Puerto Rico Jigging Report

[VaRandy]

i returned last week from what was to be a 6 days of jigging out of P.R.

As usual for my trips, we could only get out 2 days and they began in 20 knots and ended up closer to 30. Contender 27 in the trough was swinging 150 degrees and the seas were high enough you didn't know how the boat rose up to clear them.

I was there to go after Wahoo and YFT on the jig. My hosts had been taking them for many weeks.

We took bottom fish such as a form of red snapper with 2 fangs from the top and a black fish related to the famous GT, Barracudas, and lost several Wahoo while trying to get the right combination of multistrand wire on the assists and ahead of the lures without turning them off. Jigs were absolutely HAMMERED by the wahoo. I went out of the East side and went to the area near the old U.S. Naval base and out of the south on the second trip.

There is a dedicated dozen or so jiggers now that are picking up new members regularily. The bottom drops off about 1.5 miles off the shoreline and goes vertical quick. Not much for the ledges I would have preferred. Wahoo and Barracuda work off the dropoffs for fish going either way.

My biggest surprise there was realizing that when you plan a days fishing, you have little information except seasonal history to go by. There were almost NO boats fishing these beautiful and productive waters and those that do, do not share information with anyone. No internet help, NOTHING. The locals didn't know that the rest of us have RESOURCES. I suggested that they immediately form a consortium with other jiggers where anyone sharing information MUST file trip reports within 24 hours of a trip. If they choose later to expand that to non=joggers, go for it!

I will be going down for 10 days in August specifically for YFT but will try to get a Blue Marlin jigging as well. I have information that would help others going down if you want to contact me.

I shipped about 30 lbs of new jigs down by USPS and they got there the day before I left. This was just over 2 weeks from NC.
I will ship Fed Ex next time.

The locals will have little in common with you unless you are doing their type of fishing, so don't look for a ballyhoo dragger to take you jigging.

I took a tour of Barcadi factory which I recommend and the Spanish Fort Morro which is a must see for windy days.

I loved the culture and wish I were younger so I could drink regularly with them!

[XpatBubba]

I have been in PR for 80 days now, on a tugboat pulling mud scows out of the harbor and dumping offshore. There are tarpon all over the harbor but I really wanted to jig that edge. I did troll up some nice 30lb class dolphin on our way south, especially around Dominican Republic. Good luck on your next trip. I can see Morrow castle from my foscle now.

[Sea Draggin]

Cedric has been taking wahoo in PR regularly using single strand in front of the jig and cable for the hookset. This is the only picture I have of it that he send me on facebook, but he had landed some studs. He has gotten two blue marlins as well.