Reef, rock and wrecks
Papio and ulua (jacks)
Caranx spp.
Hawaii's shoreline royalty. Papio in the channel at dawn, ulua on the ledge at night.
What they like
- 1–15 musual depth (they tolerate 0.4–60 m)
- 23–29 °Cwater temperature they feed in
- clear waterwater clarity
- sloping edges, channels, drop-offsbottom they hunt, in order
- a moving tide (rising or falling)tide
- dawn and dusklight
Reef channels, ledges and surf zones on a moving tide at dawn and dusk; big ulua at night from the cliffs.
Season by region
Peak months, shaded. Outside them the species may still be around, just less reliably.
Bait and technique
Methods: spinning / casting, bait, fly.
Bait and lures: Poppers and stickbaits, live oama and halalu, whole squid at night.
Technique: Whip poppers across the channel and reef edge at first light; slide-bait from the rocks for the big ones.
Rules
Hawaii: Hawaii: 10 in minimum for papio and ulua, bag limits for some species. Verify with DAR.
Seasons, sizes and bag limits change every year and differ by zone. Check the current regulations before you keep anything.
Preferences are expert estimates from the fisheries literature and angling practice, not measurements at your spot. The likelihoods on the maps are a planning aid, not a catch prediction.