Seasonal Chart for fishing

Questions and comment on sport fishing on Tobago
Post Reply
Boris Stockmann
myTobago Groupie
myTobago Groupie
Posts: 5
Joined: Mon Jul 20, 2009 11:56 am
Location: Hessen

Seasonal Chart for fishing

Post by Boris Stockmann »

Dear all,

at first I have to thank everybody for sharing all the information concerning fishing in tobago and also Steve Wooler for creating and operating this great website and forum!


I'm planning to come again in April on beautiful tobago.
There is a seasonal fishing chart on the hardplay website that shows which species "bites" on each month of the year. In april, when I hopefully will be there, the Tarpon and Bonefish fishing is only "fair". Who of you has spent some days in april on tobago and can tell me how good or bad the fishing is for Tarpon and Bonefish in mid of april? In general what does "fair" means?

Greetings from cold and snowing Germany,
Boris
User avatar
Steve Pitts
Tobago Anorak
Tobago Anorak
Posts: 709
Joined: Mon Apr 28, 2003 11:18 am
Location: Bristol U.K

Re: Seasonal Chart for fishing

Post by Steve Pitts »

Hi Boris

I have visited Tobago 3 times in April over the past 10 years, so not able to give such a hard and fast prediction as Hard Play, which will be based on many years and many fishing trips.

That said - I have found Tarpon to be around Tobago in April in reasonable numbers and readily available from the shore or inshore ( within 300m) if fishing from a boat.

I have also visited in January, February, June and September and from my experiences, I would say that June and September were better months for lots of big tarpon (30kg or more), with many smaller fish available in the earlier months of the year, but with the occasional bigger fish turning up if you are lucky.

For me, I would say that 'fair' for tarpon means a good chance of finding groups of tarpon in many locations, but these would mostly be fish of between 5kg and 20kg. Hard Play's 'fair' may well mean a different size of fish.

Bonefish are found on the flats and I would say that they are fewer in numbers, compared to tarpon, but I believe that the bonefish around Tobago are a good size, compared to many other Caribbean destinations.
I would say that April is as good as most other months for bonefish, so the numbers are 'fair' but the sizes are 'good'.

I would much rather be fishing around Tobago for tarpon and bonefish and a 'fair' day fishing has to be better than a 'good' day at work!

Hope this helps

Steve
Take only photos - leave only footprints. I like that concept.
Boris Stockmann
myTobago Groupie
myTobago Groupie
Posts: 5
Joined: Mon Jul 20, 2009 11:56 am
Location: Hessen

Re: Seasonal Chart for fishing

Post by Boris Stockmann »

Hi Steve,

Thanks for your reply!
This helps me, because what you wrote gives me self-confidence standing at the water. ;)

I was a bit afraid that the Tarpon and Bonefish were in spawning-season or something else in this time of year and that "fair" was only a kind of marketing expression from hardplay for the customers who want to fish nevertheless on these species.

I don't need 30kg up Tarpons. I would be satisfied hooking some smaller ones with artificial lures. But I expierienced something different on my last visits. There were Tarpon rolling just a few meters in front of me and no one was taking the whole lineup of different lures. Because of this reason, this time we want to try some more live-bait fishing from shore.

I can't await being there!
Boris
User avatar
Steve Pitts
Tobago Anorak
Tobago Anorak
Posts: 709
Joined: Mon Apr 28, 2003 11:18 am
Location: Bristol U.K

Re: Seasonal Chart for fishing

Post by Steve Pitts »

Hi Boris

I think that your plan to use livebait for the tarpon is a good one.

Tarpon can be infuriating in that they are often very easy to see and as you say, they can often be found very close to the shore. Hooking and landing one is another matter.

I have a tarpon formula that goes -

For every 100 tarpon you see, you might hook 5
For every 5 tarpon you hook, you might land one :shock:

They are impressive and exciting enough to spend some time and effort on though.

In order of success, I would say that I have caught the most Tobago tarpon on live or dead bait, then the biggest fish on lures, then the smallest fish on fly.

How will you fish for the bonefish - fly, bait or spin?

Where are you staying when you are over?

Steve
Take only photos - leave only footprints. I like that concept.
Boris Stockmann
myTobago Groupie
myTobago Groupie
Posts: 5
Joined: Mon Jul 20, 2009 11:56 am
Location: Hessen

Re: Seasonal Chart for fishing

Post by Boris Stockmann »

Hi Steve,

it's frustrating when you see lots of Tarpon and nothing happens... One day there were at least 50 or more Tarpon in casting distance at the "oil platform" at s.p.. Rolling and chasing bait every few seconds. They were literally everywhere... The conditions were (imo) ideal: light murky water, no wind.
A friend of mine and I, we tried both our whole lure boxes with different brands, sizes, colors and shapes including soft plastics. Time was running so fast and we spent hours there...but without any luck. That's fishing!

So this time we will hopefully have a casting net and an air pump (for keeping the bait alive) in our baggage to get the right bait. :)

For Bones I will fish with a light spinning rod and small bucktail jigs. (See attached photo for the bucktails)
Maybe I will also have a try with some plugs, but I'm convinced in these jigs. They really work.
I would love to have a try with a flyrod going for bonefish but I only own a non travel fly rod which is also too light. (#6)

It is not sure when and where we will stay. Usually we stay in the Black Rock/ Pleasant Prospect area, so I bet that we will be there again.
We are coming in the 3rd or 4th week of April and we are staying only one week.
Another week would be fine but I don't want to annoy my girlfriend at home. ;)

Cheers,
Boris
Attachments
bone.jpg
Robert T
Tobago Fanatic
Tobago Fanatic
Posts: 250
Joined: Sat Mar 15, 2008 8:06 pm
Location: London

Re: Seasonal Chart for fishing

Post by Robert T »

HI Boris,

NIce fish. I got some jigs in my arsenal too, hopefully they're gonna be hungry for them. These sorta jigs are very popular for bones in Florida. Good luck with your fishing in April.


7 days to go.....

Robert
User avatar
Steve Pitts
Tobago Anorak
Tobago Anorak
Posts: 709
Joined: Mon Apr 28, 2003 11:18 am
Location: Bristol U.K

Re: Seasonal Chart for fishing

Post by Steve Pitts »

Hi Boris

I have some of those jigs, but have never tried them, so your picture will give me confidence to give them a go.
Do you use any bait e.g. tip them with shrimp or conch?

Are they reasonably 'weed free' or do you fish them only over the sandy areas, rather than the turtle grass?

This is where the shallow diving plugs (e.g. pearlescent colour Maria Angel Kiss or Maria Chase, 115mm size) come into their own. You can fish these over the turtle grass beds when the water is waist deep.

I have taken to removing the belly treble though as the bones always take the tail treble and the belly hooks often get hung up somewhere around the head and can damage the eye or get lodged under the throat sometimes.
I guess the single hook of the jig doesn't have these problems.

I have managed to sneak a week off of work, so will be out in February.
Booked the flights this morning :D :D :D

Cheers
Steve
Take only photos - leave only footprints. I like that concept.
Boris Stockmann
myTobago Groupie
myTobago Groupie
Posts: 5
Joined: Mon Jul 20, 2009 11:56 am
Location: Hessen

Re: Seasonal Chart for fishing

Post by Boris Stockmann »

Hi Steve,

I don't put any bait on them. They are "weed less" and have 2 short mono strips (ca. 0,70mm) to protect the hook.
When I first used them I wasn't sure that they would work because of the weed less system. I couldn't imagine that a fish could take the jig with those hard/stiff protectors. But they work very well, on sand and on the weed banks/rubble banks which you have e.g. at friendship bay.

Last August there was one morning with a strong low tide at friendship. Only knee-deep water as max. with some rubble banks coming out of the water. When I arrived I thought it would be impossible to catch something. But this was a good morning (for me) with a small ray (on sight) on one of these jigs and 4 good Bonefish in 1,5 hours. (maybe you had some better days, but for me it was a good morning...). I could see the bonefishes talking the jig only a few meters away from me. Amazing!

Trebles... I saw a bonefish in one of yours or Mike's photos with some eye damage. I was wondering if the fish was a handicapped one or freshly hurt. Now I know how it can be avoided... Although the barb of the jigs is "big", you can release the bones quite easy.

Green light from my girlfriend and green light from my fishing friend. I requested our flights today for April. :)))

Thanks@Robert!

Cheers,
Boris
GregAdler
myTobago Enthusiast
myTobago Enthusiast
Posts: 14
Joined: Tue May 05, 2009 5:03 pm
Location: Graz/Stadl-Paura

Re: Seasonal Chart for fishing

Post by GregAdler »

hey steve....

Sounds great you could manage to take a break from work....Man you deserve it!!! Keep that in mind!!
I am gonna leave austria tomorow for London and on sunday I go to Tobago for a six week trip!!!!
I have contacted doc ladle and he will there so it would cool to meet up there for some beers( on me!) and a fishing trip!

Cheers Greg
User avatar
Steve Pitts
Tobago Anorak
Tobago Anorak
Posts: 709
Joined: Mon Apr 28, 2003 11:18 am
Location: Bristol U.K

Re: Seasonal Chart for fishing

Post by Steve Pitts »

Boris

Thanks for explaining how you use the jigs and how they can be fished over the various flats terrain.
I must find the few that I have hidden away somewhere and try them next visit.

I would agree that 4 good bonefish in 1.5 hours is good going.
My best is two in any one 1 - 2 hour session, so you are way ahead of me.

As a matter of interest - do you use braid or mono (can't quite make it out from your photo).

Steve
Take only photos - leave only footprints. I like that concept.
User avatar
Steve Pitts
Tobago Anorak
Tobago Anorak
Posts: 709
Joined: Mon Apr 28, 2003 11:18 am
Location: Bristol U.K

Re: Seasonal Chart for fishing

Post by Steve Pitts »

GregAdler wrote:I have contacted doc ladle and he will there so it would cool to meet up there for some beers( on me!) and a fishing trip!

Cheers Greg
Both the beer and the fishing trip sounds like a plan Greg.

I want to get some good video footage of how we catch crevalle and hores-eye jacks, so maybe you can help us with that mission?

I will have a car, so if you need picking up just let me or Mike know.

Look forward to meeting up

Steve
Take only photos - leave only footprints. I like that concept.
GregAdler
myTobago Enthusiast
myTobago Enthusiast
Posts: 14
Joined: Tue May 05, 2009 5:03 pm
Location: Graz/Stadl-Paura

Re: Seasonal Chart for fishing

Post by GregAdler »

hey steve...

sounds awesome.... Just arrived in Bago....a bit jet lagged...but I will give it a go tommorow morning at blue heaven beach!!!

A ride would be really nice cause I most likely not have a car here in Bago!!!

looking forward seeing ya!!

so long....
Greg
Boris Stockmann
myTobago Groupie
myTobago Groupie
Posts: 5
Joined: Mon Jul 20, 2009 11:56 am
Location: Hessen

Re: Seasonal Chart for fishing

Post by Boris Stockmann »

Hi Steve,

I use braid with a mono leader.

Boris
Post Reply

Return to “Recreational Fishing”