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| Prime Time in Provo |
| Though Grand Turk hosts the seat of government of this British overseas territory, about 85 percent of the islands’ 15,000 permanent residents call Providenciales home. Affectionately nicknamed "Provo," the island hosts an international airport, Club Med and several other all-inclusive resorts, numerous hotels, condos, and restaurants and, of utmost importance to the marlin-minded, Turtle Cove Marina. |
| Dec 3, 2001 |
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By Andy Hahn (More articles by this author)
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| Andy Hahn |
Close your eyes and imagine the perfect offshore fishing destination. First of all, this place would have to offer plenty of shots at billfish. The shorter the run to find ‘em, the better. Shorebound amenities would include a choice of accommodations ranging from luxurious to practical, with restaurants to match. And while we’re at it, why not ask for long stretches of uncrowded white-sand beaches bordering sparkling turquoise waters to enjoy with the family?
Stop dreaming and open your eyes: You’ll find all this and more in the Turks and Caicos Islands, just a 90-minute flight from Miami.
Caribbean Secret
If you’ve never heard of the Turks and Caicos, you’re not alone. I confess that I had to study a map to visualize the precise location when planning my visit. Running my finger southeast of Florida and reaching the end of the Bahamas chain, I found the islands about 90 miles due north of the Dominican Republic.
Here, the Caicos Bank rises sharply from the ocean floor to create a cluster of 41 islands surrounded by the world’s third-longest barrier reef. The combination of dramatic subsurface structure and exceptionally clear water puts the Turks and Caicos among the world’s premier dive destinations, with a descent along the wall off Grand Turk Island topping the ''must-do'' list of all avid divers.
Though Grand Turk hosts the seat of government of this British overseas territory, about 85 percent of the islands’ 15,000 permanent residents call Providenciales home. Affectionately nicknamed ''Provo,'' the island hosts an international airport, Club Med and several other all-inclusive resorts, numerous hotels, condos, and restaurants and, of utmost importance to the marlin-minded, Turtle Cove Marina.
Stroll down to the slips behind the Turtle Cove Inn and Tiki Hut bar and grill, and you’ll find Provo’s resident marlin maniac, Capt. Geoff Adams. The 38-year-old expatriate Texan once lived the fast-track lifestyle, directing his own investment firm and pursuing billfish in Mexico and the Caribbean. Then, on an impulse (and upon receiving a reasonable offer), he sold the business six years ago and began living his dream. Rather than fighting to stay afloat while navigating the stock market’s murky, turbulent waters, Adams now trolls the sheltered seas in Provo’s lee.
Once Adams had gained enough experience both in the cockpit and at the helm of Gwendolyn, he established Gwendolyn Fishing Charters. Four years of plying these waters in his 45-foot Hatteras have made Adams an outspoken proponent of his home turf. ''Provo is the Rodney Dangerfield of the Caribbean,'' he says. ''It gets no respect because nobody’s heard of it.''
Nothing irks Adams more than seeing nearby, high-profile destinations get attention from the angling press while his beloved backyard fishery remains obscure. He’s beginning to take it personally. ''Many fishermen see the Turks and Caicos only as a fuel stop on the way to Puerto Rico or St. Thomas. They should spend more time here to get to know what Provo really has to offer rather than hurrying off to reach destinations that are often crowded and costly,'' he says.
And Provo offers plenty. First, getting here requires no intricate logistics. Daily flights on major airlines arrive from Miami and Atlanta; flights serve Boston and New York several times per week. Or bring your own boat on an island-hopping adventure. Art Pickering, a Florida native who moved to Provo more than 30 years ago, highly recommends coming to the Turks and Caicos under your own power. ''It’s a beautiful trip,'' he says. ''Coming through the Bahamas, the longest open-water stretch is only about 50 miles. Allow plenty of time to get here because you’ll want to stop off at many gorgeous islands along the way.''
Upon reaching Provo, transient boats find a full-service marina at Turtle Cove. ''We can accommodate up to 105 boats and offer standard amenities, such as fuel, electric, water and TV hookups,'' says Frederick ''Boots'' Ludington, president of Provident Ltd., the firm that owns Turtle Cove. Construction will begin soon on a new office building that will include showers and laundry facilities, as well as phone and Internet access for guests, he adds.
Reef Running
Don’t worry about early wake-up calls and sneaking out of the channel in predawn darkness to reach the fishing grounds for the morning bite. Anglers can drop the riggers and put out baits within spitting distance of Turtle Cove. ''The barrier reef lies about a mile and a half offshore. Just outside the reef, depths drop abruptly from 200 feet to more than 7,000. It’s a tremendous wall in the middle of the ocean, and that’s what makes the fishing so good here,'' explains Chip Carreau, a commercial pilot who three years ago left the stress of working for an airline in the States and now flies for a commuter air service in Provo. In his spare time, Carreau rides along on Gwendolyn to give Adams a (deck)hand and enjoy a day on the water. ''Running from the dock to the fishing grounds only takes about 20 minutes - at trolling speed!'' he says.
While standing on the beach, one can look out and clearly see waves break over the reef, delineating a treacherous boundary between turquoise shallows and the dizzying cobalt depths beyond. ''Two miles out is not too close to find blues,'' says Adams. ''I often find myself trolling less than 1,000 yards from boats full of divers, but they’re jumping into 60 feet of water and I’m running in 9,000.''
Adams takes a no-frills, if-it-ain’t-broke-don’t-fix-it approach to marlin fishing because many of his anglers are novices who wouldn’t be able to perform the bait-and-switch. Gwendolyn typically pulls a four-lure spread (Adams favors Pakula Rat and Mouse models in pink/orange/black) on Shimano Tiagra 80s and Chaos custom bent-butt rods.
''I troll at a fast clip to cover as much water as possible,'' says Adams. ''Marlin cruise along the reef like hungry patrons lining up for a buffet. Rather than expending energy chasing down tuna, blues can gorge on fish that the outgoing tide pulls off the reef. When I examine stomachs of marlin killed in tournaments here, they always contain triggerfish and other reef dwellers.''
This apparent dietary preference, along with the absence of larger forage fish, dictates the use of marlin lures measuring 10 to 12 inches. Flying fish abound in the area, but Adams notes that dolphin and small tuna make themselves scarce when big blue bombers start to rock the reef. ''I see lots of dolphin and tuna in the winter and spring, but when they disappear, I know the marlin have arrived,'' he says.
The boys in blue start trickling into Provo toward late spring. ''From May through October, I fish strictly for marlin,'' says Adams. ''The best, most consistent action usually occurs in June, July and August. In peak season, anglers typically get shots at four to six blues per day. Sometimes we get covered up; I once raised 12 marlin in a day.''
Shawn Langbehn has spent much of the past seven years in Provo, working as mate on Debbie Ann, a private boat. Hailing from Delaware, Langbehn’s extensive sport-fishing career includes experience along the entire U.S. East Coast, Cuba and throughout the Caribbean. ''For fishing, the Turks and Caicos rank right up there with better-known destinations,'' he says. ''We have an excellent marlin season, averaging four or more shots per day at blues in the 150- to 200-pound class. In May and June and again in September, we see more fish in the 500-pound range.''
Dreams and Nightmares
Although he’s enjoying the kind of life that many can only fantasize about - running a charter boat on an idyllic tropical island - Adams admits that ''along with the dream come a few nightmares.'' Ironically, the lack of fishing pressure sometimes proves a disadvantage.
''We’ve yet to test the boundaries of the fishery in the Turks and Caicos. For example, you have many boats working a small area over the North Drop off St. Thomas. They know every inch of it. But here we have hundreds of square miles of fishable waters that have never seen a bait. On a normal day, only one or two boats troll off Provo. That makes it tough to know exactly what kind of fishery we have,'' he says.
Adams suffered through his worst nightmare during my visit in late June. Some skippers feel that having a journalist aboard jinxes the boat; imagine the bad-luck double whammy two camera-packing editors traveling in tandem conjure. The writer’s curse stayed with Sport Fishing’s Dan Lindley and me, forming a black cloud over Gwendolyn for five straight days as we tagged along with Adams’ charter clients.
Despite the best efforts of Adams and his mate Tony, we could not buy a solid hookup. Several close calls provoked adrenaline surges, such as when a feisty 125-pounder popped the right rigger clip and went airborne before tossing the hook. Adding to Adams’ frustration, each day we watched nearby boats backing down on marlin. On one occasion, a boat hooked up immediately after passing through Gwendolyn’s wake. But our good-natured skipper took it well, keeping spirits up because fish were obviously in the area.
Perhaps we should have extended our stay on the island. (Or perhaps Adams breathed a sigh of relief when Lindley and I caught a taxi to the airport.) Adams later sent me an e-mail, tallying his results for the first two weeks of July: He raised 27 blues and released 11, including a 300-pounder and one over 500.
The Caicos Cup tournament (July 5Ð10) saw 10 boats catch 27 blues in four days of fishing. Aquasition, skippered by Capt. Randy McCoy with mate Tommy Lorenzo, took first place with a 405-pounder and a 348-pounder, the only two fish killed in the competition. ''Two or three shots per day make for great fishing. We had 14 shots during the tournament’s four days,'' says an enthusiastic Lorenzo.
Capt. Jack Plachter brought the Sorry Dear to Provo for the tourney, releasing one blue out of six opportunities during the event. ''I’ve been coming to the Turks and Caicos for six years. It offers the best fishing you’ll find within easy range of Florida,'' he says. ''A couple of days after the tourney we enjoyed a four-for-four day. We left the dock at 9 and had our first release by 9:30!''
Winter Wahoo
As marlin season winds down, Adams stows the Pakula lures and breaks out the Yo-Zuri Bonitas and Billy Baits jetheads. ''We have world-class wahoo fishing from November through April. The best months are January, February and March, though December’s not bad at all,'' he says. ''Each season, I catch six or seven 100-plus-pound wahoo. The island record stands at 140 pounds.''
Trolling five lines at 10 to 12 knots, Adams keeps Gwendolyn parallel to the reef in depths of 200 to 300 feet, typically scoring a mixed bag of yellowfin tuna and hefty ‘hoos. Bountiful fishing offers consistent action right at the marina’s doorstep. ''A half-day charter normally yields 20 to 25 bites. Along with wahoo, we catch yellowfin averaging 50 pounds and occasional white marlin and sailfish. That’s another untapped fishery here,'' he says.
''Even though I use 50-pound tackle, we sometimes have problems getting whole tuna to the boat because sharks prowl the reef,'' says Adams. ''I’ve boated a couple of 100-pound tuna heads. The island record is 160 pounds, but the largest yellowfin I’ve managed to gaff intact weighed 98 pounds.''
Looking for a bone to pick prior to heading offshore in search of blues? Provo’s low-lying terrain holds flats and shallow lagoons, such as Turtle Lake and Chalk Sound, where bonefish cruise for crustaceans. Early-rising anglers can stalk the silver speedsters - mostly 5- to 7-pounders - with spinning or fly rods while tiptoeing through knee-deep water.
Put Provo on your list of ''must-do'' offshore destinations. Adams welcomes both veteran and novice anglers. In fact, the island’s rare package of calm waters, short runs to the fishing grounds and abundance of billfish makes it the perfect place for rookies to target their first blue marlin. Your visit should allow time to relax and enjoy the beaches in this tropical paradise. And pack light when you go. As Adams says, ''The only worries in the Turks and Caicos are the ones you bring with you.''
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