Saltwater · Year-round in Hawaiʻi; best at night in summer and fall around lights

Akule (Bigeye Scad)

Selar crumenophthalmus

The akule is Hawaiʻi's classic schooling scad and a staple food fish, taken both by anglers and by Hawaiian net fisheries that work its dense schools. Its huge eye and single dark spot on the gill cover make it easy to name at night under the pier lights.

Seasons · Peak

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Akule (Bigeye Scad) — Photo: Hugues Evano (IFREMER, Délégation océan Indien (DOI), Département Ressources Biologiques et Environnement (RBE), F-97420, CC BY 4.0 — Wikimedia Commons

Identifying features

Huge eye, almost a third of the head length — built for night feeding
A single dark spot on the upper edge of the gill cover (opercle)
Deep, strongly compressed silvery body with a yellowish forked tail
A row of enlarged scutes along the rear part of the lateral line
Small mouth and a steep, blunt forehead

Habits

Forms dense, coordinated schools and bait balls by day and night
Feeds mainly at night on plankton, tiny shrimp and small fish
Strongly attracted to lights over harbours and FADs after dark
Also targeted by Hawaiian surround-net fisheries when schools come inshore
Fast, nervous fish — schools flare and sink at shadows and noise

Distribution

Honolulu, HI · Hawaii★ Primary

Where to find them

Hawaiian harbour piers and boat ramps under lights at night
State FADs and offshore banks off the Hawaiian Islands
Inshore bays where summer schools ball up close to shore

Where they live

Open-water schools over deep reef slopes and offshore banksAround harbour lights, piers and fish aggregating devices (FADs) at nightBays and sandy coasts where schools ball up near the surface

How to catch them

Night jigging with akule flies Shore

Rig: Light spinning rod, small white or glow feather jigs ('akule flies') jigged vertically at night around harbour lights and FADs

Bait/lure: Feather jigs, sometimes tipped with a tiny shrimp piece

Key tip: Work the edge of the light, not the brightest centre — akule hold where plankton gathers and strike on the fall.

Sabiki fishing over balled-up schools Boat

Rig: Sabiki-style rig of 4-6 tiny skin hooks with a small sinker, dropped from piers and boats into a marked school

Bait/lure: Bare sabiki hooks or tiny bait slivers

Key tip: Keep the rig moving with short lifts; a still sabiki under a feeding ball is ignored.

Best baits & lures

Tiny feather jigs ('akule flies') in white or glowSabiki rigs with small skin or feather hooksTiny shrimp or fish strips on small hooks

Techniques for Akule (Bigeye Scad) →

Baseline setup

Rod: Light 6-7 ft spinning rod
Line: 6-10 lb mono or braid
Terminal: Size 8-12 hooks, sabiki rigs, small feather jigs and split shot

Recommended gear for this species

Rod · Best value

9' 5-weight fly rod outfit

≈ US$180-260

Covers chironomid lakes and small rivers with one setup.

Flies · Budget

Chironomid assortment (30 patterns)

≈ US$25-40

Chironomids are 60% of a lake rainbow's diet in spring.

Picks come from our rule library — never paid placements. Prices are guides; affiliate links may earn us a commission.

Typical size

Common 8-10 in (20-25 cm); large fish to about 12 in (30 cm)

On the table

Good — a staple food fish in Hawaiʻi, eaten fried, grilled or dried; very bony if eaten whole.

Similar species

Opelu (Mackerel Scad)Opelu is slimmer and more mackerel-like with a small black spot at the pectoral-fin base and no dark opercle spot; akule is deeper-bodied with a much bigger eye

Round ScadRound scad is rounder and more cylindrical with scutes along the whole lateral line; akule is deeper and flatter-sided with scutes only at the rear

Regulations vary by area and can change in-season — always check the official rules for your area before you fish. Regulations guide →

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