Bimini Blast

You want a hard-core fishing adventure? Consider visiting Bimini, which offers multiple sportfishing opportunities both inshore and off. It’s not too far from the mainland US, finding people who speak English is not a problem, and the expenses are on the low side. Here’s what you’ll catch:

1. Bonefish—Find a local conch boat and pay the captain a five-spot, for a bucket of conch guts. The guts make a good bonefish chum, if you mix them with sand. Then put the gooey mess into a soda can, with holes punched in the side and a 50 foot rope tied around it. Anchor at the edge of a channel that’s adjacent to a large, sandy flat, tie off the rope to your boat, and toss the can into the channel. Then sink a hooked piece of conch gut near the chum can, and wait for the bite.
   
   
   
2. Grouper—Bait up a multi-hook meat-curtain rig for deep dropping, with chunks of bonito, squid or barracuda. Use a pound or two of lead to sink it to the bottom in 400’ to 800’ on a rod rigged with braid line, not mono. (The absence of stretch in braid makes it far more sensitive, when fishing deep waters.) Not only will you find grouper in the deep, there’s a good chance you’ll encounter various snapper, sharks, and other unusual fish.
   
   
   
3. Mahi-mahi—This is one species you can target on an opportunistic basis; as you fish, keep a few spinning rigs in the 15 to 30 pound class gear rigged with small jigs. If you’re trolling and a mahi hits a bait, shift into neutral, toss some chum out, and start casting. And if you see flotsam try casting right next to it, because mahi-mahi will often be found close by.
   
   
   
4. Sailfish—The favored tactic here is to rig small ballyhoo both naked and with blue/white Islanders. (Add a rigged Spanish mackerel or two in the spread, in case a blue marlin shows up). Pull your baits along the edge down to 1,000 fathoms, then work your way up the drop into shallower water – but don’t go too shallow or barracuda will make mincemeat out of your baits.
   
   
   
5. Wahoo—Run out to the deep then look for color changes, and troll the edges. Also put in the lines when you spot flotsam, which the wahoo may congregate around. Keep the pace fast, at 10 to 14 knots. You’ll need to use downriggers, a heavy in-line weight, or planers to keep the baits down.