PALAU, COOK ISLANDS & NEW CALEDONIA FISHING MAP

Fishing Hot Spots

From Koror and the Rock Islands of Palau to Rarotonga and Aitutaki in the Cook Islands, and Nouméa, the Loyalty Islands and the Isle of Pines in New Caledonia. Tap any star or dot to see what it is and what to fish there.

More map layers

Fishing & access

Marine chart layers

Parks & rules

Data rule: Every hot spot sits on a named, mapped place: a marina or harbor from OpenStreetMap, the nearest point on a Natural Earth river or lake to the town, or a named bay, cape, lake or reservoir looked up through Nominatim. These are general positions, not pinpoints, and each star says which one it is. Boat ramps and marinas come from OpenStreetMap, and parks and reserves come from the World Database on Protected Areas: areas closed to fishing in solid red, other protected areas in dashed red. No hot spot sits inside or right next to a closed area. Every star shows its source when you tap it. BigJoe does not invent coordinates. The exact sources used on this map are listed under Map sources & checks below.
Select a Fishing Hot Spot on the map or from the list below.
★ Fishing Hot SpotBoat rampMarinaWreckObstructionRock (yellow = awash)Coral / rock bottomCanyonWeather/tide stationNo-fishing zone (solid red)Protected area, fishing with rules (dashed red)

Safety: these are planning references. Use current official charts, weather and marine alerts and proper safety equipment before heading out.

Fishing Hot Spots by area

Harbors, lagoons and passes. Tap one to fly to it on the map.

Lagoons, passes and deep blue water

Three very different Pacific destinations. Palau has giant trevally, dogtooth tuna and sailfish where its barrier reef drops into deep water, though most of its offshore waters are a no-fishing sanctuary. The Cook Islands are famous for the big bonefish of Aitutaki Lagoon, with tuna, wahoo and marlin just off Rarotonga's reef. New Caledonia has one of the largest lagoons on Earth, full of trevally, coral trout and bonefish, with wahoo, tuna and marlin outside the passes.

Rules: reefs and lagoons here are often owned or managed by local communities and tribes, with traditional closures (ra'ui in the Cooks). Fish with licensed local guides, ask permission first, and release what you won't eat.

On the bay, in the mangroves or on the ocean, the everyday struggles get left at the dock. For those few hours, it's just you, the water and peace.

BigJoe’s gear for Palau, the Cooks & New Caledonia

What BigJoe would bring to fish these waters.

Rod7 ft medium-heavy spinning rodShop on Amazon ↗Reel5000 sealed saltwater spinning reelShop on Amazon ↗Line30 lb braidShop on Amazon ↗TrollingSkirted trolling lures for mahi & wahooShop on Amazon ↗Jigs1 oz bucktail jigs for the reefShop on Amazon ↗RigSnapper bottom rigsShop on Amazon ↗TopwaterSaltwater poppers for jacks & barracudaShop on Amazon ↗SunglassesPolarized fishing sunglassesShop on Amazon ↗

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Species GuidesFish found in these waters.Weather & TidesCheck the ocean before you go.All Hot Spots mapsThe Caribbean, the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia and the Pacific.

Map sources & checks

Coverage
Palau, Cook Islands and New Caledonia. Mapped features come from public datasets and can be incomplete or out of date: a missing reef, ramp or wreck does not mean it is not there.
Map data
Hot spots
30 hot spots, each with its own source (tap any star to see it): every one is an OpenStreetMap/Nominatim named place (general position, not a pinpoint) cross-checked against GeoNames within 5 km.
Protected areas
83 protected areas from the official list above: no-take areas in solid red, others in dashed red. Palau's national marine sanctuary, many islets around Nouméa and community areas are no fishing; check with local guides before you fish.
Chart layers (Charts button)
GEBCO ocean depth and OpenSeaMap buoys, lights and markers. GEBCO and OpenSeaMap are useful references, not official navigation charts.
Weather & tides
See Weather & Tides for this area: Open-Meteo weather and marine models. Tides here are estimated from a global sea-level model, not official tide tables.
Dates
This page last updated November 5, 2026. Each dataset keeps its own retrieval date, shown above.

⚠️ Planning reference only, not for navigation. Use current official charts, weather and marine alerts, and proper safety gear before heading out.

See something wrong or missing? Tell us and we will check it against the source.