Can I troll on my yacht charter?

Trolling a line behind a yacht while sailing the Virgin Islands can be very productive. Rigged ballyhoo with or without plastic skirts is always the right choice. Feather jigs in either a blue and white or green and yellow color seem to work well. Silver spoons have their place, too. Bibbed lures like Rapala’s work well on days when the wind has you sailing along at a slow pace.

Locations and speed, as well as current weather conditions, have a significant impact on what type of fish you catch.

Trolling at slow speeds (2 or 3 knots) around headlands near the rocky outcrops could bag you mackerel, jacks, giant yellowtail snapper, and barracuda.

Look at your charts or ask your charter captain to take you over bottom features like tow rock, or if you are sailing back from Anegada to Jost Van Dyke, go over the wreck of the Chikuzen or maybe past the pinnacles off Brewers Bay. Any type of bottom structure is worth trolling over. Remember, 99% of the fish are in 1% of the ocean!

Larger game fish are more likely to be out of the channel in the open water. A higher trolling speed, between 5 and 7 knots, is recommended in the open sea. Trolling on the way to Anegada can net you Mackerel, Wahoo, and mahi mahi.