This past month brought the weather shifts one can expect in February, but it was still rather better than average at his time. Actually the first few days were very calm and pleasant, so with the perfect tide I searched the flat in Grand Anse a few times with the fly rod for Permit. The first attempt was a proper fail with just a single handsize one seen and morning after in more sunlight the findings were not better by numbers but at least by size. Was quite happy to tempt this specimen.

Two days later I went again to find them in better numbers and highly cooperative on top. Caught three like the one above and slightly smaller, just the bigger ones were missing. Any hopes to pursue those were spoiled though by the weather that turned erratic. Much against the hopes of regular Jürgen and his Swiss friend Roger who had already lost their first of six planned fishing days with Mervin due to flight issues. The following two days out at the Drop Off were not just rather uncomfortable but also the fish let them down pretty completely. Add a day that they were too ill to go out, the following when Mervin had the issue, and a last day with again a very slow bite in rather rough seas, and you have all the ingredients for a nightmare of a fishing week here. The bite was acually so bad that there is just this single foto, and when asking Jürgen about the best catch of the days he mentioned a Jobfish that managed to drag off a bit of line. Ouch. 

Luckily things improved right after their departure on all fronts: the weather became friendlier, the fish more active again, and also the islands started to fill up. This left Greg on Topwater rather busy for a week with various mixed charters on the plateau and at the Drop Off producing solid catches.

The trolling boats also had their trips, with rather mixed results though. The pelagic bite around the islands was not steady, so whether to experience very slow days or really good ones with the usual mixed bags of fish and Sails in between was really a matter of luck. Sails look to be present in unusually good numbers for this time of the year, and Mervin one day got three jigging along a trip. Sadly no pic of those in the following album.

He fished sort of alternating days along the second half of the month juggling the trips beween the mostly pleasant days and the occasional windy and wet ones.  On Wednesday he reported very slow jigging in that hefty current once more, but four school size Yellowfin Tuna and a small Marlin caught all on stickbait while a bigger one threw the lure jumping around.

Mervin also reported that the big Doggies were visible and following the jigs in several places but very reluctant to eat. He was somewhat frustrated that on the few strikes they got the fish had the upper end in most instances. But not all of them.

So all in all not as bad for a February as it had been along some of the recent years. March should bring steadier weather and quite some charters, so stay tuned.

For the preceeding reports check the archive.