fishing from a dock

[Patti Puzo]

Just wondering what the regulations were if Mark wanted to fish off the dock by the cottage we are renting on Guana? Any special license required, and if so, where do you purchase them? Everything would be catch and release.
Thanks,
Patti P.

[DrRalph]

No license required when fishing from land or a dock.

[Patti Puzo]

Thanks Doc....good to know.

[SamFamAustin]

I think the new rules are to be posted at all the marinas, so you might check there ... sometimes they have some useful hints, where to get bait, etc.

Dock and pier fishing is quite a bit of fun, maybe not as productive as having a boat, but can be a blast. One thought is that you really want a low dock since some of them are quite high - they sometimes build ladders go get down to the boats.

Anyway, one day I swear the grouper was acting interested so I dangled my bait ... the fish shook his head "no." So I jiggled my bait some more and bumped his nose. "Nope" the fish nodded again. Darndest thing I ever saw!
sammie

[Patti Puzo]

Was this during cocktail hour Sammie?

[SamFamAustin]

Um, is it OK to say this was during the afternoon with a case of Kalik? Anyway, Mom has the danged groupers trained as pets, too. She was not pleased I wanted to fry one of her babies up, and she laughed when I told her the story. "We're having stir-fry with local chicken tonight and honestly, do you boys need all that expensive beer when rum is so cheap?"

Mom's always right ...
sammie

[PELLUCID]

Fishing from a dock can be a deep philosophical exercise.

For my fundamentalist friends who doubt Darwin's laws of natural selection, I say "How is it that only the smartest fish survive at a dock?"

For my tree-huggey friends I ask "Do you really feel good about dangling delicious baits in front of a captive audience?"

For my economist/libertarian friends I inquire "Is this really a cost-effective use of your time, given that the local restaurants will serve you a meal of delicious fish at a modest price?

If Plato had lived in the Abacos, he would have written a dialogue about it.

[Patti Puzo]

Hey Bob, I did say "catch and release". We wouldn't dream of hurting the local dock lurkers, not that we are tree huggers, but...you're right, I think it would taste better at the Bluewater.....
Hope to see you this time!
As far as the cost effectivness....we're on vacation, mon!
Patti P.

[SamFamAustin]

Now Patti, Bob is funnin' you again. :)

Just set me on a dock in the Abacos, with a rod and a beer, and watch me have fun! Night is actually the best and big rigs are best because you don't know if you're going to get a 4-inch perch or a four-foot monster thang, like maybe a giant ray or baraccuda. Do not leave the pole unattended, as that is when they like to strike.

I throw most back but those yellowtail snappers, whoo, over about 10-14 inches I'd keep them to have a pan-fry or something, they are simply heaven. I believe this is the same type of fish they use for a kind of sushi raw fish in many restaurants. Yum.

A friend of mine caught a 35 and a half inch snook last Sunday. Guess where it was ... right under a dock! They drove for an hour in a boat, fished under a dock, caught two snook, took a few pictures, a let them go. Snook are quite common in the Keys but I am not sure about the Abacos.

To quote some Thoreau, "Many go fishing all their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after."

sammie ;)

[haziewaller]

fishing might be fun, but i'd avoid eating anything from a harbor area. no holding tank requirement, you know. ick.....

[Patti Puzo]

ANOTHER good reason. Ick indeed!

[SamFamAustin]

Goodness gracious, it's not like Newark or something!

[haziewaller]

true, but brown fish are still my least favorite

[SamFamAustin]

Hey I know the ones you're talking about, they make kissy sounds and wink at ya ... a right friendly kind of fish, I'll say. A little TOO friendly sometimes. Be careful out there ... ;)

The Sturgeon General

[a j chase]

I know its Abaco with the cleanest water in the world, but sewage is still sewage, none the less. I didn't know there were no holding tank requirements in the harbor.......................Tipper

[SamFamAustin]

OK, many parts of the US have requirements for pump-outs on all recreational vessels, such as MA, CT (expanded), RI, and on the West Coast. Florida requires the ability to have Type I-III sewage facilities on all [new] boats over 26 feet that have an enclosed cabin. Not all states and areas have pump-out regulations, although it is a great service, in some cases low-cost or free because of grant funding.

Most vessels are simple Type III systems which is a toilet over a holding tank, and the holding tank has a clean-out such as for a septic pump hose. So many are properly equipped and no, it ask Pellucid but when the holding tanks get full it is a serious issue and time for a properly equipped marina.

Some people, however, have figured out how to install a "Y" valve which allows the graywater to be pumped overboard, a very serious violation of US and international MARPOL laws under some conditions. Otherwise, it is mainly the boats built prior to 1990 or so that have no holding tanks that would be the problem. I have no idea what the proportions would be in the boats visiting the Abacos - but most responsible captains treat this as a very serious issue.

Bacteria counts usually measure water samples such as for E. Coli and take about a week to culture and measure accurately. The method used on US beaches uses a protocol to measure "entero-bacteria," which is slightly different than what is used for municipal water systems. Again, I have no idea if this kind of testing is performed in the beaches and marinas of the Abacos.

If you recall, these kinds of tests were done over the last decade or more and resulted in many US beaches being closed to fishing and swimming due to high fecal coliform levels in the water. I would not expect very high levels of entero-bacteria in the Abacos but one never really knows until one tests [at least] every month for a year, so as to record any sudden spikes.

Now can I get back to being my whacky old self? :)
-The Sturgeon General

[Beer Baron]

If I wade out a ways into the surf, is it still considered fishing from land, or would I need a license?

[CR]

No license required to wade, fish from beach, or dock.

Regards,
R.

[SamFamAustin]

Ah, that's my favorite kind of fishing although is different because of the many rocks and coral heads. I fish light gear but use Spectra(tm) braided line and a very heavy shock leader or even steel wire. On days when the waves are less than 1-2 feet, the fish can move in quite close. I'm not a pro at it but find it quite satisfying to drag one up on the beach and ponder whether to set it free. Just be careful of the tootsies! /sammie

[Beer Baron]

I'm hardly what you'd call an "experienced" angler. I'm more of a toss it in and drink some beers while I wait kinda fisherman. What type of test should my reel have on it? I'm guessing about 10-12 with the steel leader like you suggested. Should I go heavier for surf fishing?

I'll hope the reason I'm being careful is not that something might try to nibble one off, but that I might cut it on the coral...Please tell me it's the coral I'm worried about:eek:

[Henz]

yeah, you can do it and like sam said, better when it is calmer..Gotta get that cast way out there though!

[SamFamAustin]

What do you think ... I believe Willie catches baraccuda on a fly line but maybe going to about 17 pound test would be good because there are some big critters out there. That will allow a heavier bait to throw farther, as Henz says. Don't you hate it when you do a really nice cast and the bait goes FOOOM way out there ... and you notice there's no drag on the line? Where's my bait? Trust me, I feed the fish pretty darn well and don't keep but the really dumb ones I can figure out how to crank in.
sammie :rolleyes:

[CR]

BeerBaron,

I use spinning reels with 8 lb. test for Snapper, Trigger Fish, Grunts and the like and 15lb. test for Mutton Fish and small Grouper.
I don't use wire unless fishing for Cudas or Wahoo - but some do.
We catch Dolphin over 40 lbs. on 12 to 15 lb. test line on big spinning reels all the time.

If I can be of any assistance - just ask,

R.

[DrRalph]

Check out Fishing in Abaco (http://www.drralph.net/FishininAbaco2005.html).

[Beer Baron]

Sammie: I'll go with the 17Lb test. Nothing like the wide-eyed optimism of a newbie who doesn't know he can't catch fish that way...


Cool Site. Thanks, Doc!