GRAND BAHAMA
March is typically a windy month and offshore can get a little “sporty”. Capt. Carl Rolle of Blue Marlin Cove Resort and Marina at Bootles Bay reports that “in between the days of wind there will still be some wahoo to be found. There seems to be lots of dolphin all over the Bahamas and Grand Bahama will be no exception this March. You will also find a good number of yellowfin. For bottom fishing enthusiasts pley of mutton snapper, and strawberry grouper Best suggested baits are pilchards and squid”.
ABACO
South Abaco contributor June Russell from Schooner Bay has this to say, “Trolling with ballyhoo, and your standard ‘cedar plug’, along with some great wahoo lures (double hooked of course), you can expect to find the same some decent wahoo.. The weed lines will be ripe with dolphin. Hugging the edge of the drop off, staying in approximately 250 to 400 feet of water you will have your best chance at your intended target. The cold fronts seem to be weak in the area so far this year, so seeing the migration of the tuna around this time of year has thrown us for a loop. The deep dropping is a favorite amongst locals and we are bringing up some black snapper.”
NASSAU
“We already have seen some tuna showing up right “out front” just a few miles off the Ledge” says Capt. Teddy Pratt of Reel Deal Charters. Capt. Pratt says the tuna seem to be early this year, indicating that March should be a great month. The mahi-mahi are also showing up. He says this tells him that spring is approaching quickly and he will be venturing more offshore looking for weed lines and birds. He also reports a good concentration of seabirds flying around finding the food the fish below are pushing up to the surface. The cold fronts are still pushing towards Nassau, so that means the wahoo should still be around for another month or so. He plans to keep working the ledges up until they leave for this season. Trolling natural baits and lures is still a good combination. With the way things are shaping up, it looks like anglers will have a good number of species to pick from giving a good variety of rod bending action”.
EXUMA
“The month of March will begin the opportunity for a great mix bag”, according to Capt. Doug Rowe of Fish Rowe Charters. He reports that everywhere, mahi-mahi are arriving early for this season. Small schools of “skippies” (some folks call them “peanuts”) have now arrived. The wahoo fishing seems to only get better and better. Capt. Rowe promises that with this mixed gang of fish showing up it won’t be long for Mr. Billfish to soon arrive as well. Offshore for the mahi-mahi should be no problem in Exuma Sound. He advises sportsfisherman troll the walls for wahoo and the rest of the mix bag. He recommends that you put out the big stuff and go chasing Mr. Blue! Fishing right off Highbourne Cay should be excellent and Staniel Cay area will also be very productive. With the cooler temperatures bottom fishing should also be excellent; grouper in 50 to 100 feet and yellowtails on the midway reefs.
SOUTH ELEUTHERA
Al Curry and Chad Melton at Ocean Fox at Cotton Bay have this to say about what’s happening in South Eleuthera; “Attention captains, mates, anglers and boat owners! Get down to South End Eleuthera as fast as you can… the bite is red hot.” They reported that the Toronto Terrors (three lady anglers) recently caught a mixed bag in only four hours. What did they catch? How about three dolphin, two wahoo, two kingfish a tuna and a barracuda. As the season moves into spring it will only get better. The pair suggest trolling the drop-off with a mixed spread of lures and skirted ballyhoo and remind anglers to watch the moon, tide and bait pods. They shared there is more bait moving in every day and that all the favorite flavors of marlin (blue, white) and sailfish are in the area with several being caught and more to come.