Long Island (Bahamas) Offshore Fishing Report and Forecast: March 2016

Capt. Luke with an early season blue marlin release. PHOTO CREDIT: Reel Addictive Charters.
Capt. Luke with an early season blue marlin release. PHOTO CREDIT: Reel Addictive Charters.

[dropcap]A[/dropcap]s March approaches, we anticipate the normal migration patterns of most pelagics to pass Long Island, predominantly large wahoo, mahi and the start of the yellowfin tuna. This season however, has been a game changer regarding El Nino. We find this season to bring all sorts of surprises regarding fish migration. We recently caught a blue marlin in January while high speed trolling for wahoo. An odd occurrence that does not happen too often. With this in mind, we may find the tuna season to start and end early. We recently deployed a FAD (fish aggregating device) to fish the remainder of the season. The simple task of mooring a FAD in certain areas, dramatically increases your odds of finding an abundance of fish. The FAD attracts the small baitfish to utilize the device as shelter from the predators, while predator fish such as wahoo, mahi, tuna and marlin, tend to congregate around the area waiting to prey on the baitfish. Knowing exactly where to go to find the fish, now gives you an added advantage for success. With all the fish congregating in one area, the use of many different techniques is applicable, such as live bait fishing, kite fishing, chunking, trolling, vertical jigging and even spearfishing. Whichever technique takes your fancy; you are bound to have a memorable time. To add to the excitement, we utilize another technique that is very successful yet untraditional. It involves a custom made throwing spear with a detachable slip tip and a buoy line and float. We simply stand on deck and chum schools of fish next to the boat and in a manner fitting for Greek Spartans, we launch the spear at the fish and begin to fight them from the buoy line. This proves to be great fun and very successful in landing numerous species of fish, especially mahi. We never have a dull moment out on the ocean. Any day out in the boat, is better than a day on the land. Tight lines!