Reeling in Oahu Aku Tuna

Skipjack tuna, also known as Aku is the hardest fighting fish in the ocean pound for pound. Ranging in size from 5 to 30 pounds these fish will fight until they tear off their face! It’s ridiculous.  We often find them in big schools with hundreds of birds indicating their presence. Not uncommon to catch five at a time and you’ll be glad after the first few that they don’t get bigger than 30 pounds! These football-shaped tunas are pure muscle, blue / silver in color with horizontal black stripes on their side. These fish are caught year-round on skipjack charters in Hawaii,  with our summer months being the best time to find the schools of the larger-sized ones. Unfortunately for the Aku, they are also a favorite food of blue marlin near Oahu so while targeting them you never know what’s gonna bite!

Our Oahu Aku charters find this fish in shallow coastal waters of the north shore all the way out to 50 miles in waters over 2 miles deep. Hawaii skipjack tuna also congregate around our state FAD ( fish agronomic device ) buoys and make it really fun to get our little anglers hooked up on the smaller stand-up rods. When they’re biting well our boat captains can predictably catch them on every pass during our which is super fun! Our state FADs range from 8 to 18 miles from the harbor. They can be reached on half days but I strongly suggest booking a full-day fishing charter to really get your time in. Some argue that their dark, translucent, red meat is better tasting than the Ahi tuna which are more favored in restaurants because of their milder taste. Aku tends to be a little more oily with a shorter shelf life. Super tasty as sashimi and poke salad!