Deep Sea Fishing Caribbean style
Deep sea fishing is a wild and wonderful experience, being out on the open sea, spectacular views of St Lucia and the deep blue Caribbean sea. Its not necessarily for everyone, often the wayward traveller would give it a go and find that the romantic idea of being man and water often turns into man on side of boat… Deep sea fishing is one of the islands (and the rest of the Caribbean) top tour facilities. People on holiday as well as day cruisers take the time to go out for a half day or full day fishing experience. All with hopes of catching the BIG one. What am I talking about? Not Jaws – I am talking about the prized Blue Marlin!
You may be a fishing enthusiast, you may fish at home or just for a hobby but deep sea fishing is an entirely different animal, it provides an entirely different experience to lake fishing, fly fishing or anything else you might of done back home. Its a sport and a serious one at that. With fish weighing upwards of 800 – 1000 pounds (back in 2003 Captain Mike’s landed a whopper Blue Marlin that weighed in at 940lb) we are talking serious fishing.. ok ok well those are the exception but not untrue. What can you expect? Well 250lb to 400lb are regular depending what you catch. That brings us to our next point.
What can you expect to catch?
As close as only 3 miles off shore will allow you to find good fishing action. The waters around St Lucia are filled with a variety of large game fish & schools of fish, including the illusive Blue Marlin, White Marlin, magnificent Sail Fish, hard hitting but awe inspiring Yellowfin and Blackfin Tuna, Wahoo, Dorado (also called Dolphin locally – not Flipper), you can also find King Fish, Barracuda and Mackerel all available for your catching pleasure. Big Dorado may be taken on light conventional tackle, and for fast action, try trolling for Wahoo or the scary Barracuda. From May through November, multiple hook-ups are common as these speedsters attack our lures.
St Lucia Fishing Chart:
Blue Marlin – year round (peaks Oct. – Jun.)
Yellowfin Tuna – year round (peaks Dec. – May)
Big Eye Tuna – year round (peaks Mar. – May + Oct. – Dec.)
Dorado – year round (peaks Dec. – Jun.)
Wahoo – year round (peaks Dec. – Jun.)
Blackfin & Skipjack Tuna – year round (peaks Dec. – Jun.)
Barracuda – (year round)
As I mentioned above, deep sea fishing is very different over is regular fishing, it is much more of an adventure and a fun ride than anything else. If you are not into actually fishing the trip alone will be worth it – you may even get to see some Dauphins, and Whales alone the way. For all who love fishing and enjoy the sea it is one experience that should not be missed, the force of the ocean and the experience of fishing the open Caribbean Sea, where any fish can appear out of the Caribbean blue literally – this can not only change your fishing experience for ever it will provide you with one heck of a vacation story.
What can you expect from your fishing trip?
All of the licensed deep sea fishing tour companies have a wealth of knowledge and years of experience. The captains are expert fisherman and know all the best fishing spots around the island to somewhat guarantee a good trip – I say somewhat because no one can guarantee that the fish will actually bite your tackle so to speak. What you can expect is that the skippers will very hard to make sure that you are safe and that all rules and regulations of proper conduct at sea are maintained. The crew of the ships is usually there to make all the arrangements for the fisherman on board so there will be no hassle and no hard work for anyone, some fishing boat crews even clean and bag the fish for you to take off the ship with you. Some boats however have a rule that all fish caught re the property of the boat so please ask before you start your trip so that you are not disappointed at the end.
So get out there and try deep sea fishing in St Lucia, feel the ocean breeze in your hair, small the fresh Caribbean ocean and enjoy the worn Caribbean sun on your back. Maybe along the way you will catch a glimpse of a school of dauphins, flying fish, ocean turtle or even a majestic whale basking in the sun. With a little luck you will see and experience some amazing sights, fantastic view of St Lucia and even see tropic fish in their natural habitat. With a professional and experienced crew and captain your Caribbean deep sea fishing experience should be a joy and snap shot never to be forgotten. You never know, you could be the person to catch ‘the big one!’.
Below are a couple Deep Sea Fishing Tour Companies that you can have a look at:
Captain Mike Sport Fishing and Whale Watching
Exodus Boat Charters
Care of Youtube, as posted by Dillon of his Exodus Fishing trip