Turks and Caicos Fishing

Turks and Caicos Fishing

The Turks and Caicos Fishing has been solid the past few days. Bonefish are staying warm on the flats and those higher up on the food chain are not to far behind. The tarpon are starting to make a push as well. We have seen four in the past two days. The silver king’s appearance has unfortunately coincided with the engine being on and us putting into the shallows for bones. Bad timing. Outside of the bonefishing,today we decided to spend some time on barracudas and sharks with some light 8 lb tippet. Got to love light tackle! We boated one lemon shark and lost a few more with tiny mangrove roots breaking the tippet like butter. Highlight of the day was a bruiser of a barracuda that took two magnificent leaps. Fortunately for us the fish did not land on the light leader allowing us to coerce her closer and closer to the boat.

-Capt. Will

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Turtles Galore.

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Bad to the bone!

DSC_1330TCI barracuda on the 8 lb tippet

Turks and Caicos fishing update

Turks and Caicos fishing update

Snuck out for a quick fish today. Saw some very big bones. Stood 50 yards from a draining canal and waited for the fish to come out of the mangroves. These fish operate on time every time. It is literally a 10 minute window on an outgoing tide.  Look at the camouflage the fish is sporting once I land her. Stunning. On a different note I polled off the flat and into a battleship barracuda. Absolute monster waiting in a deep hole for the bones to leave the flat. Seeing the fish from way out I was not able to set up a wire leader on my 9 wt in time. Drifting closer and closer the cuda spotted me 15 yards out. I threw anchor and the fish did laps around the skiff. I threw the fly at her many times in hopes of a territorial response. Just a bunch of mock chases but no grab. Big fish are no dummies. Good news is I’ve seen this same fish for the past 2 years now and I know she is a resident. Might have another go tomorrow after a 1/2 day guided trip.

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A relative of todays’ cuda.

A crab pattern for the up and coming full moon spawn.

Irritation is the name of the Cudas’ game

Irritation is the name of the Cudas’ game

Hooking a Cuda in the 40 + inch range has nothing to do with luck. Luck is nothing but the resin of hard work. Feeding a large cuda is no easy feat. Curious and hesitant by nature a Cuda senses the angler from the get go. For this reason spotting a floater that is slowly swimming along from afar could present the opportunity to ring the bell for supper. The angler that can shoot the entire fly line can negotiate a presentation like a stealth bomber. This time of year the trade winds are persistent, making these casts difficult. The past year and a half or so I have almost given up on the increasingly rapid two handed strip. If I do this method one might want to throw a massive mend in front of the boat in hopes of pulling this cruiser away from the skiff. More often then not a Cuda will chase the fly all the way up to the boat with no dice, but a peering eye. A lot of the times it is physically inhuman to strip fast enough to get a Cuda to bite. Lately I have taken the permit approach. Hit him on the head and let the marabou do the rest. Tick Tick Tick with a flick of the wrist and bam.

When hunting Cudas on the flats one must study bonefish patterns. Especially on an outgoing tide. Channels is also the name of the game.  Channels with an 8-15 foot depth, encompassed by flats on either side and the occasional structure below. Having a nearby bonefish aggregate site can help (usually a deep hole or impression within a channel, a spawning hole or place to meet before the show.) Sometimes I will drive through the middle of the channel before I poll it. Call me crazy but I do believe this helps stimulate the bite on given conditions. Hence the irritation being the name of the game.

Avery caught her first Bonefish. Half hour later ohhhh Baracuda!
Aves with her double header!

Well deserved rest after a day way out on the bank

The turtles are everywhere right now. Was thinking of producing a young turtle fly for big tiger sharks. Question is where to start?
The “throwback Mullet” tied for our arriving tarpon around late march