The month of August has been super for yellowfin tuna and September should be as well. The bite has been right out in front just 9 to 11 miles with many good size fish caught. As always, you must be very patient and have a ton of cut bait. We recommend at least one slab of cut sardines per trip. You must find the birds but never run in or through them. Take your time working the cut bait into the current just. We then recommend you free spool a piece of squid or cut bait back with the rest of your chum line. Keep all resistance off the line. If they feel any pull to the line they are gone in a hurry. Have patience and it will pay off big time! We also recommend vertical jigging while you are waiting for the bigger fish to make their way around to you. We have found using a vertical jig on a spinning outfit works great. With the weather being amazingly calm, we have had tremendous weekends and great deep-dropping again right out front. Anglers are heading out only 500 hundred yards offshore, just off Blue Marlin Cove Resort & Marina for deep dropping.
Some of the anglers are catching multiple snowy grouper averaging 30 to 35 pounds. Most of the deep drop fisherman use Kristal 651 because of its pulling power and line capacity. A six foot bent butt heavy duty rod with a swivel tip and roller guide would be the choice. Braided Spectra based line of 200 pound test would be best and a multihook rig around 5 hooks 14/0 on 500 pound mono in depths ranging from 1000 feet to 1900 feet. Most captains prefer a weight referred to as the Bahamian weight, long and flat, these weights are popular with the deep drop captains in the Bahamas. The shape of these weights makes them less prone to getting stuck in rocks and obstructions. They are primarily used when deep dropping for yelloweye and tilefish. These weights are available in 5 pounds and 10 pounds. Leader is #500, #200 or #150 premium mono. The 2 and 3-hook rig is about 34 inches long, while the 5-hook rig is 52 inches long with circle hooks and can be found at most tackle centers.
Whenever you’re in the West End, stop by and see us, we will leave the lights on and our grills hot and ready for your daily catch!
FORECAST BY: Marvin Roberts
Blue Marlin Cove Resort & Marina
West End, Grand Bahamas
Phone: (866) 697-6539
Cell: (242) 349-4101 | Email: Marvin.roberts@yahoo.com | Web: www.bluemarlincove.com