Fishing Caribbean ?

[duckman#1]

We have booked a cruise for the Eastern Caribbean. We will stop in Nassua and the Grand Turks, Caicos. I would like to give ocean fising a shot.
Has anyone been down there and fished? I have looked up a few charters, but to be honest, its a whole different world down there and have no idea what species or type of fishing I would like? I see they offer "bottom fishing", "night fishing" and a couple others. Just looking for a 1/2 day trip.

[duckman#1]

ttt
anyone been there?

[booktens]

I wouldn't let snaggs rain on my parade. If you have never fished in salt water on the bottom it can be a real grin. :) And yes you might not be able to keep the fish, but who cares....you are out in the sun doing something besides sitting in a lawn chair.:cool: Go for it !!! Those saltwater fish fight like hell and never give up. Even the little guys don't know that they are little.

[duckman#1]

I never fished saltwater, so I was hoping this might be a chance to do so. Have a few pics taken, maybe catch a bonefish or cuda?
Don't think I will have time for a deep sea trip.
I was hoping maybe a few of you have fished down there?
Thanks for the info. I believe the hurricanes actually went north of this region. I talked with one local that said the islands where missed each time.
Anyway, I'm still trying to figure out how to get away with tossing a line behind the cruise ship and troll out from Florida:lol: Anyone have a net with a 50 ft handle?:yikes:
If I do go fishing down there, I will have to post some pics.
P.S. I read somewhere theres a charter that will clean & cook the fish you catch for dinner down on the Turks.

[booktens]

The last cruise I went on we booked all of our off ship trips right through the cruise line.We had a blast. Enjoy !!!

[duckman#1]

Book, I see our cruise line also offers the fishing. It's less than $100 pp.
I might have to hold off until the date gets closer and make a decission then.
hate to look at all that water and not wet a line:D
What cruise line did you use? and what was your stops?

[fishineddie]

me and some friends bottom fished in california a couple summers ago,right out in front of the santa monica pier and had a blast whole lot of sea bass and a few different reef sharks some 'cuda(caught casting not jigging) and another guy not with us landed a couple halibut...i guess my detroit river jigging techniques kicked in..i just didnt like the baitcasting reels,we were there on vacation and decided to go on one of the big charter boats,so it was rented equipment..will be taking my own stuff nexttime..the boat we went on was the same one ozzy went on for the osbornes show it was pretty funny cause he had the same crew we did..it was just like jigging for walleye in the river except walleye are alot prettier than those saltwater fish..

[booktens]

Duck, We went on Royal Caribean. Stopped in Grand Cayman, Belize and two stops in Mexico. It was a week long cruise. If you can, buy a drink package, if you drink alot of soft drinks it is much cheaper. I don't drink alcohol so it was the way to go...saved alot of money versus buying individual drinks. While you are on deck look over the side, maybe you will see some flyin fish, we did. We saw the flyin fish when we were roundin Cuba.Way cool !!!

[Knight]

What about Riviera Maya Area( Just South of Cancun)? Have any of you gone on any fishing trips down there? I am heading down in June for a honeymoon and have heard mixed reviews about the charters down there.

[duckman#1]

I read somewhere that ESPN holds a fishing tourny down at the Turks/Caicos every year, anyone ever see it on T.V.? Just wondered what type of fishing they did?

[decoysdad]

I'm heading to playa del carmen in April and will let you know what it was like down there. Heard good things about puerto adventuras area. Many differnt types of Billed fish can be caught there. If you dont here from me by the middle of April, send me a PM and I will respond.

[KI Jim]

Duckman,

I have fished salt water a lot, I have taken many trips to the coast and have fished New Hampshire, Maryland, Virginia, Georgia, all over Florida (lived there 2 years and have probably vacationed there 30 times), and Texas 9lived in Houson 3 years).

Saltwater fishing is awesome. The fish are almost always hungry and fight like he!!. A 1/2 day trip on a charter could be a lot of fun-or it could be miserable, just like any where else. Another good bet would be to look up a local guide (or charter) on the internet. You can find fishing forums for just about anywhere in the world-just join them and ask around-you'll find something.

A recommendation I have for you is to take a medium action spinning rod with you. 10-12 lb test line and an assortment of hooks & splitshot. It is a lot of fun to just cast out around docks, mangoves and slips-you always catch something-and sometimes, it is something pretty darn good :yikes: . Best overall bait to use is live-fresh shrimp-everything in the ocean eats 'em. I usually rip 'em in half. DO NOT USE PREVIOUSLY FROZEN SHRIMP-IT IS A WASTE OF TIME-only use fresh live shrimp. If you cannot get shrimp, then look around wherever you are at for whatever critters are around. Fiddler crabs make great bait, as do oysters. If you are at a beach, go to the surf line and dig in the sand where the waves are washing up. You are looking for mole crabs (also known as sand fleas) they are about the size of a 1-2 oz. egg sinker. They don't bit or pinch, so they are fine to handle and they make great surf bait. Just catch one, put it on a #4 or 6 hook with a couple split shot on the line and toss it into the surf. A lot of times, the fish are right in the wave break next to shore (they hang out there to feed on the sand fleas the waves wash into the ocean). Another tip is to look for the tide running. Fish in the ocean feed far better on a moving tide-whether in a bay mouth-or along the beach-they like moving water.

Enjoy Yourself,

Jim