The spring Mahi-Mahi run is officially underway. Schools of Mahi are showing up in solid numbers to the south of the island, migrating between St. Thomas and St. Croix. Even a few out of season Wahoo are mixed in, mostly in the 20-30lb class, adding the excitement of a multi-species offshore day. The Yellowfin bite has tapered off after the epic run we witnessed in January and February but we anticipate a second push of the big tunas in the early summer to coincide with their typical migration.
We hooked one of our larger Blue Marlin of the year, yet rather unexpectedly. An afternoon offshore trip stopped along the South Drop to live-bait for Blackfin Tunas on the way to our marina in Charlotte Amalie harbor. In the midst of the tuna frenzy on the surface, a big Blue crashed a hooked tuna and took him to the depths. Our guest Barry strapped into the harness and the fight was on. An hour into the fight we suspected the fish might have become foul hooked, and our fears were realized as the big Blue came to the surface tailwrapped. Despite lengthy efforts to revive the fish, it unfortunately had expired. We encourage and practice the release of all Billfish species on our charters, this was just an unfortunate circumstance. The fish was subsequently donated to a local food shelter.
The Inshore bite continues to be hit or miss. The puzzling scarcity of bait along our coast this month is much to blame. Our favorite reefs and wrecks would be loaded with activity one day, and completely barren the next. Moving from spot to spot and different tactics were necessary to finding and enticing a consistent bite. The species that seemed most willing to bite were Yellowtail Snappers, Rainbow Runners, Kingfish and Barracuda. We’re certainly hoping the inshore bite will improve and anticipate the long-overdue arrival of Blackfin Tunas along our coastline. With a fresh influx of bait the inshore scene will undoubtedly get red hot.
We’re very excited for the spring and summer season and hope you’ll get out on the water with us if you’re planning a visit to St. Thomas or St. John!
Make sure to check out our Facebook page where we post the latest pictures and reports from our inshore and offshore charters:
https://www.facebook.com/Capt.AlvinFishingCharters
Tight Lines!
Capt. Alvin Turbe
