Waterlands

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BonefishPeak season

Bay · Hawaii

Papaka Nui

20.60°N · 156.59°W · Bay · Maui County Leeward Waters

Species here · tap to switch

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 8 AM · Bonefish

62/100Good
Now
307 AM HST
Best window
8-10 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding0.4 ft ▲

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 7 AM · now

Time7ANOW
Score30Fair
Tide0.4 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentEbb0.1 kn · toward N
Wind12 kn Egusts 16 · building
Sea stateModerate3.7 ft · 9 s
Air temp80°Warm
WeatherMostly cloudy69% cloud
Water81°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Bonefish is on file here yet, so its status is unknown, not closed. Confirm limits with DLNR DAR before you keep a fish.

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Bonefish is best here

Peak season for Bonefish · 1 more week at peak

Bonefish season by week of the year. Peak season for Bonefish · 1 more week at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Bonefish in Hawaii

Spot profile

Papaka Nui

Depth
20-80 ftDrop-off
Structure
Bay · Outer · ExposedBay · drop-off
Season
Peak seasonBonefish

NOAA NCEI DEM, sampled Sep 14 on a 3.4 m grid. Depths are feet below NAVD 88, not chart datum (MLLW), so they can differ from a chart by a few feet. Not for navigation.

About this spot

Fishing Papaka Nui

Papaka Nui is a bay in Maui County Leeward Waters, Hawaii. Depth is 20-80 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads bay, outer water and exposed.

Waterlands scores giant trevally and bonefish here. It is peak season now for bonefish, and shoulder season for giant trevally. Giant trevally peak from May through July. Bonefish peak from May through September.

Tackle & technique

Bonefish
Bonefish push onto shallow sand and grass flats with the rising tide to root for shrimp, crabs and clams, often in water under 2 feet deep, and fall back to channel edges and deeper flats as the tide drops. Most fish are sight cast to with a small shrimp or crab fly, a light jig or a live shrimp, which takes bright sun, light wind and a quiet approach. They are catch and release only in Florida, and in Hawaii many anglers also fish bait from shore along sand channels and reef edges.
Giant trevally
Ulua hunt reef edges, rocky points, harbor mouths and sand channels from the shoreline out to deep ledges. Shore anglers slide an eel, tako or crab down a heavy anchored line and fish through the night, while casters throw poppers and plugs over reef edges at dawn and dusk. The first run heads for the rocks, so use heavy line and a tight drag.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Lae ʻO Kuikui

    Cape · 1.4 mi

    56
    Top: Giant trevallyShoulder season
    • Giant trevally 56
    • Bonefish 30

    12 kt EH 1:33 PM · 2.2 ftL 8:21 PM · 0.3 ft

  • Papaka Iki

    Bay · 0.3 mi

    55
    Top: Giant trevallyShoulder season
    • Giant trevally 55
    • Bonefish 30

    12 kt EH 1:33 PM · 2.2 ftL 8:21 PM · 0.3 ft

  • Waʻaiki

    Bay · 0.6 mi

    55
    Top: Giant trevallyShoulder season
    • Giant trevally 55
    • Bonefish 30

    12 kt EH 1:33 PM · 2.2 ftL 8:21 PM · 0.3 ft

  • Hakioawa

    Bay · 2.7 mi

    55
    Top: Giant trevallyShoulder season
    • Giant trevally 55
    • Bonefish 30

    12 kt EH 1:33 PM · 2.2 ftL 8:21 PM · 0.3 ft

Scores and forecasts are for planning only and can be wrong. Conditions on the water change fast; check the marine forecast before you go. Regulations change during the season, so confirm limits and closures with DLNR DAR before you keep a fish.