Trolling a line behind a yacht while sailing the virgin islands can be very productive. Rigged ballyhoo with or without plastic skirts always seems to be 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 close to 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!
Out in the open water, out of the channel, larger game fish are more likely. In the open sea, a higher trolling speed is recommended, somewhere between 5 and 7 knots. Trolling on the way to Anegada can score you Mackerel, Wahoo and Mahi Mahi.