Night Fishing in Tobago

[NicStreet]

Hi all

Well, have spent the last couple of evenings reading though hundreds of posts on the site and now have a definitive list of at least 200 things to do and see when we are in Castara next February!!

If I ask any questions that have been asked in previous posts I apologise but after 14+ hours of searching and reading my brain may have leaked a little.

We are staying in Castara from the 9th of Feb for two weeks and getting married on the 14th. We may (trusting we enjoy our first two weeks) opt to stay on for a further fortnight as our Honeymoon.

One thing that is of particular interest to us is the fishing ! Having read through several dozen posts and got side tracked on many occasions it seems that Tobago has plenty to offer in terms of fishing.

The only thing I couldn’t find is much info on night fishing. I trust night fishing can be as rewarding as it is in the UK (we normally fish around the North Wales and Anglesey coast) for anything that will put a bend in the rod.

Does anyone have any info for night tactics from the shore, bait & tackle required and fish to be expected? If so I would be extremely grateful.

Have already decided to invest in some new tackle for plugging from the shore I want to make sure I bring everything we need (I hate the thought of missed opportunities )

I must thank Steve for a most informative website and anyone else that has contributed info. It has made our choices a whole lot easier.

Cheers all

Nic

[Steve Pitts]

Hi Nic

Far be it for me to disuade a man from fishing, but as it's your honeymoon you'll be on I thought that your nights would be pretty much taken care of.

Having done a little bit of fishing in the dark - very late evening and very early morning I have been surprised at how little we have caught.

Tarpon tend to head offshore I think at night, although they can be very active around dusk.
Bonefish are known to feed well during the night, but I wouldn't fancy wandering around the flats beyond the hours of daylight.

I have always expected to at least get runs (only ever ledgered) off of shark or rays, but have only ever caught some grotesque looking moray eels and scabardfish - neither of which fight at all.



The exception to the rule appears to be snook and they feed very close in on the sandy surf beaches, where they can be caught on bait, fly or lures.



Having said that, I haven't heard of snook being caught up around the Castara area, so I would recommend that you adopt plan A. and spend the hours of darkness at the boat or cascreole enjoying the company and the lime.

Cheers
Steve

[NicStreet]

Cheers Steve

Perhaps I didnt explain myself clearly but Karen (wife to be) is an equally mad fisherwoman so a night or two under the stars on the beach would be shared and enjoyed by both of us. The idea being to catch some species maybe not available at day.



I like the idea of a Moray eel though (despite the lack of fight), another one to tick of our species list and I bet they look great being held for a photo.

Maybe we should be looking to go elsewhere other than Castara then for a couple of night sessions, if so any recommendations?

We are really looking forward to plugging for some of the other species though, so even if the night fishing fails I'm sure we'll get to catch something to remember.

Cheers

Nic

[Steve Pitts]

Perhaps I didnt explain myself clearly but Karen (wife to be) is an equally mad fisherwoman

Sound like a marriage made in heaven then Nic .

I'd be interested to see if someone who really stuck at at throughout the night came up with anything decent.

We've always assumend that places where the local fishermen sort and gut the catch would be ideal places to fish at night. This would include in front of the fishermen's co-op at Castara, Charlotville, Courland, Buccoo, Mount Irvin and the piers at Parlatuvier, Plymouth and C'ville.

Cheers
Steve