Catching fish in Maui?

I'm headed to Maui with the family in about a month and I'd like to catch and eat some fish. Anyone have experience with this? Last time I was there I randomly met a couple guys kayak fishing on the West coast and they both had nice wahoo and were super friendly but I didn't get their numbers. I'm considering renting a kayak for the week and giving it a go but that would require me bringing a fair amount of fishing gear and I'm a little hesitant. I was also considering trying spear fishing but not sure where I would go. Anyone have any experience fishing Maui or advice they could offer me? I'll be a few days near Kamaole and a few days in Kaanapali.
-Bill

I've done a guided spearfishing trip in Maui and it was a lot of fun. It's a whole different type of hunting out there! A huge variety of species, much less hole hunting and more learning how to not spook the skittish fish as you dive. They have all kinds of cool hunting techniques like the use of flashers or bent spoons to attract fish. I used South Maui Spearfishing and we did a shore dive off a secluded beach.

https://www.southmauispearfishing.com/south-maui-spearfishing-excursions

Thanks that looks great!

I actually just came back from a trip on Maui over Christmas break and tried my luck with this outfit: https://www.bkmaui.com/fishingtours
Originally it was planned to be a private trip where the guide and I would share a hobie tandem kayak but due to weather I had to go with him during another trip with others. He provides everything including gear and we set off early in the morning to catch live bait. We ended up with several live bait and trolled for several hours for Mahi-mahi / Tuna. We didn't get any hits so we switched over to targeting ground fish and one of the other fishermen hooked into something decent but it came off. It was a good experience overall but it would have been better if it was the personalized trip I had originally planned for. The other fisherman were not as experienced with ocean kayak fishing and the guide kept having to unsnag / re-tie gear for them.

I'd definitely give it a go again if I could book a solo trip with him and I did get to see some neat stuff like flying fish on the surface of the water. He also has a motorized skiff available as well if you want to try something besides pedal kayaks.

My only brief attempt at spearfishing was as a teen at Kamaole 3 before there was any development around there. It was just scrub and dirt parking, but I think some new hotels were being built down the road.  A local let me borrow his Hawaiian sling spear and all I did was spear a small fish and feed it to a Moray. My sister was living there as a housekeeper for George Benson. It might have been in ‘78 or ‘80.

I dove while visiting there a few years ago. I was looking for mu and uku but only saw small ones. Shot and discarded a few roi (invasive with high ciguatera). There are tons of kole and menpachi in shallow. You should be able to polespear some or catch them on a high-low with small hooks and cut bait. The best time is early in the morning or late in the evening. The fish in general are more skittish during the day.

You can rent a simple paddling kayak and rod/reel and get out to 100+ fow no problem. Good structure between Olowalu and McGregor Point and lots of reef fish. The reef fish are pretty voracious, any NorCal technique ought to work.

I've made at least a half-dozen trips, maybe 30 dive days, and it's rough without local intel.  As a general rule, the places you'll want to stay are going to be at least an hour from where you'll want to fish.  It probably took me 20 hours of diving before I knew what I was doing, and now I just do one or two dives per trip rather than trying to get out every day.

I know practically zero useful information about angling, but I've picked up enough for whipping in the shallows.  It's basically fast retrieve of a carolina rig.  It hasn't been effective for me, but at least I feel like I'm doing something other than staring at small fish through my mask.  It's a good easy setup to carry anywhere so you can cast around while the family is sun bathing.

Trying spear fishing?  If you are experienced, I found that about 10 miles south of Lahaina the beaches are right along the highway, reefs are real close and parking is easy.  20' - 30' or so max diving.  My son got a kick out of spearing kole and they make good table fare.  Weke were pretty common too (the smaller goatfishes).  We haven't been there in years and I don't know what it looks like after the fires. 

If you aren't experienced, I second using a guide service as someone already suggested.  When my son was 12 or so, we went with a guide service.  They provided all the gear, training and we had a great time.  We became avid spearfishers for the following decade.  Be safe! 

last summer I packed a couple of 2-piece 8' rods (longest I can fit into my golf bag) and tried shore fishing for 3-4 days. 8' rod is short for casting on shore plus you have to fight waves. I brought hooks and lures, used large float and weights from local supermarket.

There are definitely fishes- I saw good size jumpers around, but didn't see anyone actually hooked any big one (many locals are targeting mackerels) during my trip. Our last night at Haha Harbor, I dropped a shrimp with white grub in the water, walked away chatting with my son about 100' away then the bell went crazy. We rushed back trying to set the hook but the fish was gone, the local shook his head and said: It was a big one!

That event still haunt me wondering what could have been on the other end of line? Give it a try, go get'em!

I met this guy in Maui. He’s legit! Also a great IG to follow:
https://www.facebook.com/TFBMaui808/

I also went out w Strikezone on a family charter. This is more of a party boat experience but still was super fun. Good crew. And they will troll things for big fish while moving spots.

https://www.strikezonemaui.com