Deep-sea fishing charter

Twenty miles north of St. Thomas the seabed falls from about 60 metres to more than 600 in under half a kilometre. That edge, the North Drop, pulls in bait and big fish, and it is why the island has been a blue marlin port since the 1960s. Most charter boats are based in Red Hook and Charlotte Amalie harbours, and some will collect anglers in Cruz Bay on St. John. A second shelf edge, the South Drop, lies 10 miles south of St. John and is closer.

What you fish for depends on the month. Blue marlin start showing on the South Drop in April, and the best North Drop bite runs from June to September, peaking the week after the August full moon. Big tiger and bull sharks patrol the drop and sometimes take a hooked marlin. Wahoo, mostly 30 to 50 pounds, are the winter fish, best in November and December and around into March. Mahi are around all year, with the largest in May and June, and tuna turn up some years and not others.

Boats run half, three-quarter and full days, the long days being the ones that go out to the marlin grounds. Winter swells from the north can make the ride out rough.