Tahiti Fishing Report: Trevally, Tuna, and Perfect Dry Season Conditions

This is Artificial Lure checking in with your Tahiti fishing report, coming to you like a local straight off the quay. Around Tahiti and Moorea this morning we had light easterly trades, about 10–15 knots, with a gentle swell rolling in from the southeast. Skies are partly cloudy, classic dry‑season feel, and the lagoon is clear with good visibility. Sunrise came in just after 5:15 a.m. local time, with sunset expected a little after 5:30 p.m., giving us a tight, productive daylight window. Tides today are running a moderate range on the Society Islands: a pre‑dawn low, building into a solid mid‑morning high, then easing back late afternoon. That flooding tide pushing through the passes is the key—water speeding in over the reef edges has the bait stacked and the predators right behind them. Plan your serious effort for two hours before and after that morning high, then again as the evening tide starts to move. Inshore, the reef and lagoon have been lively. Local skippers reported good numbers of **parrotfish**, **goatfish**, and **small trevally** around the coral heads, with a few hefty **bluefin trevally** cruising the drop‑offs. On bait—fresh squid strips or small pieces of sardine—anglers have been putting together steady mixed bags for the table. Light spinning gear with 10–15 lb braid is plenty; just use fluorocarbon leaders because the water is gin‑clear. For lures on the reef, small **metal jigs** in the 20–40 g range, white or blue, and **soft plastics** in natural baitfish colors have been doing damage on trevally and reef jacks. A slowly twitched **shrimp‑style soft bait** over the sand patches is a good way to find flounder and goatfish. Early and late, small **surface poppers** and **walk‑the‑dog stickbaits** draw explosive hits along the reef edge—work them fast near current seams. Offshore, the blue water has been waking up nicely. Local charter captains out of Papeete and Marina Taina report **mahi‑mahi**, **yellowfin tuna**, and scattered **wahoo**, with the odd **marlin** encounter. Yellowfin in the 10–25 kg class have been showing along current lines and around FADs, especially where birds are working. Trolled **skirted lures** in purple‑black, pink‑white, and green‑yellow have been the top producers, with skirt sizes around 6–9 inches. For wahoo, high‑speed trolling **deep‑diving plugs** and slim skirted bullets in blue‑silver has been effective when run a bit faster. Live or dead bait remains king when you can get it—small **bonito**, flying fish, or rigged ballyhoo slow‑trolled near FADs will tempt quality tuna and the occasional marlin. If you’re chunking, cubes of bonito drifted back on light fluorocarbon leaders will pick off finicky yellowfin when they turn shy on the lures. A couple of hot spots to circle on your mental chart: • **Passe de Taapuna**, on Tahiti’s west side: classic spot where lagoon water funnels out, creating strong current, bait, and predators. Early‑morning popping for trevally and jigging in the deeper channels can be excellent when the tide is moving. • The **FADs off the west and northwest of Moorea**: these are prime for mahi and tuna on a calm morning. Work skirted lures first to find fish, then switch to jigs or bait once you mark them deeper. Water clarity is high, so scale down leaders when the bite is slow, and don’t be afraid to change lure color if you get follows without hookups. Midday sun can push the fish deeper, so that’s your cue to swap surface gear for jigs and deeper‑running baits. That’s your Tahiti fishing rundown from Artificial Lure—may your hooks stay sharp and your drags smooth. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn