Saltwater · Year-round in Hawaiʻi in harbours, ponds and channels; warmest months best on flats

Milkfish (Awa)

Chanos chanos

The milkfish, awa in Hawaiʻi, is a lightning-fast, powerful silver fish that was raised for centuries in Hawaiian royal fishponds (loko iʻa) — and across Asia it is famed as bangus, the national fish of the Philippines. Spooky and herbivorous, it is one of the hardest shoreline fish in Hawaiʻi to hook and land.

Seasons · Peak

Jan

Feb

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Dec

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

Identifying features

Long, streamlined silvery body with a deeply forked tail
Small, toothless mouth and a blunt, rounded snout
Large eye partly covered by a transparent adipose eyelid
Single soft dorsal fin set mid-body, no fin spines
Small scales and a dark-edged tail and dorsal fin in adults

Habits

Feeds on algae, detritus and soft bottom growth — a grazers' fish, not a predator
Extremely fast and strong, with long runs and jumps when hooked
Very spooky in shallow clear water; shadows and noise put schools down
Long raised in pond culture — Hawaiian loko iʻa and Asian fishponds alike
Juveniles gather in estuaries and ponds; adults range along warm coasts

Distribution

Honolulu, HI · Hawaii★ Primary

Where to find them

Hawaiian harbour channels and fishpond outlets (where fishing is allowed)
Warm flats and lagoon edges around the Hawaiian Islands
Brackish pond and estuary mouths on calm mornings

Where they live

Harbours, fishponds (loko iʻa) and brackish channelsWarm shallow flats and estuary mouthsCoastal lagoons and inshore reef flats

How to catch them

Bread and algae baits under floats Shore

Rig: Light-to-medium rod, small float and size 8-12 hooks with bread or algae, fished in harbours, ponds and channels where awa feed

Bait/lure: Bread balls, algae

Key tip: Chum sparingly with bread crumbs, keep the hook bait small, and be ready — the first run is explosive.

Fly fishing on the flats Shore

Rig: 8-9 wt fly rod, floating line and small algae-imitating flies presented ahead of cruising fish on warm flats

Bait/lure: Algae flies

Key tip: Lead the fish well and strip slowly; awa refuse flies dragged across their path and spook at a plopping cast.

Best baits & lures

Small bread balls and dough on small hooksAlgae and seaweed baits on small hooksSmall algae-imitating flies

Techniques for Milkfish (Awa) →

Baseline setup

Rod: Medium 7-8 ft spinning rod or 8-9 wt fly rod
Line: 10-15 lb mono or braid with a light leader
Terminal: Size 8-12 strong hooks, small floats, algae flies

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 2-4 lb (0.9-1.8 kg) inshore; large fish to 10 lb (4.5 kg) and over 3 ft (90 cm) in Hawaiʻi

On the table

Good but very bony — a prized food fish across Asia (bangus in the Philippines); in Hawaiʻi awa from ponds was traditional chiefly food.

Similar species

BonefishBonefish has an underslung, downward mouth for rooting on flats and a more subdued tail; milkfish has a blunt terminal mouth, an adipose eyelid and a larger, more deeply forked dark-edged tail

Moi (Pacific Threadfin)Moi is a deeper, threadfin fish with long pectoral filaments in juveniles and a blunter profile; milkfish is longer, sleeker and built for sustained high-speed runs

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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