Maya: Good morning, and welcome to Tides and Fishing: Hawaii, your daily tides and fishing report for the islands. It is Tuesday, October sixth, twenty twenty-six. I am Maya.
Devon: And I am Devon. Coming up today: above-normal tides at two of our four stations, a wide-open yellowfin bite off Kona, a blue marlin released off the Big Island, the best small-boat weather in days with no marine warnings in effect, the biggest south-shore surf of the week, and a completely moonless night sky for the night anglers. Let us get into it.
Maya: Starting with tides for today, Tuesday, from Noah predictions. In Honolulu, on Oahu, a small high of one point one five feet at one seventeen A M, then a low at six thirty A M of zero point three eight feet. The main high comes at one fourteen P M, two point zero nine feet, and the low drops to zero point one four feet at eight oh three P M. Normal range today in Honolulu.
Devon: Kahului, on Maui, is flagged above normal. Low tide at five thirteen A M, zero point three eight feet. The high at twelve fifteen P M hits two point five four feet, above normal. Then a low at six fifty-three P M of zero point five five feet.
Maya: Hilo, on the Big Island, is flagged too. A small high of one point five three feet at twelve thirteen A M, low at five forty-five A M of zero point four zero feet. The big high at twelve thirty-eight P M reaches two point six two feet, above normal, and the low at seven fifteen P M is zero point four one feet.
Devon: And Nawiliwili, on Kauai, stays in the normal range. High of one point zero eight feet at twelve fifty-seven A M, low at six oh five A M of zero point four zero feet. High again at one oh five P M, two point zero three feet, and the low at seven forty-eight P M is zero point three two feet.
Maya: A quick look at tomorrow, Wednesday. Honolulu runs normal, high at one fifty-four P M, one point nine eight feet. Nawiliwili stays normal, high at one forty-two P M, one point nine two feet. But Kahului hits two point five feet at twelve forty-three P M, above normal again, and Hilo reaches two point five eight feet at one twelve P M, above normal again too.
Devon: Now the fishing, and this week it is all about Kona. The yellowfin bite off the Big Island is hot. Night Runner Sport Fishing posted from Kona on October fourth, about seven yellowfin from thirty to eighty pounds laid out on the dock, with the captain saying the tuna are stacked on the ledges and the buoys. Playtime Sportsfishing landed a big yellowfin on October third, and Bob Marlin Charters out of Haleiwa, on Oahu's North Shore, showed a dock full of large yellowfin plus several mahi-mahi on October second.
Maya: Blue marlin are active off Kona too, mostly catch and release. Marlin Magic had one alongside the boat off Kailua-Kona on October third, caught on their Baby Blue lure with a Fudo hook, and Bite Me Sportfishing released a three hundred fifty-pound blue marlin on September thirtieth. Ono are fast and biting, with Kona trips reporting ono within the first twenty minutes of lines in, mahi-mahi are showing, and a few spearfish are around. Striped marlin are starting to arrive as the water cools.
Devon: On bait: live opelu, the mackerel scad, remains the champion — caught on sabiki rigs near the harbor mouth and slow-trolled over the forty to one hundred fathom drop-offs. For the trollers, that pink and yellow lure keeps producing marlin. One honest note: a Kona charter crew just came through seven days sitting out high winds and bad weather, so the boats are freshly back on the water and catching. Maui and Kauai catch reports were thin this week, so lean on the tides and the conditions for those islands.
Maya: Marine weather now, and it is good news. No marine warnings in effect anywhere in Hawaiian waters — no small craft advisory, no high surf warning. Trade winds are easing, generally east-northeast ten to fifteen knots today. Seas mostly four to six feet. The roughest crossings today: the Alenuihaha Channel between Maui and the Big Island, east-northeast fifteen to twenty knots with seas four to six feet, and the Pailolo Channel holding fifteen to twenty knots of wind chop. Time those for the lightest part of the day. The calmest water anywhere: Maalaea Bay at two feet or less, very fishable.
Devon: Wednesday the winds veer out of the south and go light, with showers increasing into the back half of the week, so Tuesday is the pick of the window for small boats. Overall verdict: go, with an eye on the channels.
Maya: Surf today, and the south side owns it. North-facing shores run four to six feet today on the new northwest swell. South-facing shores are five to seven feet this morning, building to six to eight feet this afternoon — the strongest exposure in the islands today. West-facing shores: Kauai and Oahu three to five feet this morning rising to four to six this afternoon, Maui one to three, the Big Island leeward side two to four. East-facing shores three to five this morning, fading to two to four as the trades ease.
Devon: The swell picture: long-period south swell peaks near seasonal average today, then eases through the week. The northwest swell arriving today sticks around all week. And one for the planners: a long-period west swell from Typhoon Choi-wan is forecast to reach the islands Thursday into the weekend, bringing moderate surf to west-facing shores.
Maya: Night sky now, for the anglers staying out late. Tonight is moonless. A thin waning crescent, about sixteen percent lit, sets before sunset, and new moon is October ninth — so the whole night is dark. That is prime time for the night bite, with ahi feeding under the boat lights.
Devon: Above the water, the Great Square of Pegasus rides high in the east — four stars in a huge diamond, your landmark for October evenings. Saturn glows steady and golden high in the southeast, the showpiece of the night. Fomalhaut tracks alone in the south, Cygnus dives down in the northwest, and the Milky Way still spills overhead in the early evening where the sky is dark. Clouds: patchy trade-wind clouds drifting through, with the leeward coasts and offshore waters getting the longest clear stretches. The stars will be out.
Maya: That is the day across the islands. Above-normal tides at Kahului and Hilo, so give the harbor channels and the boat ramps an extra look at midday. Tight lines out there.
Devon: I am Devon. I am Maya. We will see you back here tomorrow morning.