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By George Poveromo
Want a shot at a 100-pound 'hoo?
Head for the far reaches of the Bahamas
for a long-range fishing experience you won't soon forget.
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Billy
Gaitor (left) and Trey Rhyne
get behind a big Bahamas
wahoo from Diana Bank.
Photo: Geoge Poveromo
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Serious fishermen dream about traveling well beyond the fleet and
trolling in an ocean packed with gamefish that
have yet to see a lure or bait. And in the far southeastern reaches of the Bahamas,
such fantasies are often the norm. ¥ The islands of San
Salvador, Cat Island and Rum Cay are way out there, even by Bahamas
standards. By air, they're roughly 330, 275 and 325 miles, respectively,
from Fort Lauderdale,
and even farther by boat. Because of their remoteness and persistent winter
and spring breezes, these islands are visited by only a handful of the most
devoted fishermen. However, their efforts are usually rewarded with shots
at some of the world's biggest wahoo, catches of
giant dolphin, tuna and superb blue marlin action — all of which peak
between November and July.
I've had the good fortune of landing a 143-pound, three-ounce wahoo off San Salvador,
and off nearby Cat
Island, I've caught
blue marlin, dolphin and tuna. This past spring, I returned to Rum Cay for
the end of the wahoo run. From there, if the
weather held, I planned on running another 65 miles to fish the fabled
Diana Bank, an underwater mountain that rises to within 40 feet of the
surface from 5,000-plus-foot depths.
Bank On It
Diana Bank is about six miles long and a little over three miles wide. It
rests about 65 miles from Rum Cay.
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The
author hoists a big wahoo caught on a Yo-Zuri swimming plug.
Photo: Kevin Tierney
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It is one of just a few major underwater banks in the area and,
therefore, draws in migratory fish, such as wahoo,
tuna, dolphin and marlin. What's more, because of its remoteness, it's
practically a virgin hot spot. The big trick lies in getting there.
I'd heard tales of those who had ventured to Diana Bank: 80-pound-class
reels stripped, world-record wahoo eaten by packs
of ravenous sharks. Of course there are the victory stories too:
100-plus-pound wahoo, 20 to 30 wahoo tides with fish between 50 and 100 pounds, huge
dolphin and marlin. Needless to say, the hype about Diana Bank is almost
inescapable and, as I was about to find out, well justified.
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The
author fights a big 'hoo from the Over Under.
Photo: Kevin Tierney
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Making the Run
Getting to the far southeastern Bahamas is a major undertaking
unto itself. It's difficult to find plane connections that don't eat up a
full day or two, and reliable charter boats in the area are scarce. Unless
you know someone who takes his boat there for the season, this would be one
tough location to reach.
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Chart:
Steve Sanford
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That's where the Over Under Adventures team comes in. Thanks to
this first-class sportfishing operation,
traveling to and fishing off Cat
Island, Rum Cay and
Diana Bank has never been easier. Headed by Trey Rhyne,
the Over Under operation specializes in the Bahamas.
They have a 54-foot Bertram, captained by Pete Fischer, who, incidentally,
is a top canyon-fishing authority from southern New Jersey.
Over Under Aviation has private aircraft that will fly your party
right to your destination. We arrived at Fort Lauderdale International
Airport one hour
before our noon departure. Including our brief stopover at Stella Maris to clear customs, we were at Rum Cay by 3:30 p.m.
We checked into our villas at Sumner
Point Marina,
where the Over Under and a few other sportfishing
boats were docked. Our plan was to enjoy a relaxing evening at the resort,
have breakfast and then board the Over Under at 10 a.m. for the
54-mile cruise down to Bird Rock, which is at the tip of Crooked Island.
At Bird, we would deploy trolling baits and work our way down beyond the
southern end of the island. Then we would anchor up and spend the night off
Albert Town on Long Cay, some 21 miles from Diana Bank. Our objective was
to be within striking range of Diana Bank for a sunrise assault. Following
us down for this adventure was Stan Strickland, a top big-game fisherman
and friend from Savannah,
Georgia,
who brought his boat Mojito to Rum Cay for the
season.
The 'Hoo
Run
Trophy-size wahoo migrate through these waters
between November and April. These are not your typical 20- to 30-pounders
that are found off Florida and throughout most of the western Bahamas, but
rather giants that many think make up a totally separate population. It is
believed that these big fish migrate in an east-to-west fashion. That is,
they'll travel here from well out in the open ocean, and then head back out
again at the end of their run through the remote southeastern Bahamas.
These fish never seem to stray too far from schools of tuna and skipjacks,
their primary forage. And they comprise some of the largest wahoo in the world, as supported by the IGFA world
records set in these waters. In fact, just a couple weeks before our trip,
the Over Under boated a 148-pound,
five-ounce wahoo off Columbus Point near Cat Island. The fish ate a black-and-green
Bluewater TB2 lure.
Wahoo Central
The weather was surprisingly calm for our jaunt down to Crooked Island.
On the way, we boated a few dolphin that ended up
on our dinner plates. Later that evening, Rhyne
and mate Billy Gaitor worked off dinner by
catching yellowtail, big margates and mutton
snapper behind the boat.
The sea was still flat when we awoke the next morning, and we were
trolling on Diana Bank by 7:30 a.m. Fischer settled into a trolling speed
just under ten knots and focused on the east side of the Bank between 100
and 400 feet of water. Once Fischer uncovered schools of speedos and skipjack tuna, we knew things would break
loose.
The first strike came on a flat line. In typical wahoo
fashion, 80-pound line zipped off the reel. I picked up the rod and was
fast to the first wahoo of the trip. A short time
later, we boated a 52-pounder. It wasn't long
after the baits went back out that we had a doubleheader. We pulled the
hooks on one, but did manage to land a 60-pounder. Shortly after that, the
big Yo-Zuri Bonita plug, swimming deep off the
flat line with the aid of a trolling sinker, got clobbered. The big fish
kept taking line. Unfortunately, the hooks pulled on what may have been the
biggest wahoo of the trip.
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Captain
Peter Fischer and Billy Gaitor with a pair of
Diana Bank wahoo.
Photo: George Poveromo
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Wahoo are notorious for turning on at the change of tide, and we were at
the right place on the bank at the right time. We trolled a variety of
lures, including Bluewater Eagle and TB2 lures
rigged on 480-pound-test, 49-strand cable leaders and a big Yo-Zuri Bonita lure rigged on a 270-pound-test cable
leader. The flat-line lures, including the big Yo-Zuri
plug, were each fished in conjunction with a 32-ounce trolling sinker.
We primarily trolled with Penn International 70VS two-speed reels and
matching Penn stand-up rods, save for a pair of Penn two-speed 50VSWs.
Heavy tackle is necessary insurance when the really big fish eat, and helps
you land these wahoo faster. Although we didn't
have a shark encounter on this trip, many times it's a race to see who ends
up with the wahoo — you or the sharks.
Our hot morning bite continued, and we missed a couple fish and boated a
couple more. At one point, we had five rods go down simultaneously, with
two fish hooked solidly. I thought my hook had pulled, only to discover it
had broken off in jaws of the fish. Rhyne
remained tight to his fish. Looking at the amount of line leaving the reel,
he had a big wahoo. After a few very impressive
runs, we boated the 77-pounder.
At day's end, both boats were once again anchored off Long Cay.
We snorkeled around the Over Under to cool down, cleaned up and
later enjoyed a fresh wahoo dinner prepared by
Fischer. We would spend one more night on location, fish Diana Bank for a
few hours in the morning, then cruise back to Rum.
The wind had come up the next morning, spiking seas to four feet. We
were on the bank for the tide change, but bait was noticeably scarce,
except for occasional pods of flying fish. We had one strike, and released
a wahoo around 20 pounds — a runt in this part of
the world. A blue marlin that we guessed to weigh 250 pounds provided some
excitement by crashing one of the teasers, but it failed to eat the bait.
We picked up the lines a couple hours after the tide changed and headed
back for Rum Cay.
A Fish for all Seasons
Prime time for big wahoo is between November and
April. Dolphin begin showing in numbers around March or April, with the yellowfin appearing in March. A blue marlin is possible
at any time, although the chances of catching one increase dramatically in April
and May.
Although fabled Diana Bank didn't yield the spectacular numbers of wahoo it is known for during our visit, we were there
at the end of their run. Still, we did enjoy a great bite and boated many
fish weighing more than 50 pounds each in one morning.
You'll be hearing more from Rum Cay and Diana Bank in the near future,
as anglers now have an easier way to get there. This is an amazing Bahamas
adventure, especially for anglers who love catching big wahoo.
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The
Long-Range Connection
Over Under Adventures specializes in long-range big-game fishing
excursions to Cat Island and Rum Cay in the southeastern Bahamas.
They also do specialty runs to Diana Bank, weather permitting. The Over
Under is a 54-foot Bertram loaded with quality tackle and captained
by Pete Fischer. Over Under Aviation provides private air
transportation directly to these remote destinations. They fish the Bahamas
between November and July.
In addition to their offshore program, Over Under Adventures
also has a 32-foot Mirage for light-tackle, near-shore and bottom fishing
and a 17-foot Hewes skiff for bonefishing on Cat Island.
Trips start at $2,500 per person. For more information, call (305)
852-8015 or visit www.overunderadventures.com.
— G.P.
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