How a quick trip to the Bahamas shed light on a budding new chapter in this popular destination

By Jack Vitek

Although winters in South Florida are anything but brutal, following a busy 2026 Miami International Boat Show, I found myself with a serious case of cabin fever. Between the holidays, family obligations and a myriad of various distractions, I hadn’t been offshore in months. I had missed sailfish season entirely. So, when the opportunity arose for a last-minute trip to the Abacos aboard the Sonny Boy with some old friends—and I received reluctant clearance from La Jefa at home—I booked a flight before the kids could get sick or my wife changed her mind.

As the trip approached and weather appeared to be lining up, I was stoked. Old friends. Two days on the water to shake off the rust. But there was also something else. I’ve been fishing the Abacos for nearly 20 years. Winter there, historically, meant one thing: wahoo. Cold mornings and fishing along the edge. Wire leaders and Z-wings. But over the last several years, I’d been hearing and seeing more and more about a winter billfish bite off the Abacos. Years ago, while wahoo fishing in January aboard Sonny Boy, we caught and released a small blue marlin on the edge and laughed it off as a chance occurrence. Fast-forward to today, and this once prolific wahoo time slot has become increasingly popular with some of the top billfish tournament teams on the circuit.

So yes, this was a friend’s trip and a good pre-season shakedown to get the rust off. But it was also a research mission. And unexpectedly, it turned into one of the more educational trips I’ve made in years—both in terms of the fishery and the technology reshaping how we approach it.

Old Friends, New Season

I caught a quick Thursday evening flight from PBI to Marsh Harbor with Sonny Boy owner Harry Rusbridge. We were scooped up at the airport by Capt. Erik Lorentzen, and then shot across the Sea of Abaco aboard their 32 SeaVee, The Little Boat, before arriving on Elbow Cay.

I met Harry’s son, Patrick, in school nearly two decades ago. We became fast friends, and over the past 20-plus years we’ve chased fish across the globe—from the Bahamas to the Gulf,  and even to Russia on a salmon trip that still deserves its own feature. But no matter where I travel, time aboard Sonny Boy—with Pat, Harry and Erik—always feels like home. Of all the teams I’ve had the pleasure of fishing with, this program has been the most formative in my development as an angler.

We arrived too late that evening for the afternoon spearfishing and mutton snapper fishing session, which was a bummer. While I don’t do it often, I absolutely love free diving in the clear, shallow waters of the Bahamas. But luckily for me, my buddies had braved the frigid 70-degree water to spear a few lobster and also trolled up two quality muttons without me. The night was filled with good food, plenty of laughs, and just enough anticipation to make sleep difficult.

Day One: The Edge Is Alive

Flat seas and a light southerly greeted us at daybreak. We cleared White Sound, and the twin MTUs on the 64-foot Viking pushed us north past North Bar at over 40 knots. Before committing offshore, we slid down the edge and boxed a 20-pound wahoo after investing about 45 minutes. Old habits die hard, and who doesn’t love fresh wahoo? Well worth it in my opinion.

Then we pointed east. And while my forecast was confirmed as we made our way across the flat water, what I didn’t expect offshore was the traffic. We definitely weren’t alone. And it wasn’t long before our headsets crackled with the muffled VHF chatter of boats releasing fish. The winter bite wasn’t a rumor.

Our spread for the day, and for the entirety of the time we targeted billfish, consisted of two dredges, two squid teasers from the bridge, two swimming ballyhoo behind the teasers on the flat lines, and then two skirted ballyhoo fished from the riggers. We fished Shimano Tiagra 30s, 80-pound leader, and medium-sized ballyhoo to match the smaller billfish that had been reported. We also had a pair of Tiagra 50s and Spanish mackerel ready to pitch, should a more sizeable fish appear.

An hour in, we marked a solid target on the Omni. Moments later, a blue marlin materialized on the right teaser, faded, then crashed the right long—my rod. After a quick drop-back, I was tight. The fish made a solid first run but didn’t jump, staying down the entire fight. Five minutes later we had the leader and caught a glimpse of the feisty, small blue marlin before cutting it free. Man, it sure felt good to be back doing this.

Less than 20 minutes later, another mark turned into my old buddy Bryan’s first ever blue marlin—a perfect 100-pounder that greyhounded across the flat blue sea, putting on a show for the Colorado resident. Later that afternoon, after making a strategic five-mile move, my other good friend “Georgia Mike” added a white marlin to the tally (can you guess where he is from?). Capt. Erik pushed us inshore searching for a sail to complete the slam, but it wasn’t meant to be.

Back at the boat house that evening, a delicious platter of cracked conch, rice and peas, coleslaw and a healthy dose of scotch bonnet sauce provided the proverbial “icing on the cake” after a stellar day of going 2/3 on blue marlin and 1/1 on white, along with a small mahi and wahoo for the box.

Day Two: Omni Immersion

The second morning we headed south out of Tilloo Cut, targeting a promising 74- to 77-degree temperature break. Spirits on board were even amplified by our success on the first day, and the addition of an unexpected guest that we were all excited to have join us – Martin Tolfseen, the Product Manager from Simrad by Kongsberg. Martin had flown in all the way from Norway to work with Capt. Erik on their newly installed Simrad SY50 omni, where he could fine-tune the machine and also bring Erik up to speed on the latest functionality.

Built by Kongsberg and marketed under the Simrad banner, the SY50 is a high-frequency, long-range omni-directional sonar capable of deploying multiple beams, at different angles, to provide a comprehensive coverage of your target.

The real leap forward, however, is the new AI-driven “virtual operator.” The system automatically adjusts tilt and range based on depth, speed and conditions, effectively acting as a second set of expert hands on the dial. It identifies and tracks targets, filters clutter and presents captains with clearer data in real time. For a crew like Sonny Boy—already highly proficient with omni—the upgrade feels less like a gadget and more like a force multiplier. The real test will come during tournament season, when Martin is back in Norway and we’re facing up against some of the top teams.

For me, the omni technology only continues to get more interesting. We saw it work firsthand throughout the trip. Marks turned into bites. Bites turned into releases. And when the action was slow, it gave us the knowledge and confidence to make a move without leaving fish. We finished the second day going 2/2 on blues, and raised additional fish we couldn’t convert. Nothing record-breaking, but any day you can release multiple blue marlin is a “win” in my book. Not to mention the immersive education in omni sonar I received as well.

That said, and quite ironically, the first bite of the second day “snuck in” undetected and crashed the teaser before the Omni picked it up—a fact we made sure Martin didn’t forget and that I felt obliged to include in this article. Even the best technology still requires a sharp crew.

A New Chapter for an Old Fishery

Riding back into White Sound on our final afternoon felt premature. Two days are never enough. Selfishly, having hooked several fish, I felt I was on a bit of a “heater” and didn’t want it to stop. But as we idled into the slip, the bigger picture came into focus.

The Abacos have always been synonymous with a late spring and early summer season. That’s the traditional window when all the tournaments are held and the big fish show up. But what we’re witnessing now is the expansion of that narrative.

More boats are showing up earlier each year. Programs that once waited for tournament season are now targeting winter temperature breaks and current edges. And speaking of tournaments, both Skip Smith and Jamie Bunn have announced earlier dates this year, beginning as early as March. The docks at Sea Spray and Abaco Beach Resort were not packed like they are during prime season—but they’re no longer empty either. And when a crew like Sonny Boy, with more than 30 years of history in these waters, along with other prominent programs we saw such as Wave Paver, Wing Man, First Look, and others are fishing alongside you – there’s clearly something worth investigating.

Is this the same body of fish pushing through the Dominican Republic during its record-setting runs several months earlier in November and December? It’s possible, and a theory worth exploring. Or has this always been going on, just nobody was talking about it? I’m not sure.

What’s certain is this: while Costa Rica and South Florida dominate the winter billfish conversation, the Abacos are quietly carving out their place in the northern hemisphere billfish calendar. Blues and whites in February. New tournaments popping up earlier and earlier. The Bahamas winter marlin fishery is real—and growing.

Just something to keep in mind for when you too get a case of the winter blues.

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