Best time to fish in Kawaihae
Today, Wednesday, October 28, 2026 · local time (HST) · Hawaii, United States Today, Wed, Oct 28 · HST- High tides
- 5:37 am and 5:19 pm
- Major periods
- 1:12–3:12 am and 1:44–3:44 pm
- Solunar activity
- Medium
- Sun
- 6:23 am–5:51 pm
Today, Wednesday, October 28, the best time to fish in Kawaihae is 6:00 am to 6:40 am, with the 5:37 am high tide, sunrise and some swell. It's a good day (7/10). Today is the best day this week.
Your day in Kawaihae at a glance
The strip runs from midnight to midnight, local time. Night in gray, daylight in yellow; the blue curve is the tide; below, the solunar periods and the best windows.
Fishing forecast for the next 7 days
| Day | Rating | Best times | High tides | Moon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Today | 7good day | 6:00–6:40 am5:20–6:10 pm | ▲ 5:37 am ▲ 5:19 pm | Waning gibbous |
| Thu 29 | 7good day | 6:00–6:50 am5:20–6:10 pm | ▲ 6:27 am ▲ 6:11 pm | Waning gibbous |
| Fri 30 | 5average day | 6:20–8:20 am2:50–5:50 pm | ▲ 7:24 am ▲ 7:24 pm | Waning gibbous |
| Sat 31 | 6average day | 4:50–6:10 pm4:20–6:50 am | ▲ 8:30 am ▲ 9:17 pm | Waning gibbous |
| Sun 1 | 5average day | 6:00–7:00 am5:20–6:30 pm | ▲ 9:39 am ▲ 11:03 pm | Last quarter |
| Mon 2 | 6average day | 6:10–7:00 am5:20–6:10 pm | ▲ 10:45 am | Waning crescent |
| Tue 3 | 3fair day | 10:40 am–12:40 pm12:30–1:10 am | ▲ 12:14 am ▲ 11:44 am | Waning crescent |
Each day's rating comes from the tide, the solunar periods, the light and, when we have the forecast, the weather.
What can you catch in Kawaihae?
Sport fishing species with the most records within about 19 mi of Kawaihae: bluefin trevally, great barracuda, striped mullet and greater amberjack. October is one of the months when these are seen most: bluefin trevally.
- Bluefin trevally Caranx melampygus · fish · 43 records Photo: Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- JanJ
- FebF
- MarM
- AprA
- MayM
- JunJ
- JulJ
- AugA
- SepS
- OctO
- NovN
- DecD
- Great barracuda Sphyraena barracuda · fish · 6 records Photo: Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Too few sightings to tell the months
- Striped mullet Mugil cephalus · fish · 5 records Photo: Roberto Pillon · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Too few sightings to tell the months
- Greater amberjack Seriola dumerili · fish · 3 records Photo: NOAA Photo Library · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Too few sightings to tell the months
These are sightings and catches recorded since 1970 (reports from divers and anglers, scientific surveys and museum collections), not a promise that you will catch them. The months come from sightings only, adjusted for how many there are each month; hatched months have too few to tell.
Source: GBIF.org, which also gathers OBIS data. Only records licensed CC0 or CC BY 4.0, from 1,130 datasets (retrieved October 24, 2026). Where the data comes from
Photos: each species' image on Wikidata (Wikimedia Commons) or, if there isn't one, one from GBIF; only licences that allow this use, each with its author and licence.
What anglers catch most in Hawaii
Recreational saltwater catch across the whole state in September and October (2021–2025 average), from NOAA's recreational fishing survey (MRIP). It counts fish kept and fish released; bait fish are left out.
From shore
Beaches, piers, jetties and rocks
- Bigeye scad (akule) 920,000
- Yellowstripe goatfish (weke) 160,000 *
- Bluefin trevally 59,000 65% released
- Convict tang (manini) 53,000 * 10% released
- Blackspot sergeant (kūpīpī) 28,000 * 35% released
Private or rental boat
Private boats and rentals without a captain
- Mackerel scad (ʻōpelu) 100,000 *
- Skipjack tuna 52,000
- Yellowfin tuna 32,000
- Mahi-mahi 17,000
- Bluestripe snapper (taʻape) 14,000
Charter or party boat
Charters and party (head) boats
No reliable data for this mode in these months.
Fish a year · * Less precise figure: use with caution
All year: the top three every two months
| Months | Species |
|---|---|
| Jan–Feb | Bigeye scad (akule), Bluefin trevally, Hawaiian flagtail (āholehole) |
| Mar–Apr | Bigeye scad (akule), Convict tang (manini), Blackspot sergeant (kūpīpī) |
| May–Jun | Bigeye scad (akule), Convict tang (manini), Bluefin trevally |
| Jul–Aug | Bigeye scad (akule), Yellowstripe goatfish (weke), Hawaiian flagtail (āholehole) |
| Sep–Oct | Bigeye scad (akule), Yellowstripe goatfish (weke), Bluefin trevally |
| Nov–Dec | Bigeye scad (akule), Bluefin trevally, Mackerel scad (ʻōpelu) |
| Months | Species |
|---|---|
| Jan–Feb | Mackerel scad (ʻōpelu), Bigeye scad (akule), Skipjack tuna |
| Mar–Apr | Mackerel scad (ʻōpelu), Skipjack tuna, Yellowfin tuna |
| May–Jun | Skipjack tuna, Yellowfin tuna, Mackerel scad (ʻōpelu) |
| Jul–Aug | Mackerel scad (ʻōpelu), Skipjack tuna, Bigeye scad (akule) |
| Sep–Oct | Mackerel scad (ʻōpelu), Skipjack tuna, Yellowfin tuna |
| Nov–Dec | Mackerel scad (ʻōpelu), Skipjack tuna, Peacock razorfish |
| Months | Species |
|---|---|
| Jan–Feb | No data |
| Mar–Apr | No data |
| May–Jun | No data |
| Jul–Aug | No data |
| Sep–Oct | No data |
| Nov–Dec | No data |
These are estimates from a survey of anglers, not a count, and they cover the whole state, not this exact spot. Each figure is the average for one year in those two months, rounded. Only species with a relative standard error of up to 50% are shown, NOAA's standard; those marked * are between 30% and 50%, and NOAA advises using them with caution.
Source: NOAA Fisheries, Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP), wave-level catch estimates for 2021–2025. Courtesy: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Where the data comes from
Piers, ramps and tackle shops nearby
Map: OpenFreeMap · © OpenMapTiles · © OpenStreetMap contributors
- Jetty 0.3 mi
- Jetty 0.7 mi
- Kawaihae Boat Launch 0.2 mi
- Boat ramp 0.7 mi
- Puako Boat Launch 4.4 mi
- Boat ramp 7.1 mi
- Marina 0.2 mi
- Marina 0.7 mi
- Kawaihae Harbor 0.2 mi
Within 9.3 mi. A spot may be missing or closed. Open the map on OpenStreetMap · Missing one? Add it to OpenStreetMap
Spots: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Overture Maps.
How we work out the best time
We score every moment of the day, every 10 minutes, with simple rules anglers have used for decades:
- Tide: 2 to 3.5 points in the hour before and the hour after each high and low tide. Spring tides (high coefficient) score more, because the water moves faster.
- Solunar: 2.5 points in the major periods (moon overhead or underfoot) and 1.5 in the minor ones (moonrise and moonset).
- Light: 2 points at dawn and dusk, from first light to the end of the morning golden hour and from the evening golden hour to the end of twilight.
- Weather: falling pressure adds 1 point and rising pressure takes 1 away; wind takes points away from force 4 (about 12 mph), up to 5 points in a gale; waves of 1.6 ft to 4.9 ft add half a point (they stir up the water) and from 8.2 ft they take points away (up to 4).
- Best windows: the stretches of 40 minutes to 3 hours with the most points, at least an hour apart.
- Day's rating out of 10: the best window (up to 5), the moon (up to 2, near new or full moon), the tide coefficient (up to 2) and whether a solunar period lines up with sunrise or sunset (1). Without a tide, we score out of 8 and scale it to 10. Good weather adds up to 1 point and bad weather pulls it down.
Today: best window 3.7 of 5, moon 1 of 2, coefficient 1.5 of 2 and lineup 0 of 1; the weather adds 0.5.
It's a guide, not a guarantee: fish don't read tide tables. Always check the sea conditions and local fishing rules before you go.
Learn more
Fishing rules in Kawaihae
Licenses, size limits, bag limits and closed seasons are set by the authorities and change often. We don't copy them here: check the official website before you go.
Questions about fishing in Kawaihae
What's the best time to fish in Kawaihae today?
6:00 am to 6:40 am, with the 5:37 am high tide, sunrise and some swell. Also 5:20 pm to 6:10 pm and 11:50 am to 1:50 pm. Today's rating: 7/10 (good day).
What about tomorrow? When's the best time to fish in Kawaihae?
Tomorrow, Thursday, October 29: 6:00 am to 6:50 am, with a rating of 7/10.
Which day this week is best for fishing in Kawaihae?
Wednesday, October 28, at 7/10. Its best window is 6:00 am to 6:40 am.
What can you catch in Kawaihae?
Sport fishing species with the most records within about 19 mi of Kawaihae: bluefin trevally, great barracuda, striped mullet and greater amberjack. October is one of the months when these are seen most: bluefin trevally. These are sightings and catches recorded in GBIF and OBIS, not a promise that you will catch them.
When are the solunar periods in Kawaihae today?
Major: 1:12–3:12 am and 1:44–3:44 pm. Minor: 8:42–9:42 am and 7:45–8:45 pm. Solunar activity today: medium.
Does the tide affect fishing in Kawaihae?
Yes. Today high tide is at 5:37 am and 5:19 pm and low tide at 12:47 pm and 10:54 pm, with a tide coefficient of 87 (average tides). The hours around each tide change tend to fish best, because moving water carries food.
How is the rating worked out?
From the tide, the solunar periods, the light at dawn and dusk, the moon phase and, when we have the forecast, the pressure, the wind and the waves. Each factor gives a fixed number of points and the rating sums them up out of 10.
Does it take the weather into account?
Yes. During today's best window: steady pressure (29.91 inHg), almost no wind and some swell (2.8 ft waves) to stir the water. Strong wind and big waves lower the rating; falling pressure raises it a little.
What are the fishing rules in Kawaihae?
Recreational fishing rules in Kawaihae (licenses, size limits, bag limits and closed seasons) are set by the authorities: Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources - Division of Aquatic Resources; offshore, NOAA Fisheries. They change often: check the official website before you go.
More about Kawaihae today
Our own calculation: tide from Kawaihae (NOAA), sun and moon with astronomy-engine and, when available, weather and sea from Open-Meteo (ECMWF, NOAA GFS and Copernicus Marine, CC BY 4.0). Slackwater database (https://github.com/openwatersio/slackwater-database)