Piton Passion

St. Lucia's Dynamic Big‑Game Bite Explodes in the Shadow of Towering Peaks.

No more than a mile from the dock at Soufriere, our artificials pushed water behind our outriggers in their search for the big-game species lurking in the deep water just a short distance from shore. Minutes later, a baby barracuda took a liking to our surface flat-line bait.

We landed and released the toothy fish. Since our focus that day aboard the 33-foot Bertram, Reel Affair, was on the big blues St. Lucia is famous for, we were fishing big baits, big teasers and 400 lb. test leaders. We were trying to deter smaller fish from striking. Our elaborate teasers consisted of a plastic bird followed by 18-inches of line to a three-way swivel. Off one eye of the swivel was a slope-head lure on a two-foot leader, with a flat-head chugger followed by three plastic squid off the remaining eye – quite the concoction, but quite effective at attracting the kind of attention we were looking for.

The bottom of the sea fell from 200-feet about 15 minutes out, to more than 1,000-feet within a mile or so. Regardless of the promising terrain, the marlin fishing was slow that day. We gazed the surface in every direction for signs of weedlines or floating debris that could increase our chances of productivity as both attract juvenile sea life and forage which attract dolphin, wahoo and tuna – meals made for marlin. We also searched for water color variations which could reveal prime spots for locating large blue-water adversaries.

The waters on the leeward side of St. Lucia were relatively calm. We trolled from the Pitons at the south end, northward toward “Barrel of Beef” located about a quarter mile off the southern entrance to Rodney Bay, home to the largest marina on the island. The five miles or so between the northern tip of the island and Rodney Bay features several shoals near the coast, however the waters just offshore drop to 2000-feet, attract plenty of billfish, and have accounted for some of the most spectacular St. Lucia marlin catches.

From there, the normal progression of a local charter boat is to continue trolling northward toward another bank approximately 18-miles northeast of the island. That bank drops to over 1,000-feet and lies besides two submerged mountains. The area is notorious for attracting tuna, feeding billfish, and a few commercial fishermen. The deepest stretches within the channel between St. Lucia and Martinique to the north is also a hot spot and where many giant marlin have been fooled.

While one captain in the vicinity reported a hook-up on a blue and a successful release 30 minutes later, our search for a marlin slowly continued. Plenty of booby birds and frigates were airborne and juvenile tuna were slashing baitfish in several directions, but our quest for a big billfish was not to be that day. Two boats nearby focused on tuna and had plenty of fun with them. We unintentionally caught one and then had another wahoo strike our offering. Besides the billfish we were after, our catch that day was a variety and what most angling guests enjoy about St. Lucia.

Hotspots for Action

Only 27-miles long and 14-miles at its widest point, St. Lucia has perhaps the best sport-fishing on the Windward Islands. The 238-square mile island lies midway between St. Vincent, Barbados and Martinique in the southeast corner of the Caribbean and is known for its pristine beaches, beautiful rugged mountains, lush tropical rainforest, luxurious resorts and its two spectacular forest-clad mountains, Petit Piton and Gros Piton.

Known throughout the world for its dynamic angling possibilities, the warm waters off the coast of St. Lucia are home to numerous game fish including, wahoo, blue marlin, mackerel, white marlin, barracuda, tuna and sailfish. Deep-sea trolling is popular with numerous charter operations on the island offering full and half-day excursions.

A great place to look for action is around the Fish Attracting Devices (FADs). Several have been placed on the western side of the island by the Fishery Department, though some have been lost over the years. When the current is moving inshore in July for example, the FAD buoys sink below the surface in the strong currents. After the current subsides a few weeks later, the buoys resurface and are easily located. Locals use the disappearance of the FAD buoys as an indicator of the presence of the preferred currents for big-game fishing near shore.

The beautiful Soufriere Marine Management Area (SMMA) runs along the west coast of St. Lucia, between Anse Jambon, just north of Anse Chastanet and Anse l’Ivrogne, just south of the Gros Piton. The marine resources year-round are rich in diverse marine life, especially near the reefs. Various usage zones are delineated, including nine fishing zones. Another hot-spot that is productive year-round is located about a mile off Moule A Chique at the south end of St. Lucia. It yields many tuna and kingfish while billfish reportedly roam 12 to 15-miles offshore.

Timing the St. Lucia Bite

Brief showers along the rainforest island coastline often occur during the rainy season from June to November. It generally helps the fishing as it cools the water’s surface. The daytime highs usually hit the mid-80s during the summer and upper-70s during the winter, so air temperatures are always right for the catch.

The offshore fishing around St. Lucia is red hot in July and August for most species. Dolphin are in these waters year-round, so it’s just a matter of finding the right structure to catch a bunch. On half day charters, crews catch as many as a dozen neon green fish averaging 25-pounds apiece. Monster bulls up to 85-pounds have also been taken off St. Lucia.

Blue marlin are the focus of many island visitors, and the very best time of year to encounter them, similar to dolphin, is generally July and August. Another good time for billfish is between January and April, though you can catch a few year-round with May and June being the slowest months. The island record was a monster just shy of 1,000-pounds. While blues predominate, there are also white marlin and long-billed spearfish around in the summer and sailfish during the cooler months.

St. Lucia’s waters also yield yellowfin, bigeye, skipjack and blackfin tuna throughout the year, but they are most abundant from January through May. While most tuna range to 30-pounds, hefty yellowfin to 120-pounds have been landed. The wahoo bite is similar with trophies to 80-pounds landed in these waters. Most strikes from manageable fish occur on the flat-lines, which captains keep close to the transom in rough water and further back during calm conditions. The larger outrigger baits are normally positioned way back for monster marlin. Rubber squid-type baits and flat-head lures are dragged independently and over the top of natural baits which are often employed off the outriggers.

Looking back, my past fishing excursions in St. Lucia have always been perfect. The exotic island’s unsurpassed beauty provides a memorable backdrop to the record-breaking catches so near to the majestic, mountainous coastline. Sometimes, just watching the teasers doing their thing behind the boat is all that is needed to completely mesmerize visiting anglers. With countless species circling the emerald waters of the Caribbean on one side and the deep blue Atlantic on the other, St. Lucia’s angling variety fills the spectrum and leaves no wonder as to why the island is often described as an angler’s heaven on Earth.

Larry Larsen, an inductee into the Fishing Hall of Fame, has traveled the world in search of big fish for over 30 years. He’s fished all over the Caribbean and St. Lucia on several occasions. The author of 21 books, he is also a frequent contributor with articles and photos to Destination Fish and other national publications. He is a member of the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) and the Outdoor Writers Association of America (OWAA).

Where To Toss The Bags

There are great resorts all over the island and I’ve stayed at eight or nine of them. One of the nicest on the southern end of St. Lucia is the Anse Chastanet Resort which is hidden among lush foliage and spread over 600 mountainous acres nestled around a secluded, picturesque cove. The resort features 49 airy, open-design rooms that ascend the steep mountain, offering spectacular views of the twin Pitons.

Anse Chastanet Resort
800.223.1108
www.ansechastanet.com

Sport-fishing charters are available at St. Lucia’s two most popular full-service marinas, Rodney Bay, a man-made lagoon near Castries, and Marigot Bay, midway down the island. Captain Mike’s Sport Fishing at Castries is a good charter operation that has a fleet of Bertrams.

Captain Mike’s Sport Fishing
758.452.7044
www.captmikes.com

On the southern end where nearby fishing takes place around the scenic Piton backdrop, the best fishing tour operator that I know of is Mystic Man Tours. They offer half and full day charters from the small seaside fishing village of Soufriere.

Mystic Man Fishing Charters
758.459.7783
www.mysticmantours.com

Bring Your Camera

St. Lucia offers plenty of unique photo opportunities with its magnificent views and interesting surroundings including its lush mountainous terrain, tropical gardens, quaint fishing villages, pristine bays and beautiful sunsets. With a rugged, mountainous rainforest setting, outdoor photographers can explore the beauty on foot from a variety of natural trails. Adventure-seeking hikers can climb to the top of St. Lucia’s evergreen mountains through old plantation grounds and through the scenic trails of Cactus Valley and Pigeon Island National Park.

Along the sea, Marigot Bay is one of the Caribbean’s most scenic anchorages. It has steep colorful shorelines and a palm tree-lined peninsula that juts out from the northern shoreline, dividing it into an “inner” hurricane hole and “outer bay.” Anse Cochon, another beautiful anchorage, features a private beach lined with black volcanic sand. Accessible only by boat, the area offers guests some of the best snorkeling and scuba diving in the Caribbean.

Photogenic activities and attractions also include the exhilarating Rainforest Canopy Adventure that takes flight through the top of the island’s tropical forest about halfway between Castries and Vieux Fort. You’ll get a bird’s eye view as you glide along the treetops, across rivers and through the jungle. Trained guides and first-class equipment ensure you are safely harnessed for the zip-lining ride of you life. Zip-line tour operator, St. Lucia Palm Services, also offers guests jungle bike tours.

If that’s not enough, St. Lucia has a drive-in volcano, a rainforest aerial tram with open-air gondolas that move through the rainforest canopy, coastal kayaking, turtle watching and horseback riding. For those who want to further explore the outdoors, all-terrain vehicle expeditions and camping excursions are available.

Other Notes of Interest

About St. Lucia

• Capital: Castries
• Area: 238 sq mi
• Population: 170,000
• Government: Democratic, Westminster-style parliamentary
• Economy: Based mostly on tourism and banana production
• Geography: High peaks and rainforests in the interior and soft sandy beaches and magnificent natural harbors line the coast.
• Climate: Tropical
• Language: English
• Currency: Eastern Caribbean Dollar ($2.70 EC = $1.00 US)