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"Marlins are the top predators in the fish chain," says Boat . National Advisory Council member Dean Clarke, who is also the executive editor of Sport Fishing and Marlin magazines. "While sharks are scavengers, preying on the weak, the sickly and the old, marlin go after whatever is in front of them," he said.
Since the largest blue marlin ever caught tipped the scales at more than 2,000 pounds, and most prize-winning marlin weigh between 600 and 1,300 pounds, their food could be just about anything that swims.
Interestingly, only the female marlin grows this big; the male rarely exceeds 200 pounds.
"Because marlin are so big, its a real challenge to land them," says Clarke. "There s no way a man can just outmuscle a 650-pound marlin who is fighting for its life in its own territory -- although that s the instinctive reaction of most men. Women are actually better at catching the really big fish than men -- they try to finesse it, instead of trying to over power it."
Bluewater big-game fishing for marlin and other billfish is not only a challenge for the angler, but also for the boat captain and crew. You don t just stop the boat, throw a line overboard and hope for the best.
Because of the distances to be covered and the marlin s speed -- some have been clocked as high as 60 miles per hour -- the boat is trolled, using its speed and motion to manipulate the lures and bait. Hairpin turns, sudden stops and backing down once the fish swallows the bait are a big part of billfish fishing. The better the captain is at maneuvering the boat, the more successful landing the fish will be.
During a recent trip to St. Thomas and St. Croix hosted by the Virgin Islands Department of Tourism, I got a chance to see big-game fishing from the catbird -- and captains -- seat. After three days, I was (pardon the pun) "hooked." If you love being on the water, enjoy the thrill of the chase as well as the catch, and don't mind the twists and turns of a 45-foot twin-engine fishing boat on eight-foot seas (hint: the Transderm Scop patch is a terrific help here), big-game fishing is fantastic.
Even though our boats had electronic fishfinders, Mother Nature always knew better. The sight of a frigate bird high in the sky circling a spot in the ocean was enough to send us crashing and bashing over the waves. Stray Sargasso weed was hailed with full-cry fish alerts, as we sped over to seek out any fish hiding in its "shade."
Best of all were the two styrofoam fish buoys that had somehow gotten loose hundreds of miles away and, in their travels, amassed their own little world of clinging algae, tiny reef critters, bigger bait fish and so on up the food chain. In five memorable moments over Lang Bank in St. Croix we brought up six wahoo, "the best-eating fish in the ocean," according to our captain, Bobby McCay.
Unless you already own a boat in the USVIs (more about this later) you ll need to charter, and boats are available for as little as half a day to as long as you want (or can afford).
"The crew is really more important than the boat -- you want one that has experience catching the kind of fish you re seeking," said Clarke, "This kind of fishing can be a dangerous pastime if you don t know what you re doing. People are killed every year trying to catch billfish: They get stabbed with the bill, or flipped over the side by the strength of the fish and pulled to the bottom. These fish are fighting for their lives. The potential danger is part of the inherent draw of bluewater big-game fishing," he said.
It never occurred to me that fishing could be considered "dangerous" -- although one of my fellow travelers who took his Dramamine too late would probably disagree. That's because I was in such good hands aboard Lady Carol in St. Thomas and McKay's boat, Leisure Lady, in St. Croix. We were a civilized charter-fishing group. We each took turns in the fighting chair, giving up our place to the next person once we'd landed a fish.
In the USVIs, unless the charter boat crew or you yourself are planning to take some fish home for dinner that night, the fish is usually released right away, sometimes after tagging it. In fact, blue marlin caught and tagged in the Virgin Islands have been caught again as far north as North Carolina, and as far east as Africa.
While St. Thomas is nearer the North Drop and has more expert sportfishing charter captains than you can shake a rod at, St. Croix offers more fishing variety. If you're not in the mood for muscle fishing offshore, try bonefishing on St. Croix's southern side, or look for absolutely delicious snook, snapper and other shallow-water fish on the flats that surround the island.
Visiting St. Thomas and St. Croix isn't just for fishing aficionados, of course. Both islands have enough activities to keep a family busy for a year, let alone a vacation for a week or two. Diving is big, golf is getting bigger, and shopping is king. It sometimes seems as if half the islanders are making jewelry and the other half selling it.
St. Croix is a bit Out of the tourist mainstream -- few cruise ships stop there -- and its 35-mile distance from St. Thomas and St. John has so far kept the ferries that travel regularly between the other two islands from setting up routes there. That may be about to change, however: A high-speed European-style ferryboat is scheduled to begin travelling from St. Thomas to St. Croix in 2002. In the meantime, a fun 15-minute ride on a lowflying seaplane is the easiest way to get back and forth.
Life seems quieter in St. Croix. There are fewer cars and more open spaces than on St. Thomas. Many Americans, drawn originally to the Virgin Islands for vacations, have found that working and living in St. Croix -- or retiring there -- suits them just fine. It's relatively easy for Americans to find work, since the islands are part of the .
. member Fred Lalik left Corpus Christi, TX, for St. Croix 20 years ago, and has never looked back. "I own a shipping business here, but it's not like working in the . It's so peaceful and laid back. Besides, we have fishing 365 days of the year," he says.
Eight years ago Lalik, Capt. McKay and some of their fellow fishermen (and women) founded the Golden Hook Fishing Club, both to encourage saltwater game fishing and to raise awareness about the need to conserve marine life. Today the Club has 65 members, some of them licensed captains who charter their fishing boats either part or full time. Among them is Bill Griffin, captain of the Lisa Ann, who has lived in St. Croix with his wife, Carol, since 1987. "Even when it's hot, it's never muggy," says Carol. "You just can't beat the weather here, especially compared to Gloucester, MA, where we're from."
Each year the Golden Hook Fishing Club holds four International Game Fish Association-sanctioned fishing tournaments. This year, Andy Anderson and his wife, Chris, who retired to St. Croix after 21 years of living all over the world with the Navy, won the "best boat" award in the club's June wahoo tournament.
"Deep-sea fishing is an addiction," says Andy, "just like gambling. We try to go out at least three times a week. We're always hoping that the next roll of the dice will be ours, and we'll catch another blue marlin. And, of course, when Lady Luck smiles on us and we land one, we release it for another day. That's what will keep our islands the blue marlin capital of the world."
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