Thought I'd share the expierience..
My wilfe & I were avid divers, but I cannot dive anymore for medical reasons. Every year we take a trip with a dive group she has known for yrs. to popular scuba destinations. I am now going to start fishing these trips, and will post what I find.
This year (last week) were went to Curacao (next to Aruba, about 45nm from Venezuela). I had spent a great deal of time trying to schedule a charter boat over the i-net, but mostly didn't get responses or got vague info. I finally located and tenatively scheduled a 53' hatteras named War Bird. When I got there, the boat was sold and moved to Bonaire.
I started trying to find another charterboat...the concierge at the resort was pretty clueless..she kept trying to talk me into using a guy she knew with a 14' center console.
I kept trying to explain I wanted something a little bigger...that there were going to be upto 6 of us on the charter.
It took 3 days of calling, searching, and asking around until I found a 43' hatteras named Tana that chartered. $450 for 1/2 day.
It took us the better part of 2 1/2 hours to find the marina..no one could give good directions, and the only phone number I had was for a tour desk at a different resort who referred the boat...Plus the roads are not well marked...unless you read dutch, and then it probably wouldn't have helped. ( I got directions like: "go to the 3rd good road, not the bad road, and turn to the log house, but don't go in, turn again, and go around the far water...then ask there..").
Anyway, in our favor, the captain was on island time too, so we show up at the dock at 9:30 and he is still waiting, and asked if we still want to go.
We finally get out...The tradewinds blow 20-25 kn this time of year, so on the leeside of the island the ground swell was 6-8 with a pretty long period..very tolerable....but a lot sloppier when we trolled out past the east end into open water.
The mate and capt were pretty lackadaisial about fishing..they only put out 2 black barts on flat lines. After an hour I asked if they were intent on putting out a full spread to which I told it was too rough, they didnt want to break the outriggers.
Odd, though, that they had 50, 80, and 120gear onboard, and tagline setps on the riggers.
The only upside was that we did actually raise and get tight on a (guess) 150# blue marlin. Unfortunately, once we hooked up, the capt. stopped the boat, and climbed down to the pit, and the mate couldn't be bothered to reel in the *only* other line
(he told one of the party to do it).
The boat drifted back and broadside, and the fish charged....spit the hook at 75 yrds back.
to sum up: the marlin are around, the water is rough, and the boats/crew don't try real hard.
But they did have the cooler stocked with Heinekens and Polars though
I'd try again if I could work the 'pit myself.