Hagi
About the Hagi
The hagi is a forgotten fish. Back in the '50s and '60s you would commonly find hagi on restaurant menus throughout Hawaiʻi — these days it's often written off as a rubbish fish. The flavor of the fish never changed. What changed is people's flavor profiles, which shift generationally: what was once a favorite falls out of favor, much like tuna used to be dog food. The hagi is a triggerfish, commonly consumed throughout the world, and the typical preparation here in Hawaiʻi is misoyaki, or sweet soy sauce and sugar.
Up close, the "black" fish is anything but — a deep blue-green sheen with crisp white lines along the dorsal and anal fin bases. Hagi hover in loose schools above the reef feeding on plankton, and they are everywhere on Kona's lava reef. The tough, leathery skin means you skin them rather than scale them.
How we hunt them
Hagi hold in the water column above the reef and slide toward holes in the rock when pressed. Approach with a calm, quiet descent and pick your fish before it reaches cover — once holed up, a hagi locks itself in with its trigger spine and the shot is gone. Their skin is tough and their bones are stout, so shot placement matters.
Rules & regulations
No statewide size or bag limit for black durgon. Top Shot house standards still apply: 2 fish per person per species and 5 fish total per guest.
Non-residents age 15+ also need the Hawaiʻi nonresident marine fishing license (HAR 13-74-11) — buy online or see our regulations guide.
Hunt Hagi with a guide
Every Top Shot Spearfishing dive covers species ID, regulations, and technique — beginners welcome.
Group Dive — $299Private Dive — $449+