After traveling for a couple of months to all corners of the tropical universe looking for bonefish, I finished up 2012 with a week at Fedel

The Gang On Acklins

Johnson’s, Outback Fishing Adventure on Acklins.  It was the old “gang” all meeting up in Nassau for the last trip of the year.  Nice to fish with people you know well,  a little like putting on a pair of old sneakers, just comfortable.  Most of us had fished Acklins before, so we were happy and excited to get back.

For those of you who have not been to Acklins, it’s a little out there, pleasantly undeveloped and the perfect place to go if you just want to fish.  Nothing to distract you like nightlife, (though there is Thursday night karaoke)  restaurants  or tourist attractions.  Great place for the guys, I would leave the wives at home.

Outback Fishing Adventure

Fedel is one of the original guides on the island and knows bonefishing like few others.  His “lodge” is an intimate setup, you actually stay in his home in Lovely Bay and his wife, Erica cooks all the meals, washes linens and clothes daily  and generally keeps the operation running smoothly.  He offers what guys like me look for…………….. a combination of guided and non-guided days. Every morning he takes two people fishing in his flats skiff and the other fishermen he sets up for a self-guided day.  The DIY days can either be by kayak (he drops you off) or a walk and wade on one of the many flats that can be reached by car.

Our trip was hampered by some lousy weather, but the fishing got steadily better as the week went along.  The fishing ranged from fair to excellent, depending on the day and in the end we all caught lots of fish.  For the self-guided days (five out of the six for me) the fishing was good.  Typical for a trip where I “explored” a great deal, I had one day when I caught a grand total of zero and a day when I landed 20 plus.   The fish averaged  four pounds but everyone got shots at much larger fish and a couple of eight pounders were landed.  So for the DIY angler the northern section of Acklins is a premier destination.

Acklins

The final day of the trip I was guided by Fedel.  I would like to say it was a typical  Bahamian morning, sunny and warm, as we headed off  in his skiff, but in reality I froze my ass off as we hurdled headlong into the rain at 30 m.ph.  I caught my first bonefish of the day in a slight drizzle and then it just got better and better.  Fishing with a long time friend under the tutelage of Fedel, we had “one of those days”.

Acklins Flat

Caught so many fish we got giddy,  the fish bit everything we threw and without a doubt we were in the middle of one of the worlds premier bonefish destinations.  Can hardly wait to get back.

While on Abaco for the month of November, I wanted to spend some time focusing on the southern end of the island.   So, I went looking for a place to stay that allowed quick access to the Bight of Robinson, Cherokee Sound, Casurina Point and all points south.

Bahamas Backroad Villa

We found the perfect spot, Bahama’s Backroad Villa.  The home is perfectly located, directly on Little Harbour and across the road from the Bight of Robinson.  Comes equipped with kayaks, that are perfect for the Bight, fully outfitted kitchen and can sleep a pile of people,  a perfect spot for a guys fishing group.

Villa Deck

We fished the Bight of Robinson for a couple of days, hit nearby Cherokee Sound to throw flies at the PhD  bones that live there and caught some beautiful fish off the beach at Casurina Point.  Looking at Google Earth you can see that the Bight of Robinson is huge along with the connected creek systems, making it an ideal target for multiple days of fishing.  Behind the barrier cays and throughout the creek systems lie countless bonefish that move in and out with the tidal flow.  There are certain flats that obviously get fished more than others as the fish seem to know a poor presentation when they see one and other more remote flats, where the fish are eager to eat anything that moves.

Cherokee Sound Monster

The interspersed turtlegrass/sand flats of the Bight itself shouldn’t be overlooked as there are large numbers of schooling bones throughout the entire Bight.  At low tide the fish move out of the creek/mangroves and hold in the shallow water of the Bight.  When I was there in November we spent a couple of days exploring the area, fishing some, but paddling a lot, getting to know the Bight as best we could and the patterns of the fish.  Even with all the time put in “exploring” we still managed to catch 8-12 fish a piece each day.

Just down the road is Cherokee Sound and for those of you who have fished there, you know what I mean ……….about those fish.

The Bight

They get pressured and can be tough.  We ended up getting our fish, but it takes a little more finesse then your average bonefish.  Very long leaders, lots of fluorocarbon and small weightless/weedless flies in the turtle grass.  As the tide moved in and the turtle grass became to deep, we moved onto the bright white sand flats, there was a whole lot of kneeling, side armed casts and generally trying to be as unobtrusive as possible.  All great fun and even more of a trophy when you get one.

Opposite Cherokee Sound is Casuriana Point, a truly magnificent beach that the fish love.  The beach extends south for miles providing lots of room and places to fish, or just walk if you need a little “me” time.

Pete’s Pub

Little Harbour itself is an idyllic setting and a nice spot to visit even as a tourist.  Pete’s Pub is the place to go at the end of the day for a beer and dinner, and take some time to visit the Gallery next door, home to the late sculptor, Randolph Johnson.

Can’t imagine a better place then Bahama’s Backroad Villa for the DIY fisherman.  All the amenities you need  including kayaks and direct access to some of the Bahamas greatest walk and wade fishing.

Click here to see the Little Harbour video.

Recently, I’ve had a number of enquiries about staying and fishing on Green Turtle Cay (GTC), one of the outlaying cays just off the eastern shore of Great Abaco.  Reached by ferry, north of Treasure Cay, this quaint mixture of permanent homes, rental accommodation, marinas and small resorts is an ideal location to kick back and leave the stress of home behind.  Particularly well suited for couples, GTC has beautiful beaches  and an easy pace where a traffic jam consists of slowing down your golf cart to look out over the clear torquise waters.

Bluff House

In November we stayed at the newly renovated Bluff House, which I can highly recommend.  Christopher Pollock (G.M.) and his staff took great care of us and the brand new rooms overlooking the Sound are some of the nicest units we have stayed in on the Bahamas.

Bluff House Rooms

As you have no doubt heard there is opportunity for the self-guided angler on GTC.  In the north there is Coca Bay which is always a consistent producer.  On the southern end are the Town Flats which can be reached either from the graveyard (it really is) or from Gillum Bay.  For the experienced angler, the Town Flats are a must.  It’s humbling to say the least.  You will see fish, but they are smart, and will challenge even the most accomplished fishermen.

To expand the territory, rent a boat from Donnie’s and try some of the flats to the north like Manjack Cay.  There are two experienced guides on the island and I can recommend Ricky Sawyer, he has fished these waters all his life.

If you are looking for somewhere to go as a couple, spend much of the time relaxing, beach combing or reading a book with a few days thrown in for fishing, GTC is the place for you.

Just finished  a week on North Andros where I had the pleasure of staying at Frankies Two Boys Inn.  Owned and operated by Melinda and Frankie Neymour, Two Boys Inn offers the down home hospitality and casual comfort fishermen look for in a quality lodge.  Located on Cargill Creek at Behring Point, you are only minutes from some of the finest bone fishing in the world.

Frankies Two Boys Inn

I mixed up my week with some guided days and DIY exploration.  As you would expect, being out with a world class guide was great and I had my shot at a double digit bone, but unfortunately didn’t land the big one this trip.  The self-guided days were spent fishing the ocean side flats and creeks from Cargill Creek north to Nichols Town.

Flats of Andros

North Andros is not known as a DIY location but let me tell you I found some of the nicest flats and creek systems I’ve ever fished.

The flats were all hard bottom and in many locations went on for miles, lots of room for  anglers to spread out.  There were plenty of shots and virtually every day we saw one or two exceptional fish.

White Bight, Andros

There are creek systems up the entire coast, most with good access and they all fished well.  Some of the creeks are miles long and offer more variety than you can ever hope for, giving anglers lots of options for both low and high tides.  A kayak would expand the fishing territory but they aren’t really necessary.

For the days I self-guided I never saw another fisherman even though the fishing was as good as any place I’ve been.

Frankie and Melinda

For your next trip you may want to consider staying at Two Boys Inn, having Frankie guide you for half the time and the rest of the time fish the ocean side flats on your own.

After a week on Cat Island it’s easy to see why people come back year after year. The beaches are beautiful, there are literally dozens of them and they are so deserted you’re hard pressed to find footprints. The accommodations vary from rental homes, affordable apartments and a variety of resorts. In other words something for everyone.

Halvorson House

A great place to stay for a fisherman with his family, is Halvorson House, located in Bennet’s Harbour. Landing at the Arthur’s Town Airport a short drive delivers you to this hidden gem, located on its own perfect beach. Ten steps from your private rooms front porch is snorkeling, kayaking, swimming and sunbathing. Owned by Matt and Sooner Halvorson, you are sure to fall in love with this idyllic property the same way they have.

For the fishermen, Halvorson House is centrally located to fish three of the islands spectacular creek systems. North of Bennet’s Harbour is Orange Creek, where you can hire the famous Dean of the creek, Willard Cleare or simply park the car at the side of the road and fish it on your own.

Willard Cleare

It is every bit as good as its reputation and the fish are eager to eat. It’s large enough for four to fish and often has fish larger than seven pounds cruising the white flats.

Just south of Halvorson House is both Alligator Creek and Bennet’s Creek. Alligator Creek can be easily reached by the Pigeon Cay Club Road or directly off the main road. The upper end of the creek opens up into a nice large bay that fishes well at high tide. Because access is simple the fish get fished, so you may get a refusal or two before hitting on the right pattern.

Bennet’s Creek is not as easy to fish, it’s tucked back into the mangroves and tough to access by foot. The best way to fish it is to stay at Halvorson House and have Matt drop you off at the Bennet’s Harbour dock and paddle a kayak up the creek with the incoming tide and then paddle and fish back on the falling tide.

First Bonefish

The fish in Bennet’s Creek don’t see many flies and is large enough so that four guys could easily spread out. Matt knows this area so you would be wise to seek out his guidance.

Cat island is starting to shape up as a great spot to fish and northern Cat is perfect for both the die hard fisherman or someone who just wants to get out for a day or two.

I’ve been on Provo for three days now and it just wouldn’t be fair if I didn’t gloat about it a little bit.  The place is beautiful, the weather has been fantastic and there is far more self guided angling here then most people believe.

Flats Of Bonefish Point

Super day fishing the flats of Bonefish Point and after fishing for four hours during the last of the outgoing through the incoming tide I’m anxious to get back to see how it fishes during the full incoming tide.  There is a great creek system west of Bonefish Point that I want to try while I’m here.

Flamingo on Flamingo Lake

I’ve now fished and explored seven different flats and creeks and to date have only seen one other fisherman, might be to good to be true.   Places like Flamingo and Turtle Lake’s are as I expected.  The fish are there (no problem finding fish) but they are a little spooky, so some stealth and a few tricks are required.

Kim and I are staying at the Harbour Club Villas which I can highly recommend.  Marta and Barry are taking great care of us and if you can believe it, the bonefishing is at the end of their driveway.  I can see bonefish tailing from my front window.

Pink Panther

Currently I’m in mourning as I got a perfect shot at a 10-12 pound tailer this afternoon that just wasn’t interested in the fly.  Time for a beer, a good nights sleep and then I’m going back to catch him tomorrow.

Is this the next “best” DIY place for bonefish?  Not sure yet, but looks like it might be in the running.  Been here for a couple of days and I’m in awe of the flats and creek systems around Bottle Creek.  The walkable, hard bottomed flats, extend for miles and would take months to explore it all.

Lane on Bottle Creek

As often happens on these trips most of my time is spent exploring instead of fishing.  When I find a place I like then I come back later to really fish it.  I’m coming back to North Caicos!!!

Today I wanted to do a couple of things, first to test drive Native Watercraft’s new Versa Board and second explore as much of Bottle Creek as possible in one day.  Unfortunately, for our two new friends Lane and Jo-Anne they decided to join my wife and I on the adventure.  My wife knows what she is getting into when I say we are going “exploring”, Lane and Jo-Anne were simply innocent bystanders swept up in the romance of a leisurely kayak through the Bottle Creek system.  Twelve kilometres later we all made it safely back to dry land where we were promptly picked up by our host.  A few sore muscles but none the worst  for wear.

Ready To Launch

Let me get the equipment review out of the way…………….the Versa Board is one sweet ride and performed beautifully.  My wife and I each were on a board and we paddled twelve kilometres, I think that says a lot.  Native Watercraft calls it a “hybrid paddle board” and that is a good description.  Super stable and glides threw the water as smoothly as any kayak or paddle board I’ve been on.  So two thumbs up for the Versa Board.

Versa Board and bone

We spent eight hours on the water today, fished very little and still didn’t reach the area I wanted to fish, that’s how large the flats are.  As in all bonefishing the tides are extremely important here and I’m looking forward to coming back for a full week to do nothing but fish Bottle Creek on North Caicos.

This Blog is a little different then most I write as it concerns the sports fishing regulations in the Turks & Caicos affecting anglers wanting to DIY on Providenciales.

Fishing License front

For years I have read magazine articles, Blogs, forum postings and interacted with fly fishermen about where to fish on Provo. Most articles, postings and communication include places like Bonefish Point or Silly Creek as prime walk and wade flats. To the best of my knowledge I have never read anything that says the above two areas (and others) are “off limits.”

Fishing License Back

Since Turks & Caicos is a destination in the upcoming book Do It Yourself Bonefishing I needed to be clear on the sports fishing regulations. That is where the story gets interesting. First of all, you do need a sports fishing license prior to casting to your first cruising bone. This was pretty clear to me, well enough publicized and of course I am all for supporting the fishery I am using. On the back of the license is the statement “The Holder should familiarize Him/Herself with the Fisheries Protection Regulations”  I tried desperately to “familiarize” myself with the regulations, but alas after hours of searching am not much further along than the moment I landed on the tarmac.

Provo flat

I have searched the Fisheries Protection Regulations and could not find wording specifically stating where or where not a person can fish.  I then spent hours on Google searching to see if I had indeed missed something. I have called and emailed the authorities on several occasions and cannot get an answer.

This is what I know, on Provo there are National Parks including Princess Alexandra and Chalk Sound and Nature Reserves including Pigeon Pond and Frenchman’s Creek.

Clearly Bonefish Point and the creek system behind it referred to as Pigeon Pond and Frenchman’s Creek are within the Nature Reserve.  Silly Creek appears to be located within Chalk Sound National Park.  Even though I can’t find the wording, does that meant it is illegal to fish these areas?

Provo producer

The one clue I have been able to find (thanks to a sharp eyed reader) is a single sentence found in the Department of Environment and Coastal Resources website under Duties stating “ensure that individuals are not fishing within the Protected Areas system ( e.g. National Parks, Nature Reserves and Sanctuaries).”  But to be clear, I have not been able to find any legislation supporting this one sentence. I have not found a printed regulation forbidding sports fishing in National Parks or Nature Reserves and lastly I’ve not had confirmation from any authority one way or the other.

To further complicate it, I never met anyone on Provo who said fishing at Bonefish Point is prohibited and most locals and accommodation owners will tell you that Bonefish Point is the place to go.

Discovery Bay, Provo

So if I can’t find the rules after extensive research I don’t know how the government can expect the average fishermen to know where you can and cannot fish. I have no idea what the ramifications are if you are caught fishing in a closed zone, but all traveling fishermen want to abide by the rules of the country being visited. My recommendation is that the government provide a web link on the fishing license or have a very simple one page brochure handed out with each sports fishing license purchased, stating the rules they want sports fishermen to follow along with a map of any zones closed to anglers.

I will continue the hunt until I get an official response from the authorities that is suitable for print.

On the bright side if you cannot fish in the National Parks or Nature Reserves, there are still a number of quality spots on Provo for a self-guided day.

Been to Long Island, Bahama many times and it still continues to be one of my favourite spots for fishing and vacationing.  For those that have not been here there are great beaches, tons of things for non-fishing spouses to do and lots of history and cultural events to take in.  Every Wednesday the mail boat arrives with supplies and turns the little settlement of Salt Pond into a bustling community.

Mail Boat arrives

This trip I explored and fished from the Columbus Monument in the north to the creek mouth in Gordons, where the road stops in the south.  Spent more time on the southern end of the island than I have in the past, fishing from Winter Haven to Gordons.  A very unique fishery are the old salt ponds of the Diamond Salt Works Company.  The history of salt making on Long island is interesting in its own right but the miles and miles of diked ponds left behind make for one of the most unusual bone fishing environments I have ever fished.

Deadman’s Cay Airport

To get a vague idea of their size, look at the salt ponds south of Clarence Town on Google Earth.  They go on for miles and their design and layout are astonishing.  But it starts to get very interesting once you begin driving the maze of dykes which intersect and connect each of the ponds. Driving the dykes reminds me of the feeling I get in some of the mangrove systems in the Everglades or Mexico, they all start to look the same and your not quite sure where you are and how to get out.

Got One!

The fishing can be very good and the bonefish certainly use both the ponds and the man made canals.  Bonus, the canals also have tarpon in them.  The best fishing is in the ponds with good water flow and direct access to the ocean via canals.  Many of the ponds are virtually land locked and get very little tidal flow and don’t have fish.  Choose those areas closer to the beach, with a canal directly attached to the pond with large openings allowing for significant volumes to flow in and out.  Those ponds then act just like any creek system with the fish following the tide in on a rising tide and exiting the pond as the tide recedes.

There are dozens of places for the DIY angler on Long Island, but the Diamond Works Salt ponds are one of the most unique.

Earlier I had posted a report talking about the fishing on northern Cat Island, including Orange Creek, Bennet Creek and others, but the areas in central and southern Cat Island are every bit as good.

We stayed in Fernandez Bay which is centrally located and is one of the most classically beautiful beaches in the Bahamas.  It is perfect for families and couples and doesn’t hurt that there are separate creek systems teeming with bonefish on both the north and south end of the bay.

While staying on Fernandez Bay we got to know Cathleen Perdok, the owner of Island HoppInn and thoroughly fell in love with her property and personality.  Not often can I rave about a place to stay when in fact I’ve not even been a customer.

Island HoppInn

The rooms are perfect for couples and families, a comfortable outside lounge area and all the “beach toys” you could want. The gorgeous white sand is ten steps from your door and the gentle sloping beach leads to the picture perfect aqua blue water. As in all accommodations, the reality is they are just buildings,  it’s the owner/operator that gives it a soul, and you can’t help but be exited for the day ahead when enveloped by Cathleen’s enthusiasm.  As a fishermen, it never hurts knowing that your family is going to be happy while you slip out the back door and WALK to Smith Bay to catch a few bonefish.

Hermitage

From Smith Bay south there are a number of creek systems and ocean beaches with excellent bonefishing.  Armbrister Creek, Hawksnest Creek, “the round about” and enough other locations to keep any angler happy for a week or two. The night before we left Cat, I finally found how to get into a creek I had heard about but couldn’t find.  Well that’s like waving a red flag in front of a bull, a rumoured creek system that nobody gets to, that is full of fish.   After wading through the muck I first saw it with barely an hours worth of light left and there were tails as far as the eye could see.  Caught a couple of fish then had to find my way out.  Our plane didn’t leave for Nassau until 2:00p.m. the next day, so I convinced my wife “the muck wasn’t really that bad” (knee deep) and we should fish the outgoing tide in the morning.  We got up early and ended up having one of those magical mornings with bones and “life” everywhere.

Fernandez Bay

I like sharks, I’ve learned through the years that where there are sharks there are bonefish.  At one point I just had to stop to count the number of sharks around us, the total was 14.  Not sure how many fish we caught that morning, more than “lots’ and I’m not telling you the name of the place, but rest assured with a little research and bush whacking on your own, you to can find this little piece of paradise.

Loved Cat Island, a quiet, but beautiful destination for a couple or family with plenty of bonefish still learning what a Crazy Charlie is.

You may remember a few weeks back I posted a Blog regarding the fishing regulations in the Turks & Caicos (TCI).  All fishermen  are required to purchase a fishing license ( a good thing) and on the back of the license is printed ” The Holder should familiarize Him/Herself with the Fisheries Protection Regulations” which makes perfect sense.  The problem is finding  the regulations that are relevant to a sports fishermen.

Marta Morton photo

I searched the internet for hours, received dozens of emails from readers, (all with varying opinions), asked authorities and vendors and in the end left TCI without a clue as to where I could or could not walk and wade for bonefish.  Since I felt an obligation to subscribers and to those reading my upcoming book Do It Yourself Bonefishing, I pursued the matter with the appropriate authorities.

Marta Morton photo

Yesterday I received an official response from Kathleen Wood, Director of the Department of Environment and Maritime Affairs, Turks & Caicos Islands.  She was very gracious in her response and provided the clarity I was looking for.

Quoting Ms. Wood “please be advised that under the National Parks Ordinance, no fishing of any kind is permitted in a Protected Area.  This includes National Parks, Nature Reserves, Sanctuaries and Areas of Historic Interest. I am attaching a copy of the national Parks Ordinance and the Fisheries Protection Ordinance for your information.  Therefore, under the Ordinance, you cannot bonefish in Silly Creek or the Chalk Sound National Park. Furthermore, fishing in the North, Middle and East Caicos Ramsar Nature Reserve is also prohibited. Most of Bottle Creek is actually outside of the East Bay Cays National Park, so it would be okay to fish there.”

The map that she included showing the National Park and Nature Reserve boundaries is very large so I can’t reproduce it here, but it can be found by clicking Nature Reserves.

In a nutshell, many of the locations we have all seen in pictures , blogs and magazines are in Nature Reserves and as such are illegal to fish. Bonefish Point, a popular spot is located within the boundaries of the Pigeon Pond and Frenchmen’s Creek Nature Reserve, no fishing.   The southern shores of North and Middle Caicos are in the North, Middle and East Caicos Nature Reserve, no fishing.  You may well ask “where can I fish?”  The answer: it is very limited.

Flamingo Lake, Marta Morton photo

Now you know the law.

Ms Wood also stated in her email that “TCI is currently reviewing legislation relating to catch and release sport fishing and we are likely to open up some areas that are currently closed to fishing for catch and release recreational fishing.”  That was an extremely encouraging comment and I look forward to hearing more.

Special thanks to Barry and Marta Morton of Harbour Club Villas who spearheaded the “on ground” efforts to get the regulations clarified.  As a matter of fact one of the best bonefishng spots on TCI that is legal, is right out there front door!

Here is a nice “guest blog” from Brad and Kelsey who just came home from a trip to Long Island.  Sounds like they had fun and was typical of a self-guided trip early in a fisherman’s bonefishing career.

Rod asked me to write a blog post about our experience fishing Long Island Bahamas. Since it was the first time my wife or I had done any fishing like this, we new the learning curve was going to be huge. We did quite a bit of research to figure out the gear and fly patterns that would be most useful. I am extremely happy I tied all of my own flies. I think the cost of the flies would have been about the same amount as the trip. I probably went a little overboard as I normally do.

Brad On Long Island

Once arriving in the Bahamas and settling in for our first full day, we drove around trying to find a place we wanted to try out for the day. We ended up taking some random roads that we hoped would take us to the ocean. We finally found one and it happened to be on a flat. We saw a guide with a client way out in the distance and this turned out to be the only other fisherman we saw for the rest of the trip. We brought an inflatable kayak with us and used it to get out in an area that looked promising. We started slowly walking close to a sandbar and noticed some, fish so we made some casts to them. Our first casts were less than desirable. I should mention it was extremely windy during our stay with wind over thirty mph. It forced us to learn quickly and to tighten our casts to punch through the wind. It also helped to have home made leaders with stiff mono material.

Kelsey and Cuda

They seemed to turn over better in the wind than the store bought leaders. Once we got our casting dialed in, we found some more fish and after a couple strips had our first fish: a little barracuda. It was quite apparent that the mouth of the barracuda and our mono was not a good match so we attached a piece of wire leader to the bend of our hook with a Duncan loop. This was handy since I forgot my barracuda leaders in the car. It also allowed us to take it off quickly when we wanted to revert back for other species. We caught a few smaller barracuda that day. I had a nice barracuda follow my fly within about 4 feet of my rod tip, then in a blink of an eye, exploded on the fly. Unfortunately after the second jump the fish threw the hook. After that happened, I was pretty much hooked on fishing the flats.

The next couple of days were extremely windy, which turned up the flats. We did manage to see some bones working when we tried a new, more protected area, so I made a few casts and managed to hook a couple.  They are an amazing fish. The grab and the run is amazing, especially for a fish that size. I was happy with the bonefish, so anything else was gravy.

We took some time to explore other areas more protected from the wind. This took us to canals and mangrove protected bays. We found fish in all of these different areas. It was incredible, every place we explored seemed to have fish but with different species at different times in the tide. We ended up finding more barracuda, ladyfish and mutton snapper. We also stumbled across some larger tarpon, but got snubbed. We did manage to hook and land some baby tarpon. They are crazy. It was amazing to see how many times they would jump once they felt the hook. My wife lost a really nice tarpon towards the end of our trip. She almost had it to hand when it made one last jump and threw the hook.

Brad and Tarpon

On our last day, we fished an area that we heard of from the locals. It was supposed to have snapper, and boy did it have snapper. It was fun casting toward the mangroves and pounding on those guys. I have no idea how many we caught. I grabbed my 11 wt and was casting toward the mangroves when something grabbed my fly and just started swimming away. When I got a look at it, I realized I hooked about a 4 foot lemon shark. It just kept swimming and I couldn’t stop it. I have never felt power like that. Unfortunately, the hook pulled loose and just left me standing there with even more reason to go back to the flats and the tropical water to fish! One thing is for sure, we will be back as often as we can.

We would like to thank Rod for the help he gave us when we were planning this trip.

Brad and Kelsey

Just got a nice report from George Hunker and his wife Paula who recently returned from a great trip on Acklins.  After a brief online interview and with their approval I have put together a report that those thinking about Acklins will find interesting.

George is an experienced saltwater fishermen and a trout fishing guide in Wyoming. He owns and operates Sweetwater Fishing Expeditions out of Lander, Wyoming.

He and his wife booked a trip for early April staying at Chester’s Highway Bonefish Inn owned and operated by Julius and Arnette Chisolm.  Chester’s is situated on the northern end of Acklins Island, Bahamas and offers comfortable lodging, three good meals a day and is ideally located for the DIY angler.  They have kayaks available, can arrange for a rental car and have access to quality guides.

Chester’s

If you spend any time on Google Earth you will see that the northern section of Acklins is a self-guided anglers dream, loaded with flats, creeks and bays all of which can be waded and hold bones on the right tide.

George and Paula did not rent a car for the trip and had plenty of places to fish that were reached either by foot or bicycle.  They fished Lovely Bay, Relief Bay and Atwood Harbor and said there were many more places to fish but just ran out of time.  For those of you not familiar with Chester’s, there is a wonderful flat to fish just across the street, only twenty yards.

Acklins bonefish

According to George the fishing was very good for most of the trip with a couple of slow days thrown in.  On the slow days they each caught a few fish and on the good days, they landed more than twenty.  They brought plenty of fly patterns with them but since the fish were not fussy they stuck to their favorites, Bonefish Scampi, Bonefish Junk, Crazy Charlies, Squimp, and Veverka’s Mantis Shrimp.

The Chislolm’s picked them up and dropped them off at the airport so they didn’t rent a car and after the trip felt that they got to all of the fishing spots they wanted without one.  They didn’t end up hiring a guide and spent all day walking the flats, making it home for dinner and then into bed.  Not including airfare to Nassau the cost for the week was $1,575 per person which included three meals per day.   They rated the food and lodging as excellent and the hospitality as exceptional.

DIY Acklins

Thanks George and Paula for the report, glad you had a good trip, Acklins is truly a special place.