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.
