Captain: Russell Tanaka
Russell Tanaka, whose talents many captains’ worldwide aspire to attain, is the heart and soul of Magic Sport Fishing. At the young age of 9, he caught his very first Blue Marlin and ten years later began running his own boat, called The Mary I (Mary “Eye”). In 1995 Russell moved on to the Charter industry, becoming Captain of the Magic, which would soon become the best kept secret in Hawaii fishing. Year after year Capt. Russell has maintained and upgraded her to his most prestigious standards, uncomparable to any other fishing vessel offered on Oahu.
Capt. Russell goes beyond the industry standards, performing meticulously and to his best ability every single trip. His methodical attention to every detail, is reflected by a quiet disposition, Magic’s beauty and performance, our diligent crew, right down to the gear we use. With eyes constantly scanning the seas for signs of fish, he holds a 90-95% catch rate. Every daily ritual before, during, and after a fishing trip serves a purpose.. to produce fish. You will not find a smarter, harder working Captain or crew anywhere in the Sport Fishing world. There’s no “cutting corners” here with Magic. Need proof? Read on.
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The most Yellowfin Tuna weighing over 100 lbs every year, since 1981
The most Blue/Striped Marlin since 1996
The most fish weighing 100+ lbs every year, since 1991
The most fish weighing over 1,000 lbs (1,174/1,106/1,032 lbs.)
Twelve days with 10+ Yellowfin Tuna weighing over 100 lbs.
The most Yellowfin Tuna caught in a day, on three occasions (14, 16, and 17 Tuna)
The most Mahimahi (Dorado) in one day (147)
The most Blue Marlin in a day (7)
In two consecutive days, Magic brought in 6 Blue Marlin; [2] 538 & 425 lbs then [4] from 180 – 287 lbs!
He holds the distinction of being the only Captain in two different tournaments whose fish weighed in at over 1,000 lbs!
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“The largest Blue Marlin in the 1997 Lahaina Jackpot Tournament, weighing 1,106 lbs.” This fish was also the largest Blue Marlin to be weighed in a tournament where two other fish were brought in that same day, at over 1,100 lbs!
No matter the day, no matter the season.. Capt. Russell will seek out whatever fish are in the area. All those achievements and numbers are by no means the only ones accredited to him. Being a humble man in this business, you would be hard-pressed to learn them from him. He is fully aware of his capabilites and doesn’t feel the need to elaborate. What he will do is give his best efforts on every trip, even if it means staying out a bit later. So we hope you won’t make any dinner plans or have a flight to catch, because he will not cut off any fish.
Here at Magic, we recommend our Full Day trips. In fact, Capt. Russell believes even 8 hours of fishing just isn’t long enough. Exclusive Charters take precedence over other trips, and anything shorter than a Full Day may be moved to another date or placed on one of few boats we work with in the same harbor. “Why?”, you ask. The answer simply is, he feels that if you’re going to pay for his time and experience, it had better be time enough to for your best chance at catching fish. It doesn’t make sense to spend 4-6 hours travelling and chasing trophy fish.
So much more could be written about Capt. Russell’s experience at sea. The best way to find out more is to get your reservation in and ask him personally.
The Crew: Chris Hall
Chris, one of the crew on Magic, began his sport fishing career on the 38′ Bertram charterboat fishing out of Kewalo Basin in Honolulu, Hawaii. His first trip on a charter boat was at the age of 8. His exposure at an early age to deep sea fishing chasing after blue marlin, striped marlin, yellowfin tuna (Ahi), dolphin (Mahi-mahi), wahoo (Ono), and skipjack tuna (aku), set the stage for a lifetime of fishing for a living.
Knowing that this was his chosen career, Chris set out to get his U.S. Coast Guard certified 100 ton Masters license which is not an easy task. After gaining his license in 2000 Chris began running a few of the charterboats out of the same harbor as Magic, and still works as a captain part time on one of those boats when Eric (the other crew on Magic) is working. You can tell where his interests lie due to the fact that he fishes on Magic and has a Captains license.
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After proving himself as a competent fisherman and a solid person to have on a boat, Captain Russell asked Chris if he would like to work as crew on Magic. Not wanting to miss an opportunity to fish with and learn from Captain Russell, Chris accepted the job and hit the ground running.
His largest fish so far is a 768lb blue marlin caught with Captain Russell on October 22, 2004, and another 735lb blue marlin caught on July 20, 2004 again with Captain Russell. Some of his outstanding days include a pair of blue marlin weighing 538lbs and 425lbs in the same day, followed by 4 blue marlin that weighed between 180-287lbs the next day in March 2004. He has had multiple days with 20 Mahi-mahi in the boat. A 600lb blue marlin was also brought in with Chris as crew in 2004, and another weighing 502lbs in February 2004.
A very humble guy, Chris is a very competent crew. Many boat owners would gladly have Chris run their boats because he takes his job seriously. This means taking care of the customers, the boat, and producing as much fish as possible to ensure a good trip is had by all that board Magic to chase their dream of catching a trophy.