Fishing St Lucia
St. Lucia (Saint Lucia) is an island with many influences including British, French, African, and Creole. This Caribbean island is famous for its black sand beaches due to the high amount of volcanism on the island as well.
It is also known for its seafood, and fishing plays a major role in St. Lucian culture, with many small fishing villages scattered throughout the island. Anse-le-Ray, Gros Islet, and Canaries are some of the more popular ones. The island has a rich history of fishing, dating back to when early fishermen would fish from dug-out canoes, as some still do today.
The best time to fish St. Lucia’s bordering waters is December through March. During these months, you’ll find the best weather and conditions to land the most fish, but any time is a good time to fish in a tropical location, and many of the species of fish that are most popular around the island have different peak periods.
Since St. Lucia is an island, we’ll only be covering their saltwater opportunities, of which there are many.
Some of the most popular St. Lucia species include:
Mahi Kingfish Blue Marlin
Sailfish Wahoo Blackfin Tuna
An Island Made for Fishing
The island of St. Lucia is surrounded by sheer drops into the depths of the Atlantic Ocean, which makes a great habitat for fish.
In fact, most of the fish caught offshore are caught within two miles of the shore, since you can reach great offshore fishing in a matter of minutes as a result of the sheer topography of the island. And these sheer drop-offs make for some of the deepest waters in the entire Caribbean.
Off the northern point of the island, there are great opportunities for blue marlin, which have their peak season from October to June. The island government has also installed some systems intended to attract fish on the south side of the island, which has successfully boosted the amount of blue marlin that are found there.
In addition to the blue marlin, white marlin is perhaps the most prized catch of all around the island.
When fishing for marlin, keep in mind that all billfish caught in St. Lucian waters are catch and release only due to conservation efforts. Popular baits trolled behind boats are ballyhoo and other artificials, and if you’ve done any research on offshore fishing you’ve probably seen ballyhoos mentioned a lot because they work great.
Your marina options in St. Lucia include Rodney Bay, the largest marina, and the smaller Marigot Bay.
Aside from marlin, there are also opportunities to catch kingfish, wahoo, dorado, yellowfin tuna, grouper, and more. Look out for areas of debris or cover, where you’re more prone to run into dorado, and troll your lures around the perimeter of the area.
If you don’t have your own boat on the island, there are numerous options for charters. Alternatively, you can also fish from the shore or fish near estuaries, where fish are bound to be looking to feed.
Some have reported that the Mfolozi and Mkuze rivers have diluted the salinity of lakes and estuaries on the island resulting in more freshwater species such as tilapia, catfish, and herring.
So, even if you just bring one pole with you, there are opportunities to fish on the island. Unfortunately, the estuary located on the island has recently gone through some dry spells which have caused it to be closed for some time but, hopefully, it can be rehabilitated soon.
As you can see, St. Lucia is a volcanic island that is made for fishing. It would be remiss to visit an island with such rewarding topography and not take advantage of being able to take a 10-15 minute boat ride to some of the best offshore fishing this world has to offer.
In addition to great fishing, keep an eye out for Friday night block parties on the island where you’ll find warm, friendly people, good beer and rum as well as some amazing seafood and music.
But, no matter what time of the year you go, there is a species of fish that is in season and you’re guaranteed to be wowed by not only the fishing but the sights, culture, and history of one of the best islands in the Caribbean.