trinidad

Tarpon Tarpon Tarpon in the West IndiesTarpon Tarpon Tarpon in the West Indies

Tarpon Tarpon Tarpon in the West Indies

Beautiful brand new Shimano Stella 20,000 on a Shimano rod, sitting next to a Stag, local beer from Trinidad -- A man's beerPreparing to continue to other waters we had one more shot aboard the Barbie Doll and Cpt Gaff. Ryan, Jiggy’s son, joined us for the afternoon, and what a beautiful afternoon it was! The seas were calm, the sky clear, and the fish finder said there were tarpon about. After purchasing some good sized bait we made our way to the fishing grounds, the back drop was stunning – the sun setting reflecting off the west indie seas and the greenery of the Bocas littering the skyline.

It is a little tricky to get the bait to swim down, but a couple thuds on the deck tended to do the trick. When the a tarpon taikes the bait its not a huge tug on the rod, the line just begins to go out a slight bit faster. It isn’t until after letting him run a bit and you crank down the drag that the real fun begins, but patience is a virtue while tarpon fishing! The circle hook sets into place and you feel the tarpon. Tarpon are a fantastic sport fish as they tend to give a show or two in the air when you hook them, but those aerials come at a high price if you forget to bow your rod tip – pro tip: “Bow To The King”.Sportfishing for tarpon in the west indies, ben holding a tarpon

But bow, Jeff didn’t do as he reeled in the first Tarpon of the day, the tarpon never jumped! The fight lasted a solid 20 minutes, but never a crack at the surface, suppose he was camera shy. We were using the Stella 20k spinning rod and some Shimano TLDs for hardware that day and they performed perfect. The day would go on to become quite the memorable one as the tarpon proved to be hungry and were happy to provide!

Over the course of the afternoon we boated 6 tarpon, pretty much one after another, so with weary arms and vibrant exuberance we cheers’d the Jager bottle to another successful day of fishing, some great video (below), stellar pictures, and the AA experience. A big Thanks to Captain Gary a.k.a Gaff of The Barbie Doll — If you are in Trinidad for fishing he’s the man!

Pig Roast In Mayaro, TrinidadPig Roast In Mayaro, Trinidad

Pig Roast In Mayaro, Trinidad

Rum scotch, breadfruit and spices, bring on the pig!If you really like something you might as well do it twice! A couple of weeks back we stayed a few days in Mayaro. A nice hidden tarpon spot and at the house of our buddy Graham. When we received an invitation to meet down in Mayaro for a roasting of a pig & a a little limin’  we couldn’t resit!
The morning came a bit fast due to the previous nights shenanigans, but before long we were on the road,  5 guys in a pickup – It was a little snug, but the Trinidad country side more then made up for the seating arrangements. We grabbed the pig on the way from a roadside butcher who did a little of everything, raise exotic birds, chickens, and other various wildlife, and made our way to the south eastern tip of Trinidad.
Graham showed us around the property a bit, including his new house under construction. A scraped knee later we arrived back to begin cooking. Our local fishing captain & lobster fisherman Gramps was there bringing in fresh oysters and cooking one damn delicious Hog Snapper Soup. Speaking of the food the menu for day was a big one:eating fresh oysters at a BBQ in Mayaro Trinidad after a day of fishing.
1 Full Pig roasted in a box, a delicious Hog Snapper soup, fresh oysters about 30 minutes out of the water, curry chicken, and a whole assortment of sauces, vegetables, and more mixed in. The drink menu was equally equipped for the day with Rum(s), Scotch(s), & Stag (A man’s Beer).
Eating fresh oysters on a cliff, with a good drink in hand while the sun is setting should be on just about any bucket list. Talk about awesome way to end a great month in Trinidad — Big thanks to Graham, Gaff, and Gramps for cheffing the BBQ! One more day of fishing and then off to Tobago.

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