This is Artificial Lure with your Komodo fishing report.
Out here around Komodo today we’ve had classic transition weather: light southeast trade in the morning, building to 10–15 knots by mid‑afternoon, easing again toward dark. Skies mostly clear with passing clouds, a bit of haze over the bigger islands. Air temps running mid‑20s Celsius at dawn, pushing close to 31 in the heat.
Tides around the Labuan Bajo–Komodo area have been moderate. Morning high just after sunrise, dropping to a solid mid‑day low, then a pushing flood through the afternoon and into the evening. As usual in this part of Nusa Tenggara, the currents between the islands have been fierce on the bigger swings, so pick your windows carefully—fish the edges of the flow, not the middle of the river.
Sun cracked the horizon a little after 6 a.m., with that orange glow on the volcanic ridges, and it’ll slip behind the islands just after 6 this evening. The bite followed the light: slow in the gray, strong as soon as the sun got some height and that first of the ebb started to move.
Pelagic activity has been good. Small yellowfin and skipjack tuna have been busting bait along the current lines off the north side of Komodo and around the channels toward Gili Lawa. A few boats reported mixed bags of 3–8 kg tuna, plus the odd bigger fish crashing in from deeper water. Spanish mackerel have been roaming the drop‑offs—nothing huge, but enough 5–7 kg fish to keep it interesting.
Inshore, the reef edges and bommies have been productive. Jigging and light bait fishing on the slope has turned up coral trout, red emperor, and a fair number of mixed snappers. Most boats working slow pitch jigs in the 40–80 g range brought home a box of pan‑sized fish, with the occasional brute that found the rocks.
For lures, stickbaits and small poppers in natural sardine or flying fish patterns have been the stars on the surface, especially when cast tight to the current lines and ripped back fast. Metal slices and slim jigs in silver, blue, and pink are doing damage when dropped under the birds and worked up through the busting bait. Near the reef, slow‑pitch jigs in gold, orange, or red head with white have been money.
If you’re fishing bait, fresh is king. Live scad, small mackerel, or fusiliers bridled and slow‑trolled along the drop‑off are drawing the bigger strikes from mackerel and GTs. On the bottom, chunky strips of freshly cut fish or squid are producing consistent snaps and groupers—keep your leaders heavy and your drag tight, these Komodo rocks don’t forgive.
A couple of hot spots to think about:
First, the waters around Batu Balong. When the tide isn’t ripping too hard, the upwelling there really stacks the bait. Work the edges of the structure, not the top—poppers and stickbaits early, then jigs once the sun’s up. Expect tuna, mackerel, and the odd rampaging GT.
Second, the northern side of Gili Lawa Darat and the adjacent channels. On the falling tide, the current lines fill with bait and birds. Cast metal jigs and stickbaits into the nervous water and hang on. If it quiets down, slide out deeper and jig the contour lines; there are some serious reef dwellers lurking on that slope.
Overall, fish are active around the tide changes and when the current is moving but not at full scream. Plan your day around those windows, keep an eye on the color changes and bird life, and you’ll find the action.
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