How to catch Giant trevally

Giant trevally feed in 74–84°F water and bite best at 76–82°F. Fish Scouter's season calendar follows them in 1 water.

80 pts · trophy at 40"Feeds 74–84°FBest 76–82°FIn season nowArtificial reefLedge / hard bottomPass / inletBeach / surfOther

About

The ulua: Hawaii's shoreline king, a reef-crushing jack fished at night off the lava ledges on slide-bait rigs and heavy gear. The young are papio — the fish every island kid whips for on the reef.

How to fish it

Shoreline slide-bait at night off the ledges and points where deep water meets the reef; poppers along the reef edges at dawn.

What it eats

eel and live aholehole (slide bait)big poppersoctopus

Live bait for it

Live eelsHooked through the lips on a 5/0 to 7/0 circle hook and sight-cast to a cobia or dropped to a cobia on a ray — the eel is the cobia bait.

Opelu (mackerel scad)Bridled live and slow-trolled or drifted down for ahi, ono and marlin; cut for bottom fishing.

What to fish it with

the sizes that fish it

Leader40–60 lb fluorocarbon

Hook4/0–8/0

Braid50–100 lb

The rule

not confirmed here

Rules differ by state — check Hawaii DAR (size and bag differ by island) before you keep one.

The current rule →

Where it is, month by month

PPeakSSpawningAArriving·AroundLLeaving

Alaska & Hawaii

The Hawaiian Islands

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