The weather has been quite warm for this time of the year. The bones are starting to gather for the bibble, and the tarpon are making their way in as well. They have been seen as far east as the North Bight Landing. Permit are also moving, and bonitos and bluefin tuna are also starting to show up early.
For the deep drop off, Cubera snapper are moving in schools in about 80 to 90 feet, and the yellowtail snappers are hitting flat line for the still fisherman. We have not yet seen the massive jellyfish movement as yet, but with the water being this warm, it is almost certain that it won’t be long before they are moving in.
A word about land crabs….
Land crabs, which are a large part of the tarpon’s diet, are now opening their holes. They normally molt between October and mid to end of May. They open their holes and go to the sea to drink the salt water as a laxative for the spawning period, which comes in July and August. However, they are opening early because of the warm temperatures, which also bring rain to soften the mud for them to dig their way out. Now, when the land crabs move into the saltwater for their cleansing before their mating period, the larger fish like the tarpon move further into the bights to feed on them. As a matter of information, when the land crabs are about to molt, they eat as much as they can hold and drink as much as they can. Then they go into holes, and seal themselves in with soft mud to make their hole air tight. They then molt when their old shells flake off and a new soft shell develops. They swell with the soft shells, and sit until that shell hardens (this is their way of growing). When the shells harden, they are larger than when they entered their holes. Then the crabs go back into the sea and drink the saltwater, which acts as a laxative to clean themselves out from all the junk they ate before molting.
FORECAST BY: Ray Mackey
Tranquility Hill Fishing Lodge
Behring Point, Andros, Bahamas
Telephone: 1-242-368-4132
Fax: 1-242-368-4132
www.tranquilityhill.com