Smuggler Cove Fishing Guide

Species at Smuggler Cove

• Bluefin Trevally (Caranx melampygus) — tarakito/omilu

  Moves onto reef edge at dusk/dawn during tidal push

  Season: Jan–Dec · Tide: moving water · Light: low light · Water: 81–86°F

• Giant Trevally (Caranx ignobilis) — ulua

  Apex predator; hunts reef flats on incoming tide at low light

  Season: Jan–Dec · Tide: moving water · Light: low light · Water: 81–86°F

• Bigeye Scad (Selar crumenophthalmus) — atulai/akule

  Nocturnally disperses inshore; schools heaviest on incoming tide

  Season: Jan–Dec · Tide: the incoming tide · Light: low light · Water: 81–86°F

• Redgill Emperor (Lethrinus rubrioperculatus) — mafute/lililok

  Dominant shallow-bottom target in CNMI/Guam; bottom feeder on reefs

  Season: Jan–Dec · Tide: moving water · Light: any light · Water: 81–86°F

• Yellowstripe Goatfish (Mulloidichthys flavolineatus) — tiao

  Peak spawning Mar–Jun; nocturnal benthic forager — activity driven by darkness, not tide phase

  Season: Mar–Sep · Tide: any tide stage · Light: low light · Water: 82–86°F

• Great Barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda)

  Ambush predator; feeds two hours after sunrise and before sunset

  Season: Jan–Dec · Tide: any tide stage · Light: low light · Water: 81–85°F

• Bonefish / Roundjaw Bonefish (Albula glossodonta) — C&R focus in some areas

  Schools flood reef flat with incoming tide to root invertebrates

  Season: Jan–Dec · Tide: the incoming tide · Light: any light · Water: 81–86°F

• Green Jobfish (Aprion virescens) — asoama

  Top American Samoa landed species; current-influenced channel and drop-off hunter

  Season: Jan–Dec · Tide: moving water · Light: any light · Water: 81–86°F

• Coral Trout / Leopard Coral Grouper (Plectropomus leopardus) — gadao

  Best bite Apr–Jun in shallower reefs; ambush predator at low light

  Season: Mar–Oct · Tide: moving water · Light: low light · Water: 81–86°F

• Indo-Pacific Permit / Snubnose Pompano (Trachinotus blochii)

  Hunts crabs/shrimp on sand flats; pushes in with tide

  Season: Jan–Dec · Tide: the incoming tide · Light: any light · Water: 81–86°F

• Two-spot Red Snapper (Lutjanus bohar)

  Nocturnal reef predator; hunts on moving water at reef edge

  Season: Jan–Dec · Tide: moving water · Light: low light · Water: 81–86°F

• Rabbitfish (Siganus spp.) — e.g. Siganus corallinus / S. doliatus

  Diurnal grazer; most active daylight hours on algae-covered reef

  Season: Jan–Dec · Tide: any tide stage · Light: bright daylight · Water: 81–86°F

• Parrotfish (Chlorurus spp. / Scarus spp.) — laggua

  Daytime grazer on coral and algae; abundant shore-fishing target

  Season: Jan–Dec · Tide: any tide stage · Light: bright daylight · Water: 81–86°F

• Dash-and-dot Goatfish (Parupeneus barberinus) — tiao

  Nocturnally probes sand with barbels; activity driven by darkness, not tide phase

  Season: Jan–Dec · Tide: any tide stage · Light: low light · Water: 81–86°F

• Bluespine Unicornfish (Naso unicornis) — tataga

  Herbivore targeted shore-side with cast nets and handline; daytime schools

  Season: Jan–Dec · Tide: any tide stage · Light: bright daylight · Water: 81–86°F

What's biting at Smuggler Cove, 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 Smuggler Cove fishes

Open water lies to the east of Smuggler Cove. A wind out of the east is onshore here — it stacks swell and chop into the mouth and pushes stirred-up water inshore, while a west wind flattens the surface and tends to clean it up.

This is an inshore station — bay, river or lagoon water rather than an open ocean mouth. Tide stage and water temperature drive the bite here far more than swell does.

Tides here are read from NOAA station TPT2803 at 20.5167, -156.6833 — see it on NOAA CO-OPS.

Shops & partners near Smuggler Cove

🏪 No partners at Smuggler Cove yet — be the first!

Run a bait shop, guide service, restaurant or tackle brand here? We'll feature you on this page and in the live app — free, with a line about what you do. Email hello@what-inlet.com.

Common questions about Smuggler Cove

What fish can you catch at Smuggler Cove?

Bluefin Trevally (Caranx melampygus) — tarakito/omilu, Giant Trevally (Caranx ignobilis) — ulua, Bigeye Scad (Selar crumenophthalmus) — atulai/akule, Redgill Emperor (Lethrinus rubrioperculatus) — mafute/lililok, Yellowstripe Goatfish (Mulloidichthys flavolineatus) — tiao, Great Barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda), Bonefish / Roundjaw Bonefish (Albula glossodonta) — C&R focus in some areas, Green Jobfish (Aprion virescens) — asoama, Coral Trout / Leopard Coral Grouper (Plectropomus leopardus) — gadao, Indo-Pacific Permit / Snubnose Pompano (Trachinotus blochii), Two-spot Red Snapper (Lutjanus bohar), Rabbitfish (Siganus spp.) — e.g. Siganus corallinus / S. doliatus and 3 more. Each has its own season, preferred tide and water-temperature window at Smuggler Cove.

When is the best time to fish Smuggler Cove?

March and April and May and June and July and August and September have the most species in season (15 of 15) — Bluefin Trevally (Caranx melampygus) — tarakito/omilu, Giant Trevally (Caranx ignobilis) — ulua, Bigeye Scad (Selar crumenophthalmus) — atulai/akule, Redgill Emperor (Lethrinus rubrioperculatus) — mafute/lililok, Yellowstripe Goatfish (Mulloidichthys flavolineatus) — tiao, Great Barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda), Bonefish / Roundjaw Bonefish (Albula glossodonta) — C&R focus in some areas, Green Jobfish (Aprion virescens) — asoama. Seasons shift by a few weeks in a warm or late year.

What tide is best for fishing Smuggler Cove?

6 of the 15 species here feed best on moving water. 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 Smuggler Cove?

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

Where are the tides for Smuggler Cove measured?

NOAA CO-OPS station TPT2803, at 20.5167, -156.6833. What Inlet? scores the live tide, current, solunar and weather for that station.

Inlets near Smuggler Cove

• Kuheia Bay 7 mi
• Kihei, Maalaea Bay 23 mi
• Kamalo Harbor 39 mi
• Pukoo Harbor 39 mi
• Hanauma Bay 84 mi
• Napoopoo, Kealakekua Bay 87 mi
• Pearl Harbor Entrance, Bishop Point 100 mi
• Pearl Harbor, Ford Island Ferry 100 mi

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

Browse every inlet in Pacific Islands, or the full inlet directory.