Tahiti

[Paige]

Anyone ever been to Tahiti and did you do any fishing?
The little bit of searching I've done shows no real beach wade fishing, mostly open water for tuna there, unless you can get to some other atolls.
Have opertunity for round trip plane tickets for $700 bucks soooooo, why not go!

 

[SteelHeadDave]

Anyone ever been to Tahiti and did you do any fishing?
The little bit of searching I've done shows no real beach wade fishing, mostly open water for tuna there, unless you can get to some other atolls.
Have opertunity for round trip plane tickets for $700 bucks soooooo, why not go!

I’ve never done a tropical warm water trip so take this with a huge grain of salt but a quick google maps search shows a good option just north of Tahiti on the atoll of Tetiaroa. Looks to have some flats fishing opportunities if you can book a flight from Tahiti.

 

[DimeBrite]

I fished French Polynesia once about a year ago. Inshore game fish populations around the main islands (Tahiti, Moorea, etc) are depleted. Tetiaroa is an exclusive resort with good fishing at dazzling prices. @Brute has posted about it.
I spent a couple days in the Papeete area then flew to Anaa Atoll to fish a week (it's a couple hundred kilometers east of Tahiti in the Tuamotu archipelago). We stayed at a very simple and casual family owned boarding house that provided meals and Hinanos. The local people catch some fish to survive so fish populations are not as good as other places in the Indo-Pacific, but it is worth fly fishing. The Lagoon has nice sized bonefish that you'll spot as singles and the occasional double. Bluefin trevally patrol the lagoon, some are up to 10 pounds. You'll see a few triggerfish and a few smaller GT on the outer coral flats. Casting to the numerous blacktip shark (2-4 feet) with a 10 weight is a good bet, they are everywhere looking for an easy meal. Fishing the bluewater drop-off while standing at the edge of the reef is exciting. You can hook massive GT and Napoleon wrasse here on 12 weights. There are also numerous bluefin trevally, bohar snapper, peacock grouper at the reef's edge. Watch for bigger sharks! Trolling offshore with a fly rod can produce big catches like dogtooth tuna, wahoo, yellowfin.

Anaa is a charming place. You can lazily ride a bicycle around the island and chat with welcoming locals. Knowing some French is very helpful. Homes are simple, cars are rusty, and the people work hard and are proud of their island. Places like this are the real French Polynesia.

 

[Paige]

Thanks Dime, Anaa Atol was one place I've been looking at and Rangiroa Atol as well.

 

[FishyJere]

Did a National Geographic cruise there before the pandemic. Epic place, well worth your investment. Didn't fish but went on a number of glass bottom boat rides and saw tons of fish in the reef areas. Rangirora Atol has a place called the aquarium for a reason.

 

[SurfnFish]

made a three week surf trip there in the 90's, our host a well known older surfer who introduced us around the islands. The neighborhoods are stunningly beautiful as the municipality provides free landscaping plants for homeowners, making it an eye candy tour just walking around. Also stunningly expensive due to triple taxation.
The barrier reefs around the islands hold the goods for both surf and fishing, the interior lagoons primarily sand bottoms with a few exceptions. Don't recall ever seeing anyone fishing from the beach, there was an older fisherman who beach launched a small panga by our host's house who handlined the reefs, usually brought back a collection of smaller reef fish. A highlight of our trip was the outer island of Huahine, amazing place.
One of the things I liked most about the experience is when as a guest you paddle out to one of the surf spots, most which required either a boat or exceedingly long paddle, before you even try and take a wave you are obliged to first paddle up to every surfer in the water, shake their hand and introduce yourself, creating a vibe of respect, unique to Tahiti lineups.
As to the waves, most dangerous shallows reefs I've ever surfed, came home looking like I had been attacked by a madman with a potato peeler. Thankfully, the local and highly effective use of fresh limes to scub reef rash left scars, not infections.

\

 

[Salmon123]

Went on our honeymoon to Tahiti, Stayed at the Le Meridian for a week, I did not fish however i snorkeled all 7 days I was there and there was a ton of fish everywhere from 5ft off shore to as far as you could swim.

 

[Bonefish Jack]

Anyone ever been to Tahiti and did you do any fishing?
The little bit of searching I've done shows no real beach wade fishing, mostly open water for tuna there, unless you can get to some other atolls.
Have opertunity for round trip plane tickets for $700 bucks soooooo, why not go!

My $.02 …

If you want to go to French Polynesia (Tahiti is an island in French Polynesia, just like Bora Bora, Moorea, and many others,) just go, and make it a great vacation …

And don’t try to make it into a fishing trip. I realize this may be an unpopular opinion here, and here’s my logic:
1. There’s very little beach or wade fishing, and the species are the tropical fish, just as in Hawaii;
2. For me, this quickly gets boring;
3. The locations where you could wade and fish will require an additional flight(s), increasing your costs significantly (see Tetiaroa, which would be a fantastic fishing destination if you won the lottery )
4. The flight is easily the least costly part of the equation. The rest (accommodation, food, guides, etc.) will be expensive.

 

[Brute]

Teti'aroa is a fantastic place...my wife and I first went there about 10 years ago for a wedding anniversary when the Brando first opened. It is also UBER expensive...there is only one place to stay...the Brando...and fishing with the only guide there is three times more expensive than any other place I've been...but my wife loves it there, and we plan on returning several more times before the lights go out...

I've also been to many other places in Micronesia, the Marshall Islands & French Polynesia that are far more reasonably priced, and have decent fishing...and my wife wouldn't go to many of these places...

 

[Matt Paluch]

I've had great fishing in Tetiaroa, and good fishing on Tikehau. If you're not headed to the atolls, I'd just fish for whatever grabs the fly around the reef. Big rods and flies if you're casting into the ocean outside the reef, smaller flies and rods if you're casting in the lagoon.