spin tackle: san salvador...May

[spinfisher]

going during mid-may to san salvador. bringing two bone/snapper rods and a heavier one for cuda, grouper, jacks, other reef fish- both spinning tackle. any suggestions on where to fish and how to avoid being the normal fishing pressure to the island. also, what do you think about me bring a float tube to fish the reefs from above ....shark attack waiting to happen or good idea. also, not bringing a castnet. i hear to work baits very rapidly...yo-zuri's for everything, tubes and rapala needlefish for cuda, small stuff for bonefish. what else?

[MDBones]

Spinfisher,

Let me start off by saying that of the many phobias that I have Sharks are not one of them. But I can tell you with absouletly no hesitation that under no circumstances would I ever consider dangling my Legs under a tube in crystal clear waters of the Bahamas.

If you fish the flats enough you will be amazed at the number of four to six foot sharks that you see cruising in waist deep water just off of the flats. Throw in a nice fat Snapper as an attractant on the end of the rod and you are asking for trouble.

If live bait is your game I would bring some Sabiki Rigs with you and you should have all the bait you want. For the Bones you can also Food saver local shrimp and freeze it and then bring it over in a small Igloo. As long as you keep it cold it should last the entire trip.

Mike

[spinfisher]

first, thanks for the advice-i'm 18 and to be studying marine bio down there. really am tempted to try the tube idea but dont have a death wish. it would really get me to the spot which could be a hundred yards from shore.
anyways, how should i cast that there sabiki rig?...tie a swivel and weight a few feet above maybe. where will the bait be easiest to catch? what does the surf look like down there (like how fast it drops off)

[Marshrunner]

Spinfisher,

If you want to access flats you can't walk to, rent a a skiff, and don't wade deeper than your knees. Not only are there plenty of 4-5 foot nurse sharks and fish sharks which can be pesky, there are some truly nasty creatures cruising in those waters. Two years ago heading for one of my favorite flats across a busy harbour, we passed a 12-foot hammerhead patroling in 4 feet of water at the edge of the flat--a flat I have waded on foot for many years.

For bones you want small 1/4 oz. jigs in pink, yellow, and white, and the action you want to give the jig is to hop, hop, hop, and stop. Then repeat.

[MDBones]

Spinfisher,

The sabiki is pretty self explanatory attach it to a swivel on the line end - and attach a 1 ounce sinker on the other end and jig rapidly.

You could also try bringing a small meshed dip net and sitting on a lighted dock at night and dip the shrimp as they go buy - of course you also might want to heed the words of the now deceased Bonefish Rudy out of Bimini who looked at me a number of years ago when I was trying to mimic his shrimp catching technique off of a dock behind the Bimini Big Game Club and said "Taint no way a white boy like you is ever gonna catch a shrimp - why dont you just sit der and finish yor drink and I'll sell em to ya for 50 cents a piece"

One other thing - you will be in an area that is loaded with Bones and offers incredible shallow water angling opportunities do not pass up the chance to specifically target Bones even if that means learning to flyfish or concentrating on light spinning tackle. You will kick yourself years from now at an opportunity missed!

Mike

[spinfisher]

i would not mind learning how to do it fly-style but i don't see how that could be more efficient than spinning tackle- i catch more trout on spinning tackle than would a fly fisherman. also, from what i've seen, prople only really break out the fly-rods when the fish are schooled up and will eat anything. now, i guess things could be different in this light clear water but my problem is time. this is not a fishing trip but a study abroad program. i will have about an hour and a half every morning and evening/night fishing so especially for night fishing down at san salvador, what does anyone suggest? does anyone know of a certain spot i could check out-its not like i will be goin back down there anytime soon and i release all of my fish-thanks
mike

[scuro]

I too am going down south and will use spinning reel. I don't think your first attempt at flyfishing should be in a new enviornment.

Flyfishing would probably be better for fishing smart fish and fish that get spooked easily. Bonefish, from what I hear can get spooked real easy. On a slow day I think the flyfisher would have a real advantage because they could drop small flys quietly, right next to their noses.

From what I hear, if Barracuda are plentyful, they would be a perfect fish to target for spincasting. Like a Pike, they wait in ambush, low to the ground and they are very aggressive.

[spinfisher]

thanks for that last one. im brand new to this forum so sorry for any ettiquite fouls i have committed. the only way to learn is to do it. my question is are there any rules to compasses? i think they're straight foreward but saw on this show about tuning them....i have an old one on my recently purchased boat and suppose i might need it to save my life and want to know if it is sending me in the wrong direction. also, any more lure suggestions for down there? is there any grocery stores down in san salvador where i could buy chum/bait?

[scuro]

Compasses? ...save your life? Nice that you got a boat but do you really want to go that far out into the ocean so that you wouldn't be able to see shore? I wouldn't...I think you will have your hands full on the flats and reefs close to shore. I saw fishing show the other day where they hooked into a 30 pound permit close to shore...the guy was exhausted when he finally got someone else to bring it to shore. Are you boating alone? If your reef fishing you could hook into a large Barracudda or shark. Are you ready for that ? Me...I'm staying on the flats. Simple solution would be a gps.

Permit, by the way love crab. I used to catch crab as a kid by cracking open a mussel and tying a string to it and lowering it off a peer. Shrimp are also sopposed to be great bait. I'll also bring some topwater stuff and then some deerhair jigs weighing 1/4 ounce. finally I'll bring some stuff that I can throw a little further if need be.

[spinfisher]

well, the boat came with a compass so i figured i'd try to use it. does anyone know how i should tune them? also, this is off the topic but on those gas lanterns, i saw that some have a lampshade type of reflector on top of them to angle the light into the water when hung up or whatever. where/ how can i get one of those bad boys?

[scuro]

I'd consider getting a gps unit anyways. You can buy real inexpensive ones now and the units usually have a window for an "electronic" compass. You could then compare the gps compass to the built in one on the boat. A gps is also nice for those rare times when you are confused about your surrondings be it fog, darkness, or just misreading a map. The higher end models will give you a 3-d look of where you are on the water as you are traveling.

[Capt Lou]

San Salvador is an awesome Island. Lots of history and some great fishing and marine bio oppourtunities. I stopped there for three days during a Seamester at sea from Southampton College. If things have not changed there are lots of marine sancutuaries around the island. People are very nice and would help out any way they could.

There are some Islands south of there that are frequented for their bonefishing. Rum Cay, Long Island and Crooked Island to name a few. Stopped at all of them but was young and foolish and laughed at light tackle and fly fishing back then. If I could only go back and do that trip today.

Lou

[spinfisher]

thanks for the post. haha yeah, regretting neglecting fly gear is a lot of what ive been hearing about this trip. what about fishing on the surf-side of the island? i will bring one rod if either of the ones i have is the right size. what does anyone recomment (including flies if ya wanna be really helpful) for this beginner that can help me catch those bones.

im really looking foreward to goin down there and seing this awesome type of fishing environment. also, does anyone want to explain some of the runs of different species that pass through that area during the different seasons.