Questions about fishing in Aruba..

[GiantSquid2008]

I'm going to Aruba in July and was wondering if anyone had any suggestions about the fishing there. If anyone has any experience or advice about what species to target or how best to fish them it would be greatly appreciated.

[Piscado]

I'm going to Aruba in July and was wondering if anyone had any suggestions about the fishing there. If anyone has any experience or advice about what species to target or how best to fish them it would be greatly appreciated.

Hi There,

I just spent 2 weeks in Aruba and the fishing was great! Lots of Tuna, Dolphin, Wahoo, some sailfish (caught a 60-pounder myself) and even an occasional blue marlin (another charterboat lost one the same morning we went fishing).

There is a large charterfleet, most located at the Renaissance Marina (in front of the "high rise" Renaissance Marina Hotel and at the Renaissance Ocean Suites nearby).
Boats range from 30- to 47-footers (Bertram, Hatteras, Chris-Craft, Luhrs) and prices range from around $ 350 to $ 450 for a half day (incl tackle, bait and drinks) and $ 600 to $ 800 for a full day (which many times also includes sandwiches).
I went fishing on the Kepasa III (42 foot Hatteras), which was a wonderful experience! Very experienced captain and mate! Great fishing!
Most of the boats are run by crews with years of experience, so you actually can't go wrong.
All Marlin and Sailfish and big Tuna are released. Smaller fish are always killed. The angler can take part of the catch home (gets cleaned and filleted and you can make an arrangement to have it cooked at a couple of restaurants for a cheap price). The rest of the catch is sold tot local restaurants (so the catch of the day in the restaurants is ALWAYS fresh!).

Do a search on google (deep sea fishing Aruba) and you'll find quite a few charterboats advertised.

HAVE FUN!

If you have any other questions I'd be more than glad to help, since I was born and raised there....

[GiantSquid2008]

Hi There,

I just spent 2 weeks in Aruba and the fishing was great! Lots of Tuna, Dolphin, Wahoo, some sailfish (caught a 60-pounder myself) and even an occasional blue marlin (another charterboat lost one the same morning we went fishing).

There is a large charterfleet, most located at the Renaissance Marina (in front of the "high rise" Renaissance Marina Hotel and at the Renaissance Ocean Suites nearby).
Boats range from 30- to 47-footers (Bertram, Hatteras, Chris-Craft, Luhrs) and prices range from around $ 350 to $ 450 for a half day (incl tackle, bait and drinks) and $ 600 to $ 800 for a full day (which many times also includes sandwiches).
I went fishing on the Kepasa III (42 foot Hatteras), which was a wonderful experience! Very experienced captain and mate! Great fishing!
Most of the boats are run by crews with years of experience, so you actually can't go wrong.
All Marlin and Sailfish and big Tuna are released. Smaller fish are always killed. The angler can take part of the catch home (gets cleaned and filleted and you can make an arrangement to have it cooked at a couple of restaurants for a cheap price). The rest of the catch is sold tot local restaurants (so the catch of the day in the restaurants is ALWAYS fresh!).

Do a search on google (deep sea fishing Aruba) and you'll find quite a few charterboats advertised.

HAVE FUN!

If you have any other questions I'd be more than glad to help, since I was born and raised there....

Thanks for the advice. I will probably get on one of the boats one day but won't be able to do that more than once. I was looking online and saw a guide that takes people to various spots on the island to fish for bonefish. I'm thinking of bringing a fly rod and a spinner and trying to catch some fish from shore. My wife said that she heard that one can catch good fish right from the front of the Reniassance and the adjoiniing beach to the left. Have you had any luck fishing from shore there?

[Piscado]

Thanks for the advice. I will probably get on one of the boats one day but won't be able to do that more than once. I was looking online and saw a guide that takes people to various spots on the island to fish for bonefish. I'm thinking of bringing a fly rod and a spinner and trying to catch some fish from shore. My wife said that she heard that one can catch good fish right from the front of the Reniassance and the adjoiniing beach to the left. Have you had any luck fishing from shore there?

Well, I've never done flyfishing before. As a kid I used to sit on the pier in front of the Renaissance with my kiddierod and would catch many juvenile grunts and groupers. Growing up over there I mostly sat on rocks and piers with a rod or just some mono in hand. Now I mostly go deepsea fishing when I'm on vacation there.

The sea/shore at the Renaissance Ocean Suites looks good to me for flyfishing. The whole bay north of the hotel seems like a good fishing location to me.
A good friend of mine is an adept flyfisherman (nickname Arubaman on many flyfishing forums; do a search) and his golden tip is Malmok. That's the part of the shore west of the Highrise hotels, from the famous Fisherman's Huts all the way to the westernmost point of the Island. Best bet to catch some bonefish, although I believe the action is nog that hot.
There are many parts of the shoreline where mangroves grow (Barcadera, Savaneta, Mangel Halto, Bucuti) where you might want to try some casting. You might run into a small tarpon there.

Here's are some very informative sites on flyfishing in Aruba: http://www.flyfishingaruba.com/stories.html

http://www.flyfishingforum.com/flytalk/index.htm (go to the saltwater flyfishing forum -> Bonefish, Tarpon and other obsessions -> then do a search with keyword "promise"..you'll find an extensive report on flyfishing in Aruba, posted by Arubaman; title: A promise is for keeping...Aruba malmok site info part 1)

Regards,

Piscado