# Sailing from BVI to Grenada



## PowderyHippo (Dec 11, 2012)

Hi all, I'm new here so forgive the misplaced thread.

In January I'm sailing from BVI to Grenada and I want to know what the fishing is like down there. I'm fairly experienced with salmon and other fish up here in BC so I hate being the amateur fisherman again asking what to do. My gear is as follows:

11ft or so Sage drift rod with Daiwa Team Luna baticaster
6'6ft Berkley rod with Shimano Curado small baitcaster
8ft Fenwick HMX rod with Shimano Symetre FJ spinning reel

What would you recommend that I take with me in terms of tackle, and gear? I know I'll need some warm water clothing. I also have some bass tackle, as well as good supply for drift fishing on the river. 

What would I normally find and what should I be fishing with? Here's a link to the map of the course we're sailing. Maybe it can help you in helping me?

Thanks a lot to whoever takes on the challenge in guiding me


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## TQA (Apr 4, 2009)

If you are thinking about trolling while on pasage and I am assuming a sailboat here then forget all your existing kit.

Get some 100lb [ yes 100 pound ] breaking strain nylon, some pink squid skirts and make up some hand lines using simple frames. set up a 250 ft line a 150 ft line and a short surface skipping teaser.

Wire leaders are used by some but I don't bother.

If you want to go bottom fishing get a local to take you to the good spots and they use live bait for small tuna and snapper with the inevitable cuda getting in on the act.


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## PowderyHippo (Dec 11, 2012)

So don't bother bringing my rods down or just my tackle? I would have thought 100lb was a bit much but what would I expect to be catching with that heavy of line?


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## TQA (Apr 4, 2009)

Mahi Mahi [ dorado ], wahoo [ kingfish ] sailfish [ rarely! ] if you troll at 6 knts +

Tuna type fish at 4 knts.

Cuda at any speed if close to reefs.

As you will be towing the fish behind you far a while when you reduce speed anything lighter than 100lbs breaks. Ask me how I know this.


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## kjretlaw (Jun 22, 2010)

The rods you have are light for trolling, plus you can't back down on a fish if you're sailing. TQA's suggestions are great for trolling, though I use the wire leaders, gear is expensive. I lived in Seattle so think King Salmon with twice the speed and razor teeth. If you want a rod for trolling on a sailboat make it short < 6' and thick at the base with a heavy tip. The bait caster would work for catching bait fish if you're bottom fishing the others for shallow reefs, I'd leave them at home though. Enjoy the trip!!


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## capta (Jun 27, 2011)

Poles do not work on sailboats, you can't pump them unless you stop the boat.
A 100# hand line is a bit light in my opinion; I've actually landed a 350# yellow fin tuna at sea, but I had a lot of big strong college guys aboard. Just the shock of the strike could well exceed 100#. Anyway, you really want a line you can handle and heavy leather gloves.
I've had the best luck with 6" plastic squid with a 1 ounce egg weight in the head, blue and white. General tropical rules are; blue/yellow or blue/white combo for dolphin, black/purple for wahoo (but they rarely hit below 8 knots 12 to 15 is better) and red/white for tuna and kingfish, though red/white is the best all around it seems.
A good length of heavy shock cord on the hand line is a good idea and we use a clothes pin to notify us of a strike or you might lose fish and gear to a shark.
Unlike the PNW, speed is important down here. You'll not catch much much at 1.5 knots, unless you use bait, but that's a pain on a cruising boat.
At six knots I try to keep the lure on the face of the wave, 2 boat lengths or so aft, a bit more for faster, less for slower. It's the boat that attracts the fish down here unless you happen to run into a school. Always fish from the quarter, not the stern; you are then using your quarter wake to give the lure action.
All that said, fishing is pretty unproductive unless you sail the windward side of the islands. This system worked very well on my circumnavigation in the 70's, but exactly the same gear has produced less and less fish in the last few years.
Good luck.


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

We hooked a good sized Mahi Mahi on a setup similar to TQA's above sailing around 9 knots between Union Island and Carriacou, not far north of Grenada.

It was kinda strange.. big hit... then no fight (until we flipped it into the cockpit)


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## -OvO- (Dec 31, 2011)

I guess there's less chance of Ciguatera on the windward side, too ?


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## TQA (Apr 4, 2009)

-OvO- said:


> I guess there's less chance of Ciguatera on the windward side, too ?


No danger with pelagic fish south of Guadeloupe is the conventional wisdom.

Big cuda are ALWAYS SUSPECT.

See CLICKY for more.


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