Bottom Fishing & Deep-Dropping in Bonaire: The Gear

By Captain Yuri van Kampen — Fishtales, Bonaire · June 17, 2026

Most days off Bonaire the wind blows and the trolling spread stays empty for hours. Drop a bait to the bottom instead and you almost always come up with something. Bottom fishing and deep-dropping are how we put fish in the box when the surface is quiet, and the gear is simpler than people expect. Here is what actually works.

Bottom fishing snapper, grouper and amberjack in Bonaire

Our reef wall drops fast and deep, so the bottom structure that holds snapper, grouper and amberjack sits right off the edge. You can work it year-round, with peaks rolling through the seasons rather than any hard closed window. Expect red snapper, silk snapper and red hind over the rubble, with hard-pulling amberjack stacked on deeper wrecks and pinnacles. Be straight on the rules: red snapper, silk snapper and red hind are legal to keep. Mutton snapper, cubera snapper and several groupers are protected on Bonaire and always go back. We release them every trip, no exceptions.

The rod and reel

For most of this you want a conventional bottom rod or a slow-pitch jigging rod paired with a sturdy conventional reel. The slow-pitch setup is the more fun, more versatile tool: it lets you work a jig with a light tip while still having the backbone to turn a stubborn amberjack away from the rocks. A standard conventional bottom rod does the job too, especially for straight bait fishing.

For genuine deep-drop work, down around 250 m, an electric reel earns its keep. Cranking a heavy lead and a fish up from that depth by hand is brutal, and an electric reel simply saves your arms so you can fish all day. It is not cheating, it is the right tool for the job.

Line and leader

Spool up with 50-80 lb braid. The thin diameter cuts through the current and gives you the feel to detect a soft bite far below. Braid has almost no stretch, which matters when you are setting a hook in a fish 200 m down. Run a heavier mono or fluorocarbon leader on the business end so the abrasion against reef and structure happens to a section you can replace, not your main line.

Rigs, hooks, jigs and bait

Keep it simple and honest:

• Snapper rigs with circle hooks, 8/0 to 11/0. Circle hooks set in the corner of the mouth, which means cleaner hookups and far better survival on the fish you have to release.
• Heavy jigs, 200-400 g, for amberjack over deep structure. Match the weight to the current so the jig actually reaches the fish and works with a clean action.
• Fresh cut bait on the rigs. Whatever is fresh and local outfishes anything frozen or fancy.

You can pick up bottom rigs, circle hooks, jigs and braid at TackleDirect if you want to bring your own tackle along.

How to fish it

Drop straight down and stay in touch with the bottom. With bait, let the circle hook do the work, do not swing on the bite, just lift into the weight and the hook finds its corner. With jigs for amberjack, lift and drop with a steady rhythm and hold on, because the first run is violent. The instant a fish is hooked, get its head up and away from the structure or it will break you off in the reef. That early pressure is the whole game down here.

Come fish it with us

Bottom fishing is some of the most reliable, hands-on action Bonaire offers, and it is a great way to fill a few hours or a full day. Bring your own gear or use ours. When you are ready, book a fishing trip and we will put you over the right structure. See you on the water. Captain Yuri.

Captain’s note, our wall drops fast and deep, so the structure that holds snapper, grouper and amberjack sits right off the edge. We keep red snapper, silk snapper and red hind; protected species like Nassau grouper and cubera snapper always go back under STINAPA rules.