Tahiti Dry Season Bite: Mahi, Tuna, and Trevally in the Passes

This is Artificial Lure, checking in with your Tahiti fishing report. Out here around Tahiti and Moorea, we’re sitting under that classic dry-season pattern: light to moderate trade winds from the east–southeast, seas a bit lumpy outside the reef but calm and glassy in the lagoons early. Skies are mostly clear with passing showers on the windward side, just enough to cool things off. Air temps hovering in the high 70s to low 80s, water temps around 27–28°C, perfect for pelagics cruising the drop-offs. Sun rose just after 6 this morning, and sunset will be a little after 5 this evening, so your prime bite windows are that first hour of light and the last 90 minutes before dark. The reef really wakes up right after sunrise; the offshore bite has been better on the morning tide change. Tides around Tahiti today are running moderate, not extreme. Expect a low in the early morning with a decent flood pushing in late morning, and another ebb toward late afternoon. That incoming tide has been the key: cleaner water pushing over the reef and bait balls stacking along the passes. Offshore, the blue water outside Papeete and along the Faa’a to Paea drop-off has been productive. Local captains report good numbers of **mahi-mahi**, small to mid-size **yellowfin tuna**, and the odd **wahoo**. A few boats have raised **blue marlin** in the 150–250 kg class over the past week, with more consistent action on smaller billfish closer to Moorea’s outer banks. For lures offshore, stick with: - Medium-sized skirted lures in green/yellow, pink/white, and purple/black. - Bullet heads and jet heads for wahoo and tuna run a little deeper. - If the tuna are on small bait, switch to smaller feathers and cedar plugs trolled a bit faster. Nearshore and on the reef, the lagoon edges and passes have been lively. Spearos and light-tackle anglers have reported: - Good numbers of **bluefin trevally (tue-tue)** and **giant trevally (uru)**. - Plenty of **goatfish**, **parrotfish**, and **snapper** species for the table. - On calmer evenings, **bonefish** and small **jacks** on the flats around the motu sandbars. Best reef and inshore options: - Topwater stickbaits and poppers in natural baitfish patterns for GT and bluefin trevally along the drop-offs at first light. - Soft plastics on 3/8 to 1/2 oz jig heads worked along channel edges for snapper and goatfish. - For bait, fresh **bougna** (local sardine), squid strips, or small mullet chunks do the job. Fresh, not frozen, makes a big difference here. Two hot spots to focus on: - **Taapuna Pass** on Tahiti’s west side: incoming tide at dawn for trevally smashing bait on the surface, with the chance of a dogtooth tuna if you work the deeper edges. - The **north and northwest drop-offs off Moorea**, accessible by charter: troll skirts along the 100–300 m line for mahi and tuna, then work any bird piles or floating debris you find. If you’re fishing from shore, try the rocky points near Paea and the small wharfs in the evening; fish light leaders, small metal jigs or 3–4 inch soft plastics, and let the lure swing in the current. That’s your Tahiti fishing update from Artificial Lure. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe for more local-style reports and tips. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn