The deck was dry , no signs of previous catch nor did they have tools to clean. They were on top deck for 4 straight hours doing nothing. They did not speak to us on bottom deck during this entire time. It was also very apparent that the deck hand, Andy, has had a significant drug problem. I work in healthcare and the signs were obvious. I should've known when the captain is saying he is the one saying he wants to catch fish more than the passengers paying for the day. I do not appreciate someone calling it fishing and not catching. And I don't need somebody to tell me how we need to generate 'positive vibes' to catch a fish. All of these things present an obvious lack of knowledge and skill level capable of finding and catching fish. read more

They wrote the review, I'm merely typing it in... After receiving a confirmation for our private charter deep sea fishing trip over two months ago, and receiving a confirmation text yesterday from the captain... we were surprised that we were denied boarding when we arrived at the slip this morning at 4:15 a.m. Capt Chris of the Hinatea informed us that we booked through FishMaui and that the booking error was on their end. Lili from FishMaui returned my call and told me another party had a booking placed in February which never made it on the calendar, thus allowing for a double book. Nothing either company could do for our disappointment after dashing our bucket list outing against the rocks. First world problems... read more

Fish Maui - What started as fun banter, quickly became a lesson in disappointment - Fishing Near Me - Lahaina, Hawaii

Lili set us up with Strike Zone and they were awesome! Did some bottom fishing where most if not everyone caught something. The captain and two crew were knowledgeable and friendly and were great at answering questions and joking around with us. My son had his number picked when the trolling line hooked onto a 6ft shark!! They let him reel it in for 13 minutes to the boat and definitely let him do a good chunk of the work until he was exhausted and helped a bit more but still let him reel. It was his highlight of the whole trip! Good bunch of local guys on this one! They definitely deserve the support and business! TIP these fellas well! read more

Booked a fishing trip for my wife and I on the Marjorie Ann through Fish Maui. Lili was excellent and gave us options and recommendations for booking our day. Then took care of booking our fishing expedition. Thank you Lili! Perfect! My wife and I spent the morning on the Marjorie Ann fishing off the coast of Maui. What a great day. Alex and Steve were excellent and took care of everything. They were attentive and worked hard to ensure we all caught fish and were having a great time. I highly recommend this charter for a great day of fishing! We caught Blue Line Snapper, Goatfish, Soldierfish, and even a rare Ironjaw. Everyone went home with fish! Book it through Fish Maui and have a great time!!! read more

Fish Maui - Fishing Near Me - Lahaina, Hawaii

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I don't normally give reviews. But I was soooo disappointed in our fishing trip in Maui. We were on the Die Hard and I booked a 6 hour trip in hopes that we would for sure get to try the rod. Be aware that 6 hour trip means maybe an hour of fishing. The rest is a boat ride. I watched my clock. We fished maybe an hour total with bait. There were 6 of us on the boat and we got numbers. Husband and I were 5 and 6. Never touched a rod. So it was truely a 500 dollar boat ride. Had they done a bit more bait fishing we could have had a turn. But 4 fish and we left, trolling back (which I felt was a joke cause the mate went up top with the captain and would have had to scramble if we got a bite). All in all I will never book a fishing charter again. When we told the captain we were dissappointed to not even touch a rod he stated. Book an 8 hour trip next time. ???? Never again read more

booking with Lili was a breeze and i had the most unbelievable time on the piper for my birthday. We booked back to back charters and was very stoked we did. We had perfect weather on both days on this beautiful boat with ac and sonar that just cuts through the waves and Capt Jeff and Marlin are some true waterman that fish hard. We hooked a Mahi and me and my friends got to fight a couple marlins. Even pulled one up on the side of the boat before releasing. Never hooked a fish before i stepped on the piper. Now i'm the one thats hooked!! great experience cant wait to do it again. read more

We booked in advance but no one else signed up for that day. We got moved to a longer trip and it worked with our schedule which was wonderful! It was our first deep sea fishing adventure and we had a nice time! We didn't catch anything but that's how fishing goes. I will say that 8 hours is a LONG time to be on a boat without catching fish- bring a book just in case! It was nice being on the water and the crew worked hard to find us fish! However, the crew pretty much left us to ourselves- keep that in mind if you need entertainment. We did see a whale shark which was incredible! We would love to go again and try our luck again! read more

Fish Maui got me connected with Hinatea because they knew Chris was my best chance at getting me on a Marlin! I couldn't have done it without them. They were professional, punctual, and helpful! Highly recommend! read more

Fish Maui - Marlin - Fishing Near Me - Lahaina, Hawaii

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Lili at Fish Maui was a pleasure to work with! Our group had an amazing experience and look forward to coming back and doing it again.

Luckey Strike is fantastic! We booked a 4 hour tour (four of us in our party) and we had the boat to ourselves. Tad was our captain and has been fishing and diving around Maui for 30 years. He is very knowledgeable and knew the best spots to find the fish. Brian was the deckhand who helped us cast and hook our fish throughout the day. I will say that if you are looking to do all the baiting, casting, and hooking the fish then this is not the tour for you. Brian takes care of all that and you do the reeling. This was fine by us as for most of the fish we caught they almost got away except for Brian's skill and experience to entice them to retake the bait! It was a real rush and we enjoyed the battle of reeling 6 nice big fish in throughout the day. Luckey Strike is the only charter on Maui that prefers to catch their own live bait prior to going after the big fish. They took us to catch some Mackerel which can be hit or miss but they don't waste too much time if they aren't biting. Lucky for us they were biting and we pulled in about 30 mackerel in 20 minutes. A very fun way to start the day - especially since the two women in our party did not want to fish much but this was simple and easy and they got to cast out and reel in some fish. After that, Tad brought us to one of his favorite spots. They cast out a deep rigger to troll the bottom around 275 feet on light tackle and two more surface rods, heavier tackle. Within 5 minutes of casting out we had hooked a big Mahi. They sit you in the chair and set you up with the rod and you fight him all the way in. There is nothing cooler than seeing a fish jumping out of the water as you fight to reel it in! All in all we ended up catching 3 mahi (15,12,10 lbs), an Amberjack (18 lbs), a big snapper (20 lbs), and a 35 pound Giant Trevally! We know we were super lucky but we also know we had an awesome captain and deckhand. They really knew what they were doing and where to go. Brian was super helpful, taught us about the tackle, the fish, and more. It was a great experience all the way around and we would recommend them to anyone! read more

Had my day with Cooper V today as recommended and booked thru Fishmaui.com. Very disappointed with recommendation. The guide and crew showed up last to the ramp, the equipment was not the best. The bait was 2 little plastic containers of cut squid, fishing with little size #1 hooks, along with 2 dead mackeral baits. This was after being told by Lil at FishMaui.com before I booked that this guide using live bait caught that morning. Squid is the cheapest, easily obtained bait available and good only for catching small fish. After 5 hours of going back and froth across between the islands, we caught 1 fish, on the mackeral. Not a fish on with the primary bait, squid, and never even a bite. Not one bite after 5 hours of fishing in Hawaii. After going to two spots and no bites, the captain of the boat asks the 1st mate if he has any other ideas where to fish. Pretty sorry. Overall an amateur guide service. Leave with the feeling I got ripped off for $200. read more

Big Mahalo to lili !!! Our fishing excursion booked thru her with UFO Adventures was excellent. A big ty to Captain Mark and Johnny as well. We'll be baaak read more

Fish Maui - Too much fun - Fishing Near Me - Lahaina, Hawaii

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Lili at FishMaui.com is Awesome! My family started planning our trip to Maui months in advance when we decided we had to go fishing while we were there. My family had never deep sea fished before let alone charter a boat. The website was very helpful in educating us about the options available. Once we had narrowed our options to a couple of boats I called Lili. She was extremely knowledgeable, helpful and kind over the phone. By the end of our conversation our minds were made up and we booked the Reel Luckey. And what a great choice it was! Captain Tad and Deckhand Garret were awesome! Both were welcoming, fun and willing to guide and educate us. We had a blast! We caught a wonderful mixed bag of fish and got to fight some big fish that, luck unfortunately, wouldn't let us boat. But what an amazing experience!! Thank you Lili, Tad and Garret!!! Mahalo!! read more

Fish Maui - Fishing Near Me - Lahaina, Hawaii

Extremely disappointed... A couple of months prior to our trip, and after a lot of research I decided to utilize Lili C for booking our shared fishing charter for my wife and my honeymoon. My first phone call with Lili went really well, and I thought I was on a good track. I fully understood that we were seeking a shared charter during a busy time period. Therefore, I was flexible when I gave our dates and preferred boats, and understood a private charter could bump us if nobody else joined the shared charter. We were initially reserved on a shared charter on the Hinatea for a different day than our request. I gave my payment details and received confirmation email from Lili. A couple of weeks before our trip I received a call from Lili that the Hinatea had booked a private charter and we'd be bumped, but if we could go back to our original requested day we would be CONFIRMED for a shared charter on the Finest Kind as they already had 3 other people requesting a shared charter. Lili reiterated that we would be CONFIRMED not subject to being bumped by a private charter so I thought we were all set. Then during our wedding rehearsal the day before our wedding, 3-days prior to when we were supposed to be going fishing, I received a voicemail from Lili cancelling our trip. Once rehearsal was over I called her back, and she stated that if I had read my email I would see that our reservation was cancelled as a private charter was booked over us. I asked how that was possible as we switched to Finest Kind in order to be CONFIRMED and if we had a differing definition of the word confirmed. Lili stated that there was nothing she could do and if we were ever back on Maui to try again. As you can imagine this left us in a pretty difficult spot. Thankfully once we were on Maui we were able to find a charter through a different booking outfit. While not a full 8-hours we had fun and enjoyed ourselves. However, after the experience and the timing of the communication, you can imagine this wasn't the best of experiences. As well, I have begun to think it may not be coincidental that after my initial booking of our reservation over the phone and provision of payment details, I got a phone call from my credit card company fraud alerting me that my card number was compromised and transactions attempted in multiple states. Give this outfit a shot if you want something fishy, but I wouldn't recommend it if you want to go fishing! read more

Cooper V, talk about a bait and switch, advertises at West Maui Sports & Fishing Supply - $500 for a 3 hr. mid day but actually charges $800? The only fish they are looking to hook is you! read more

We had the time of our lives on the Hinatea! Lili did a great job of booking our charter, and Capt. Kenny and Jason were the nicest tour guides ever, and very helpful in getting us to the best fishing spots. Our son landed a 40-lb. wahoo and our daughter caught a beautiful (and delicious!) 15-lb. snapper. The kids had a great time and those will be the best memories they'll have for a long time. Would definitely use Fish Maui again for our next fishing charter! :) read more

Lili helped us find the perfect Charter! We have been out on many fishing charters in Maui, Kona, Mexico, San Diego and Washington and this one was as good as it gets! After a few e-mails and phone calls to figure out what we were looking for she set us up with Greg and Kenny on the Hinatea. The crew and the boat were perfect. Even if we had not caught fish on our day out it would have been a great trip - but we managed to pull in plenty. I will not hesitate to use Lili the next time we return to Maui. read more

The Best!-------Book now, you won't regret it! Lili helped every step of the way. Be sure to let them know well in advance of your arrival, and be sure to tell them your experience level. It makes all the difference. I have been out with them several times, this last trip with the "Action" crew, we caught over 20 fish! Mahalo Fish Maui! read more

The worst charter fishing experience I have ever had. Terrible customer service, lousy communications, and unfriendly people. Captain was nasty, inappropriate and rude. Boat was dirty and dilapidated. Avoid Fish Maui! read more

Lili at Fishmaui.com did a terrific job of helping us. We wanted a trip for our 5-year old twin grandchildren, a boy and a girl. We called her at the last minute during the busiest season (Dec 23) and she found us a perfect trip. Her first suggestion was a four hour trip but then she did some research and found a 2.5 hour trip that was half the price and fit our schedules even better. The kids had a great time. We will use her services every time we visit Maui and we recommend her most highly. read more

Lili has been absolutely amazing with setting up our charter for our upcoming trip to Maui. She was very prompt with her initial reply, very warming and very knowledgeable about the charter. I have done a bunch of outside research on which boat and trip I should take to have the best time and she totally confirmed what I should expect without first hand knowledge of my research. I am HIGHLY impressed with Fishmaui.com. A++++ customer service to Lili. I can't wait to go on our trip!!! Thanks Lili!!! read more

Even as last minute planners, Lil was able to set is up with the best fishing tour for our needs. Fishing with our nine year old was truly the highlight of this whole trip thanks to Tad and Garrett on the Reel Luckey. This has been the best fishing experience we've had thus far. Thank you Lil for working us into the schedule so last minute. read more

We went on the Rascal with Captain Kamal and first man Andy. These guys are a class act team. They worked the boat very well and were extremely attentive to the needs of the crew. It's not easy being on the ocean for six hours when its rocking pretty good. Having really experienced people like this makes all the difference. They have not only the knowledge and skills, but the personalities. These are good guys who love fishing and the challenges of the ocean. We also were given excellent instruction about what to expect--and right at the end of the instruction, just minutes before it was to end there in the early first hour of the morning--the first pole screamed and it was fish on! Then, it was first giant Ono in the boat! A few hours later my son and I landed another Ono. So two families out there both got fish. Captain Kamal also brought my son and I up top to see the Dolphins and also gave us really good Marlin Jerky. It was a great trip. Fish or no fish. These are people that love to fish and that is who you want to go with. If you're not really used to the ocean, make the right moves before heading out into a six hour rock and roll experience that can make you seasick. For me, I've been seasick one too many times so figuring out how to feel good on the water has come to this: Take Bonine the night before and then again that morning. Most important thing is to get a good night's rest. Then, just snack on Saltine Crackers all day and Ginger Ale. Breakfast isn't a great idea in my opinion. Also, those wrist bands with the pressure points, all of these things really give you some extra ability to hang tough and feel okay out there on rougher days. These preparations, and above all, and attitude that you are going to feel good or at least decent, and you likely will. Finally, try that cool towel around your neck out there. Good sunglasses. You can still rest and even sleep and then be alerted when its time to jump in the chair and fight the good fight. It may come that day. It may not come. It may come several times that day or many. Such is fishing. Keep trying and you will have your day! The mermaids in the ocean are always watching and will reward the persistent angler...! read more

I would say that I did not have a good experience with fish Maui. There customer service was just absolutely appalling. I don't know if it was just the guide or the whole company. As we arrived the captain started a argument right off the bat because we were 5 minutes late, and we were "backing up" there appointments. It's not and understatement only 5 minutes at the most. Also we were not aware that we needed to bring out own food. My family and I have been on over 5 fishing trips and we were always supplied at least water. The guide told us he had no food or water at all, zero. As my dad started to get involved he said "yes we have food" that we paid for with our money. Well we are paying lots of money for this trip and could you at least provide water. And of course we wold leave a tip which would cover all the food and beverages. So we ended up not going a big waste of time!!!!! Not to mention Lili the woman who apparently runs everything wanted us to pay for a trip we didn't even go on!! When we refused she said your on the black list and slammed the phone on us. Stay away from Fish Maui!!!!!!! read more