RETURN TO THE NORTH DROP

A once-familiar destination is making a real comeback

- By SAM WHITE

Every sport has its hallowed ground, its must-see destination. Lambeau. Wrigley. Augusta. Daytona. For blue marlin fishing, it's the North Drop. This roughly 12-mile stretch of undulating Caribbean seabed-where the east-to-west Puerto Rico Trench takes a 90-degree elbow to the north just above the Virgin Islands-quickly earned a reputation in the early days for offering the most consistent blue marlin fishing this side of the Panama Canal. Visiting boats made it an annual pilgrimage every year, reliably returning to fish the days before and after the full moons from July through October.

"WE LOVE FISHING THE NORTH DROPAND HAVE FOR A LONG TIME FOR A LOT OF REASONS, BUT MOSTLY IT'S THE CONSISTENT BITE."

Ask any passionate blue marlin enthusiast captain, angler or mate-about their favorite part of the game, and nearly every one of them will say it's the bite. For reasons known only to the fish themselves, in the days leading up to the moon, the fish on the Drop seem to crash baits and teasers with an amplified fury and a reckless abandon that's just not consistently found in other destinations. After the moon, they can turn a bit lazy, but when it's on, it's an incredible sight to witness. When the conditions are right, it's a full-on omigod-there-he-is bite.

IN THE BEGINNING