Bahamas Fishing Report

Brought to you by

Captain Joe Trainor & Captain Trey Rhyne

Bahamas Fishing Report
New Jersey Fishing Report / North Carolina Fishing Report
Courtesy of Over/Under Adventures Custom 54' Bertram
To book a charter, call: at 305/852-8015 or visit: www.overundercharters.com

Bahamas Fishing Report Update: March 25, 2009

What a Week!!!  Marlin and Muttons!!!

        Wow what a week we had here! After that strong southeasterly flow we had a feeling there may be a few bills around. We had a prolonged SE wind for over 8 days. This is typical May/June weather so I was thinking it may have pushed a couple early season bills our way.  We headed far offshore (12 miles) to a hump in search of some yellowfin tuna. When we arrived we found some nice fish (in the 70lb range) skyrocketing through the air. I thought it was going to be just a matter of seconds but we couldn’t get a bite out of them. Tried pretty much everything but they were moving too fast and too far offshore. Oh well, next time we’ll get ‘em.   I decided to head back in and fish off of Nunjack Cay hoping to make the day. Shortly after setting the spread we had our first white marlin of the season come up on the long rigger. It took a little to get him to eat -- as we had to slow the boat down while Thomas did an excellent job feeding him.  It’s great to have our first marlin release of the season so early; and we’re looking forward to a bunch more.

       We had a little cold front come through this week which got the normal northeasterly flow going and the wahoo were quick to react. It seems once that wind switches to the north they start aggressively feeding again. We ventured out in the NE winds and quickly went 1 for 3 in about 40 minutes time. It was a bit choppy so we decided to head back in to the Sea of Abaco for some bottom fishing.

     Bottom fishing this week was nothing short of spectacular.  Most days we were anchoring on wrecks located in 25 feet of water. Here we seem to easily catch enough ballyhoo for fishing the ledges;   Along with some black grouper, yellowtails, macks, and mangrove snapper. After catching our bait, we found some nice ledges -- dropping from 12 to 28 feet. Fishing these ledges was spectacular this week producing plenty of yellowtail in the 2 to 3 lb range.   While tailing we dropped some live ballyhoos and fresh conch slop to the bottom for an excellent mutton bite – mixed in we were luck enough to boat a 28 inch yellowfin grouper along with some nice Nassau Grouper, which are finally back in season.

     The outlook for this week is Wahoo. We are expecting a very strong front at the beginning of the week and that should get them going again. As long as we get out on the water, the fishing should be hot and heavy. Until next week… tight lines!!!

Bahamas Fishing Report Update: March 18, 2009

       What a week here in the Bahamas. We had unseasonably warm weather and May southeasterly winds this week. It is extremely unusual this time of year to get these SE winds for such a sustained period of time and we have now had them for over 6 days. It almost feels like blue marlin weather, however with water still in the 74 degree range we know it is still about a month away.

       This week we have seen some nice wahoo hit the dock as well as some nicer yellowfin here in the Abacos. The best action this week was off of Nunjack Channel with some fish hitting the 60 lb mark. Once again the falling high tide is the key. However with this southeasterly flow the fishing has started to taper off towards the end of the week as it seems we need a change. We are expecting our next cold front at the beginning of the week and that should  get the pelagics stirring again. Sometimes its just too calm with no wind here.

       This week we came across some more excellent yellowtail spots fishing inside of Guana  near the spoil island. There is a beautiful ledge there that comes from 28 feet to 12 feet with great rocky bottom. We hit this spot twice this we easily catching out yellowtail limit in an hours time. Some nice ones were in there , as they were all 2 to 3 lbs. While anchoring on the ledge we are putting out some live baits on the riggers and getting some nice size cero mackerals also. After about an hour it seems the sharks show up and we can tangle with some good size tigers for a while.

        All in all fishing was great at the beginning of the week but started to tale off towards the end. It seems we need a wind change as we have now had a Southeasterly flow for over a week. We are getting that change on Monday night and expect good results. When the wind is calm deep dropping and yellowtailing can be at its best. We continue to see some slob red groupers on the ledges in the 200 to 350 foot range .We are back at it every day this week … so until next week tight lines!!!

Bahamas Fishing Report Update: March 04, 2009

Bahamas  Still Going Strong

     We are continuing to see great offshore fishing here in the Abacos. We ventured out a couple days this week and the dolphin bite is getting better week by week with some larger fish every day. We only fished for a few hours each day this week offshore because the seas were somewhat choppy. This was the first week we didn’t see any wahoo but once again we only fished for a total of 6 hours offshore. It seemed that once again most of the bait and activity was on the north side of Guana Cay. Some boats are already starting to see an occasional marlin in the mix. Just last week we watched a friend release an estimated 400 lb. blue marlin. With the amount of bait in the area , I believe is the reason for so many dolphin and some billfish in the mix.  On rough days there is plenty to do over here in the Abacos.

Things To Do on Bad Weather Days

     We fished inshore this week in the Sea of Abaco . On many days when it is blowing 30 you can find somewhere to hide and catch plenty of  fish. Anchoring up just inside of Guana is usually your best bet in an Easterly wind. Just simply anchor up near the pilings and its game on. This channel with the pilings was dredged for  Disney Cruise ships to enter back in the early 90’s. The dredging caused great ledges dropping from 15 to 40 feet , so there is great structure all around. On most days you’ll find yellowtails, Mutton snapper, Cero Mackeral, and whitebone porgies. Everyday we seem to catch new species of fish there. This week our largest mutton went 10 lbs , and also had some rather large Cero’s.  While anchored up in this channel catch your bait for the next day. There seems to be plenty of ballyhoo in the area . It is better on an outgoing tide , however. Once the tide stops so does the bite. The best bait for the macks has been live blue runners on the surface, while the muttons are eating conch and ballyhoo.

     Once you’ve had your fill of fishing stop by Nippers Bar for great scenery and a drink. After Nippers head off to Grabbers with beautiful views and some of the best food in the Abacos. Both of these bars and restaurants are located on Guana Cay with dockage available at Orchid Bay Marina.

     In the next coming weeks we are starting to see more boats filter in from the states. We will begin to have more reports on various locations throughout the Bahamas. I will keep you posted as to what is biting when in where. Tight Lines!

Looks like mutton are everywhere – not just the keys this week!

Bahamas Fishing Report Update: February 25, 2009

Morehead City, North Carolina – Giant Bluefin Tuna Season Recap

       December and January are GIANT BLUEFIN TUNA Time in North Carolina.  These monster tunas typically start to show up at Cape Lookout Shoal around the end of November and early January.  At times, the fish come in as close as only one or two miles out of the Inlet, but typically you will travel 5 to 15 miles to find them.  They are feeding mainly right off the edges of the shoal in 40 to 100 feet of water.  The season, started off, as it quite often does, with a decent early bite the first week of December.  Some fish were brought back to the dock, and everyone had high expectations for a great winter Bluefin Season.  This fishery is primarily a commercial one, and the price per pound  (“cored” with head off) ranges from $8 to $25, depending on the condition of the fish and the overall supply-demand situation at the time the fish goes to market.  Most all of these tuna are flown to Japan and go to auction.  The fish range in size from 250 pounds right on up to 800 pounds.  In order to be legally boated, the fish must measure 73 inches or greater.

       A typical fishing day begins at 3:00am, as you make your way out the inlet in the dark, trying to be on the fishing grounds well before first light.  Trolling begins immediately, and the normal spread is 3 to 5 lines, all pulling horse ballyhoo, with a variety of skirts over top.  The most common skirt is a Hawaiian Eye/Islander Lure.  Pink works well, as does Silver and various other color combinations.  The baits are trolled way back, quite slow, and at least one is usually run down deep on either down-riggers or planers.  Penn 130 VSX’s are our choice of weapon, and allow us to apply the proper amount of drag, and have enough line capacity to deal with double or even triple headers.

       After fishing half the season, we had only boated one fish and things were looking bleak.  We wouldn’t say that things ever got hot, but at least they improved.  The week of New Years, things turned on for a few days and probably a third of the fish caught for the season, were taking during this week.  Unfortunately, we were not fishing, so we missed out on that bite.  After that, there was never a consistent bite, but we were able to put three more fish in the boat, over the last three weeks of the season. 

       Our first fish of the second half of the season, came on January 6^th, near “The Knuckle”.  It measured 79 inches, weighed 366 pounds, and took the crew about 40 minutes to bring boat side.  Now we were 2-2 for the season.  But that was it for a long stretch…a very long stretch.  Going into the last week of the season, we had two fish to our credit for our efforts.  The fish gods smiled on us however, allowing us to boat two fish in the final week of fishing.  The first of the two final fish came January 26^th, and this one was a 91 incher, that weighed in at 424 pounds.  With only two people on the boat, the crew had their hands full, and got the job done in a little over an hour.  The final fish came on our last day of fishing!  Persistence, Persistence, Persistence….    This one came at “The Big 10”, another popular Bluefin hangout.  At 8:07, this one took the bridge rod, and it was game on.  Again, with only two guys on the boat, they had their work cut out for them, but by now they had it figured out!  Only 40 minutes later, this final fish, measuring  81 inches and 325 pounds, was lying in the boat.

       It certainly wasn’t a great season, but patience and attention to detail were crucial, and allowed our crew to capitalize on literally EVERY BITE!  We’ll be back next season, and hopefully things will get back on track allowing for a 10-12 fish season, which is really what we hope for fishing the months of December and January.

Capt. Trey Rhyne

Over Under Sport Fishing

Bahamas Fishing Report Update: February 18, 2009

HOT ….HOT….HOT   Bahamas Fishing

     Bahamas fishing was nothing sort of insane this week. After the  strongest cold front of the year with temps in the upper 40’s at night , fishing got awesome. We saw water temps drop to 72 degrees and this fish actively responded. This week we fished mainly off of Guana Cay as we had to go no place else. We were fairly busy this week and fished quite a bit never leaving a 2 mile area all week off of Guana.

     We fished a half day trip on Wednesday that was simply insane. Setting lines out we quickly went 3-5 on wahoo as they ate everything  in the spread. Shortly after we got into the dolphin and it remained a furious dolphin bite before calling it a day catching and releasing well over 20 dolphin. This is extremely early for the dolphin to be here but hey I’ll take it.

    Out the next day again , the bite got even better . On Thursdays half day trip we consistently picked away at the dolphin and had one of the best hoo bits in quite some time. However on this day we managed to come unglued on a fair amount of fish as they were doing the famous wahoo head shake as well as a couple short bits. We managed to go 6- 11 on the hoos as well as a half dozen dolphin. We have noticed the wahoo are getting a bit bigger as of late as we boated some to 60 lbs this week. For some reason this week our bait of choice this week was ballyhoo with 9 wire. For some reason they weren’t responding to the plugs this week. Simply putting a bait down or on your riggers got em going. I believe with the amount of bait in the area is why.  We also tried something new this week putting some Spanish macks behind our billy baits on the deep rods. It seemed to work great as we caught 2 fish on the macks.

     On a sour note the bite seemed to tail off a little bit on Saturday with extremely flat seas. I believe we need another front to get things red hot again. We are expecting one tomorrow, hopefully to drop the sea temps back down again.

All in all this is one of the best weeks I have ever had here. We continued to have double digit wahoo bites on some days as well as dolphin. We continue to see some yellowfin filter in the area as we are catching a couple on a daily basis now. Some have been in the 50 lb range although we personally haven’t caught them. Nows the time to fish the Bahamas as we continue to see some of the best fishing in recent years!

Bahamas Fishing Report Update: February 11, 2009

Bahamas Fishing Report Update: December 27, 2008  

Morehead City, North Carolina – Giant Bluefin Tuna Update

       December and January are GIANT BLUEFIN TUNA Time in North Carolina.  These monster tunas typically start to show up at Cape Lookout Shoal around the end of November and early January.  At times, the fish come in as close as only one or two miles out of the Inlet, but typically you will travel 5 to 15 miles to find them.  They are feeding mainly right off the edges of the shoal in 40 to 100 feet of water.  The season, started off, as it quite often does, with a decent early bite the first week of December.  Some fish were brought back to the dock, and everyone had high expectations for a great winter Bluefin Season.  This fishery is primarily a commercial one, and the price per pound  (“cored” with head off) ranges from $8 to $25, depending on the condition of the fish and the overall supply-demand situation at the time the fish goes to market.  Most all of these tuna are flown to Japan and go to auction.  The fish range in size from 250 pounds right on up to 800 pounds.  In order to be legally boated, the fish must measure 73 inches or greater.

       A typical fishing day begins at 3:00am, as you make your way out the inlet in the dark, trying to be on the fishing grounds well before first light.  Trolling begins immediately, and the normal spread is 3 to 5 lines, all pulling horse ballyhoo, with a variety of skirts over top.  The most common skirt is a Hawaiian Eye/Islander Lure.  Pink works well, as does Silver and various other color combinations.  The baits are trolled way back, quite slow, and at least one is usually run down deep on either down-riggers or planers. 

       To date, unfortunately the bite has been slow.  The quick start to the season, came to a screeching halt, and over the last couple weeks, only a handful of fish have been brought back to the dock.  Fishing this time of year in NC can be difficult, as the weather does not always cooperate.  We’ve been blessed with relatively good weather so far, but the fish have just not really shown up in any good numbers yet.  The season ends January 31^st, so we have a good five more weeks and expect the fishing to turn on after the holidays and peak in mid to late January.  The bait is there, lots of it.  So the Bluefin just need to find it, and if history is accurate, the Tuna will do just that over the next couple weeks.

       Below is a picture of the lone Bluefin Tuna that our crew has boated for the season.  This fish was taken on our first day out and had us all quite excited about the rest of the season!  It was also a pretty nice one, measuring 87 inches, weighing in at 346 pounds, with a core weight of 291 pounds.  This fish went to market and netted us (after commissions, and freight), about $15 a pound or about $4300.  Since this fish was caught, we’ve fished about 7 more days, without a bite.  Guess that’s why they call it “Fishing” not “Catching”!  We will report back towards the end of January with a full season re-cap!  Stay tuned and tight lines,

Capt. Trey Rhyne

Over Under Sport Fishing

Bahamas Fishing Report Update: December27, 2008  

      First off we would like to wish everybody a happy holiday and new year from the Over Under Adventures team. This week we spent the week getting ready for the holiday tourists. We will be fishing this week pretty much  everyday  and  wahoo is still on the menu. From the people that did go out this week numerous wahoo bites was again the case. This week with light winds we will be targeting wahoo everyday as well as deep dropping every trip with the beautiful conditions. Here are some simple ways to increase your catch while fishing in the Bahamas. Remember all is not lost if the pelagic fish don’t bite.

Deep Dropping in the Bahamas

       All this starts out with the right rod and reel.  Our reel is the Kristal XL 621.  Our rod is a Crowder bent butt rod, 5’ in length with a swivel rod tip.  For line we use 130lb Power Pro to ensure no stretch in the line enabling you to see and feel every bite.  

       Our rig we use a basic chicken rig.  The rig begins with a 12” section of 130lb mono with a loop to connect to the swivel coming from the rod.  After the beginning loop leg you come to your first 3 way swivel.  Coming off your first 3 way is 8”of 130lb mono to a 10/0 Eagle Claw circle hook.  Then on the last connection on the 3 way attach a 12” section to another 3 way swivel.  Repeat the same process until you get your desired number of hooks.  We usually prefer 3 to 4 hooks.  After your final 3 way swivel with a hook on it take one last 12” section of 130lb mono and crimp it to the 3 way and to end it we crimp on a 480lb ball bearing snap swivel.  This snap is used to attach the lead.  We usually begin with 4lbs of lead but depending on conditions the amount of weight needs to be adjusted.  We have used as much as 6lbs and as little as 2lbs. 

       Deep dropping can be extremely difficult in rough weather.  Snags can be a major problem as well as drifting too fast.  Wind direction also plays a major factor.  Perfect conditions are a slow drift light wind conditions with a casual drift off the edge thus preventing snags.  Almost always you can find a spot that will take you off the edge. 

       Bait is probably the easiest part of deep dropping we have found anything will work.  With that being said we have found Barracuda to be best.  The smell and its ability to stay on a hook make it superb bait.    We always save a 2 or 3 when we catch them.  Often we will filet some and freeze it for future use.  Fresh is always best. 

       The bite, the hard part.  All rigged up for the party your weight is sitting on the bottom.  Always watch the rod tip and be ready for hits as soon as the weight hits the bottom.  Snapper will just keep tapping you bait you will see it in your rod tip.  Remember circle hooks.  Once you see the rod tip bouncing reel up for 3 to 4 seconds to see if you hooked one.  If hooked up drop down and go for another or just try again.  The bait can usually handle a lot of abuse from the snappers before it is stripped clean.

       Where to go.  We often find the best place to look is simply where you have your best pelagic bite.  As this seems to be great structure for Tuna and Wahoo as is great structure for Snapper and Grouper.

       Depth start out in 2-300’ of water looking for a possible Mystic Grouper.  Mystic Groupers can top the 100lb mark.  Then slowly drift 3-400’ seems to be a great spot for Button and Black Snapper and further in to the drift 6-800’ is ideal depth for Yellow Eye and Queen Snapper.  All of these fish are some of the tastiest fish you’ll ever eat.

       Remember on a slow trolling day all is not lost.  Just it your spots and you will have a fresh catch for the dinner table.  It’s a guarantee.

       It  is a very busy time right now throughout the Bahamas and will have lots to report next week. We are looking forward to a busy week with calm winds. Tight Lines and Happy Holidays!         

Bahamas Fishing Report Update: December 24, 2008   

Wahoo bite continues throughout the Bahamas.

     Wahoo bite continues to remain strong all over the Bahamas. We continue to see improved catches with each passing cold front. Water temperatures are now hovering around 75 degrees, the coldest we have seen in the past several years.  Wahoo remain aggressively feeding in these temperatures and expect a possible drop to maybe even 73 degrees this year. What does all this add up too… perfect ingredients for the best Wahoo bite in quite some time.

     We have received reports from Cat Island this week as they had a one day friendly tournament there this week.  Excellent fishing prevailed as the largest Wahoo was boated by Randy Holder the manager of Hawks Nest at 71lbs. Many fish were caught during the one day event with the majority in the 50 and 60lb range. The normal spots at Cat remained hot as Randy boated his fish in the pocket off of Columbus Point.  Other spots in Cat that produced just as well were Devils Point and Tarter Bank.  Fishing remains off the hook!

     We got out Friday scouting some deep drop spots off Guana Cay and were rewarded quickly with a nice catch of yellow eyes and button snapper. We tried two spots today, one being on the north end, and the other the south. We wanted to explore these two areas so that no matter which cut we use, Man O’ War or Whale Cut, that we could quickly get into the action. So if for any reason the trolling bite was not to develop, snapper would be on the menu. We only did this for a short time today boating plenty of snappers to about 4 lbs. We ended on a high note with a triple header yellow eye snapper. 

     After finishing up our deep dropping, we decided to put the lines in for Wahoo. Shortly there-after, we were rewarded with our first quad Wahoo bite of the season, boating 3 of 4, to 30 lbs. Once again the deep rod was the ticket as we boated all three deep rod bites,  and pulling off our fourth fish on a billy bait ballyhoo combo. Currently the deep rod is hot, so we have put a third one out, fishing that from the bridge. In order to fish this rod MAKE sure it is well past your long riggers in order to avoid a tangled mess!  Also keep the boat in gear after your first bite, as a second, third or even fourth is almost a sure thing.  All the deep rods are being run with 54oz. of lead followed by YoZuri plugs.  Blue-black and orange-black as well as all-black have been the ticket.  We have only been fishing around 8 knots and seem to be getting plenty of bites at this speed.  We really like this speed, as we continue to boat dolphin as well as black fin tuna.  We might get a few more Wahoo bites if we bumped the speed up, but we’d be sacrificing variety for sure.

     On the bottom fishing front we did some grouper fishing off of Scotland Cay. Although we could only find Nassau Grouper (currently out of season), it was a blast with our biggest going 12 lbs. Yellowtail fishing and mutton fishing remains a no brainer.  Go out to around 60 feet of water, drop the chum bag, drop a bait, and start reeling!

       All in all, hot Bahamas fishing continues. From Wahoo, to deep dropping, to snapper, it all remains off the hook. Get over here fast as we are seeing one of the best Wahoo season any of us have seen in a long time!

-          Tight Lines, Capt. Joe – Over Under Adventures

Bahamas Fishing Report Update: December 17, 2008  

       Wahoo Bite:  With limited weather windows to get out, we were only able to fish for pelagics once this week.  On our only day out, we had an excellent Wahoo bite with 4 hook ups at the end of the falling tide in front of Man O War cut.   We went 3 for 5 on Wahoo.  None of the Hoo’s were larger than 25 pounds, except of course, the one that got away.  One of the Hoo’s in the 40# range spit the hook right near the boat.   We have found the 30 to 80 pound Hoo’s get their second wind near the boat!   Everyone knows the feeling.  It’s always a bummer to have a fish so close, only to watch it swim away.  That Hoo will be out there for us next time though! 

       Another Wahoo report came from our friends on Cat Island.  They have been doing extremely well with the Wahoo and boated a 91.3 pounder this week.  Talking with Randy and JR at Hawks Nest, we all agree how much  colder than normal it is this year.  We’re all hoping it continues, because it seems that each passing cold front gets the fish going better and better.

        Bottom Fishing:  While the Pelagic fishing was hampered by the wind, we were able to do some bottom fishing.  The yellowtail fishing is very productive here in the Abacos.  The reef systems of the Abaco Cays are superb, and far better than anything I have experienced in other parts of the Islands.  We have been told that the barrier reef system of the Abaco’s is the third largest barrier reef in the world.  We are trying to perfect our yellowtail spots, looking for the coral heads and depth ranges that produce the largest tails.   We’re working a lot of structure and getting a good feel for the reef.  We are releasing most of the tails, only keeping the ones that swallow the hook and would end up being barracuda or shark food.  Needless to say, the dock masters at Orchid Bay on Guana Cay have been eating well.  While tailing, we have been dropping some grouper bombs and larger baits out for Muttons. We have managed to bring in a few Groupers and Muttons, but would have liked to have seen a couple more that lodged themselves in rocks!

       Next week we plan on trying some deep dropping.  While Wahoo fishing the edge, we have seen some spots that have great potential.  It is always fun to deep drop.  The taste of deep water snapper is unmatched.  Another goal next week is to try grouper trolling at a couple of spots that were recommended to us by a friend.  All reports indicate that the Grouper trolling is very productive here.  Stand by!

       Rigging spotlight:  We caught our first Wahoo on our cedar pug chain this week.  Our chain is always out run way, way, way, back, in the shotgun position from up on the bridge.  All species of pelagics fish love this lure.  It’s especially easy to run, since the lure rarely snags up weed.  We build our chains in two sections, to be easily fixed.  In the first section, we use 6’ of 130# mono.  About 4‘down, slide on a crimp, and then crimp it on the mono to act as a stopper for the first plug. Then string on a blue and white cedar plug so the crimp stops the plug.  Going to the end of the first section slide another blue and white cedar plug and crimp on a 130# Spro swivel.  The second part of the chain is take 2’ section of 130# mono ended with a mustad 10/0 Needle Eye Hook.  Slide a natural cedar plug down and crimp the second section to the swivel at the end o the first section.  When sharks, cudas or wahoo end up cutting off or damaging the chain, it is almost always the last section that gets wrecked.  We always have full spares ready to go, but usually all you have to do is crimp on a new natural plug (trailing lure), as opposed to re-rigging the whole chain.   The chain of plugs seems to attract fish much better than the single plug.  The downside is that sometimes toothy critters will attack the plugs ahead of the hooked lure, leading to cut offs.  This is a risk we’ve decided to take over the years, as we catch so many more fish using the chains than singles.  We do buy our cedar plugs in bulk quantities though.  Usually 100 at a time!  So expect to loose some, it’s just part of the game over here.

       Here in the Abaco's, we run our cedar plug daisy chain on a Penn 50 rod and reel combo, with a wind on swivel.  The sharks are less of a nuisance here than down in the Southern Islands.  When we are fishing San Salvador and Cat Island, we usually run our chains on a Penn 70 rod and reel combo with a 250# Spro snap swivel, due to the “shark problem”.  You only have so much time to work a fish in those areas before the sharks move in.   We use the “3 minute rule”.  If your fish isn’t in the boat in 3 minutes, you are at risk!

       Wrap Up: All in all, the fishing continues to improve throughout the islands of the Bahamas.  The water temperature is hovering around 76 degrees ….. a two degree drop in just a week! We suspect, that with each passing cold front the Wahoo will continue to be on the chew! 

Tight Lines,

Captain Joe Trainor – LOW PROFILE

Over Under Adventures

Week of June 29, 2005
South East Bahamas Fishing Report

Rum Cay was the site of small "Georgia Boat - Billfish Tournament" this past weekend. While the fishing wasn't red hot, there were still 7 Blue Marlin released, out of 6 boats fishing two days each. Robert Baker's "Very Pushy"
had the hot hand, releasing 4 fish, while Hugh Kessler's PMS, released 2, with the crew Stan Strickland's "Mojito" catching 1. On the second day of fishing Very Pushy, hooked up a nice 500# class fish after only 5 minutes of fishing! We hear next year, they might let some NJ boats in on the competition...that is if the Georgia Boys don't decide they need another year of practice!

Tight Lines - Trey

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Week of May 25, 2005
South East Bahamas Fishing Report
Both the dolphin fishing and the billfishing have continued to be fairly consistent and good in Cat Island. At times, there are so many 20-30# dolphin around that we've literally had to pull in all the hooked baits and pull just teasers. I looked down from the tower last week to see the entire sea filled with green...must have been 200 dolphin around the boat.
Billfish continue to come into the spread with regularity, but still not in the numbers that peak season should bring later this month and into June. There are also an unusually greater number of white marlin and sailfish being raised, to Blue Marlin. This has made the targeting Blue Marlin a bit difficult. Typically Blue Marlin are the dominant billfish in these parts.
The tuna have been more sporadic and have not held in great numbers. In fact a 25# tuna took the money in the recent Hawks Nest Billfish tournament, which is not terribly impressive at all. A week ago, the OVER UNDER went 3-11 on yellowfin from 30-50#s (sharks got the rest), but as soon as they arrived they vanished again. In that same weekend, we went 4-6 on sailfish, catching a triple header...hats off to the crew and charter for pulling that one off. The OVER UNDER put in an impressive showing in the billfish tournament this past week, going into the final day tied on points for the money. Unfortunately, we failed to catch either of the two Blues (neither one decided to eat) that we raised on the last day..either of which would have given us the top spot.

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Week of May 11, 2005
South East Bahamas Fishing Report
After one of the slowest winters and early springs anyone can remember, the fishing has definitely taken major turn for the better. We are now back to catching a lot of dolphin on a daily basis, having plenty of tuna busting around, and seeing billfish consistently. Yesterday's catch was 7 Dolphin, 3 Yellowfin, broke off two sailfish, and lost another 8 Yellowfin to sharks...now that's the type of fishing we expect at Cat Island. Over the next week, the Hawks Nest Marina will fill to capacity as boats gather for the annual Hawks Nest Billfish Tournament. There will be approximately 30 boats competing in the event, which is a fish 3 out of 4 day tournament, with calcutta's for billfish release points, biggest Tuna, Dolphin, and Wahoo. This will provide a real good indication as to the # of Marlin that are really around right now. On the Over Under we've been seeing them regularly and have released 4 or 5 so far this year.

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Week of March 9th, 2005
South East Bahamas Fishing Report

For those who haven't heard or seen it on the internet yet, the OVER UNDER boated a unusually large wahoo recently. We hosted a make up charter consisting of John Eppehimer, John Eppehimer Sr., John Burkle, Bill Davis, and Scott Thorpe, over the last weekend in February. This is a group of regular customers all from the Philadelphia area. John Eppehimer originally set the trip up to do promotional work for his most recent project www.sportfishermen.com. Man did these guys hit it right.... On the second
day of their trip, they hooked into their second wahoo of the day, having had the first one taken by the sharks. The fish bit in 80' of water, and no one thought they had much of a chance against the sharks given that it was hooked so shallow. Well, the fish took off and close to spooled the Shimano 50, spooled with wire, before they were finally able to back down hard and get line back on the reel. Everyone figured they had gotten "sharked", but eventually they realized they may actually still be fighting a nice hoo...they had no idea how nice until they saw it come up to the back of the boat. Scott Thorpe was on the rod, John Eppehimer leadered the fish, while Bill Davis sunk the first gaff, quickly followed by a larger one from Capt. Pete. The fish was landed at about 11:00am, and finally weighed in at Hawks Nest at 5:00pm. It tipped the scales at 148.5 pounds...the largest hoo we've heard of being taken in quite some time. The fish bit on the flat line, pulling a Blue Water TB2, in Green and Black. The TB2 is one in a series of great wahoo lures produced by Ray McConnell of Rays offshore in Boca Raton, FL, its about 12 inches long and weights 12 ounces. These lures just seem to attract big fish. Below are a few pictures of the beast!

see more wahoo photos

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Week of March 2, 2005
South East Bahamas Fishing Report

Things have finally started to take a significant turn for the better.
Offshore the wahoo are back. I saw several fish in the 70# class come to the dock on Wednesday, along with others in the 35-55# range. Cedar Plugs and the Blue Water Eagle seem to be the ticket. Smaller yellowfin, 15-20#, continue to be around and dolphin are being caught here and there as well.
Boats have also been running to fish the point off the north end of Long Island and doing well with dolphin tuna. The wind has gone SE for a few days now and that for sure has helped the fishing. Hopefully as we come off the moon and if the wind can keep SE for a while longer, we should be back into red hot action for the new moon in early March.

Inshore, the bonefishing continues to be fantastic. Most of the guests have been choosing half days and picking the best of the tides. The least number I've heard being caught is 2 and the high was 7, and everone is getting a chance to throw at 20+ fish. Fish continue to average 3-5 pounds, but some larger fish are being caught as well. One experienced angler released fish measuring 17, 21, and 22 inches, as well as 4 other smaller fish. All these fish were caught on the "Crazy Charlie" fly.

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Week of February 23th
South East Bahamas Fishing Report

No report this week

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Week of February 16th
South East Bahamas Fishing Report

We are quite unpleased to report that the past week has brought some of the slowest offshore fishing we have ever encountered in the Islands. The lowpoint was a full day fishing, that saw only one fish (a baracuda) come to the boat. Ray McConnell from Ray's Offshore and owner of Blue Water Lures, fished with us earlier this week and commented that it was the slowest he had ever seen it in the Islands. Ray's got some great new lures out on the market..be sure to check them out. Reports from Rum Cay, San Salvador, and the Diana Bank, have all been similar. A few small dolphin were brought to the dock, and a few 15-20 pound yellowfin have also been swimming around.
This is extremely unusual for this time of year, especially given the moon and tide phases this past week. We are certain that the conditions will turn completely around in a matter of days, but it has been frustrating to say the least. A cold front is about to move through and should stir the pot a bit, we'll keep you posted on the bite.

On the flats things couldn't be better. Bonefish are averageing 4-6 pounds, with a few 8+ pound fish being seen and caught here and there. Everyone coming back to the dock has seen lots of fish and caught atleast a couple.
It's been all fly-fishing, even for the novices, so the results are exceptional. We are fishing a tidal creek system that opens up into large salt flats. Hawks Nest Marina lies just off a branch of this creek, so the run to the fishing grounds is minimal.

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New Jersey Fishing
Week of October 26, 2004

The OVER UNDER didn't make it out this week due to the strong winds that affected our area this week. The crew took the opportunity to have the boat hauled and take care of necessary maintenance before heading south to North Carolina, and eventually on to the Bahamas for the Winter. The OVER UNDER will be running trips out of Avalon, NJ for 2 more weeks, before heading to Pirates Cove, NC for a few weeks of yellowfin and bigeye tuna fishing. From January through July, you will find the OVER UNDER in the South East Bahamas targeting Wahoo, Tuna, and Blue Marlin.

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New Jersey Fishing
Week of October 13, 2004

The OVER UNDER only got one partial trip in this week, due to engine problems. Stopping on a scallop boat on the way to the canyon on an overnight trip, the OVER UNDER threw the baits in 3 times, hooking up 3 times. The pickups were almost instantaneous. The first fish was lost, when it decided to make a run for the Scallop boat's gear. The second fish, which seemed to be the biggest of the 3, was lost when the hook pulled after about a 30 minute fight. Captain Pete had to chase this fish...it didn't want to stop. The third fish was boated and went about 105#. Soon thereafter, the OVER UNDER started experiencing problems with its starboard motor and had to return to the dock. But not to worry, the OVER UNDER will be up and running by early next week and be back on tuna fish.

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New Jersey Fishing
Week of October 6, 2004

After the blow moved through the OVER UNDER was back out in the canyon for a Thursday into Friday overnight trip. This trip was purchased as a give away for new members of www.sportfishermen.com. The OVER UNDER arrived in the Lindy about 3:00 and quickly found the temperature break they were looking for. it was about 5 degrees. 3 hours of trolling produced a bunch of smaller mahi, but no tuna bites. Setting up on the chunk, the OVER UNDER decided to drift as the seas were very flat. Trying both the cold side and the warm side of the break, the OVER UNDER managed only a flury of Longfin, boating 3. At about Midnight, the crew decided it was time to make a move and ran about 12 miles south and set up again near the Spencer Canyon. The move turned out to be a good one, as the group had about 6-7 bites, boating 3 yellowfin, before pulling in the lines for the run home.

The crew of the OVER UNDER, Captains Pete and Trey, made the quick turn and headed back offshore Friday night with a fresh group of anglers ready to get on the meat. The OVER UNDER set up on the numbers that produced the best the night before, anchoring in about 550' of water. With 25 other boats in close proximity, it was a tough night, as only one yellowfin was boated and one swordfish released. At daybreak, most of the boats had drifted elsewhere or had gone on the troll. Knowing there were fish in the area, The OVER UNDER decided to roll the dice and stay on the chunk. Good Call....from 7:30-10:00am the group went 6-6 on 70# yellowfin, and one longfin. The fish were brought up right behind the boat with fresh bunker. Sardines and Peanut Bunker were the hook baits of choice. The group came home with a nice catch and an impressive 7-8 showing on the tuna fish, making their shots count. Many of the fish were caught on spinning outfits and TLD 25s with 30-40# leaders...Good job guys!

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Week of July 14th 2004
South East Bahamas Fishing Report

Last week the Over Under headed up to Harbor Island to fish a charity tournament benefitting the Dunmore School on the Island. In two days of fishing, 15 boats caught a total of 2 fish over 25#, and both fish (40#

tuna) were caught by the same boat. It was the slowest two days of fishing since we arrived in the Bahamas in November. After the second day, the boat headed back south to Rum Cay for a week of R&R and Capt Pete, with mate Tom Brisbin quickly changed their luck and released a 125# Blue Marlin on the way to Rum. At Rum the boat only fished one afternoon, going 1-1 on a 250# Blue Marlin. The rest of the fleet reported slow fishing, and the Over Under crew decided to tangle with Grouper and Sharks on the reef with their pole spears and slings. The fishing really slowed down all around it seems and it is probably a good time to head North for the summer, which is exactly what we are doing right now. The Over Under should be back in it's slip at Avalon Point Marina, in Avalon, NJ on July 18th and be getting geared up for the Ocean City White Marlin Open and the Canyon Season ahead.

Tight Lines, Crew of the Over Under

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Week of March 25 2004
South East Bahamas Fishing Report

Since our last report, some weeks ago, the fishing has started to transition into our typical springtime bite. Dolphin seem to be everywhere, wahoo are still around, although not in the numbers they were a month ago and the birds are starting to give away the schools of Yellowfin tuna passing through the area. An added bonus is that billfish are all ready being seen on 50 percent of our trips. Word from Rum Cay this past week was of large yellowfin going from 50-100 pounds being taken. Over here at Cat Island, the birds have been found between Devil's and Columbus Point, and the dolphin have been pretty thick. Last week, the Over Under hosted the Reel Adventures team and filmed a show for an upcoming spot on several networks. Captain Pete had the crew in good action, boating 1 wahoo, releasing 8 dolphin and many small tuna, while keeping a couple of 25-30# yellowfin for dinner (all in 1/2 a day of fishing). The group also had a blue and a white marlin up in the spread, but both refused to cooperate and disappeared soon after they were spotted. The highlight of the trip was watching the Reel Adventures diver/photographer go nose to nose with a 250# White Tip Shark that was after a yellowfin tuna that had been hooked up. The dominant theme of late, however, has been WIND. Hopefully, it will die down some and let the many boats over here get out and enjoy the spring tuna season as it rolls into gear.

- Capt. Trey Rhyne and Pete Fischer

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Week of February 4, 2004
South East Bahamas Fishing Report
Captain Pete had the Over Under out for 2 1/2 days of fishing over the last week at cat island. the fishing has slowed a bit, tuna from 20-25#s were taken on each trip and several wahoo boated. The trips did produce a billfish sighting on each day, with 3 blue marlin and one sailfish coming in to check out the spread. Unfortunately, all were early season window shoppers and not eaters. The Over Under will be running an early season Diana Bank trip later this week and will report back next week with the results of this trip to the south of Long Island. Till then, tight lines.
Capt. Pete and Capt. Trey

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Week of January 28, 2004
South East Bahamas Fishing Report

Fishing at the tail end of last week was at a high point around Cat Island. Wahoo were around in good numbers and a few tuna were taken here and there. Thebeginning of the week brought unsettled weather and kept everyone at thedock until Wednesday. On Wednesday and Thursday a few boats got out to the fishing grounds, but for the most part, the fishing was slow. An early
morning high tide seems to have slowed down the bite. Cow Hunter reported 3-4 bites in a morning of fishing Wednesday, and the Over Under had one bite in only an hour of fishing that same day. 3 or 4 boats fished Thursday and all reported similar results. The Over Under ran a trip on Friday, catching 2 small yellowfin, missing 3 wahoo, and raising 2 blue marlin into the spread, both of which failed to eat. At Cat Island, most of the boats have been fishing Columbus Point.

Captains Pete Fischer & Trey Rhyne

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Week of January 9, 2004

South East Bahamas Fishing Report
This past week, the weather cooperated and allowed several boats to get out to the fishing grounds. Despite a full moon and early morning high tide, the Wahoo bite seems to be going strong on Cat Island and Rum Cay.

On the OVER UNDER we fished out of Hawks Nest Marina on Cat Island Tuesday and Wednesday with a group from Marathon. Fishing was a bit slow, but we managed about 6 Wahoo bites each day, boating several fish in the 25-40 pound range. One larger fish was hooked at Columbus point at Cat Island, but was pounced on by what can only be described as a monster sized shark. The shark was then fought by several of our guests and crew, but could not be budged. Applying 35 pounds of drag didn’t seem to phase the beast and it was eventually broken off. The lure of choice for the Wahoo was a large Braid Marauder. The OVER UNDER also did some bottom fishing, catching a mixed bag of grouper, snapper, yellowtail, and jacks.

Later in the week as the moon passed full, the bite picked up as the boat MELISSA caught 15 Wahoo, to 35 pounds at Columbus Point. Word from Rum Cay was similar, as later in the week LEFTOVERS fished two days, catching 4 and 7 fish respectively. The Rum Cay fish were weighing in at 30 to 50 pounds. TUNA TANGO reported that fishing was a bit slow over at San Salvador earlier in the week also, but we expect that it will be picking up this weekend as the moon begins to pass and high tide moves later in the day.