Lured To Sport Fishing? Jamaica Hooks More Than Your Attention
By Jambo, Thu Dec 8th

Deep and productive waters only 15 minutes from shore,well-equipped sport fishing boats and scenic views add up to aquality fishing experience in Jamaica. Visiting anglers have achance at landing blue and white marlin, wahoo, tuna and dolphin(dorado) in deep water that drops to thousands of feet beyondthe reefs. Blue  is the mostprized big game fish andcatching your first  in Jamaica is well within reach. TheCayman Trench creates conditions of one to two knots ofconsistent current which helps clump together seaweed to form"weed lines"- these are every offshore angler's dream. Heavyrainfall also erodes riverbanks causing trees and other debristo drift out to sea. This floating matter attracts baitfish andtripletail sea bass seeking shelter from the sun, which in turnattracts bigger fish. Entire ecosystems exist under these weedlines which can spread out for miles and contain all manner ofsea life, including large numbers of game fish. During thesummer months when the wind is fairly calm and the sea isrelatively flat the weed lines get bigger, which therefore meansmore marine activity beneath the surface. On the south coastthere are quite a number of banks and cays where you can find agreat number of bottom fish, namely snapper and grouper. Thelargest bank along the south coast is the Pedro Bank. This bankis home to a variety of fish such as yellowtail, mutton and redtail snapper as well as grouper and shellfish. Fishing for wahooand kingfish is excellent along the south coast due to thepresence of these banks. The North coast also has quite a fewbanks and the three main banks located off the coast of PortAntonio are Henry Holmes, Grappler and Shipwreck. There is alsoa popular bank located 15 miles off the coast of Montego Baycalled the Buckner bank. Strictly speaking there are certainperiods of the year when different species of fish are morecommon. The dolphin (dorado) season runs from January throughApril, the black fin and yellow fin tuna season run from Aprilto August and the core  season runs from August toDecember. Despite this, you will find that it is quite commonfor any of these species to be caught in Jamaica's watersyear-round. So if you are in Jamaica right now, it's a greattime to go fishing. Charter boats can be booked for full-day orhalf-day trips in most resort areas (see listings in Jam-boree'sgolocal pages). Prices vary little but be sure to enquire aboutwhether beverages are included and who keeps the catch. Mountingof prize fish is available and some boats will arrange to have afish cleaned and even cooked to order. A day of fishing inJamaica is about more than just lines, bait and fighting marlin.It is a unique opportunity to experience the island'stopographical beauty and coastline from offshore aboard acomfortable sportfisher with a professional crew that willensure that whether you catch the "bigone" or not you have awonderful experience. Listen to some music, enjoy somerefreshments and keep an eye out for porpoises and sea turtlesthat frequent Jamaica's coastal waters.

Fly fishing and light tackle fishing

The river estuaries, flats, lagoons inshore sea grass beds andmangrove forests of Jamaica are home to many popular species ofgame fish including tarpon, snook and barracuda. Opportunitiesabound for exciting fly and light tackle fishing charters led byexperienced guides. Most fish species are available all year.Salty Vic provides fishing charters to several areas of theisland including river, inshore and deepsea habitats, as well astechnical fly-fishing lessons for adults and children. ContactSalty Vic at (876) 863-1599 for information and bookings.

Cayman Trench

Fishing in Jamaica is world-class due in part to the presence ofthe Cayman Trench that extends from the Windward Passage at thesoutheastern tip of Cuba toward Guatemala. At about half a mileoff the coast of Montego Bay, the drop off begins, starting atabout 400 feet and gradually sloping down to 3000 feet furtheroffshore. The relatively narrow trough trends east-northeast towest-southwest and has a maximum depth of 25,216 feet (7,686 m),the deepest point in the Caribbean Sea. This area is teemingwith sea life as nutrients are carried up the wall from theabyss to make the waters uncommonly rich for tropical seas.

Tournaments

Several annual blue tournaments are held in Jamaica,attracting world-wide anglers. The Port Antonio InternationalBillfish Tournament, usually held in October, is one of the mostcelebrated and prestigious in the Caribbean. Each year thisevent attracts up to 50 boats, including anglers from the U.S.A.and neighboring Caribbean islands. Other tournaments are held inMontego Bay, Falmouth, Discovery Bay and Treasure Beach.