When it comes to arranging fishing trips or passengers, most cruise ships are missing the coming up short are those plying the turquoise waters of the Caribbean.  That's too bad because I think there are many fishermen out there who would warm to the idea of a family cruise if some good fishing were involved.

Although some of these same cruise lines offer fishing excursions at almost every port of call in Alaska, they just don't offer enough fishing trips along their Caribbean itineraries.  However, don't toss in the fishing towel just yet.  There is light at the end of the tunnel.

Even if cruise ships don't offer enough fishing excursions, you can set up some good fishing trips on your own.  It's taken 13 years of trial and error for me to figure this out, but now my system is working for me, most of the time.

Earlier this year, I went on a 14-day cruise to the southern Caribbean with my wife, Donna; my fishing pal, Roy Foster; his wife, Gail, and her cousin, Jeanne Safar.

The reason I'd booked it in advance is because almost every cruise ship that I've been on in the Caribben

The ladies are first cousins, who were raised like sisters.  It makes for a compatible sailing crew because the ladies can go touring and shipping while Roy and I concentrate on fishing.

Out of 14 days of cruising and with nine stops, take a guess at how many fishing trips our Celebrity Cruise Line ship offered.

If you guessed one, you are correct.  However, if you guessed none, you are correct.  However, if you guessed none, you're also right.

How could that be?  Well, the one trip, a deep-sea fishing excursion in the waters off St. Maarten -- which was arranged by the ship's Shore Excursions Office -- was cancelled 24 hours or so before the scheduled fishing trip date.

Yet, Roy and I had a great fishing trip at nearby St. Thomas because I had arranged a charter in advance, via the Internet and a phone call, before we left Florida on our cruise.

The reason I'd booked it in advance is because almost every cruise ship that I've been on in the Caribben (and I think I've been aboard all of the major cruise lines) has offered only one or two fishing trips and usually at least one of them gets cancelled.  Sometimes, both.

During our 14 days at sea, I also worked in some fishing at two more stops:  Barbados and Coco Cay, a small island in the Bahamas.

My wife took a lawn chair and a book and stretched out under a palm tree while I waded and fly-fished the sparkling waters off Coco Cay. 

Arranging trips like this is pretty easy with today's high-speed communications technology. 

We were soon
trolling in
beautiful water.
 

I'd found St. Thomas guide Steve Malpere via the Internet.

When our ship reached St. Thomas, Steve picked us up a couple of hundred yards away at a nearby marina.  Seven minutes after leaving the ship, Roy and I were trolling ballyhoo around some jetties in beautiful water. 

During three hours of light tackle fishing, we caught flag yellowtails, cero mackerel and barracuda, all within sight of our ship.  Our trip cost us only $150 each, plus a tip, which we felt our skipper deserved.

We had networked and found some good, handy fishing.  Later, we even got in some sight seeing with the girls.

Online forums can lead you to some good finds.  One member of the Florida Sportsman Fishing Forum, for instance, found a 28-foot Bertram for charter out of St. Maarten, in the Leeward Islands. The recommendation came from an Arlington, MA, angler who posted photos of his wife holding a 24-pound king mackerel, and himself holding a 47-pound wahoo.