Turks And Cacios islands

[rock hopper]

hi there i will be going to visit my dad some time soon in the turks and cacios islands (provo) to be precise?has any one fished there and wat was it like ????r




rh

[PanamaJack]

There's excellent Bonefish fishing on the flats, with some very big fish. Unfortunately the local guides are a tad on the pricey side. I suppose it's in no small part due to the presence of so many wealthy Americans on the island. The market rules!

Offshore, if you're going soon, I suspect the focus will be on Wahoo.

[rock hopper]

my dad has got a boat and i was thinking of goin near the mangroves there with rapalas and the like !do u think thatll work?




rh

[PanamaJack]

Hi Rock Hopper
Apart from being a nursery area for fry the mangroves also contain masses of crustacea and shellfish. And they're a magnet for the Bonefish on an making tide.

If the mangroves aren't too dense you can follow them in - wading -and target them with either bait or a fly. You'd really need to wear flats wading boots to protect your feet against the odd lumps of dead coral and shells. Also shuffle rather than picking your feet up - stingrays love that warm shallow water.

Your best chances though will come as soon as the tide starts to ebb, they'll come streaming out of the mangroves. Position yourself in mid-calf to mid-thigh deep water with a decent pair of polaroids and cap with a good peak to aid spotting. As well as Bones you might find the odd small shark in that shallow water, but they're not interested in you. And even if they try and target a hooked Bonefish just slap your hand on the surface to spook them.

In the somewhat deeper areas - the locals often call them 'creeks' - where the water flows off the shallows - 'flats' - around the mangroves you should also encounter things called Mangrove Snapper. They'll take bait, or strike at smallish surface poppers. But you've got to get the cast really close to the cover. It worth an initial few practice casts the mangroves don't give up hooks too easily!

If your dad's 'comfortable' getting on the 'flats' you're also likely to encounter cruising Barracuda. Some can be quite big! I've had most success casting things called tube lures at them. They're a foot long piece of surgical tubing, normally red, with a weight at the head end and equipped with a couple of trebles. Rapala type lures also work but, unless you're trolling, you'll need to take the lip off. The technique is to cast 20' or so in front of them and wind literally as fast as you can. And don't slow down!

The locals love eating Barracuda even though they're, especially if they've been feeding on reef fish, possibly carrying ciguatera - a strong nerve toxin for us humans. Another use for them, from your dad's boat, might be to anchor in one of the channels, 'butterfly' it - creating two fillets still attached to the head and fish for sharks. Sharks love Barracuda and will often come right up to the boat in their efforts to grab it.

Along the reef edge you might be able to bottom fish or jig - either with or without bait - for Snapper and smallish Grouper.

As I mentioned in my earlier post offshore, in the winter, the focus would be on Wahoo and the game boats would have their own specialist gear. Some now with wire lines, planers and 'high speed' lures will troll at 12, up to 15 or 18 knots.

I hope that's given you some insight as to what to expect and what (fogether with the PM) you'll need in terms of tackle.

Hope it all goes well. And make sure you post an update after your trip.
Dave

[rock hopper]

well were going in the summer myself, bass buster and cod king.last time i went i had a 9lb snapper off the botton on a reef about 2-3 miles out.my dads got a small open topped boat which probably be ables to cruise close into mangroves and onto the flats so well hopefully be getting some action





rh

[PanamaJack]

Hi Rock Hopper
Ah, my misunderstanding I assumed when you said 'soon' you meant, well, soon.

The flats heat up very quickly during the summer therefore you'd need to target the Bones either first thing or during the evening. They obviously still feed but, during the heat of the day, you'd find them in the deeper water on the edge of the flats in probably 5' plus of water. There're you'd be looking for larger shoals 'mudding' - they're grubbing on the bottom and you'd see areas of surface discolouration downtide from them. At that time they're no where near as spooky.

As well during the spring and summer months mangroves equal mosquitos! Make sure you take advice on what course of anti-malarial tablets to take. DEET deters them but try, if possible, to also wear a long sleeved shirt and trousers - less places for them to bite. 'No see ums' - minute flies can also be a real irritant in that hour before it gets dark.
Dave

[rock hopper]

thanks for the info panama jack!



do you no of any outhers species thats are abit easiers 2 catch and that grow quite big?like snapper and barracuda?how would i catch theese and how??





rh

[PanamaJack]

Hi Rock Hopper
Bonefish can be really spooky, but I have literally caught one in ankle deep water when they're focused on a shrimp pattern fly literally 18' away - the length of the tippet and a 9' rod. There it had its tail fin and back out of the water! But you've got to crouch to keep yourself out of their cone of vision and keep quiet.

That all said a lot of it is basic water craft that you and your friends should soon pick up. And once you've mastered it and caught one you may well find that it's much more exciting than 'bottom bouncing'. Those 100 yard plus runs in really shallow water are, believe me, something else.

Any way back to the 'bottom bouncing'. There’s an operation – Silverdeep – on Providenciales that arranges reef fishing trips for Snapper and Grouper. I’d certainly suggest that you go out with a skipper, certainly for the first time, but then consider self-guided either with your dad’s or one of their hire craft. Here’s the url that will show you the type of fish on offer - http://www.silverdeep.com/fishing/bottomfishing.htm .

Also, in case it’s of any help, here’s a couple of further links. This one is a generalist one, and also covers offshore fishing - http://www.wherewhenhow.com/COVERSTORIES/June02.html. The Blue Marlin aren’t overly large and take the observations about Sailfish and White Marlin with the proverbial ‘pinch of salt’ – most are probably going to be in the 50 to 60lb range. This other one talks about fly fishing for Bonefish - http://www.bahamasflyfishingguide.com/turkscaicos.html
- but what you can catch on a fly you can on bait or a small jig.

Post again if you need any information on the type of tackle to take.
Dave

[rock hopper]

silver deep looks good but its really exsoensive! $ 145 for half a day!but its given me and insite on how good the fising is there!




rh

[PanamaJack]

That was my view as well Rock Hopper. Even by Caribbean standards though they're expensive, but unfortunately the Turks & Caicos are popular with the 'well-heeled' and the rules of the 'Market' take over.

And that's not all. As well as the fishing licence the norm would be to tip the guide anything between 10 and 15% of the charter fee.

My reason for suggesting the guided option for 'day 1', before you reverted to your dad's boat, was that you'd quickly pick up essential information on techniques and marks.

I still think you'll have just as much fun sight casting for Bonefish. Even walking along a quiet beach, just before dark you're going to spot them 'waking', a bit like Mullet, in really shallow water. Or occasionally you'll spot them 'tailing' - tails waving away above the surface. Bones as well have a very attuned sense of smell and respond to groundbaiting. I've only used pieces of shrimp in the Florida Keys, but conch or crushed crab will, I'm sure, also work.
Dave

[rock hopper]

ye id like to that very much but where can i get the bait from????






rh

[PanamaJack]

Hi Rock Hopper
You should be able to buy shrimp and conch at a local's fish stall, or supermarket. Or occasionally you may see conch - the big shell with pointed protuberances over it - stranded in shallow water first thing in the morning after the minimal tide has gone out.

As to the crab it's a case of looking for them in shallow water in turtle grass, or under debris around coral. They'll normally 'freeze' at any sign of danger, some though will also adopt a defensive posture with claws up. Just gently put your foot on them and pick them up avoiding, of course, the claws! Anything with a shell up to a 50p piece size a Bonefish will have no difficulty in swallowing, above that cut them into chunks.

I did mention you can fish bait either with or without a jig, or fish a flats jig without bait. There's an illustration of jigs on this web page http://www.captharry.com/lures-jigs-flats.html.

There's also a US magazine that focuses on 'shallow water' angling and through its web site - http://www.shallowwaterangler.com/ - you can access some informative 'How to' articles. They're just as relevant to the Caribbean as to the 'States.
Dave

[rock hopper]

bloody hell mate your full of information!lol!well youve been a great help to me!ive seen loads of coch around . i went to one of the conch farms there really interesting!







rh




thanks again!

[Bass Buster]

you know in this country we drift over reefs. Do you drift over the reefs there???

[rock hopper]

what outher sorts of fish can you catch on the flats panamajack?and when fishing for the bonefish would i have to strike hard or are they soft lipped? whilst working the lure is it better to give jerks for acctraction or just a steady wind?do the bonefish just pluck at it or do they just hit it?i could ask a milloin question but i think theyll do for now!lol!






rh

[PanamaJack]

The other inhabitants of the flats you might encounter - usually in slightly deeper water than the Bonefish - are Permit and the occasional Tarpon.

From what I've managed to glean the Tarpon are mainly smaller fish, up to 40lbs or so. But they'll jump! And their mouths are very tough to get a hookhold in. There're various theories - some guides favour hooks with razor-sharp edges and others 'straight out of the box'. I tend to favour the latter, but now almost exclusively I use circle hooks for them.

Tarpon will similarly take crabs or shrimps - for sight casting - or small livebaits like mullet. You'd tend to fish the livebaits 'blind' in the channels on the edge of the flats on an outgoing tide. The Tarpon are waiting for food to be swept off the flats. Either freeline or fish under a float. I have had success though in places like the Florida Keys fishing deadbaits on the bottom. Blind casting plugs will also work.

Then the Permit. They'll take either crabs or shrimp. And, in my opinion, are pound for pound the strongest of the trio.

For the Bonefish and Permit I'd tend to fish 8 to 10lb line, for the Tarpon you'd need 12 to 16. For the Bonefish just double the line for say 6" using a Bimini or Spider Hitch. For Permit I'd tie in a short length of 20lb test and for the Tarpon 60 - attach using an Albright Knot. (I think most of those are described on this site, otherwise just key the term into a search engine.)

Now to Rock Hopper's point about working the micro jig for Bones. If you're not using bait just a steady retrieve with, every 18" or so, 'twitching' the rod tip to get it to 'puff' sand. If you've bait on then you can fish it static, they've an incredible sense of smell. I guess - and here I've got to resort to freshwater comparisons - their mouth are similar to a Barbel's, underslung as well. Just pull reasonably gently into them and get the rod tip up, they'll spook immediately and you'll get an unbelievably fast run.

As well on the flats you'll likely to encounter small sharks - Blacktips, Lemons and probably Bonnetheads. The latter look like a smallish Hammerhead. Use Tarpon style tackle for those, but for the Blacktips and Lemons, you'll need to tie in a short length of wire at the end of the shock leader.

Here some articles I've found that might also give you some pointers. Bonefish - http://www.sportfishingmag.com/article.jsp?ID=22357, Permit - http://www.sportfishingmag.com/article.jsp?ID=22491, Bonnetheads - http://www.sportfishingmag.com/article.jsp?ID=5211.

Now to the point about the reefs. Yes, you can drift. In fact, and you'd need to check with Rock Hopper's dad, you may not be able to anchor - the area of coral may be part of a conservation area.

Also, something worth checking, is whether things like Sailfish and Blackfin Tuna are likely to be encountered whilst you're there. Both species tend to migrate along the outer edge of the reef. If you just hold position, facing into the current, you should be able to spot them. When I've fished this way in the Florida Keys the Sails show up like 'big tadpoles' just sub surface, the Blackfin tend to run somewhat deeper. All you need to do is cast a small livebait towards them on the Tarpon-style gear. And again the Sails jump!

Hope that gives you a little further insight.
Dave

[rock hopper]

thanks mate youve been a great help!









rh

[rock hopper]

ive got one more question mate!



how do i locate theese sandbanks/flats????








rh

[PanamaJack]

Some of the flats will extend out from the beaches, whereas others will be isolated with deeper water channels surrounding them, but you'll certainly be able to see them. Any number will dry out at low water, or just have inches of water over them.

Not all flats though will attract Bonefish and Permit though. If it's just pure sand then forget it. You'll need to look for areas containing things like turtle grass, odd patches of coral, stones or weed, etc - areas that contain bait. And a sure sign they that've been searching for crabs would be what look like 'small volcanic sand craters' on the bottom.

Make sure if you decide to wade the flats that you've got adequate, rigid soled boots on - Flats Wading Boots. Companies like Sportfish sell them, and there're usually deals on them just after Christmas. And try quietly shuffling rather than picking your feet up. The last thing you'd want to do is stand on a Stingray! If you shuffle and touch one they'll just spook and glide away.

However if you take your dad's boat onto the really shallow flats make sure that it's on a making tide. At least if you ground you'll get off, rather than having to wait for the next tide.

Also, if you spot a stingray from the boat and it's moving - feeding - look just behind it. Often they're accompanied by Permit hoping to grab shrimp or other crustacea, or small fish, that they disturb.

[rock hopper]

thanks mate youve been a great help






rh

[PanamaJack]

Hi Rock Hopper
Just a web site I've recently found that identifies a number of specific Flats you'll be able to fish by yourself without resorting to guides. It's http://www.bahamasflyfishingguide.com/turkscaicos.html.
Dave

[sbssniper]

can i come n carry ya cases ,, will bait n cast ya rod as well ,, dont eat much jus feed me whisky im happy,,,pleeeeeeease incidently i can find me own food in the mangroves ,,,,,hehhe

[Bass Buster]

yer ok m8 no problems ive a big suitcase you can fit in . bring ure own rod and bait ure away !!!



rh

[PanamaJack]

Hi Rock Hopper
It's patently too late for this trip. Unless that is of course you're accessing your e-mail account from the local Internet Cafe? Any rate perhaps it will be of use for your next trip?

It's a posting I picked up from the reel-time.com that gives details on specific marks on Provo.


We stayed at the Harbour Club Villas & Marina, nice to have free kayaks at our disposal. In Flamingo Lake we found cudas (up to 10 lbs), jacks, but only one bone. In Turtle Lake we found many bones (caught a 5 lber on my first cast to a trio in 8 inches of water) and small cudas. Discovery Bay was the most productive, found lots of bones, mostly around 5 lbs. The second to the last day the weather turned overcast and the bones changed their dorsal coloration to dark brown. You could see them from 75-100 yards coming right at you! This is one of the most beautiful white sand flats that stretches for miles. Bones went out of their way for this little (size 4) pink shrimp imitation I make. The red Gamakatsu Octopus hook definitely makes a better hookup than those Mustad 34007 hooks.

On the morning of our last day we fished the dock at the villas, caught a bunch of small (3 inches total length) yellowtail snapper, two small cudas, and a small grouper! It began to pour the hour before we got on the plane.

What really stood out is that I never saw a single shark in Provo. I've fished all over the Bahamas and Keys, and one thing for sure is the high abundance of sharks there. For $49 each way (Sprit Airlines) from FLL to PLS, I'd go back anytime! Crazy thing is the day before I left I received an email from Spirit, offering $9 fare each way! I actually met someone down there who got that deal. Lucky...

Kenney


Dave