A day on the ocean fishing the deep sea is a fantastic way to spend time with friends or family. If you’ve never been before, you might be expecting an afternoon of crashing waves and battling 300 pounders, something akin to an episode of Deadliest Catch. Whilst deep sea fishing is certainly exhilarating, particularly when you have something on the hook, you’ll find the experience far more relaxing than this.
The Caribbean is a world renown deep sea fishing holiday destination. For more information, or to book a deep sea fishing vacation, search ‘deep sea fishing Caribbean’ on your favourite engine.
Before you arrive ensure you have the necessary gear and kit. Speak to the captain before the day to ensure you are fully equipped for the trip. You’ll usually be able to hire all the necessary equipment and tackle, although you’ll want to bring your own packed lunch and drinks. A few cold cans of beer usually go down a treat after a few hours fishing too!
When you arrive you’ll be asked to find somewhere to store your gear and any food and drink you’ve brought along too. This all needed to be carefully and securely fastened away as the deck can become wet and slippy, making it difficult for your fellow anglers to walk around. You’ll meet the crew and anyone else on your voyage before settling down for the voyage.
Often captains run a jackpot tournament, where everyone puts in a few pounds to compete for the prize of biggest catch. Don’t be deterred by experienced anglers; they may catch more fish than you, but anyone could take pull in the coveted biggest catch!
Once everyone is aboard, the boat will set off and the captain will likely commence the running through of the safety guidelines and the location of all the safety information. He’ll also explain how to rig up and use your equipment. If you don’t catch anything, make sure you ask a member of the crew to clarify.
The journey out will typically take around an hour, in which time all rental equipment and tackle will be handed out. The crew will run answer any questions you have and provide instruction on how to use your equipment. Make sure you pay attention as using the equipment correctly is the only way you’ll catch any fish!
You’ll find a fishing ground to stop and drop lines. Be patient and don’t rush to get your lines out as the boat takes a little while to settle. Dropping too early will mean you get tangled up in the lines of your fellow anglers. Once the captain gives everyone the nod, hook up your bait and drop out the line. It’s important, particularly when using live bait, to keep it in the bait well until you are ready to drop. This ensures it stays alive for as long as possible, making it more attractive to your target fish. If you are using squid or dead bait, feel free to prepare your bait as early as possible.
With lines dropped, relax and enjoy the day. When a fish pulls, give it a little slack before reeling in. Reel firmly and quickly, bringing it onto the deck. Unhook it, place it in your box and bait up again for another go. With any luck your captain will have found you a great place to fish and you’ll catch plenty of fish over the course of the day!
Once the day is done you’ll begin heading home. It’s on this journey that the captain or one of the crew will begin the jackpot weigh in. This is the perfect opportunity to compare how you’ve done with your fellow anglers and take plenty of photographs as evidence!
After the weigh-in the crew will begin cutting and filleting the fish. You can do this yourself if you wish, although it’s sensible and economical to get the crew to do it for you. It’s usually less than a pound a fish, and will save you a great deal of time unless you know what you are doing. They’ll bundle up your fish and present you with your catch which is ready for you to take home and eat!