Aruba Fishing Reports

[tight_lines]

Hello all!

I noticed that there were more than a few people interested in fishing while in Aruba and I thought it might be a nice idea to have a running fishing reports thread. Hopefully, people will keep this thread running by adding their reports.

Some suggested pieces of information to include:
- Date(s)
- Time(s) of day
- Location - I know this can be a touchy topic for some that would rather not "spot-burn" so please provide as much information as you feel like
- Type of fishing - offshore, inshore, shore, etc.
- Type of tackle - fly fishing, spin fishing, hand lining, balloon fishing, etc.
- Pictures - much more enjoyable to read a report with some pretty pics

If you have questions not specific to posted reports, I ask kindly that you start a new thread. I would like to keep this thread for fishing reports, but I know inevitably people are going to ask questions on charters, spots, etc.

Thanks and tight lines!!!

[tight_lines]

This was me and my wife's first trip to Aruba and needless to say we were in love with the place!

As per my usual modus operandi, I took along some fishing gear and tried my luck at several spots. I'd give more specific dates and times but honestly I just don't remember.

Prior to our arrival, I scoured the Internet for any information I could find in terms of species, locations, tactics and techniques. I decided that I'd take a couple medium-light spinning outfits and a couple of fly fishing outfits (8 - 9 weight). I was pretty spot on in terms of the gear I took but I will definitely have a better selection of lures with me the next time I go (6-13 May 2012).

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A couple days after our arrival (probably Tues), my wife and I decided to try our luck in the Malmok area (from the Fisherman's Hut area to the shipwreck) that has been mentioned many times as a good area for bonefish. Having never caught one, I was very eager and hopeful that this would be my first time. Nope. We didn't get there until afternoon and the wind was making it very difficult to see into the water. I am by no means an experienced fly fisherman so even if I did see one I'm not sure my casting would have been sufficient. We did see one other fly fisherman out there and he did manage to catch a triangular silver fish about palm size, but we had no luck catching anything. My wife was using a spinning outfit with a variety of hard and soft bait lures.

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On our arrival to the La Cabana, we asked the front desk for a referral for a charter trip and they immediately responded by recommending the Melina and Capt. Peter which we promptly booked. So on Wednesday, my wife and I were picked up at our resort by Capt. Peter (very nice guy) and he took us to his boat moored near the upper Palm Beach area. He did not accompany us on the trip. The boat had a captain and a mate, both of whom were extremely professional and made the trip very enjoyable. Although we didn't get as much action as I would have liked, the trip was well worth the price - considering that the Melina was much cheaper than other boats that were advertised on the web.

After a couple hors of trolling in the choppy seas (common in Aruba from what I understand) the clicker went off on one of the troll lines. Being the gentleman that I am I let my wife take the rod. She struggled a little with the fish, but being the trooper that she is, she reeled in a gorgeous mahi! The fish would later be taken to the Salt and Pepper (?) restaurant where they prepared the fish into a delicious meal for us at dinner. About an hour and few missed bites later, it was my turn. I was hoping for a whopping wahoo or another mahi, but alas it turned out to be a barracuda about 20" long. I don't know what it is but every vacation fishing trip my wife and I go on, she always catches the big fish and I end up catching a little cuda!

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A couple days later we decided to try other parts of the island. Once again it was mid-day/early afternoon. First stop was the area in front of the Governor's House. Both us had spinning outfits this time and after a bit of blind casting to the edges of structure with a small silver spoon, I had a hook up. It turned out to be another cuda about 16" long. It was fun on a light setup.

We then headed to Spanish Lagoon. We tried two areas: the actual road bridge and the lower area water pipe bridge (?) near where the De Palms tour trips depart. I'm not sure if this is the "lower bridge" that people talk about. Next time I'm definitely going to explore this whole area more. This was definitely a fishy spot! We didn't see any baby tarpon in the area but we did see several large barracuda in the 2-3 foot range. We threw everything we had at them but to no avail. They just didn't seem interested in any of our artificial lures.

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On a separate day, my wife and I went to Baby Beach for a day of relaxing and snorkeling. I had some fishing gear in the car but didn't feel that it would be safe to throw a line in the water with so many people in the area. While snorkeling, we did see a large number of different fish and, in particular, a large school of what I originally thought were yellowtail snapper but on further research I believe they are Bermuda chub. They were a good 12" long and about 2 lbs. Next time I will come here when there are less people and see if i can hook into one of them

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Well that was it for our much too short first trip in Aruba. We fell in love with the island and are in the process of getting our own timeshare here so we can spend many more vacations relaxing and fishing on the happy island.

We'll be there this year 6-13 May and we are hoping to go out on the Melina again and, if Laurenz (Aruba Fly Fishing) has the time, to book him for guided fly fishing trips. Hopefully I'll catch my first bonefish!

[coldsteel337]

Thanks for such an informative post. I'll be back in Aruba soon. I have not been there in 2 years. I have fished all the spots you mentioned and have done well at Baby beach by taking a long walk. I have never done well with the Bones and have only caught a few small ones, never the brutes that I have seen. You might want to hook up with the Dutchman who runs flyfishingaruba. He is a great fisherman, has some nice boats and is entertaining also. I met him a dozen years ago before he was even guiding. He know so many spots! I have caught nice Snook while with him.

[tight_lines]

Thanks for the info. I definitely am fishing with Laurenz from flyfishing Aruba... in fact we have him booked for the day after we arrive. I'm really looking forward to it!

Originally Posted by coldsteel337

Thanks for such an informative post. I'll be back in Aruba soon. I have not been there in 2 years. I have fished all the spots you mentioned and have done well at Baby beach by taking a long walk. I have never done well with the Bones and have only caught a few small ones, never the brutes that I have seen. You might want to hook up with the Dutchman who runs flyfishingaruba. He is a great fisherman, has some nice boats and is entertaining also. I met him a dozen years ago before he was even guiding. He know so many spots! I have caught nice Snook while with him.

[fanchthang]

Ok so I have a report on Hats off Charters.
Firstly I would like to say my dad and a friend of mine had a great 6 hours with captain Glenn, the boat is amazing one of the best available if not the best charter boat on Aruba.
They caught 4 big Wahoo, everyone on the boat was very knowledgeable and made a great day for both of them. However! Freddy the deck hand was the rudest most arrogant deck hand they had both ever met, they both agreed that he made them feel like he was doing them a favour by being there, my dad and friend have been deep sea fishing for over 30 years each. My dad also used to have a charter boat so they both know what they are doing but if either of them touched a reel or rod at what Freddy thought was the wrong time he would start shouting at them! Even with this guy on board they both had a great time which would of only been better if Freddy had not been there. They are both more than happy to recommend this charter, hopefully captain Glenn dose something about this guy then I think they are easily the best charter boat available. Without Freddy this would of been a 10 out of 10 but with him its closer to an 8. PLEASE CAPTAIN GLENN DO SOMETHING ABOUT FREDDY!!!!

[Andrea J.]

from http://www.fishingonaruba.com (hatts off fishing charters website)


Hi! Welcome aboard! Hatts Off is a modern, comfortable and large 46ft Hatteras Convertible which we consistently keep in top condition. My crew and I always strive to keep all our guests happy. We pay particular attention to guiding beginners and Kids. For experienced anglers our Merritt full size fighting chair and Shimano fishing tackle guarantee you are ready for a challenging bite."
Your Captain and Crew

Captain Glenn has 25 years of tournament, recreational & chartering fishing experience on Aruba and surrounding islands (Curacao, Bonaire, Venezuela). Captain Glenn is a local retired business owner who prefers to spend his time on the water. He speaks fluent English, Papiamento, Dutch and Spanish, and has an excellent reputation.

His yachts are locally known for being the best maintained charter fishing yachts on the island in its category. Captain Glenn restores fishing yachts into mint condition time and time again and enjoys this process. He personally cruised his yachts down from the U.S. and has lots of sea stories to tell. Ask him about the floating banshee at three in the morning or about the time he was shipwrecked off the coast of Venezuela with only a shoe to use as an oar. Don’t worry, the yacht features state of the art safety equipment!
Freddy, has been working the cockpits since he was 15. At 33, he now has 18 years of angling experience under his belt and is also a seasoned captain. His biggest catch to date was a 450 lbs blue marlin which he released after a 2 hour and 45 minute battle.
Beginners and experienced anglers can benefit from the knowledge of a seasoned captain and his crew.

QUOTE=fanchthang;219628]Ok so I have a report on Hats off Charters.
Firstly I would like to say my dad and a friend of mine had a great 6 hours with captain Glenn, the boat is amazing one of the best available if not the best charter boat on Aruba.
They caught 4 big Wahoo, everyone on the boat was very knowledgeable and made a great day for both of them. However! Freddy the deck hand was the rudest most arrogant deck hand they had both ever met, they both agreed that he made them feel like he was doing them a favour by being there, my dad and friend have been deep sea fishing for over 30 years each. My dad also used to have a charter boat so they both know what they are doing but if either of them touched a reel or rod at what Freddy thought was the wrong time he would start shouting at them! Even with this guy on board they both had a great time which would of only been better if Freddy had not been there. They are both more than happy to recommend this charter, hopefully captain Glenn dose something about this guy then I think they are easily the best charter boat available. Without Freddy this would of been a 10 out of 10 but with him its closer to an 8. PLEASE CAPTAIN GLENN DO SOMETHING ABOUT FREDDY!!!![/QUOTE]

[tight_lines]

Thanks for the report! Glad you guys caught some nice wahoo... some of the tastiest fish to roam the seas. Sorry to hear about the deckhand though since usually they are the ones that interact with the clients the most. I'd recommend contacting the captain and/or owner and letting them know the issue.

Originally Posted by fanchthang

Ok so I have a report on Hats off Charters.
Firstly I would like to say my dad and a friend of mine had a great 6 hours with captain Glenn, the boat is amazing one of the best available if not the best charter boat on Aruba.
They caught 4 big Wahoo, everyone on the boat was very knowledgeable and made a great day for both of them. However! Freddy the deck hand was the rudest most arrogant deck hand they had both ever met, they both agreed that he made them feel like he was doing them a favour by being there, my dad and friend have been deep sea fishing for over 30 years each. My dad also used to have a charter boat so they both know what they are doing but if either of them touched a reel or rod at what Freddy thought was the wrong time he would start shouting at them! Even with this guy on board they both had a great time which would of only been better if Freddy had not been there. They are both more than happy to recommend this charter, hopefully captain Glenn dose something about this guy then I think they are easily the best charter boat available. Without Freddy this would of been a 10 out of 10 but with him its closer to an 8. PLEASE CAPTAIN GLENN DO SOMETHING ABOUT FREDDY!!!!

[mmattalo]

Awesome posts . . . I am a land-lubber :-) I usually go to Zeerover for my fish . . . but thanks a million for your great post of your experience . . . those who are fishermen (fisherwomen to be politically correct) will appreciate everything you have posted. Thank you. Michael