Maggie Joe Sport Fishing is the institution of Honolulu deep sea fishing. The operation traces back to 1950, bills itself as the oldest and most experienced charter business in the harbor, and runs the widest range of trips on the island from a three boat fleet at Kewalo Basin. It is the safe, established choice, the one with the deepest bench and the most options, from a cheap shared seat to a private full day to a night shark run that almost no one else offers.
The verdict and where it ranks
At 7.5 Maggie Joe is a strong choice and the fifth-ranked operator on the Oahu ranking. Trips and access and boat and equipment are its strengths: three capable boats, private and shared, plus the night shark charter, so there is almost always a way to get you out. What holds it back is a bimodal record. The good days draw genuine praise, but the sharpest complaints, slow trips at a full private price and surprise at the fish-keeping policy, recur often enough to weigh. Book it for the range and the pedigree, and go in with realistic expectations on a slow day.
The fleet
The fleet is three boats. The Maggie Joe is a 53 foot custom sportfisher restored in 2017, the flagship and the biggest deck. The Sea Hawk is a 41 foot Tollycraft under Captain Darryl, and the Ku’uipo is a 38 foot Phoenix under Captain Kevin, the smallest and cheapest way onto the water with the fleet. All are Coast Guard inspected and air conditioned, and the variety is the point: a different boat and price for a different group. The company now also trades as Imua Sport Fishing Inc., but it is the same long-running Maggie Joe operation.
The fishing and what you target
The boats troll the deep water off Honolulu for Pacific blue and striped marlin, mahi mahi, ahi (yellowfin tuna), ono (wahoo), and shortbill spearfish in the winter, with live bait caught during the trip when the bite calls for it. The Maggie Joe holds a Kewalo record catch in its history, a Pacific blue marlin well over 1,000 pounds, and the operation has the longest track record on the island for putting people on billfish. The night shark charter is a genuine point of difference, a trip few other Oahu boats run.
Trips and prices
The fleet covers a wide price range. Private trips are booked by the boat, from about $970 for a half day on the Ku’uipo to $1,695 for a full day on the Maggie Joe. Shared seats are sold per person or per pair, from about $650 per two on the Ku’uipo to $860 per person on the Sea Hawk, which is the affordable route. Rods, reels, lures, and the mate are included, and no license is needed on the charter. Gratuity of 10 to 20 percent is customary and added automatically for larger groups. The cost guide and the party boat versus private charter guide help you weigh a private boat against a shared seat.
The crew
The captains and mates draw good marks for hard work and knowledge on the good days, and the long family pedigree is real. The weakness sits in the spread of the reviews: alongside the strong write-ups are sharp ones, mostly tied to a slow or no-catch day on a full-price private trip, and to visitors surprised that the boat keeps the bigger fish. None of that is unique to Maggie Joe, but the volume of it, across a long history and three boats, is why captain and crew and track record sit where they do.
Booking and what to know
Book through the operator’s site or FishingBooker, and pick the boat to your budget and group, the Maggie Joe for room, the Ku’uipo for value. Read the fish policy first: you take home up to 50 pounds of cut fish under 100 pounds, and the big fish stay aboard. Bring food and drinks, and plan a 6 a.m. start. If a slow day would sour a big private spend, a shared seat lowers the stakes.
How we scored it
Maggie Joe scores 7.5: the oldest and most experienced operation in Honolulu, three capable boats, the widest trip range on the island including a night shark run, and a clear fish policy. Trips and access and boat and equipment are its strengths. Track record and value are held back by a bimodal record where slow days at full price draw the sharpest complaints. See how we scored this fleet, and compare it with the rest of the Oahu charters.