Diving and snorkeling is exceptional all throughout the Islands. Spearfishing is excellent, allowing more bountiful limits of reef fish and pelagics than what we are accustomed to in the US. The diversity of the pelagic, reef fish, lobster and conch that is available in my home island of the Bahamas is hard to imagine, along with their tremendous numbers. 

The numbers of big grouper lurking in their holes seem to be desolate in some areas and over capacity in others. The groupers can be gags, blacks, reds, tiger, the protected Nassau, and Goliaths. 

Snappers abound in any reef for spearing, as well as for fishermen. The snappers grow quite large in the Bahamas. They do so because of a lack of fishing and diving pressure, unlike what we see here in Islamorada. Big muttons and huge yellowtails exist in large numbers at nearly every rocky reef. The muttons, dog, cubera, mangrove, and hog snappers grow to some impressive sizes and are available year-round for both fishing and spearfishing. 

The reefs in many areas team with fish, and cruising an hour away from the island towns reveals the bounty of the Bahamas. Some areas are better than others for the first-time crosser or vacationer, but most first-timers should be very successful on a do-it-yourself spearing adventure in 20-50’ of water over a rocky reef. 

Note, that as of recent, the Bahamas does not allow the harvesting of conch by non-Bahamians. Not to worry, any island town has a good number of live Bahamian conch for sale, or ready-made as fried conch, conch fritters, Bahamian conch salad, and a large array of other culinary delights. 

The other note is that of spearfishing. The Bahamas does not allow spearguns. They allow pole spears, Hawaiian slings, trident spears, or a combination there-of. The use of pole spears is way more challenging than a speargun, as you need to be close to your target, versus a speargun that can be fired at a greater distance to your quarry. 

Summer in the Bahamas is an oasis compared to South Florida and the Keys due to the number of tourists and locals that take advantage of the Keys and South Florida beaches. You may find larger crowds in some of the Bahamas in the summer compared to winter, but nothing minutely compared to the bustle of South Florida and the Keys.

So, if you are trying to get away to the tropics this summer and do some diving, snorkeling, spearfishing and fishing, combined with a family vacation, you cannot beat the Bahamas for its seclusion and relatively unpopulated beaches and reefs, as well as for having much of the ocean with little boat traffic to contend with.

You want to go catch lobster and not have the craze of the Keys? Then hop on your boat, or on our charter, and go to the Bahamas for some excellent lobstering in clear Bahamian waters- -without the danger of a bazillion boaters in search of lobster during the July and August season in South Florida or the Keys. 

Try it once and you will see why I charter our summer trips to the Bahamas for spearing, lobstering, and a bit of fishing…all while having the opportunity to “see it like a native”. 

In the Bahamas it is legal game and harvest of these magnificent beasts up to 20 or equivalent of 60 lbs of fillets upon leaving the Bahamas. If you do so do not even stop and fish when entering Florida as you will be one out of season and 2 way beyond the legal limit.

In the Florida Keys on the Atlantic side, grouper season does not open until May 1st, yet you can catch and release these big fish from January 1st through April 30th.

The fish at this time of year have voracious appetites and are not as weary as during the late spring through early winter. They are a constant search for food, sex and thier secretive nature is cast aside. You will find them cruising flats, sandy areas, shallow patch reefs all the way to deep reefs and wrecks.

The tackle I choose is a stout jigging rod either conventional or spin that is rated to at least 150 lbs. The particular set up on this trip was Tsunami Spin H Jigging Rods and Penn Battle 8000 loaded with 65 lb braid and also Tsunami Spin XH Spin Rods with Canyon Reels 10000 with 80 lb braid. Both performed flawlessly with the Canyon out-performing the Penns due to their higher drag capability up to 44 lbs of drag in dragging those lead-sleds off the bottom.

The terminal tackle consisted of heavy-duty 3-way swivels directly tied to a Bimini knot on the main line. A 16” dropper line with an overhand loop knot and loop for the weight and the third component a 50# Ande Flourocarbon leader to about 10 feet tied to a Heavy Duty Owner Mutu Circle Hook in size 7-10 depending on bait used.

Weights were selected depending on current, depth, bottom type and line class.

Baits consisted of ballyhoo plugs, live grunts, live pinfish, speedos, chunk bonito, barracuda (in Bahamas only as illegal to use in FL).

I scream, “All lines in!”, as we bring in the lines and the teasers. Soon, the tell-tale sign of a pumping line, spells tuna. My guests get tighter on the line as it goes nearly vertical. Another thrust of the engines forward brings the fish at a better angle to fight. 

As Jack Zimmerman gains line, I keep an eye on the school that is now a slight ways off. I hear the screaming below as the fish nears the surface, only to make that mad dash to the depths again, taking more line off the 50-wide. With only 1/4 spool left and the fish not appearing to stop, I engage the engines once again and bring the fish to a better angle. With line still stripping, we head into the fish to recover line as quickly as we can.

The battle goes on like this for over a half hour and my client’s reel still has several hundred yards of line out. I tell him to get in the chair and pump and wind hard as I back up into the fish. Again, we get it to the top, where I can see it’s a tuna. But, this one does not appear to have the colors of a yellowfin. As the fish draws closer, I see its bigger cousin, a bluefin. 

I slide down from the tower as quick as I can to leader this fish. The first this year, and of good size. The colors of a bluefin are amazing in the water as they come to gaff. They lack the yellows and golds of yellowfin, but that blue-black hue is unmistakable. The fish is not one of the giants once commonly roaming these waters, but a great fish to start the day. 

I leader the fish closer and finally take the gaff shot and anchor it well in the shoulders. The strength these fish possess is immense, even for a small to medium-size bluefin. Pound for pound, they are a fish that will strip line out of a big reel faster than any other fish I have ever fished for. This guy is no exception. 

Once the fish calms and surrenders to the battle, it takes all I can muster to bring this fish into the boat. 

Glistening with the sun beating on its skin, showing the cobalt blue colors and silvery side, both angler and captain pause silently admiring this fish. Simultaneously, we both let out our victory yells and high fives for this battle. Always on my game plan, I shout, “Let’s get another one!” Jack, exhausted from battle, tells Steve, “You get the next one! I’m done!” 

After icing the fish down, we are on our way again looking for the birds. Off in the distance, I spot the terns diving. I make a huge sweep in front of them way ahead, and let the lines out again--this time on 80-wides and bent butts. I tell Steve to rig one of the speedos on the 50-wide with the circle hooks and leave it in the bait well, armed and ready. 

As we get closer, the birds scatter and it appears the fish have all but disappeared. We continue trolling in the area, in the same general path the school was on. Occasionally, I see blips on the sounder that look like big fish. We continue on the trek, following the depth we caught our first one, but to no avail. I decide to pull in all our lures and motor fast about 1 mile from our position. 

I’m judging these fish will continue on their migration trek in the same depth down along the Straits as they make their way to the Gulf of Mexico to spawn. The giants have a reputation of not eating while on this migration, as they have one purpose in mind, and that is to reproduce. 

I come to a halt, turn off the engines, and put out three speedos rigged on balloons at various depths and, hopefully, drift into the school. Patiently, we wait as our screen marks fish at deeper depths, but not what we are looking for. A few minutes go by that seem like hours, until one of the reels starts screaming. Just as soon as Steve loads the rod it pops straight up. A shark grabbed the bait and cut through the leader. 

We begin to mark fish on the screen and anticipate a strike. I am quickly deploying another live bait down, when one of the rods goes off and line is pulling away fast. “A tuna, I hope!”, says Steve. Only to find out by the strike and method of battle, was a wahoo that managed to get hooked without cutting the leader. This is when you begin to admire circle hooks! Welcome as he was, he was not our wish. Bringing the zebrafish boatside was a first for Steve. He quickly forgot our quarry and marveled at the neon stripped beauty. 

Three hours past sunrise, and only two fish accounted for--the famed Bahamas speedster, the wahoo, and one of the legends of years past on Cat, the bluefin tuna. What a morning!

In the years following the devastating 1935 hurricane, the Islamorada community proved resilient in rebuilding and carrying on the legacy of this little fishing town and tropical destination. It was around this time, that the Cheeca Lodge property turned over to commercial use. Once a private residence, the Mills family opened the Casa Islamorado--the first hotel and restaurant on the island and the beginning of, what would one day become, the Cheeca Lodge.

In 1946, the hotel became, under new ownership, Islamorada Olney Inn. The first guest at the Olney Inn was President Harry S. Truman. Truman’s visit would be the first of many notable visits by politicians, movie stars, and famous people, and the beginning of its presidential tradition.

After the demise of the Olney Inn, by another hurricane, the property changed hands to Cynthia Twitchell, whom built the main lobby, oceanfront villas, tennis courts, and a golf course (designed by Jack Nicklaus), as well as the world-famous fishing pier. The new property would be called Cheeca Lodge. Twitchell combined her nickname, Chee, and her husband’s name, Carl, to create the moniker Cheeca – a name that would soon become synonymous with Islamorada.

After a major fire in 2008, the resort was rebuilt again. Today the resort boasts five-star recognition, as one of the major luxury resorts in the Keys, while keeping the tropical ambiance of its little laid back fishing town.

 Many have heard Islamorada referred to as “The Sport Fishing Capital of the World”.  Such a reputation is from the influence of Curt Gowdy. His famous outdoors show, The American Sportsman, often took place in Islamorada and ran for three decades, from the 60s to the 80s. Famous guests from the sports and entertainment industries appeared on his show to fish the turquoise waters of Islamorada.

Probably one of the most significant guests to visit Cheeca Lodge was President George Bush Sr. Not only did he frequent both Islamorada and Cheeca Lodge, but his passion for fishing led him to co-found “The Presidential Sailfish Tournament" in 1990, held each year in January.

In keeping with Cheeca’s mission to conserve and protect valuable Keys resources, all sailfish caught during this tournament are caught with circle hooks, to ensure they are released to fight another day.

“The Presidential Sailfish Tournament” celebrated its 27th year this year. Here are the results of this year’s tournament, held January 19-21, 2017.

Forty-seven sailfish were released on the first day of the tournament and 32 were released on the second day, for a total of 79 releases, by 78 anglers, on 22 boats.

Captain Travis Dickens led the “Indigenous” team to top honors at this year’s event and took First Place, releasing eight sailfish over two days of fishing.

Second Place went to “Relentless”, led by Captain Paul Ross. They released seven sailfish.

“Silent Hunter”, out of Keys Fisheries in Marathon, earned Third Place honors. Captain James Platt and his team released six sailfish.

“This year’s Presidential Sailfish Tournament boasted two days of intense fishing and action-packed events,” says Bob LaCasse, general manager of Cheeca Lodge and Spa. “We were honored to host this esteemed competition, and are pleased that our anglers experienced such great sportfishing."

This tournament, honoring past presidents, will continue the fishing legacy of the quaint fishing village, within the walls of luxury and laid back island traditions of years past. 

This dream became a reality during a calm stretch of weather last year in early spring, with warm gentle southeast winds. Linda’s son and her husband, Ralph, left Miami with us early one morning and headed to Bimini, 50 miles off the Florida coast. After checking in with customs and into The Bimini Big Game Club, we had lines in the water well before noon.

The day was spectacular, as catching a few wahoo and raising blues was not an issue. Getting the blues to bite, however, was. After a couple of raises with no bites at our lures, we trolled the same area with live bait.

Within 30 minutes, we had a blue on the line. I remember the faces of my two anglers overjoyed at the sight and sounds of a greyhounding marlin and the screaming clicker on the reel. Imagine the mayhem in the cockpit of clearing teasers and the other lines while keeping tight on our quarry.

After an hour or so, the beautiful lit up blue was boatside. A quick release, and it was back to the cobalt blue waters she called home. The high fives and exhilaration were cut short when I witnessed a big free jumper not more than 300 yards away.

A quick deployment of our large live bait, and we were on the hunt again. I kept busy in the tower, combing the blue water for signs of the fish and occasionally glancing at the staggered baits.

After a few figure eights, it appeared the ocean was devoid of the fish. Instead, my hunch was to head to a current rip 200 yards away. Upon straightening our lines, the blue hit with a fierce snap at the long rigger bait.

Crossing into all the other lines as we desperately tried to reel them in, the blue dove deep, rather than jumped. Once the lines cleared, we began the chase with the 50 wide dumping line.

“I’m gettin’ spooled! I’m gettin’ spooled!” called Ralph. As I throttled towards the beast, the characteristic “bang” of the line breaking on the reel shot in our ears.

Ralph said, “That was a huge fish!” as I concurred with, “At least 700; haven’t seen a fish this size here for years!” and, “Wouldn’t you know it! It hits the 50 vs the 80W!”

The afternoon sun gave way to dusk, and we motored home to fight another day.

The next day, we left way before light to hit the schools of tuna reported up in the Passage. At daybreak, we spotted a group of birds on the horizon and headed for them. As we made wide berths around the school, we picked up a few medium sized yellowfin.

Witnessing the school moving in a northeast direction, we picked up all lines, made a wide circle around them, and started chunking well in advance of them. As the birds drew closer, we had two big tunas on well ahead of the school.

Ralph said, “How in the hell did you know where to drop?” His question was answered by my smile.

After reeling for quite a while, the father and son duo pulled boatside two tunas nearing 100 pounds, as well as over dozens of other big fish during their week with us. Happy Holidays to all, Jorge

Not many places on earth will you find these concentrations of these lightning fast fish. They are here in big numbers, and in big sizes. It is not uncommon for a day’s take that one ends up with double-digit catches on good-sized wahoo.

In my particular situation, the weather plays a big role in fishing the Bahamas at this time of year. Brisk north, northwest and northeast winds bring high seas that make the crossing to the islands difficult from my home port in Islamorada. With every cold front, it seems these fish bite off the charts. But with that, are a few days of wind that can keep you from your plans due to high seas.

Chub Cay, or a popular area for fishing known as “The Pocket”, are often sheltered a bit from the north and northeast winds and provide great action for wahoo most of the winter. The fishing here is exceptional most of the time for these and a host of other pelagics, due to the ocean topography and currents rich in nutrients.

Cay Sal is another area that gets consistent action throughout the winter. It is a close jog from the Florida Keys, if not for the requirement to check in with Customs in Bimini or Cat, then proceed the nearly 90 to 150-mile trek to fish it. As I have written extensively prior of South Florida and Keys fishermen, those taking their chances fishing Cay Sal without checking in and obtaining legal entry into the Bahamas and fishing licenses are breaking the law. This is on BOTH sides--the US of legal exit and the Bahamas of legal entry, plus Bahamian licenses.

If you want to fish Cay Sal, do it LEGALLY by checking in in Cat, and then fishing towards Cay Sal high speed. You will be amazed at the quality and quantity of fish you catch; more than likely exceeding your allowed limits of both exit and entry into the US, before even getting to Cay Sal.

I avoid the longer trip to Chub and the issues of Cay Sal and prefer to have Bimini my wahoo homebase. From here, I can fish down towards Cay Sal along Wahoo Highway, fishing both into, and following the current of, the Gulfstream. Often while fishing this way, I catch anything from my targeted fish, wahoo, to mahi, salifish and the occasional tuna.

If I decide to fish the Northwest Passage, I cut across south of the Gingerbreads and then hug the large expanse of the shallow bank all the way back to Bimini. One can do a bit of great bottom fishing off the Gingerbreads and its expansive area to fish. This makes for a full 12-14 hour day of extreme fishing that my clients, at times, opt for. Here, not only is wahoo on the menu, but big grouper, yellowtail and mutton snapper. This fishing mixes it up a bit as my clients catch bottom fish most of the day and then we head back and return by dark fishing both times for wahoo--the early morning and late afternoon bite, and bottom fish during the day.

The fishing techniques I employ for wahoo are high-speed trolling from 10-18 knots, chunking, live bait fishing and drift fishing. The techniques have been discussed at length on previous FishMonster Wahoo articles, but will be touched upon briefly here.

High-speed trolling means higher speeds than trolling for marlin or mahi and tuna. Here, speeds are 10-18 knots. I suggest a 3-4 rod set-up. A port, starboard and center rod, and center deep rod. I space them out a various lengths and depths to cover the water column and horizontal boat wake. I highly recommend 80 to 130 wide reels on bent butt rods, just due to withstand the strike of the big wahoo you can catch. Remember you are going 10-18 knots and the strike of a 70-100 pound wahoo will put a HUGE amount of stress on your line, rod and reel--hence the big-boy tackle.

Chunking involves chumming likely wahoo areas with big chunks of mackerel, speedos or bonito, and then deploying and drifting wire rigs with sturdy hooks.

If you have never experienced wahoo fishing, the first charter you take in a great wahoo area will keep you coming back every year, as a few of my clients do. The strike hit is one of the most exhilarating and heart pumping runs of all the pelagics, including my favorite, “The Lady in the Blue Dress”, the blue marlin, of which will be around the corner this spring! More on her later...

I approach cautiously, my client with fly rod in hand, and a fly mimicking a small jack. As I near, I see the telltale sign of a bull dolphin working a rope, tail biting at the tiny jacks and triggerfish. I position the boat for the cast and glide with engines off. A long cast and perfect presentation lands the fly with a delicate “plop” on the surface. 

“Strip, strip, strip fast!!” I yell as my last words and the fish simultaneously connects with the fly. An explosion of activity, with aerial summersaults and jumps, to loosen the fly imbedded in the upper jaw of an iridescent neon yellow, green, blue and white. The battle is on. The reel screams as backing flows from the reel. A few more jumps and the tug-of-war begins, leading the fish into succumbing to its captor. One lunge towards the boat, and its game on again. With every near pass of the boat, the fish comes alive, again and again, until exhausted, it surrenders to our gaff. 

This is fly fishing for mahi, dolphin or dorado. The names are as varied as the distant lands it inhabits.  This trip took us from my home in Islamorada to a quick customs stop in Cat Island and back to the Western Edge of the Bahamas Bank where I like to search and hunt for Mahi, without the large numbers of boats near home. I have fished these waters often resulting in good sized fish on either fly, light or conventional tackle.

The trip is long and many hours but well worth it in hopes of catching large bulls and having an ocean all to yourself. The entire trip takes over 12-14 hours if your on a one day schedule. Many ask me why, the long trip when you have World Class Mahi fishing off your home base? Larger Fish and solitude, two things I cherish when I charter. In addition the fishing for Blue Marlin is great from April through the summer. 

In my quest for a fly adventure to the Bahama offshore bank I prepare a day or two in advance with sufficient pitch baits for mahi and blues. For my “flyfish” only clients, Im pulling hookless teasers on 50W outfits in case they get hit by a blue. I usually run 2 teasers made up of big mahi bellies sewn and crimped to 100# leader. I troll these quite fast from my tower. The angler ready with fly line stripped into a bucket and rod in the port corner holder. Once I see the fish rise and hit the teaser I real in the other one into the outrigger and tease the fish up into fly casting distance. Once my angler is ready, I place the boat in neutral and snap the teaser away from the fish and the angler casts simultaneously where the teaser last was and begins to strip line. Most often we hook up, sometimes we don’t.  We do this while searching for isolated fish on debris or weed lines. If on debris or weed, I pull in my teasers and sight fish and position the boat for my anglers cast. Precision and stealth are needed here. 

I learned this technique fishing in Mexico on cruisers and later using Pangas for my clients. The Pangas proved to be more effective in coming up on the fish than the bigger sportfishermen probably due to their smaller size or less engine noise. 

Today we use a center console that is larger but similar design to the Pangas. The casting platform is 360 degree platform vs a 180 degree pit making the center console the most versatile boat I have ever used for flyfishing pelagics from marlin to mahi to tripletail. 

The choice of flys is up to the individual.  I recommend jelly flies imitating glass minnows, hair flys like Deceivers in white and blue, red and white and red and black. Poppers in blue and white imitating juvenile flying fish, green yellow and red imitating mahi fry, large Shrimp flies and even light jigs dressed in yellow bucktail. 

Leaders I recommend a standard IGFA regulation fly leaded with 10 or 12 line class  a double line onto a 12 inch butt section of 40 pound flourocarbon. 

Fly line is an individual choice. I happen to have always fished with Clear flyline in a WTF Floating line. I always use 80# braid backing to the capacity of the reel minus the flyline and leader section. 

Fly tackle is very individualistic. My all time Mahi fly setup is a Biscayne Billy Baroo 3 piece 10 Wt that has handled all the way from small billfish to any sized Mahi. The largest I have ever caught on this rod and 10 pound tippet class line was a Bull Mahi that tipped the scales at 67.4 pounds in Costa Rica. Another rod I have experimented with shown on some pictures on this article is a 4 piece 10WT by Shu-Fly Tackle with a large or small butt. I keep the Shu Fly set up for my clients to use on the boat. 

Fly reels are another matter. What you want is good arbor size, line capacity and drag and that they be impervious to saltwater!

I have used a Penn International 2.5G for over 20 years and still love it! Another reel I use on the boat for my clients is the Shu Fly Max Drag 9/10. Some people elect to use 12WT rod reel line which is overkill on even the huge mahi, while some use 8-9 WT’s that I believe are great for small to midsized fish but a bit shy when a really big fish or billfish presents itself in the spread. 

My advice to people wanting to flyfish mahi. Learn the roll cast well, the double haul and learn PRECISION! Small flys and sharp sharp premium Umpqua hooks! And practice, practice, practice before you go!

We get clients that want to fish light tackle also, of which we employ the standard trolling method with hooked baits and a well full of pilchards and jacks to sight cast to the fish. We employ practically a similar technique when light tackle fishing for these fish.

The Bahamian one day trips are long, for experienced and avid anglers in quest of nice big mahi in waters seldom shared by another boat. I have fished these waters often from the 1970’s in search of mahi and my favorite alltime big game fish, The Blue Marlin. The days are unlike the norm, fishing two countries in one day at times, the same current of water, with a personality its own depending on which side of the stream you’re on.

Suddenly, you see a dark "hole" behind your long rigger; then you don't. Now you think you have seen a flash of color behind your long center rigger and you wait patiently. A few minutes go by and you begin to wonder, “Do I continue with the spread that has resulted in hundreds of marlin?” or “Do I pitch back a big live bait in the spread, at risk of a huge tangle?”

You ponder, and then all hell breaks loose as a nice 400 plus blue hits the short flatline with the biggest lure in your spread! The reel is screaming as you drop the throttle to set the hook home. The water erupts with a slashing, thunderous explosion of a wild fish and a speeding boat.

The initial jumps of a blue are what this fishing is all about. Now she is greyhounding as you are reeling in all other lines and teasers. You look at your rod and you realize the power of this tremendous fighting machine as it flexes the 80 weight rod like a bow.

Once the pandemonium settles down on the deck, you begin the task of bringing her to leader. You grab the rod and settle yourself into your stand-up harness; you look at your zip cutter before you latch the final snap to you and the “Lady in the Blue Dress”, as I often call her. 
You never know how the fish will fight. Will she stay on top and tire easily, or will she sound and use her surface area against you with the help of the surface tension of the water, preserving her strength, while you try to bring her up, inch by inch? The battle of big marlin, like blues or blacks, are unlike any other billfish or big tunas. These fish are, in my opinion, the ultimate big game fish--they are powerful, strong, smart, and give you a show that no other fish can begin to compare with.It's you and her; you feel her every head shake, her every lunge, her every rise before she breaks the water and jumps end over end, again and again, trying to shake that sharp hook dug into the corner of her mouth. You have done everything to the ultimate detail for your gear to hold. You never know the variables, but one thing for certain you do know--it’s a "mano-a mano" battle; held together by a single strand of line.

As time continues, and the line strains at the bend of the rod, you feel your muscles ache and begin to cramp while you adjust to new positions. Your back burns, as do your calves and thighs. Your arms are taught like steel as you continue to gain ground. As the reel continues to fill with line with every crank, you know you’re close, but blues don't give up easily; they often rip lots of line out of a big reel, multiple times, while on stand up tackle--a night and day comparison to a fighting chair.  I started stand-up fishing for marlin for the same reason one uses fly tackle on tarpon--to feel the true fish and fight it on its terms, not yours!

Over an hour elapses and you finally begin to see color again. The deep brilliant blues with gold stripes begin to give way to purple and bronze, and you know you have nearly won. All now that is needed is a safe wiring by your mate, without getting tip-wrapped, and you or your mate getting pulled over. This is not the time for inexperienced bystanders to be in the cockpit. This is the “coup de grace”, and it’s all or none.

Many people have been injured at this stage. Realize these fish, although tired, are still a formidable adversary. They can pose a real danger. Billing a blue is unlike a sailfish. The bill on a marlin is a short and stout bill that, when swatted with a violent head shake, will cut you severely, as I have witnessed. The wireman's experience, along with boat handling, at this precise moment with a big fish, is essential to de-hooking it and releasing it in a healthy state. I do not like to keep these fish boatside on their sides for long. Witnesses will attest that extremely stressed fish do not survive if they are brought up on board for the "hero" shot. I keep these fish upright as often as possible after de-hooking them. I keep them swimming as long as I can if they show exhaustion. With live bait, I always cut the line close to the mouth and let them go quickly.

This was one of the mornings, recently, while fishing for blues off of Bimini, Bahamas. The story repeated itself several times throughout the week. Bimini in April and May can give you several chances at a blue every day.

Fish long and hard, know what your doing, and you will catch fish. I have fished with many great marlin fishermen and we always talk the same language. Fishing blues! This is a doubled title as fishing for blue marlin can be called “fishing for blues” or it has been said many times, fishing for marlin will give you the "blues", from the often long wait between bites. 

Blue marlin fishing is not for the short of patience Captain or angler.   It is reserved for the patient, willing to forego setting baits out for fish other than marlin. I believe this is a big reason why so few marlin, especially blue marlin, are ever caught; people become bored and want to "catch", hence, why!

Blue marlin are the most difficult of any fish to target consistently and catch consistently. It’s due to their range, their diet, and their presence--from a 4000 foot wall, or near the surface feeding, they are nearly impossible to predict!

Bimini is a conveyor belt of fresh sushi to fish like blue marlin, white marlin, mahi, sailfish, tuna and wahoo. Bimini is a great place to fish, just a few hours away from my home of Islamorada. Bimini harbors larger numbers of marlin at certain times as they travel the east side of the Gulfstream, out of the Gulf of Mexico past the northwest coast of Cuba, and when joining the currents from the straits between the Southern Bahamas and Northeast Cuba. These waters are rich in baitfish and pelagics that these fish feed on. I find and catch these fish on the western side of the Gulfstream in the Florida Straits, but the water along the Bahama Bank appears to hold more fish and bigger fish.

Blue marlin is the number one fish all big game anglers want. It’s the “Holy Grail” in the big game fishing world. Why?  Catch one and you will understand. When fishing off of Bimini, I always ask my clients, "The question is what kind of fish do you want to catch?"

So.........you need to focus, and focus hard, and fish every possible minute you can if your targets are Blue Marlin.  Bimini will not let you down!

Locations of spawning muttons are a tightly held secret by the few that really know the consistent areas, seldom around other boats. You see the glimmer of lights in the distance of the mainstay of the boats, if any at all, while you enjoy a few areas that are just bordering outside of SPECTACULAR.

This particular outing, was several nights anchored for the night, awaiting the “Mutton Dance”. Waiting for the ideal conditions, less than 2 miles away, we started laying the chum line for the ravenous and mega yellowtails this particular section of reef holds, as the sun started to depart the day. The bite was voracious. It was exciting and the fish coming over the gunwalls were every bit of 5 to 6 pounds, with the occasional behemoth.

Other fish in the action were big horse-eye jacks of amberjack proportions. They get big here. They were big enough to break my Ugly Stick Custom Heavy with 80 lb. braid. The rod broke, and the braid held true, as the big horse-eye came on board one evening. A place I call Hatteras Drop was where I witnessed the size of these jacks, as a 70’ Hatteras from Bermuda was fishing this spot on the reef and, after only catching huge jacks, they moved. Not only did they catch big jacks, but they were about 150’ from the best yellowtail spot I had ever fished on several trips.

After a nice boatload of yellowtail, and the sun hidden well behind the Western sky, I pulled anchor and searched long and far to see of any neighboring boats. We made several slow passes, idling over the perimeter of the area, trajected the drift, and shut off the engines and drifted into spot. Quietly, we sat there, what seemed an eternity, chum spewing from both bags. The sounder, little by little, began to thicken and, when almost solid, we dropped a chunk of bait on a span of 40# fluorocarbon and breakaway sinker. Almost immediately, a big mutton slammed the bait. After a short rod-bending battle, up came the silhouette of a grand mutton against the moonlit night; and another, and another, until we had several nice muttons on ice that put us at the weight limit of fin fish from the Bahamas with only 5 fish. The bite could sustain an entire night fishing and hundreds of pounds of muttons, yet, the reason they are there in these huge numbers is the limited catches in this barren area no one considers to fish.

The next day, we fished the same area during the day, in the exact manner described above, without the effect of the moon. The bite was dismal in comparison. The big muttons were reluctant to bite and the catch was numerous smaller fish. We did get a few good fish that day after 3 hours of fishing vs. 1 hour the evening before.

Muttons like sandy areas outside of patchy rocks or reefs. I look for these patchy areas, surrounded by sand, if possible. During the spawn here, in these areas I fish, there are hardly any sandy areas. Instead, there are areas traversed with rocky ledges with islands of coral heads; not the typical scenario I generally fish in the Keys.

The typical well-known mutton fisheries around Bimini tend to be more of the traditional topography and structure and, although they produce good numbers of nice muttons, they are ocean parking lots of boats--not my thing. My success always comes from getting away from the crowds and popular areas.

The rigs I use are medium lever drag reels like an Avet 6 size, loaded with 80# braid, or a Canyon Salt 7500 on a heavy spin rod, loaded with 80 pound braid likewise. I connect the braid with a 3-way swivel. On the two eyelets of the swivel, I attach an 8-10’ fluorocarbon 40 lb. leader, on a size 7 Super Mutu circle hook. For the other eyelet, I use a 20# 24” length of line tied to a bank sinker. If I start catching large grouper, I go up to a 60 pound fluorocarbon leader and 30# line to sinker. The reason for the lighter sinker line, is to act as a breakaway line in case your sinker snags up on a rocky crevice. If a fish snags up on a rock or ledge, I patiently wait it out by placing the rod in a rod holder, without any tension, in open spool, with a copper wire holding the line to the rod. When the fish comes out of its hole, it will trip the copper wire and strip line from the reel. Here, I tighten the drag down 100%, flip the bail by hand, and crack the fish up to the surface. I have fairly good success doing this, unless the fish chafes the line badly and results in a break-off at full drag. Generally, a fish that is hooked in a rock and comes out peeling line is well hooked, so now, pulling it off the bottom is what needs to be done swiftly.

Do I break fish off doing this? Yes! But it’s at least a 50-60% chance you will be able to hang on to the fish. If you pull hard on the line, you chafe the line and you generally get a break-off most of the time.  Patience is golden here; it can result in a dance with a good fish, or the one who got away!

While fishing for muttons, you can catch some big black and gag grouper. They inhabit the same areas, but are mostly found in the areas with rock ledges and big coral heads. I prefer the rocky bottom, with holes in the rocks that harbor big fish. If you fish the sandy areas, the muttons will be there, whereas, if you fish the rocks, the grouper will generally find home here.

I witnessed this by diving on these reefs and seeing where the fish generally inhabit. The outer patches and deeper reefs tend to hold the larger muttons, whereas the grouper are found on patches or in the deep. The key is rocks with holes, where they call home.

Bimini is a mecca for bottom fishing big fish--whether it be muttons to grouper, or offshore, for marlin to tuna! Springtime in the Bahamas will surely amaze you. Take a charter from the Keys with us in April and May and you, too, will be “Dancing with Muttons”!

Let us take a ride from my home port of Islamorada and tell you what to expect.

Roughly 50 miles off our East Florida coast, Bimini is the first stop for most clearing customs. I love Bimini. I know Bimini and rarely venture past due to its extraordinary fishing. The spring mutton snapper spawn is amazing. We look for the spawn around the spring full moon. On one night, anchored not far from Bimini, an astonishing spawn was underway with fish on the sounder, from the bottom to near the surface, with some tremendous fish caught in little time. Daytime fishing can also bring you a great catch of these fish. Bring lots of lead, fresh bait, and chum and hold on. Muttons voraciously eat your bait as grouper and others compete for the morsels from above! During the day, venture out to the sharp drops and be ready for blue marlin averaging 250 pounds, with anything up to 800 pounds possible. We expect to raise a few fish per day with a possible catch of one to two fish per day. Last year, we had a great day of two raises and two releases. The blues are not as numerous here as other Bahamian islands, but, for proximity of Florida, you can’t beat the fishery. Large mahi begin to show up in the spring as well as the left over wahoo from winter.

A bit further down, near Cat Island, springtime means bluefin tuna in large dimensions. Often, these are caught by fishing in towers--spotting the fish as they cruise near the surface, or reported to the captain from an aircraft. They are amazing to witness due to their sheer size and brute strength. Should you want to tackle blues and bluefin, we generally use 80 wide reels on bent rods, with minimum 80 lb. line. Live speedos are the trick here, but often they are nearly impossible to keep alive in our crossing. Using rigged speedos or small mackerel is the next alternative to good success on either marlin or tuna.

From Bimini, north to the Isaacs, one can find excellent yellowfin and blackfin tuna fishing. In the New Providence Channel, north of the Isaacs, look for schooling bait and birds in deeper water and you will find the tuna. Hole in the Wall is another well known area where some bruiser mahi to 50 plus pounds exist. Early morning and late day with low light conditions can be explosive, but daytime tuna fishing can be extraordinary with moving tuna averaging about 20-60 lbs. We use tuna feathers and cedar plugs for these fish and troll the outskirts of the schools where the larger tuna exist. Most inexperienced tuna fishermen we have witnessed, cruise right into the school and begin to chunk, deep jig, or troll and may catch one or two, but seldom get the bigger tunas consistently.

Around the Isaacs, the bottom fishing is phenomenal for grouper, snapper and yellowtail. This is one of my favorite places to catch yellowtails. We use our traditional flourocarbon leader with chumming approach and often catch them consistently in the 5-7 pound class.

If you want Marlin in particular, plan on a trip of several days to a week to Boat Harbour or Marsh Harbour. Areas like Jurassic Park, Mushroom, Hopetown, Pocket, The Bridge, The Table Top, and a few secret areas, hold blue marlin to 500 lbs. and a few ”granders” historically released. This area holds huge schools of mahi and tuna that we try to avoid to not tear up our baits while pursuing marlin. This is big tackle country with 80 wides the standard set up. This area can be one of the greatest fisheries of medium to small sized marlin in the world, followed by La Guaira off Venezuela. Seldom is this area fished hard due to the travel time and logistics from Florida.

Closer than Boat Harbour is Chub Cay. In spring, with a good southeast wind, the tuna, mahi and marlin stack up here in a well know area known as The Pocket. We find larger concentrations of boats fishing these rich waters during the spring due to the ease of reach from the Florida coast and a long four day weekend to fish. Hence, the traffic.

Going to the Eastern Islands, like Cat Island, San Salvador, and Harbour Cay, the fishing is epic. Not only in numbers, but size of quarry is the reason for this long trek to this remote area of the Bahamas. San Salvador and Cat Island hold huge wahoo in the spring to 100 pounds, with a few of over 150 reported. This is not a fishery for less than 80 to 130 tackle. San Salvador is one of the premier blue marlin fisheries in the world. A few years back in the 1990’s, on a private 10 day trip, we raised 14 blues and caught and released one estimated at over 800 lbs., caught two small blues and one white on fly gear, as well as several more blues on conventional tackle. This area is worth the time and expense to fish for someone that does not count their pennies. The travel is at least six days roundtrip and then whatever time you want to fish, easily becoming a 10-14 day expedition.

Last but not least, is Cay Sal. An easy reach from the Keys, but beware of any charters going there without first checking into Bimini, then proceeding to Cay Sal. We are not talking fines--we are talking possible boat confiscation and Bahamian prison if caught and charged. The fishing is great for wahoo, deep dropping, and reef fishing. As of recent, the Dominican Pirate Fishing fleet has pretty much over fished the southern most part of Cay Sal’s reefs.

So, if you want to fish in the Bahamas, give us a call and fish Bimini, Walker’s Cay, Marsh Harbour or Chub in about a week long trip or plan an extended expedition to the “Jurassic Park” of offshore fishing in the Eastern Bahamian Islands of San Salvador, Cat or Harbour for world class fish!

Sailfish, or spindlebeaks (due to their long and spindly bills), converge on South Florida and the offshore waters of the Keys from November through April most years. I usually fish these highly acrobatic speed demons seriously from the month of October until about early May. The peak season appears to follow the third major cold front, driving down water temperatures and bait. I advise all of my clients that late November to early February is peak--where one can expect consistent catches that often come in double digits, nearly duplicating any Central American Country or Isla Mujeres fishery.

Early in the season, in late November, our catches seem to spike for a few weeks, then remain constant and spike again with every cold front, lasting several days.

The techniques to catch these neon iridescent speedsters of the sea, vary significantly. In South Florida and the Keys, live baits, in the form of goggle eyes, small blue runners, cigar minnows, and larger pilchards suspended from kites, are the most common approach employed by most charter captains.

Another approach is watching for spraying fish in the reef and patch reefs, where sails will converge upon schools of bait and, in their attempt to escape, become airborne, thus resulting in the “spray”. This can be a very exciting “hunt” for these fish, as well as an exciting sight when cast to individual sails. This action is generally accompanied by frigate birds and gulls diving in on the bait. This is mostly a one-on-one scenario, with your captain positioning the boat for an ideal cast to the hungry sail.

Inexperienced fishermen should allow the mate, or even the captain, to cast and hook these sails, as most yank the bait out of the fish’s mouth, not giving the sail enough time to swallow the bait and letting it go from the slightest pressure on its mouth. This, while trolling, has traditionally been called “dropping back”, but, in this case, when casting with a spinning reel, leaving the reel in free spool as the fish continues to strip line fast, is something that comes with practice to know when to come tight on the fish. We use Owner Mutu Light # 5 hooks that require only coming tight on the fish and letting the circle hook do its job.

The other common approach is trolling live ballyhoo, or other live bait with multiple lines, as well as employing natural dredges of the same fish. This technique, although at a higher fuel consumption, in my opinion, covers more ground and, in my case, outfishes the kite technique. Another technique, when sails are a bit skittish and non responsive, is as follows. I employ trolling with downriggers at different depths with live bait, as I do for blue marlin in the summer months. I use, what I call, “My Lake Michigan Approach”, which is a combination of top, mid and deep patterns to entice these fish into producing a violent strike! We often have multiple hook-ups in this technique that cause sheer pandemonium on deck.

Some other techniques are the bait and switch techniques, which I have employed in Mexico and Central America. Fresh, dead ballyhoo are trolled at higher speeds in the traditional “W” or “Diamond Pattern” and, when a sail comes into the spread, a live bait or fly is presented to the fish, often right at the transom. There is nothing quite as hair raising as seeing, and teasing up, an electrified and fully lit up sail, wondering where all the baits have gone, and then presenting one solitary morsel of a nose-hooked, live bait. If you have not become accustomed to catching sails this way...you haven’t sailfished. This is by far the most exhilarating show that “Mr. Showmanship” can produce. It is what stories and memories are made from for years to follow. Although this technique is seldom, if ever, used here, it does bring in fish that are not responding to the usual approaches.

The key element to this fishery is live and fresh bait. For kites, gogs are the candy, whereas the other methods are a bit more forgiving with live bait selection.

Throughout December and January this year, we had those kind of shows. We employed every tactic we had until one, or several, would work consistently. On our best day we had 10/14 releases without even employing the kites. The following day produced 3/6 and the subsequent day, 5/7. Our clients were so impressed that traveling to Mexico or Costa Rica became less of an option for these US residents. Winter sails in the Keys rival some of the places in these Central American fisheries and are available within several hours from most major US cities and fishing several days can be accomplished in a single long weekend. I advise my clients to book a week prior to a cold front and, at times, to buy tickets within a day’s notice of this incredible hot action. Obviously, availability on both is the deal breaker, as bookings for this time of year are generally a six months to a year in advance.

If you haven’t fished Islamorada for sailfish at this time of year, you are missing out on one of the Keys’ best fish to battle, the sailfish.

ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STREAM...

While we fish Bahamian waters, this time of year can be a bit frustrating knowing the fishing is phenomenal for wahoo but making the crossing can be a bit uncomfortable in the heavy seas.

The wahoo are numerous in the Bimini area, as well as throughout the Bahamas. The fish generally average 50 lbs. to some real bruisers.  Dolphin begin showing up at this time of year too. With a good SE wind blowing for several days, dolphin, tuna, and a few marlin, stack up at “The Pocket”. Along with dolphin, look for tripletail in the weeds and, again, a few blue marlin. That makes the bite exciting, as you never know what will blast that short flat line with your largest lure!

This time of year, you will also find sailfish, amberjack, barracuda, kingfish and, the ever present, snappers. “Deep dropping” for yellow eye and queen snapper often interrupts the AM and PM low light wahoo fishing.

While the temperature plummets and the winds spike up white foam on the waves, the sails of winter will leave your muscles cramped and memories aglow!

The Club brings back nostalgia of Hemingway in the 1930s where he wrote his famous novel, “The Old Man and the Sea” and later, “Islands in the Stream”. These works of literature brought me here in 1976 at age 20, for the first time to fish for marlin in a single engine 20’ boat, with tackle that deteriorated on the first strike. (My... how adventurous irresponsibility is in youth.) Since then, I have frequented the island and the Club on numerous times in my worldwide quest for marlin.

The typical tournament day starts before sunrise, while teams arrange for “lines in” at 6:00AM--nervous in their choice of preferred areas to fish. “I can run to the Isaacs and fish there. Or should I fish out front? Maybe I should go South?” The mind is made up and the sudden drop of the throttles, to find that winning fish, brings adrenaline to its max for the teams. Each team glancing upon the other wondering who will catch the biggest, or the most- -or maybe our boat will win both. Or not? The teams always head out with the idea “we will win it”--seldom wrong, but never in doubt.....until someone calls a catch over the radio.

As the shadows of the early morning disappear, so do the fish. It becomes more challenging to catch as the mid-day sun approaches. There are a few captains and crews that, at this time, find their fishless boxes and large expanses of water more challenging. The elation and anticipation of the early start have been replaced with quiet or sarcastic nervous chatter. They keep combing the waters, moving deeper or shallower, in search of the fish.

Hmmmm…the doldrums of the mid-day, interrupted by a tuna or a mahi, bring short-lived excitement, but keep the momentum going. Several seasoned captains have retired back to port, weighed their fish, and relax before heading out for round two, the late afternoon bite. This can be one of the best times, and speed and accuracy count, as the bite can be explosive if late afternoon and proper tides align. These teams are not exhausted from the mid-day sun and seas battering them for hours, they are fresh, alive and ready, to fight again at peak performance. The afternoon brings in another element to fishing wahoo. It appears at times like a light switch is turned on, signaling the reappearance of fish in waters thought devoid of life. The reels scream again and the thought goes to make weight at the weigh station.

My experience in fishing the multitudes of tournaments has always been, catch the fish first, then give it all you have to get back. If you make it, great. If you do not, it’s all part of the stomach wrenching experience of fishing a tournament. It’s life on the edge. Money on the line. It’s the passion derived from “the thrill of victory to the agony of defeat!”

The first place, combined total weight of three heaviest fish, was 248.9 pounds by team Pachanga, followed by 232.9 pounds for Fishing A Loan team, and in third, Nervous Water team brought in 195.8 pounds to the scale. The heaviest single fish topped the scales at 71.6 pounds for team Nearly Impossible.

Next year’s tournament is scheduled for November 10-12, 2016. Our Team UKSF will be there. We hope to see YOU there too!

Fish on, fish on! Starboard flat! Another tell-tale fish, another wahoo. It appears as though the day will keep its pace, minute after minute, until the sun rises a bit above the horizon. You see, early morning and late are my favorite times for wahoo!

Just about any time of year, wahoo can hit your spread of fast trolled lures or painfully slow live baits. Troll off the 100-200 foot drops and you are in place for this speedster off most Bahamian Islands. Cay Sal and Bimini are great corridors as they are rich with bait, warmed by the current of the stream, and have an ideal bottom bathymetry that this fish calls home.

The best times to fish for wahoo are October through the winter months, and then again in May and June, which can be exceptional.

My favorite set up is three 80 wides with 80b line to an 8’ traditional bimini twist, a 400b swivel to a 12’ leader of 200-300lbs, direct to another swivel attached to an 8’ 400b ca-ble, to the double offset hooked lure with up and side facing 11/0 razor sharp hooks. The skirt can be any combination of staggering colors—purple/silver, blue/ white, or-ange/white, pink/blue, green/black or, my all time favorite blaze, orange/blaze. Sine I hunt for these fish, I follow my hunting traditions.

On the flat port and starboard lines I place a 48 oz trolling cable sinker. My center or shotgun, I leave the lure only. I stagger the lines out 200-250 feet on the port and starboard, and my shotgun is at 275-300 feet. If the fish are on a hot bite, I will place anoth-er 80 wide rigged like above to a marauder plug, right in the wash, 30-50 feet back.

With this set up you can zig-zag or make turns without worrying about tangles. Tangles can arise from multiple fish on, so it is imperative you keep your trolling speed constant and surf the fish while you bring them in.

Many use electrics for this fishing, but, personally, I prefer to feel and fight the fish rather than the electric having all the fun and fatigued muscles. You have not experienced true big wahoo fishing unless you go home with burning, aching muscles!

Next month, the wind changes and so does the wahoo it brings. Along the Western Ba-hamian waters, November and December are synonymous with the Bimini Big Game Club Wahoo Shootout and a host of other tournaments. These money tournaments at-tract big crowds from the Keys to the Northern Florida coast and beyond. Accommoda-tions during these tournaments sell out quickly, so reserving them well in advance is a must. There are excellent locations to stay, like the Bimini Big Game Club, Bimini Sands, Resorts World Bimini, and a variety of other smaller resorts catering to anglers and their boats.

Fishing Bimini requires a valid US Passport and checkin at either the Big Game Club or at the airport. Fishing Cay Sal is tricky as the closet check-in point is Cat Cay, making the run there and back to check out, provided you have the fuel.

Fishing Cay Sal from the Keys is illegal on both Bahamian Laws and US Laws. Many do it, until their boat gets confiscated and they end up in a Bahamian jail--no wahoo is worth it! There are other crafty ways to fish Cay Sal’s waters, but realize the safest and legal is a proper check-in. Carry enough fuel in bladders and check out. Legally!

With the wahoo taking up early morning and late afternoon, this leaves ample time to fish for other species at this time of year. The snapper, both yellowtail and mutton, are available on the reef in 50-120 feet of water. Good current is essential for yellowtail, as is plenty of chum. If you are traveling from South Florida, bring enough frozen chum as it is had at a premium rate in the Bahamas.