PPS Destinations Report 

Abaco Island, Bahamas

Date:        April 2010

 Reported by Dr. Chris Travis, Laguna Hills, CA, USA

Fly fishing for bonefish in the Bahamas is usually synonymous with Andros Island .  However, after plying the waters of Southern Abaco, sparsely populated and untouched, I can tell you the sea life is abundant and extraordinary, the bonefish very large, with huge permit and medium tarpon also in the mix.  

The beauty of the area is outstanding and Disney thought it so spectacular, they put their Castaway Kay Island (Gorda Key, we fished it) smack dab in the middle of bonefish central. When wading the long white sand and turtle grass flats, I could see live conch, starfish, sea horse, sharks, cuda, rays, and, of course, bonefish and permit. Parrots are seen throughout Abaco and are fun to see them fly around and make their sounds.  

The nice thing about fly fishing for bonefish is you don’t have to get up early. Sunshine is needed and high enough in the sky to penetrate the water to see the fish. Where we fished, it was not uncommon to see schools of bonefish moving about in the hundreds. The only hard part was to pick out the large ones and hope they eat the fly before the smaller ones get to it.  The water is gin clear, and the leaders must be long and fluorocarbon. 9 wt rods with 9 wt floating lines are the norm as the prevailing wind can be a factor as well as big fish. I used 12 lb tippets for stealth and strength. Bonefish flies are not too hard to cast, but the permit flies can be bulky and need to be turned over for accurate presentation.  

The fishing was wonderful with many large bones landed. Vaughn Cochran of Black Fly fame, landed his largest bonefish of over 12 lbs. I was able to land an 8 lb bonefish and numerous 7 & 6 lbers during the week. The Bahamian guides have the reputation of tremendous eyesight and Paul Pinter and his uncle, Tony, did not disappoint us. They were special in every way.  We also took part in the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust fin clipping program for ecological research to try and save these beautiful fish. I know you heard about the fish kill this past winter with the deadly cold weather and BTT is gathering data why these fish did not migrate out of the cold flats into deeper water.

 Our hosts, Vaughn Cochran and Clint Kemp of the Black Fly Bonefish Club were just part of the group, as nice as you can get. They are part of the new eco-development being built, called Schooner Bay , which should be completed by the end of the summer. It is something.  The food was classic Bahamian and as good as any I have eaten in the Bahamas . Fishing hours are long and the time spent at the lodge was short. We were either wading on the flats or being poled on the wonderful large 23 ft Hewes skiffs. We also kayaked (stand up version) in the mangroves and little harbors around the lodge and were able to land bones in very skinny water.  

I highly recommend going to Abaco and fishing the southern part of the island of Sandy Beach , Cross Harbor , the Marls, Gorda Key, and Morris Island . It is completely unspoiled and un-crowded. Pretty laid back.

Chris