Golden trevally

A deep-bodied trevally with rubbery, toothless lips that shoot out like a tube. Young fish are bright gold with black bars (they swim with sharks and big fish); adults are silver-gold with a few dark spots on the side and yellow fins.

5–20 lb.

About 4 ft and over 30 lb (15 kg).

Crabs, shrimp, clams and worms sucked out of the sand, plus small fish.

Grubs along sand flats and reef edges, often with stingrays, tailing in shallow water like a bonefish or permit. A favorite target for fly anglers on the flats.

Found from Queensland & the Great Barrier Reef, Northern Territory & Western Australia, Southeast Asia (Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam), Indonesia (Bali, Komodo, Raja Ampat, Sulawesi), Philippines, South Pacific Islands & Papua New Guinea, Guam & Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, Hawaii, Japan & South Korea, China, Hong Kong & Taiwan, East Africa & Indian Ocean Islands, Red Sea & Arabian Gulf (Egypt, Oman, UAE), India, Sri Lanka, Maldives & Pakistan, Pacific Central America, Pacific Colombia & Ecuador, Pacific Mexico and Galápagos Islands. Sand and rubble flats, lagoons, reef edges and bays from East Africa and the Red Sea to Hawaii and the eastern Pacific (Mexico to Ecuador).

Sand and rubble flats, lagoons, reef edges and bays from East Africa and the Red Sea to Hawaii and the eastern Pacific (Mexico to Ecuador).

2–260 ft.

2–40 ft.

All year in the tropics.

Daylight hours, especially early morning and late afternoon.

The rising tide on flats.

Calm, sunny days for sight-fishing.

Peeled prawns, crab, squid and live shrimp.

Small soft plastics and vibes hopped along the bottom; crab and shrimp flies.

7 ft medium spinning rod; 9–10 weight fly rod.

1/0–4/0 hooks.

15–30 lb braid.

20–40 lb fluorocarbon.

Sight-cast to tailing fish or to fish following rays on the flats, let the fly or plastic sink, then strip slowly along the bottom.

Golden trevally follow feeding stingrays: cast just ahead of the ray and you'll often hook the trevally behind it.

Catch and release: wet your hands, keep the fish in the water when you can, and release it quickly. Use circle hooks and a dehooker.

Good eating when fresh.

Bleed and ice it right away. Fillet, then remove the skin and any dark bloodline.

Good when bled: firm, white-pink meat for sashimi or grilling.

Sharp scutes near the tail; ciguatera risk from big reef fish in some islands. Watch for stingrays when wading.

Bag and size limits in Australian states and Hawaii (where it's called ulua pa'opa'o and papio when small). Check current rules. Licenses and rules differ by country across the Indo-Pacific: Australia's states, Asian countries and the Pacific islands all set their own bag limits, size limits and marine park zones. Check the local rules or fish with a licensed charter.

Keep only what you'll eat and release the big breeders; wet your hands, support the fish's belly and get it back in the water fast.