Kevin Hibbard

Captain Kevin Hibbard is one of the most accomplished blue and black marlin fishermen in the Pacific, a captain and wireman who has handled granders off Hawaii and Australia. He runs the 2nd Offense out of Kona, holds a shortbill spearfish world record, won the 2021 Bisbee's Los Cabos, and took back-to-back Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament titles. A Pelagic Pro Team member, he specializes in heavy tackle and lure fishing. His In The Spread videos cover Kona lure spreads, hook rigging, and reading structure for big marlin.

Instructor's videos

When people talk about Kona blue marlin fishing, Kevin Hibbard's name comes up fast. He is one of the most accomplished big game captains working the Pacific, and he is as complete as they come: a captain and a wireman who has run the boat and stood in the door on grander blue marlin off Hawaii and grander black marlin off Australia. Lure or bait, blue or black, Hibbard has done it at the highest level.

Born in St. Augustine, Florida, Hibbard moved to the Big Island in 1995 to chase blue marlin and never looked back. He earned his Coast Guard captain's license in 1998, learned the water from Kona's best captains, and then let marlin fever carry him to the great fisheries of the world: the Azores, Cape Verde, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, and Costa Rica. His heart, though, has always been in Kona, where he runs his boat, the 2nd Offense, and where a grander can show up in the spread on any given day.

The résumé backs it up. Hibbard has won and placed in the Kona and Maui tournaments, holds a world record for shortbill spearfish on 16-pound tackle, landed a 1,018-pound grander black marlin in Australia, and won the 2021 Bisbee's Los Cabos Offshore. He has also won the Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament aboard 2nd Offense and later became the first captain in the event's history to take back-to-back championships. He fishes on the Pelagic Pro Team.

What makes Hibbard such a good teacher is that he can explain the why behind every decision. He specializes in heavy tackle and lure fishing, and he is a true calm-water expert, tailoring lure choice and spread to the conditions in front of him. His philosophy is simple: keep it simple, stay focused, and trust the process.

In his In The Spread videos, Hibbard breaks down Kona-style lure spreads for calm water, how to use Omni sonar to fish smarter, hook selection and rigging for big blues, lure choice and swimming cycles, and how ocean structure concentrates marlin. If you want to understand blue marlin fishing at the level the best captains practice it, start with him.

Personal website:
https://2ndoffense.com/