Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, HI Fishing Guide

Species at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor

• Papio (omilu / young trevally)

  ambush oama/halalu bait piles at dawn/dusk

  Season: Jun–Oct · Tide: the incoming tide · Light: low light · Water: 77–83°F

• Ulua (giant trevally)

  big jacks feed reef ledges after dark, summer plugging

  Season: Jun–Oct · Tide: the incoming tide · Light: low light · Water: 77–83°F

• Oio (bonefish)

  tails onto flats rooting worms/crabs on the push

  Season: Jan–Dec · Tide: the incoming tide · Light: any light · Water: 73–82°F

• Moi (Pacific threadfin)

  schools work surge holes; closed Jun-Aug spawn

  Season: May, Sep–Nov · Tide: moving water · Light: low light · Water: 75–83°F

• Kaku (great barracuda)

  warm-water ambusher chases lures over reef in daylight

  Season: May–Nov · Tide: moving water · Light: bright daylight · Water: 77–83°F

• Oama (juvenile goatfish, bait)

  summer schools pile in shallows for shrimp/worms

  Season: Jun–Oct · Tide: any tide stage · Light: bright daylight · Water: 78–83°F

• Halalu (juvenile akule, bigeye scad)

  summer scad schools stack at piers/points, dawn-dusk

  Season: Jul–Oct · Tide: moving water · Light: low light · Water: 78–83°F

• Aweoweo (Hawaiian bigeye)

  nocturnal; leaves rocks at sunset to feed, rising tide

  Season: Jan–Dec · Tide: the incoming tide · Light: low light · Water: 74–82°F

• Menpachi (soldierfish)

  cave fish emerge after dark, feed near new/full moon

  Season: Jan–Dec · Tide: the incoming tide · Light: low light · Water: 74–82°F

• Toau (blacktail snapper)

  abundant; light dunking at dusk/dawn and night

  Season: Jan–Dec · Tide: moving water · Light: low light · Water: 75–82°F

• Amaama (striped mullet)

  estuary grazer; closed Dec-Mar spawn, push of tide brings them in

  Season: Apr–Nov · Tide: the incoming tide · Light: bright daylight · Water: 75–83°F

• Aholehole (Hawaiian flagtail)

  schools feed at night over shallow reef and tidepools

  Season: Jan–Dec · Tide: moving water · Light: low light · Water: 74–82°F

What's biting at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, month by month

Typical seasons for this stretch of coast — a warm or late year shifts them by a few weeks. The live forecast scores today's actual conditions.

How Ford Island, Pearl Harbor fishes

Open water lies to the south of Ford Island, Pearl Harbor. A wind out of the south is onshore here — it stacks swell and chop into the mouth and pushes stirred-up water inshore, while a north wind flattens the surface and tends to clean it up.

Tide is the clock: moving water pulls bait through the mouth, and the turns around slack are when most of the roster feeds hardest.

Tides here are read from NOAA station 1612401 at 21.3675, -157.9639 — see it on NOAA CO-OPS.

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Common questions about Ford Island, Pearl Harbor

What fish can you catch at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor?

Papio (omilu / young trevally), Ulua (giant trevally), Oio (bonefish), Moi (Pacific threadfin), Kaku (great barracuda), Oama (juvenile goatfish, bait), Halalu (juvenile akule, bigeye scad), Aweoweo (Hawaiian bigeye), Menpachi (soldierfish), Toau (blacktail snapper), Amaama (striped mullet), Aholehole (Hawaiian flagtail). Each has its own season, preferred tide and water-temperature window at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor.

When is the best time to fish Ford Island, Pearl Harbor?

September and October have the most species in season (12 of 12) — Papio (omilu / young trevally), Ulua (giant trevally), Oio (bonefish), Moi (Pacific threadfin), Kaku (great barracuda), Oama (juvenile goatfish, bait), Halalu (juvenile akule, bigeye scad), Aweoweo (Hawaiian bigeye). Seasons shift by a few weeks in a warm or late year.

What tide is best for fishing Ford Island, Pearl Harbor?

6 of the 12 species here feed best on the incoming tide. Moving water is what pulls bait through the mouth, so the hours either side of a tide change usually beat dead slack.

Which wind is bad for Ford Island, Pearl Harbor?

Open water lies to the south, so a south wind is onshore — it stacks swell and chop into the mouth and pushes dirty water inshore. A north wind flattens and cleans it up.

Where are the tides for Ford Island, Pearl Harbor measured?

NOAA CO-OPS station 1612401, at 21.3675, -157.9639. What Inlet? scores the live tide, current, solunar and weather for that station.

Inlets near Ford Island, Pearl Harbor

• Pearl Harbor, Ford Island Ferry 2 mi
• Pearl Harbor Entrance, Bishop Point 3 mi
• Waikane, Kaneohe Bay 12 mi
• Hanauma Bay 18 mi
• Haleiwa, Waialua Bay 18 mi
• Laie Bay 20 mi
• Kamalo Harbor 73 mi
• Pukoo Harbor 78 mi

Fishing a different inlet today? Every one has its own species roster and bite pattern.

Browse every inlet in Hawaii, or the full inlet directory.