It's been a great 10 day stretch here at Extreme Fishing Puerto Rico. Lots of tarpon in the backcountry and lots of Blackfin Tuna off the edge. Fished a morning trip Friday April 20th with Russ & Clinton from Texas. They had a great trip going 6 for 12 on tarpon with Russ catching the largest one of about 30 to 35 pounds. I fished with them once again on the morning of the 21st and they were 5 for 11 on tarpon with Clinton taking the honors with a 25 pound silver king. I fished with Mark on the morning of April 22nd (also from Texas) and he was 5 for 11 on tarpon fishing solo! The largest one was around the 20 pound mark. Tuesday April 24th I headed to the dropoff with Javier from SunDay Bait & Tackle. We caught and/or released 24 Blackfin Tuna, one Skipjack Tuna, one False Albacore and a 32 pound smoker Kingfish!!! What a morning trip!!! Wednesday April 25th fished with Corey and his wife from Florida. They were 2 for 10 on tarpon but they lost a 40 pound tarpon near the boat and a 50 pounder on the jumps!!! Thursday April 26th I fished a morning trip with Chris from Florida. Chris is an excellent fly rod angler but to no avail… the tarpon were lock jawed all morning long and we could not make them bite!!! Friday April 27th fished a six hour morning trip with Rebecca and friend from the DC area. We were 10 for 22 on tarpon up to 25 pounds!!! What an awesome morning!!! We caught 5 tarpon in San Jose lagoon and 5 tarpon in Torrecilla lagoon! We still have some open dates available in May so come 'on down!!! Tight lines, Capt. Juan.
Calm seas and nice weather have started to show in the north coast of Puerto Rico these past few weeks. Picture perfect days have resulted in consistent tarpon action in the lagoons and awesome jigging action at the dropoff. Monday April 9th fished with Zach and his girlfriend from the DC area. They were 0 for 4 on tarpon and caught a 10 pound Jack crevalle. Tuesday April 10th fished with Ralph & Carol from Delaware in the afternoon and we had a great trip in San Jose lagoon. We ended up 6 for 15 on tarpon with Ralph releasing a 70 pound beauty on 15 pound test line! We caught two double headers late in the day to cap off a great trip. Wednesday April 11th fished with Tony & friends and they were 0 for 5 on tarpon, losing two right next to the boat! Friday April 13th I went off the dropoff with my good buddy Javier from SunDay Bait & Tackle for some vertical jigging. We caught a 35 pound Yellowfin Tuna, 14 Blackfin Tuna up to 15 pounds, and 2 Kingfish. We were back at the dock at 11:30 am!!! Monday April 16th fished in the afternoon with James from Illinois. We were 3 for 15 on tarpon in a fast & furious late bite! Wednesday April 18th fished in the morning with Jeremy and friends and they were 1 for 9 on tarpon. We lost a really nice 70 pounder after two spectacular jumps!!! Thursday April 19th went deep jigging with my good friend Rene from The Fresh Grill early in the morning. We caught two smoker Kingfish (32 & 20 pounds), 5 Blackfin Tuna, one rainbow runner, one false albacore and 2 sharks! In the afternoon I fished with Steve and his wife from upstate New York. They were 3 for 8 on tarpon up to 15 pounds. This morning fished with Russell and his friend from Texas. They had an awesome morning going 6 for 12 on tarpon up to 30 pounds. The fishing is great so come 'on down!!! Tight lines, Capt. Juan.
The tarpon bite in the lagoons has been a roller coaster ride as of late… One day they are snapping and the next they are not! Fished an afternoon trip on March 28th with Scott and his son and they were 1 for 6 on big tarpon with Scott releasing a healthy 60 pounder. His son lost a silver king in the 75 to 80 pound class just before sunset to end the trip with all of us shaking our heads!!! Thursday March 29th fished with Steve and his girlfriend in the afternoon. We had an awesome trip releasing 3 tarpon of 90, 75 and 40 pounds. We also lost another big one right at sunset!!! Friday March 30th fished an early morning trip with Ted and his wife. We hit the baby tarpon early and released two silver kings out of six bites. Later we tried for some big ones but lost two good bites from the bigger fish. We also fished a mid day trip with a big group from a convention but managed only one bite during a long and rainy trip! Saturday March 31st fished with Dan and his daughter and although the fishing was slow we managed to release two silver kings of 15 & 25 pounds out of four bites. Monday April 2nd fished all day with Kevin and Bill from Georgia. We fished off the reef in the morning so the guys would have something to take back for the grill that night. Eleven flag yellowtail snapper and one cero mackerel ended up in the box for dinner! In the afternoon we tarpon fished and were 1 for 3 releasing a fiesty 40 pounder. Tuesday April 3rd fished with Fred and his son but the tarpon pulled an April fool's joke and we managed only one bite which we lost. In the afternoon I fished with Kevin and his family from Chicago and we caught 10 small jack crevalle and one cero mackerel. A very slow day out on the water but yes it happens sometimes… Wednesday April 4th fished a morning trip with my good buddy Javier from SunDay Bait & Tackle. We jigged off the dropoff and caught 10 nice blackfin tuna! Sashimi!!! In the afternoon I fished with Amanda and her husband from Texas. They were 3 for 8 on tarpon up to 20 pounds. Thursday April 5th I fished a morning trip once again with Kevin and Bill. They had an awesome trip catching 8 tarpon out of 20 bites!!! The biggest was around 35 pounds and the boys had a blast!!! Fun trip with some really nice guys. Watusi!!! In the afternoon I fished with Mike and his family and we lost 3 nice tarpon, including a hog of over 90 pounds that cut us off under some boats near the inlet!!! Friday April 6th fished with Kevin and his family once again and they were 3 for 8 on baby tarpon and Kevin ended the trip the right way releasing a nice 25 pound Jack crevalle on 15 pound test line! That jack was a drag burning donkey!!! On a totally different note I was very sad to hear about the death of Captain Jose Wejebe. The sport fishing world has lost one of its premier figures and one that will never be replaced. Espero que esten picando en el otro lado mi amigo!!! Rest in peace my friend. Tight lines always, Capt. Juan Carlos Torruella.
The big tarpon bite is on!!! Lots of trips and lots of fish to report in this post. Monday March 19th fished in the afternoon with a pair of Jeffs from Minnesota. They were 9/20 on baby tarpon and they had a blast on light tackle! Tuesday March 20th fished the afternoon again with Scott & friends. They were 5 for 15 on baby tarpon fishing very light tackle. Wednesday March 21st fished the morning with Tim & sons from Minnesota. They were 0 for 7 on tarpon and caught 7 nice snook. More on the Doppler family later… Thursday March 22nd fished with Oliver who hailed from France. Oliver was 1 for 5 on tarpon releasing a 20 pounder on 12 pound test line. Friday March 23rd fished a morning trip with Joe & Gino from New Jersey. They were 1 for 9 on tarpon with Joe making the catch count with a nice 60 pound silver king. In the afternoon fished with Charles and Tina and they were 3 for 10 with Tina catching a fine 40 pounder. She also caught a fat 9 pound snook. Saturday March 24th fished with Christina and her party of four. We were 3 for 10 with her husband catching a nice 50 pounder! He also lost an 80 pounder that cut us off under the mangroves!!! Monday March 26th was a very good day. Fished the morning with Sylvaine from Quebec and he was 1 for 4 on tarpon catching an awesome 100 pound plus tarpon!!! In the afternoon fished with the Doppler family once again in the afternoon. Tim started things off with a nice 45 pounder. Scratch that tarpon off the bucket list!!! Then 12 year old Michael released a 25 pounder on 15 pound test line. Next 18 year old David released a nice 75 pound silver king on 25 pound test line. Mike then got into it once again with an acrobatic 80 pounder on 15 pound test line. After a 50 minute we lost the fish at boatside with the leader in hand!!! Yes Mike caught the fish but we wanted a picture!!! The guys ended up going 4 for 7 on tarpon. Great fishing with some great people!!! Tuesday March 27th fished a morning trip with Scott & son from Illinois. They were 0 for 5 on big tarpon loosing a nice 75 pounder just before we got it to the boat! In the afternoon I fished with George and his son Chris from Minnesota. They were 2 for 8 on tarpon with George catching an 85 pounder and Chris catching a 45 pounder. The big fish are in so it's time to get down and fish in Puerto Rico!!! Tight lines, Capt. Juan.
More solid tarpon and snook action in San Jose lagoon. Wednesday March 7th fished a morning trip with Steve and his brother from Boston. They had a great morning going 4 for 12 on tarpon! Steve caught a nice 60 pounder on 15 pound test line while his brother caught a 100 pound beauty on 25 pound test line!!! Thursday March 8th fished a morning trip with John & Jerry from Texas. They were 1 for 5 on tarpon with Jerry catching a sporty 30 pounder on 10 pound test line. Jerry also added a 12 pound snook for good measure! Friday March 9th fished once again in the morning with John & Jerry but the bite shut down and we managed only one tarpon bite which unfortunately got away. March 10th fished a local tarpon tournament with Pedro Pons and his guests. We had two 9 year old anglers on the rod and managed 9 tarpon bites during the day. We could only manage one release for junior angler Raul but that fish won him the best junior angler award of the tournament. We lost several good fish on light tackle, including a 70 pounder that chewed through a lite fluorocarbon leader!!! Fished monday, tuesday & wednesday with Dave and his friends from Boston. They finished the trip with 7 tarpon and 12 snook caught & released. We logged 33 tarpon bites during the 3 days of fishing, but with clear water we used 25 and 30 pound leaders so we had a lot of fish chew through and manage to get away. The guys were fun to fish with and I know they will be back again!!! Also fished with Josh & Jessica from Florida on the afternoon of the 12th and we were 1 for 7 on tarpon with Josh catching a nice 30 pounder. Thursday March 15th in the morning I fished with Rick & Tyler and we were 1 for 5 on tarpon and caught 4 snook. Rick caught a nice 50 pound tarpon on 12 pound test line and Tyler lost a really big one after two jumps. Fished in the afternoon with Paul & his family from Texas. We were 1 for 2 on tarpon with Paul catching his first tarpon! Moon is comming down and the big ones are starting to show up so things should get interesting. Tight lines, Capt. Juan.
This morning at San Jose lagoon!!!
Early & late bites were the keys to last week's fishing. Tuesday Feb. 28th fished a morning trip with Mike and Dave from Vermont. Dave fly fished all morning and got four tarpon to chase his fly but unfortunately he could not hook up. Mike saved the morning with an acrobatic 15 pounder caught on light spin tackle. March 1st fished a morning trip with Jeff and his good friends from Minnesota. Action was hot early and we landed 2 tarpon out of 10 bites. Lost several fish to broken leaders and pulled some off as well. There were huge schools of tarpon in San Jose lagoon early in the morning. In the afternoon I fished with Mike from Pennsylvania. Mike was 2 for 8 on tarpon catching fish up to 15 pounds. Friday March 2nd fished a morning trip with Jason & Henry from New York. Action was fast and furious early and we even caught a triple-header of tarpon!!! We ended the trip 5 for 9 on tarpon up to 25 pounds and caught 9 snook up to 8 pounds. Sunday March 4th fished a late morning trip with local angler Jose and his three grandsons. We fished for baby tarpon along the mangroves and ended up catching 2 tarpon and 2 barracudas. Had at least 15 baby tarpon bites with my 7 & 8 year old anglers! This morning I fished with Shawn and his wife from Alabama. They were 4 for 8 on tarpon and caught 7 snook. Action was once again fast & furious early in San Jose lagoon. We still have some dates available in March so give us a call! Tight lines, Capt. Juan.
Windy conditions have kept us off the reefs but the tarpon and snook bite has been very consistent. Wednesday Feb. 22nd fished an afternoon trip with my good friend Tony Luscombe, his wife and his grandaughter. They were 2 for 8 on tarpon with 10 year old Veronica catching her first tarpon and Grandmother Neti catching a nice 25 pound silver king on 10 pound test line. We also caught 4 small snook that afternoon. Thursday Feb. 23rd fished a morning trip with Dave and Sabrina from the DC area. They were 3 for 8 catching baby tarpon up to 15 pounds. Dave jumped a 35 pounder early in the morning but it threw the hook! In the afternoon I fished once again with the Luscombe family and they were 1 for 9 on tarpon and caught two really nice snook. Veronica caught another tarpon and an 8 pound snook while Tony caught a nice 12 pound snook as well. We lost three tarpon to broken leaders and jumped off several more. Spent this weekend with my son so no fishing but we did participate in our club's cleaning of the Mangrove shorelines on sunday Feb. 26th. We and the other volunteers really worked hard and got the place really looking good!!! Come 'on down, the big fish are arriving and it loks like it's going to be a great season!!! Tight lines, Capt. Juan. www.extremefishingpuertorico.com
Sorry for the delay between blogs but thank God we have been extremely busy!!! Started off wednesday Feb. 8th with Donald and his son fishing an afternoon trip. We were 1 for 6 on tarpon and caught 10 snook (one on fly). Thursday Feb. 9th fished an afternoon trip with Josh & friends from Minnesota. They were 1 for 5 on tarpon and caught 5 snook up to 8 pounds. We lost a nice 60 pound tarpon that got tip wrapped at boatside and broke the line! Fished the afternoon of Feb. 11th with Galdo and his party of three. We were 3 for 6 on tarpon, catching one double-header. Frank & Zach joined me on Feb. 14th for a morning trip. The tarpon were in a Valentine's mood and we were 10 out 20+ bites!!! We also caught 18 snook up top 7 pounds. A great morning with some great guys! Wednesday Feb. 15th fished in the morning with John & his wife from New York. They were 5 for 11 on tarpon and caught 6 snook. In the afternoon I fished with Chelsea and JB from Delaware. They had an awesome time going 5 for 15 on tarpon and catching 13 snook! Thursday Feb. 16th fished with Matt & Dan on a morning trip. We were 4 for 12 on tarpon with Matt releasing 3 tarpon up to 30 pounds and Dan releasing a 50 pounder on 10 pound test line! They also caught 13 snook up to 8 pounds! Friday Feb. 17th fished with Dex and his buddies from Texas. The tarpon shut down that morning and we were 0/4 on tarpon and caught 5 small snook. Worked my ass off but could not get the damn fish to bite that morning!!! And the tarpon being tarpon went off like gangbusters in the afternoon… Fished with Brooks and his 9 year old son and 4 year old daughter that afternoon and we caught 11 tarpon up to 20 pounds out of 14 bites!!! The tarpon put on a show and we had a great hook-up ratio that afternoon. Saturday Feb. 18th fished in the morning with Andre and Zach from Canada. We were 2 for 8 on tarpon with Zach catching his first tarpon! Sunday Feb. 19th fished with Vincent and friends and the tarpon got lock jawed once again… We were 0 for 4 in a very frustrating morning for this captain. In the afternoon I fished with Arvind & friends from New York. They got the best of the bite catching a 75 pound tarpon out of 5 tarpon bites!!! We also lost a 90 pounder after a 15 minute fight! Monday Feb. 20th was a very busy day and we ran 3 trips. In the morning I fished with Tom from NYC and he was 1 for 5 on tarpon and caught a nice 7 pound snook. The second trip I fished with Jake and friends and we were 3 for 8 on tarpon up to 15 pounds. The last trip I fished with Scott & friends from Maine. The bite slacked off but we were 1 for 3 on tarpon releasing a 25 pounder. We also caught a small snook as well. If you are keeping track that's 48 tarpon and 73 snook released in 15 trips!!! Come 'on down they are biting!!! Lots of trips coming up in the peak of our tourist season so we will keep you posted. Tight lines, Capt. Juan.
