| I was there a few years ago. We split a bare boat with another
couple who doesn't fish. I spoke to a number of locals and came
up with some places to check out. There actually isn't that much
bonefishing in the area compared to the rest of the Bahamas. All
I had to use was the 8' dingy that went with the boat.
We got hit by a fierce northeaster that stayed until we left, so
I never even got close to a bonefish. We listened on the marine
radio to two really scary rescues of boats that were stuck out in
the ocean northeast of the barrier islands. One tried to run a
pass in the reef, but the swells were so high that he bottomed
out and ended up on the reef. The pass is unmarked - you have
to line up two prominent houses on the island to get a bearing
through the pass, which is only about 150 yards wide.
Man-O-War Cay has a large T-shaped harbor that used to be good
for bonefish, but it's no longer worthwhile because of poor water
quality. But the town is really fun to explore, and the harbor
is a nice place to anchor. And everybody on the island is named
Albury. Albury boats are world famous for being especially well
made and seaworthy, and beautiful as well. They still make some
work boats out of wood, and these are pretty much the most
seaworthy open boats made. They use a special type of mahogony
that they submerge in salt water for about a year before using
it. I can't remember why, but it makes the wood last forever.
We stopped at Great Guanna Cay to the west of Man-O-War, where you
can anchor comfortably only in a northeast wind. The harbor is a
mud flat at low tide, so you anchor in a bight on the south shore.
About 3 or 4 miles to the west along the south shore is a really
beautiful looking flat. I tried to get to it in the dingy, but
I chickened out after about 2.5 miles. If I got more than about
200 feet away from shore the waves were already big enough to be
very nasty in a little boat. In normal weather this is definitely
the place I would want to fish. It looks like a textbook flat,
and I know for a fact that the local guides take people there
(that is when there are people).
One place that sounded good is southeast of Marsh Harbor on the
east coast. You can take a bus down there and wade. It sounded
like a pretty long bus ride though. The guides drive you there
and get you to where the fish are right away, since it's a very
large flat.
There is a famous town on the east shore of Great Abaco looking
out toward the barrier islands, can't remember its name. It has
a long V-shaped harbor that used to be excellent for bonefish,
but I heard that its water quality is not that great either.
So enough of the slim pickins. On the southwest side of Great
Abaco is The Marls. It's a vast network of mangrove flats that
have received a lot of Saltwater Flyfishing kind of press lately.
If you can afford a few days of guided fishing from a bonefish
lodge, go for it. Maybe next trip.
I loved the area for exploring and made myself ignore fishing.
There is one other beautiful town at the east end of the barrier
islands with a big gorgeous harbor, forgot its name too. It has
a tall red/white working lighthouse that you can climb to the top.
The lamp uses kerosene, blowtorch style, with a fresnel lens, and
the rotating mechanism is powered by weights. The works were made
in England and are a great example of mechanical engineering of
bygone days. The other must-do is a taxi ride to this restaurant
that is on a narrow north-south isthmus between the ocean and the
harbor. The grounds are beautiful, and you can sit at your outdoor
table and watch the sun set over the harbor and the full moon rise
over the ocean (100' away) simultaneously. Good restaurant too,
as are a couple of others in town.
Most people reef fish, pretty much anywhere between Great Abaco
and the barrier islands. Some areas are better than others, and
it's pretty easy to get good advice. The bait of choice is stinky
ole ballyhoo. Keep it away from the coral where the little bait
stealers are, and you might get a nice grouper. And I'll bet you
can find a relatively inexpensive bluewater opportunity if you
split the cost with some other people. Now you're talking fish.
We did that once in the Bahamas and I caught a huge sailfish.
We also got a big wahoo, a kingfish, and several big dorado and
barracuda. But don't forget your scopalamine ear patch!
Finally, always troll when you're underway, especially when you
cross the passes between the barrier islands. You never know what
might come along.
Have fun,
Tom
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