Bubba Bottom Fishing in St. Martin

[tinaka]

Ok...I've searched and the only posts I've found about this tour are a few years old and very limited information. I'll probably cross-post in the Ports of Call section as well, but I know that isn't seen by as many people.

 

My brother-in-law is thinking about the Bubba Bottom Fishing excursion in St. Martin and was wondering if anyone had any positive or negative feedback. Or if anyone has any recommendations on chartering a private fishing boat in St. Thomas or St. Martin.

[lddam]

My wife and I went fishing on Bubba's boat last year when we were on the Solstice. All in all, we had a great time. Bubba furnishes everything you need and the two-man crew was fantastic. Not only did they help with everything, but they kept us in stitches. Both of them obviously enjoyed what they were doing and also enjoyed interacting with visitors to the island. If you've ever done salt-water drift fishing on a party boat, the experience is very much like that. One big plus for us was that Bubba's boat has a good sized canopy over most of the boat which allowed us to fish and still be in the shade.

 

Best summary of our experience..."I'd do it again."

[imsulin]

My wife and I went fishing on Bubba's boat last year when we were on the Solstice. All in all, we had a great time. Bubba furnishes everything you need and the two-man crew was fantastic. Not only did they help with everything, but they kept us in stitches. Both of them obviously enjoyed what they were doing and also enjoyed interacting with visitors to the island. If you've ever done salt-water drift fishing on a party boat, the experience is very much like that. One big plus for us was that Bubba's boat has a good sized canopy over most of the boat which allowed us to fish and still be in the shade.

 

Best summary of our experience..."I'd do it again."

 

So - what did you do with the fish you caught?

[dickens56]

My husband and i did this excursion a few years ago. It was a waste of money. My husband is a fisherman and as soon as he saw the fishing equipment he knew it wasn't going to be great. They told me the small fish I caught was a grouper. I thought my husband was going to die laughing. There was only 4 of us on the boat. What does that tell you? If you want to go for a boat ride, I guess it is fine.

[mwoody1967]

Wondering the same question.

[lddam]

So - what did you do with the fish you caught?

 

They either kept them or we released. All except the "lunker" that was hit by a barracuda just as it was being brought to the surface. That one the barracuda kept.;)

 

Apparently, the above poster was dissatisfied with Bubba, and each is entitled to his/her opinion. I don't know what they expected, and I'm sorry they were disappointed. Before we booked Bubba, I did the same as you are now doing...I asked about the excursion on these boards, and knew what to expect. Drift fishing is drift fishing. You board the boat, go out to the reef, set your lines, drift across the reef and wait. As I said, it's very similar to any party boat experience available in any number of places near salt water. Maybe the above poster expected a "deep sea fishing" excursion complete with outriggers and trolling for "the big ones", and if so, I can understand the disappointment. All I can do is iterate that WE had a great time, and I'd still do it again.

[tinaka]

I received 2 reviews on the RCI boards...

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=23960958#post23960958

 

I'm thinking the second person was in fact looking for a "deep sea fishing" experience.

 

I found a link to a deep sea fishing charter in St. Thomas, but it's $600 for 4 hours (6 person max). My DH is looking into, since his BIL is a big fisherman and probably wouldn't be into the drift fishing.

 

I don't have the link bookmarked on this computer, but can post it tomorrow, if you want it.

[imsulin]

They either kept them or we released. All except the "lunker" that was hit by a barracuda just as it was being brought to the surface. That one the barracuda kept.;)

 

Apparently, the above poster was dissatisfied with Bubba, and each is entitled to his/her opinion. I don't know what they expected, and I'm sorry they were disappointed. Before we booked Bubba, I did the same as you are now doing...I asked about the excursion on these boards, and knew what to expect. Drift fishing is drift fishing. You board the boat, go out to the reef, set your lines, drift across the reef and wait. As I said, it's very similar to any party boat experience available in any number of places near salt water. Maybe the above poster expected a "deep sea fishing" excursion complete with outriggers and trolling for "the big ones", and if so, I can understand the disappointment. All I can do is iterate that WE had a great time, and I'd still do it again.

 

Thanks for the explanation, Iddam! I know squat about fishing, although we ate a lot of Dad's trout. I was just wondering if this was a Catch and Release thing. Now, if you're really interested, I have a beautiful stuffed and mounted Blue Marlin that DH caught (with help) during a chartered deep-sea trip in 1981 when we rented a beautiful villa with private pool in Manzanillo, Mexico. That trip and fish cost thousands, but I'll sell it to you for $1 plus shipping. I'll even remove decades worth of dust. :)

[lddam]

Thanks for the explanation, Iddam! I know squat about fishing, although we ate a lot of Dad's trout. I was just wondering if this was a Catch and Release thing. Now, if you're really interested, I have a beautiful stuffed and mounted Blue Marlin that DH caught (with help) during a chartered deep-sea trip in 1981 when we rented a beautiful villa with private pool in Manzanillo, Mexico. That trip and fish cost thousands, but I'll sell it to you for $1 plus shipping. I'll even remove decades worth of dust. :)

 

Thanks for the offer, but I think I'll pass on the marlin. I'm essentially a fresh water fisherman, and my pride and joy is a five and a half pound smallmouth bass I caught on a fly rod. That excursion only cost me the price of a quarter tank of gas as the bass pond was only a few miles away from my home. There's an old saying about fishing that is near and dear to my heart....."The gods do not deduct from man's allotted time those hours spent in fishing." At this rate, I ought to live to be 120.

 

Happy sailing,... and tell your husband that when it comes to fishing, it's not the catching that's important, but the going.:D

[imsulin]

Thanks for the offer, but I think I'll pass on the marlin. I'm essentially a fresh water fisherman, and my pride and joy is a five and a half pound smallmouth bass I caught on a fly rod. That excursion only cost me the price of a quarter tank of gas as the bass pond was only a few miles away from my home. There's an old saying about fishing that is near and dear to my heart....."The gods do not deduct from man's allotted time those hours spent in fishing." At this rate, I ought to live to be 120.

 

Happy sailing,... and tell your husband that when it comes to fishing, it's not the catching that's important, but the going.:D

 

Love your posts, Iddam! That marlin is now going for 50 cents, and I'll pay for the shipping, as DH is no more. I always hated that thing! I'm from Colorado, so grew up with trout (which Dad and brothers loved catching. I cried when those fish were bopped over the head). I now live in the Deep South, and my step-dad has three privately stocked ponds with bass, crappies, and catfish. We also have tons of rivers, so come on down! You'll not find me near any water except our private swimming pool, and I'm too cheap to pay for the over-priced condos at our beaches. We are also infiltrated by Bass Pro.

 

BTW - spent many pleasant summers on Lake George in Ticonderoga, NY with aunt and uncle...about a hundred years ago. We didn't fish, but went swimming and water-skiing.

[lddam]

I now live in the Deep South, and my step-dad has three privately stocked ponds with bass, crappies, and catfish.

 

Now I'm really jealous.

 

When my in-laws had a place on Ballston Lake, we used to drive up to Lake George quite often, and usually made it a point to visit Fort Ti at least once a season. Pretty part of the country.

[imsulin]

Now I'm really jealous.

 

When my in-laws had a place on Ballston Lake, we used to drive up to Lake George quite often, and usually made it a point to visit Fort Ti at least once a season. Pretty part of the country.

 

Aunt and Uncle have lived in Ticonderoga for many, many years, and when I was a kid (Army Brat), we visited as often as we could. I went to a dorky day camp called "Wee Woozles" with my cousins. I'm retired, so you can imagine the decades that have passed! Great memories of upstate NY and New England! Worked for a couple of years at a Girls' camp in Maine while in college. I'm a Southern "transplant", and am still trying to acclimate, but the fresh-water fishing is really good. (I'm the only neighbor with no boat or fishing gear of any kind). Check out Southern fresh-water fishing. Pontoon boats and large-mouth bass are the "thing" down here. I have a non-pontoon Honda and a large mouth eleven-year-old Cocker Spaniel.

[slee14]

Ok...I've searched and the only posts I've found about this tour are a few years old and very limited information. I'll probably cross-post in the Ports of Call section as well, but I know that isn't seen by as many people.

 

My brother-in-law is thinking about the Bubba Bottom Fishing excursion in St. Martin and was wondering if anyone had any positive or negative feedback. Or if anyone has any recommendations on chartering a private fishing boat in St. Thomas or St. Martin.

 

My husband and friend are also wanting to find a Head boat to fish when our cruise ship arrives there the last week of February. Please let me know if you hear anything back in response to Bubba Bottom Fishing Excursion or any info on Head Boats or Charters. Thanks, Susan

[gtaylor]

My husband and friend are also wanting to find a Head boat to fish when our cruise ship arrives there the last week of February. Please let me know if you hear anything back in response to Bubba Bottom Fishing Excursion or any info on Head Boats or Charters. Thanks, Susan

 

I don't know anything about Bottom Fishing, but please note that the message that you quote in your post is from April 2010.

 

gary

[cjackso8]

"The gods do not deduct from man's allotted time those hours spent in fishing."

 

This brought a huge smile to my face. I have a lot of fishermen in my family, and many more whom I consider friends. I'm glad to have stumbled across this old post. :)