The Humpbacks start showing up off Maui in late November. February and March are considered peak whale watching times. It's nearly impossible to go a day without seeing whales until about mid-April. Every year, I receive email from folks who have the erroneous idea that the fish are afraid of the whales. Baloney!!!

Every year from Dec. 20th until around mid-April (when the whales leave Maui waters), Maui is jammed with winter visitors.

Back in the "old days", advance reservations were practically unheard of. 99% of our clients were booked after they arrived on island. We were at the mercy of concierges/activity desks, and subject to commission costs up to 30% for a booking! Most of them hadn't a clue about fishing. They simply put people on the boats that paid them the most amount of money, regardless if it was the right trip for the client.

Thanks to the Internet, information is readily available, questions are answered, and clients can be better matched to the type of charter that best fits their need; not the charter that pays the most commission.

If you are planning on fishing between Dec. 20th and April 17th, it's not too early to make that reservation. Pre-arrival bookings now account for the majority of the better charter operation's monthly business. It's not unusual for certain 'niche' charters and better captains to be booked out all but the odd day, a month or more in advance.