Fishing in Barbados
“Oh, it’s been pretty snotty out there – not sayin’ you won’t catch a wahoo, but, just sayin’ the weather is not ideal. But we’ll have a good shot at barracuda.” You gotta love an honest captain.
For days prior we had been disappointed by windy weather around the Caribbean which made for crummy fishing. High winds had kept us off the water long enough, so we were ready to take chances. We met up with Capt. Rob Garrett and mate Ryan on a sunny but windy morning on Barbados, in the BVIs. Lifelong fishermen both, they were glad to get out on the water after being on shore for days. We decided to give it one hour for the wahoo and if Mother Nature was not cooperating, we would head for the barracuda. We had hoped for wahoo, but it seems the barracuda were biting and they were, ah, delicious? What?
It’s been a tough few years for Bajans with beaches clogged and waters teeming with Sargassum seaweed. In another instance of global weirding, mountains of stinky Sargassum fouled Barbados sugar white beaches and made life really difficult for anglers. The stuff fouled lines, requiring them to be hauled and cleaned every 15 minutes. Capt. Rob’s theory connected the spreading of Sargassum from the Gulf and areas north with the massive Deepwater oil spill in 2010. Other sources note that while cool waters kept the stuff way out at sea, the warming waters are bringing it closer to shore. Either way, we were happy that it was nowhere in sight.
Capt. Rob guided us out to “Wicked Tuna” a twenty six foot Panga-type boat purpose built for fishing. The hull design is especially stable in rough water, we stayed much dryer than expected given the rough seas and the wind. He set a course over the 4 – 6 foot rollers and through the channel in the reef, and we were off into the waters west of Barbados. In short order we hit deep water and a ridge that in the past delivered the wahoos. At about 350 feet with 55 degree water Rob and Sean hooked up the ballyhoo and set out the outriggers. They cruised the ridge, switched out bait, and followed the flying ballyhoo. Capt. Rob checked with his brother captains but everyone was getting skunked with no change in sight. Mike even did his famous fish chant, but nothing. Fishing, definitely not catching.
So we headed over to the next ridge and changed the rigs for barracuda. Rob and Sean loaded up bright green lures with ballyhoo. We headed west and within minutes, bam! The Penn reels were screaming. Mike jumped on and within minutes had landed a good sized, really ugly barracuda. I thought that the barracuda was headed back into the water but Sean started rubbing his belly and sharing his favorite barracuda recipes in series: fried, seared, grilled. Anything but stewed, according to Ryan.
Barracudas can be tricky to eat, but if caught on coral islands like Barbados they non-toxic and safe to eat. They are dangerous when caught on volcanic islands where they ingest toxins rendering them unfit for eating. See more on the prep and eating of barracuda in this month’s Sea to Table! Ryan swears that they are not strong tasting when properly prepped and they are enjoyed by both locals and tourists.
Back to the catching. Ryan deposited the barracuda, leader and all, into the box and the lines
were re-rigged and sent back out. Just then a school of ballyhoo leapt from the air just port of us and the show began. The flying fish were flying, the barracuda were feeding and it was game on. Mike reeled in and boated 5 beauties.
It was with real regret that we had to mind the clock after 5 hours and head in. “That was great, I would have kept at it all day” said our captain as he headed back to port.
Sean and Captain Rob shared more barracuda recipes – we were really jealous by the time we hit port and ready to come back and enjoy a barracuda barbeque!
We had a great time with Capt. Rob Garrett, and mate Ryan. If you find yourself headed to Barbados you can reach Capt. Rob at http://www.bluefinfishingbarbados.com/
Check out the video here:
