Blue marlin season builds across Hawaiian offshore grounds in June

What's Biting

What's Next

Over the next two to three days, the moon will move into its waxing crescent phase — a period many Hawaiian offshore captains regard as a building window for blue marlin and tuna. In the 48 to 72 hours following a new moon, feeding rhythms among pelagics tend to re-establish under increasing nighttime light, and trolling productivity on the Kona Coast and along the leeward flanks of the main islands often picks up noticeably. The weekend of June 13–15 may offer a favorable combination of new-moon timing and typically calm June trade-wind seas on lee shores.

For blue marlin, trolling large skirted lures and rigged ballyhoo at 7 to 9 knots along depth contours where the bottom drops quickly toward the 100-fathom curve is the standard approach. As summer water temperatures rise and kawakawa and other small tunas concentrate near surface structure, marlin can become more aggressive and willing to commit.

Yellowfin tuna (ahi) are worth targeting early, near floating debris, current edges, and working bird activity. High-speed trolling with cedar plugs can locate fish; once a school is found, switching to jigs or pitch-caught live bait typically draws more sustained action. Schools tend to push shallower and become more accessible in the new-to-crescent window.

Mahi-mahi should be holding near any floating debris or weed lines in the 50- to 300-foot range. Trolling small skirted lures or pitching live bait to sighted fish near floating objects remains the most efficient play. Ono (wahoo) are a bonus worth a dedicated high-speed pass on offshore structure — diving plugs at 12 to 15 knots can trigger explosive strikes from fish that would otherwise ignore slower presentations.

Nearshore, ulua (giant trevally) and papio are likely active around structure during low-light periods. Live bait and crab or shrimp imitations fished near rocky points and channel edges typically produce best on the incoming tide. No specific nearshore intel was received in today's feeds; check with local tackle shops for the latest inshore picture before committing to a spot.

Context

Mid-June falls squarely in the run-up to the prime Hawaiian offshore season. Blue marlin on the Kona Coast historically peak from July through September, with June representing the early-season build — numbers and average fish size both tend to improve through the next six to eight weeks. This timing means the current period is neither early nor late by historical standards; it is on schedule for the seasonal progression anglers and charter captains have come to expect.

No comparative data on how 2026 is tracking versus prior years was available in today's intel feeds. HI Sea Grant content in today's data focuses entirely on Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship reflections and community resilience topics rather than fisheries condition reporting. Hawaii Fishing News, which serves as the state's official sportfish record archive, documents the scale of what Hawaiian waters can produce — state records from the islands are among the most impressive in the Pacific — but the excerpt captured today does not include a season-progress summary.

What historical patterns do confirm: June is a legitimate offshore month across the Hawaiian chain, not a shoulder-season lull. Summer trade winds, when established, create favorable trolling windows along leeward coasts. The ahi fishery is generally more accessible in summer than in winter, when schools push deeper. Mahi-mahi, while more consistently productive in spring, often remain catchable into early summer before tailing off. Ono can appear unpredictably at any point in the warm-water season.

Anglers planning multi-day or tournament-oriented trips should note that Hawaii maintains its own size, bag, and gear regulations for billfish and reef species that can differ by island and fishery type. Verify current state rules before targeting any regulated species. The Hawaii Fishing News state-record archive provides useful historical context on size benchmarks from these waters.