Fishing in St. John

[flyfshr1]

Looking for info on fishing st. johns...I will probably do one day guided and the rest of the days on my own... Does anyone know where i can get any information...

[venture]

I've fished St. John several times. The first time I fished, I managed to hire a guide for the morning, but his boat broke. So he called me to cancel, and I asked if he knew of any flats we could access from the island....and he said he would show me. After that, I was on my own.....just like I like it.

There are nice flats on the far side of the island, near the old Historic sugar plantation. There are also other flats here and there on that unpopulated side of the island. I can't discribe it unless I was behind the wheel..... But you will see them if you explore that side of the island.

There are big fish there......not many, but you can usually see fish every time you go. Gotta fish low incoming or low outgoing.....but it must be low or else you will have a tough time seeing them. I've seen tailers in the morning when the tide is low, and cruisers in the afternoon when the sun and water is high. Big singles and sometimes a small group tailing. Good takers too. Big fish only. Never saw one smaller than 5 or 6 pounds, and caught them up to 10 pounds. But there are not many. It's not like fishing the schools of fish in the Bahamas or Berry Islands. But I have seen pods of fish....big fish.

You can probably find a fishing guide through hotels like Caneel Bay, or any other larger luxury hotel. St John is not known for bones but there is a handful of X-Patriot fishing hippies who have taken up the art of guiding. They are usually the best kind too.

Howie

[JakeFF]

I don't know if you have gone to St John yet..but try this guy.

Bite me Charters.....good guy, he is a freind of a freind that lives down there. I never went out with him...cause I met him at the end of my trip. But I did fish with him on the flats down at Anneberg thats when I found out he knew my friend that lives there...he can't take you fishing there..because it is part of the National Park..and charters are not allowed to charge a fee and take you to a National Park to fish.

This same guide...also did a show about fishing on St John..that aired on
ESPN.



Good Luck and have a beer for me ..at Skinny Legs!

[BEE-BARB]

St. John is not a bad fishing destination--there are better but it is not bad. Try the Anneberg flats for bonefish. You can wade out quite a ways but there might be a few sharks about. I saw some black tips--black tip in the dorsal fin--when I was on these flats last June. They shouldn't bother you but it does make it a little exciting at 6 feet away. I also caught a lot of snapper-type fish right from shore at Francis Bay, which is not far from Anneberg. Hit the straight and long swimming beaches early in the morning, before the sun gets up, and you will catch something. If you see some reef jutting out, cast alongside of it and you will get hits on jointed, shallow divers and things like that. Some things I caught, I am still trying to identify what they were! If you get into Cruz bay in the morning, cast plugs or squided hooks right up against the yachts. I caught some snook and a 'cuda that way. The fish hang out in the shade of the boats and people tossing food-stuff overboard keeps them around. Salt pond bay is also good early in the a.m. You will feel good about life while working a lure at about 5:00 a.m. near and over the reef that is just to the right of the bay as you come down the trail. Bring a flashlight for the hike down the trail. I caught some things here called hinds. Nice little fight. Definitely, hit all the "must-do" bars as well. If you get to Coral Bay, we thought Island Blues to be very good, but Skinny Leg's is okay too. Try Woody's in Cruz bay, and also a place called, I think, The Beach Bar. One more thing on the fishing: I took a few casts right alongside the ferry boats in Cruz Bay one early a.m.--still dark. With one cast, I had a drag-screamer for about 10 seconds and then the large Bomber plug I was using was cut off. The next cast, with a new plug and a steel leader, yielded another drag-screamer as soon as I hit water, but whatever is out there spit it out that time. Good luck, and if you catch that fish let me know what the heck it was!

[pcogs]

Woody's Seafood Saloon - blackened fish sandwich!! The best I ever had.

Happy hour every afternoon, don't miss it.

[Luyen]

Great fishing for snook along the Westin hotel beach in Cruz Bay. Just walk along the beach and look for cruising pods.

Lots of reef fish anywhere you encounter structure -- use a shock tippet, and be prepared for macks, grouper, snapper, 'cuda, etc.

All the bays have tarpon. Look for daisy chaining fish, but keep moving if you don't see the obvious signs.

Big groups of diving pelicans on bait usually indicate marauding schools of macks, always fun on a fly.

Leinster Bay is the only decent bonefish flat on St. John, but there are catchable bones to be had there.

For better bonefishing, get a water taxi or a puddle jumper to take you to Anegada.

Have fun!