Gear recommendations for St. Maarten shore fishing

Hi All,
I am in the planning stages of a 2 week trip to St. Maarten with the FW for our 25th anniversary. She wants to lounge in the sun, me too but while I’m fishing!
I’m looking for recommendations from the group on a decent 2 (or 3) piece rod and spinning reel, probably 7-8 foot, I’m not sure what action, most likely medium heavy, fast. I’d also want it to be something I can use back here at home. Obviously a braided line, w/ a flourocarbon leader.
Also, looking for lure presentations to entice snook, tarpon and anything else that will attack a bait.
Any recommendations? I think Will Roseburg was recently in Fla. fishing?

Will?

Thanks,
Don

I really like my St Croix Tidemaster travel 7’Med fast 3pc. It’s great for 10# braid. The nice thing about a 3 pc is that you can easily carry it on. A couple of plugs, jigs and plastics, gold spoons and some 30# flouro for leader should cover you for casting Snook etc. For Tarpon a MH like you said with 20# braid and 50# flouro leader is about minimum. A few steel leaders for Barracuda, Mackerel and Sharks might be fun. Aren’t there Bonefish and Permit there too? I’m jealous!

Get a surf rod –

Other inshore rods would require you be in a boat.

That way you can get after them!!!!

Dog

Hey Don,

You’ve already enticed an answer from someone who is more knowledgable than myself as Fancaster was one of the people who helped me put a gameplan together for my fishing adventure in Fla, but I’ll try to add what I can.

If you want to lounge on the beach while fishing I’d throw in a couple three way rigs, some 1/2 Oz sinkers, and some wide gap hooks. You should be able to purchase live shrimp there but cutbait would work as well and could probably even catch your own bait as walking the beach in the mornings/evenings there will most likely be some crabs hanging out.

For casting I would reccomend getting a large size of castmaster spoon (they really do cast a mile) and winging it out into the surf but focusing on any area where you can find some type of current (river inlet, bridge, causeway, etc) or structure (rocky shoreline, reef, point, etc) You never know what you might catch.

I would also reccomend having a reel with a larger spool (I used a shimano 2500) just in case you do hook a good fish it’s nothing for them to strip off a 100′ or more in a few seconds. I’d say go with 14# Suffix 832 superline and add a 5′ leader of 20# 100% florocarbin.

Good luck my friend and make sure to have a few Coronas for me!

Quote:

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Get a surf rod –

Other inshore rods would require you be in a boat.

That way you can get after them!!!!

Dog

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Good point. If you are strictly surf fishing from the beach a surf rod is the way to go (if getting it there is do-able). If you plan on fishing from piers, bridges, canals, wading or a boat then a 7′-8′ spinning rod might be a good choice too. There may be opportunities to wade some flats for Snook, Tarpon, Bonefish and Permit.

http://stmaartenfishinginshore.com/

Thanks guys, I knew someone here had the answers. I’ll take everyone’s advice and come up with something.
I can’t wait.

Thanks,
Don

Hi.
Did anyone ever hear how Slab Hunter did on his trip to St. Maartin?

I’m heading there in a couple of weeks and I’m planning to do a charter, but I also figured I’d bring a reel w/100# test, a steel and a flourocarbon leader, a few baits and hooks, and then just buy a decent rod down there and try wading in and wetting some line-not through the ice for a change.

Any additional information on baits or where to go offshore would be appreciated. I’ve been to the island once before, and I’m going alone, and meeting a couple who are there every year for a month, so I have a little bit of general knowledge about the island. Unfortunately, my friends there don’t fish.