Pedasi Bottom Fishing

[Pedasí Jeff]

After a month of strong northerly winds it appeared we would have a brief reprieve so we headed off Playa Ciruelo to depart at daybreak figuring if the winds come up we would be back in as is normally the case this time of year at around 10 am. We began trolling cedar plugs with the aim of filling our freezers with Yellow Fin tuna however it seemed we were destined to be catching only Black Skip Jack (bonita, guanco). Being that these are of no good eating and only used for live bait or chunk bait we decided to give the bottom fishing a try with chunk bait as none of the pangas here have live wells. Almost right away we had two Amber Jack (bojala) and a lot of stolen bait so we continued to troll again in order to catch more Black Skip Jack for bait and continue the bottom fishing.

It was during one of these bait trolls that we had an occasional Yellow Fin "football" sized tuna so we were getting a good variety of species to take home. In all we had Amber Jack, Yellow Fin tuna, Rainbow Runner, Pargo (snapper) and a Grouper (broom tailed).

This should give you an idea of some of the common bottom fishing species one can encounter here off of Pedasi. As I write this the winds have picked up to gusts up to 20 knots which is typical for this time of year. Remember if you have never visited Pedasi or the surrounding waters wether it be for fishing or diving try to plan your visit during the months of May to December. It is during these months the seas are flat with little or no wind, the water temperature averages 84 F (29 C) and the water is generally quite clear offf shore and at Isla Iguana.

Until Next time,

Jeff