Fishing inside the reef Bahamas

[pescado mucho]

Hello All,

I am going to the BAHAMAS! Exuma to be precise for a week. I want to bring along the rod and reel, and am looking for some advice. The informaiton says grouper, snapper, and bonefish can be found. I do not flyfish. So, I am looking to bring 1-2 set-ups to catch fish for fun and eating. I was thinking of bringing two salmon rods. both 8'6", one a 10-30lb and one a 15-50lb. with 25lb and 50lb braided line respectively. Any suggestions?

Also, anyone have any lures they recommend, or techniqes? I will probably be fishing from a zodiac. I would be glad to buy a book on the subject if anyone can recommend one.

Thanks

Jim

[kamloops]

Get lots of wire leader crimped on to your bait hooks, your going to need them. That coral shreads mono like tissue paper. Usually most people fish with spinning reels, steelhead or trout size should be fine.

Have fun, it's like fishing at an aquarium. Don't think I have ever kept any of them, they are way too pretty to eat.

[Salmo]

Big plugs for the Cudas and grouper!

[Tuna Tom]

Hi Jim,

I've been grouper and bone fishing all my life in the Bahamas, Central and South America, plus of course Mexico. If you want to see what rods I use etc. just e-mail me. As for fishing ANY kind of salmon rod for grouper or any big snapper, you might as well take your rod and break it up into many fine pieces. It will be easier to pack that way and be just as funtional as being in one piece when it comes to lifting a grouper off the bottom.
I can also tell you that trigger fish taste great cooked in lime juice. 1 once diamond jigs work fantastic on them. Crabs and Counch are you number one bone fish bait, provided you get a chance for any kind of meaningful presentation. You'll be fishing in gin clear water (assuming there is no wind) and they are way spookier than a summer steelhead. Hogs Head snapper eat the best. The reason you never see them in any restaurant is because the chef's keep them for themselves. Strawberry Grouper tend to have alot of worms once they get over 3 or 4 pounds. King Mackerel bake up great. Don't take a chance eatting any Cuda. They can sport a life long nerve damaging desease. I've had great Cuda in beer batter, but I was stupid and young in that order and why risk it. If you dive the bugs ( warm water lobster) tails are wonderful as is the Carribean Crab. The crabs tend to hang under coral head upside down. Make sure you get both claws in your hands. If you see one you'll get what I mean. etc., etc.

Good Luck!!! Take plenty of pictures and tell lots of stories. If you drink the Golden Becks, you'll be drinking a Beck's that is not available in the States, etc., etc. Ooops there I go again. Hell I'm excited and I'm not even going.

Tuna Tom

[Pilar]

BigJim421, No Tarpon for you?

I use a steelhead rod, Loomis 1024c in GL2 in the keys for the shallow water fish. Baitcaster reel and 10 to 12 lb line. Bring a respool or spare reel. You can carry this on in a rod tube on any plane. This same rig worked well for Tarpon with live shrimp at night. What a blast. Bones are done with a fly rod and special shrimp simulating streamer flies but you could use the same steelhead rig with slinkies, light leaders and bait. Think Summer steelies and give an unintrusive presentation. The fish will be 'tailing' and eating on the bottom of the flats in 18" of eyepopping white and turquois water. They will bolt if you spook them with a bonehead cast or noise.

I got some looks using a 9' steelhead rod, light tackle and live bait for the shallow bottom fish but I caught 5 to 1 on the guys we were fishing with. The sensitive graphite will clue you onto what is happening down below. By the end of the trips the guys wanted to know more about Graphite steelhead rods, steelhead and Oregon in general.

I must disagree with Tuna Tom. Hogs head snapper are good but nothing beats a Yellow Tail snapper. It is simply the best snapper there is. My Dad once referred to 'summer crab' when he was talking about Stella Maris and a dive vacation there. According to him that was what the Bahamians call lobster caught during the summer when lobstering is closed.

Some Barracuda can be toxic with what is known as Ciguatera. This is a toxin similar to red tide that causes a form of paralysis. The reef corals are symbiotic with algea. Some of the algea have the toxin. Small reef fish, (Esp. triggers and parrots) eat coral and tolerate the toxin but concentrate it in their bodies. Barracuda are opportunistic and feed on small fish. As they grow they accumulate the ciguatera toxin if it is present in the feed. Once they get more than 30" they begin to eat really large fish that have a high concentration. Some reefs are really sick with it (ciguatera) and some have none at all. And you have no way to know one way or the other.

The rule of thumb is any 'Cuda shorter than your arm is probably OK. I've eaten quite a few from Florida in the 20" size and they are pretty good eating. Don't eat that barracuda unless you caught it yourself and are sure it is a small one.

Best barracuda lure is 18" of coated, stranded wire leader with a shiny 1/0 treble on one end and a 200# black barrel swivel on the other. Slide a length of 1/4" yellow surgical hose down the leader but leave the swivel exposed. Use black swivels or they will hit the shiny one on the wrong end every time. When the tubing is shredded after a few fish replace it. Drag this behind the boat where the Barracudas hang out near reefs and dropoffs or cast and retrieve.


Dude, I am so jonesin for the Caribean, have fun and take pictures.

[fishwhenican]

Bahamian Gold beer and stay away from the mango rum.