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Fishing Reports

Florida & The Caribbean

Mothership safari to the unexplored southside of Andros Island B
May 09, 2003

Posted by Out Island Adventures
Contact: Capt. John Amabile
Grandview , Tx 76050 U.S.A
Phone 1: 817 866 2525
Email: capt@outislandadventures.net
URL: http://www.outislandadventures.net

Current Report
Out Island Adventures is a live aboard mothership charter service stationed at Andros Island Bahamas. ------- ------------------------------ When Dillinger was asked why he robbed banks he answered because that's where the money is. When I'm asked why I go to out of the way places like the Water Cays I tell em because that's where the fish are. We just compleated a succesful trip to the Curley Cut and Water Cays on the south side of Andros island. This area is about 40 miles from the last outpost on southeast Andros Island. Going up the westside there's nothing ,that's right nothing, but it's home to one of the most unbelievable fisheries in the world. It is hardly ever fished by anyone except those with an adventuresome nature. You could fish this area around the Water Cays for weeks and never fish the same flat twice. My sportfishing yacht Lucy West was used as our home for six days. Our head guide was Simon Bain 2000- 2001 Bahamas National bonefishing champion. Gary Smith was guide on the second skiff. The cook was Melony Belle former head chef at the Nottage Cottage. Melony is the daughter of legend Charlie Smith creator of the Crazy Charlie fly and a great cook. The anglers were Mr. and Mrs. George Lamb of Conn. and Mr. and Mrs. Chris Christy of Wash.DC. The Lucy West spent the winter at Walkers Cay in the Abacos. We had made some trips to Great Sale Cay and the surrounding keys over the winter and had some great fishing. My head guide Simon Bain flew to Walkers to meet me for the trip to Andros. We left that evening for Andros Island but first we would stop in Nassau to get supplies. Simons brother Fred was along for the trip and caught a 60 pound wahoo. I sliced some of it into sushi, and Fred steamed some of it along with rice and onions for dinner that night. It was great. We just crawled along that night towing a Maverick flats skiff and where in Nassau the next afternoon. We went shoping and needed a pickup truck to get the supplies back to the dock. Breakfast foods, cold cuts , fresh vegtables and fruits, cakes,ice creams, along with cases of fruit juices, soft drinks,bottled water,Kalik, wines,liquors,etc. I brought the steaks and shrimp for the cocktails from the states. Other than the shrimp the seafood we ate was caught on the fishing grounds. We had seven push carts of stuff and were quite a sight leaving the super market. Luckily the Lucy West has a full size double door frigerator freezer, but the key to holding all this was her 1000 pound cockpit freezer. Meloney the cook had made a gallon of conch chowder and had here conch fritters batter made before we left. These trips to the wilderness areas are a logistical nightmare, but the trick is for the guests not to realize it. As an example take gas for the outboards, I will not keep gasoline on the Lucy West. So we carry an extra 150 gallons in plastic drums in the cocpits of the skiffs. When we arrive at our anchorage the guides drive it over to a near by Island and put it ashore. Then they draw on it as needed. Your too far out for cell phones so I keep a Satellite phone on board. It's just one more safety tool,and if I need anymore supplies I can call for them. The Lambs and Christys arrived shortly after we docked at Andros Town. We all had dinner togetter at the Light house Marina where I keep the Lucy West. After a good nights sleep and breakfast we filled up the fuel and water tanks and put on the ice. We left right after dawn, and headed south along the eastside of Andros Island. Several hours latter we anchored at South Bight. After lunch on board we all went fishing. Everyone caught some bonefish, but the talk that night after dinner was not about where we were but where we were going. After a good nights sleep and breakfast it was on to the Water Cays. Getting from the blue water to the Water Cays was acomplished safely by dodging numerous small reefs and coral heads scatered all over this part of the Great Bahama Bank. The really tricky part was getting up on the Great Bahama Bank from the deep water. The opening through the reef can't be 25 feet wide. A good GPS chart plotter makes finding it easy. On the way out that same opening was right where I left it. The Lucy West draws 5 1/2 feet of water loaded. She is 50 feet long 16 feet wide and weighs 35 tons. I would not care to try these trips with a vessel any larger. Upon arrival at the Curly Cut Cays we anchored just off a pretty flat. Melony had everyones lunches ready along with their drinks. After the guides loaded the skiffs with ice and tackle they lost no time in leaving. The weather was perfect and the fish hungry. Hundreds of bonefish were caught on this trip. Many more could have been taken from the schools that had thousands of fish in them from 2 to 5 pounds. But the anglers chose to spend much of their time hunting singles and smaller schools of larger fish up to ten pounds. The guides could find these larger schools whenever they wanted. Thus they felt no regret whenever they left them to do something else. Some giant bonefish up to 15 pounds along with some tarpon and permit were cast to, but we had no takers. The main effort was for bonefish so no time was spent looking for tarpon or permit. If they happened along a cast was made, but they showed little interest in the bonefish flies. Trying different flats and a little deeper water and keeping a couple of heavier flyrods with a crab fly and a tarpon fly would change that game. Barracuda , Jacks and snappers were also taken. The bonefish in the large schools ate whatever you threw at them. The larger fish showed a preference for Crazy Charlies in white pink and tan and clousers in the same colors. The Charlies were used for tailing fish and the clousers in water a little deeper. We only saw one other skiff the entire stay at the Water Cays. It was a guide and an angler from Wash. DC. They had come from south Andros and were camping out on one of the keys. He said the fishing he was having was not to be believed. He told of his casting to an endless supply of fish. He also told how he spent most of last night in the water to escape the mosquitoes. He said he had a very good tent but they were getting in anyway, but he said he did not regret coming. I told him of our good luck and how although anchored along a shallow flat we were a mile from land and found no mosquitoes even when on deck after dark. I invited them back to the Lucy West for a beer, but they said they had to get back to their campsite. A freind of the man was ariving from the states that morning and would be coming from Mars Bay with another guide and more supplies. They hoped they would arrive before dark. This fellow was a die hard fisherman. He had been there for a week and was staying another 10 days after his buddy got there. I gave the man my phone number and he said he would be calling to set up a trip on the Lucy West for next spring. He told me he thought fishing this area with a mothership was the way to go and would not mind taking his body off the menu for the mosquitoes. The Curley Cut and Water Cays are sitting on one big flat with a few narrow channels criss crossing them. Most of the flats were pure white sand,a few were grass. But reguardless of the type of flat they all seemed to have fish on them. Much of my time was spend exploring and just enjoying this remote area. One day I entered a small creek and after going no more than 500 feet the narrow creek opened up to a perfect one mile circle. It was lined with green mangroves , and had a white sand bottom. The water was a shade of aqua I cannot put into words. It was one of the prettiest sights I have ever seen. While going down the creek I saw large mutton snappers in the holes. Where the creek opened up into a lake I was greeted by a permit of about 25 pounds cruising along the mangrove shoreline. When the permit entering the mouth of the creek I threw a Crazy Charlie at him, but before he got to the fly he veered left. He swam about 30 feet under the mangrove roots before resuming his path along the edge of the mangroves. By time he was in the open again he was behind my skiff , and I did not waste time casting over his back. He was headed up the creek a sure sign of a falling tide. I could see tailing bonefish all over the shallow lake. I was exploring alone and with a falling tide and no one knowing where I was, I just looked for awhile from the end of the creek. I then took the hint from the permit and followed his route back out the creek. I would imagine with the falling tide the bonefish would soon be leaving also. I believe at low tide this bay would drain compleatly,and I had no desire to be stranded here with night coming on. I stopped at one of the last holes before leaving that creek. I changed the Charlie on my 8 weight for a heavier clouser. I cast it into that hole and before it hit bottom a mutton snapper ate it. He came up out of that hole and into the creek where the water was about 3 feet deep. He looked about 15 pounds and he ran straight into the mangroves and broke me off. I had no chance with just 8 pound tippet. Next time I try that in a 60 foot wide creek I'll have a 10 weight and 16 pound tippet and I'm still not sure I'll be able to stop em. There are many such creeks and inland lakes, but this one is special to me. I just had a feeling I might be the first one to discover it. This area was just teaming with life in the water and in the air. It reminded me of something I might see in a Jurassic park movie. So I named it Jurassic Lake. It was worth the trip just to see all this. It's a fact that the interior of Andros Island is one of the least explored areas in North America. It was our last day down south,so I could not return on this trip. Although it will be my first stop on the next trip. Of course I'll return on a rising tide, and will have a ten weight with a crab fly ready. I don't think I could be more excited about going back to a spot where I never caught a fish. Simon fished the Christy's in his Action Craft. Chris and his wife Barbera have been fishing with Simon for 14 years. Gary fished my Maverick Master Angler with the Lambs. Both couples have been wanting to fish this uninhabited area for years, but had no desire to make the long run by skiff or camp out on the keys. When Simon offered them the chance to fish this ares on the Lucy West they jumped at it. I used the spare skiff a brand new Sterling just delivered to Fresh Creek by G&G shipping. It got there just in time for this trip. Being alone I mostly waded when fishing or just staked out and waited for the fish to come to me. One morning I headed out and a mile away from the Lucy West I foung Simon and Gary holding their skiffs steady near a huge school of bonefish. The Lambs and Christys were battling bonefish four at a time. When they got their fly,s too far from the bottom they would hook a jack.. They invited me come over and fish. I made 5 casts to the edge of the school and caught a three,four,and six pound bonefish. I left them to there fishing and went off to the west to do some exploring. I had a hand held GPS that gave me confedence and a VHF radio that stayed in range of the other skiffs. Simon knows this area from camping out and Gary has lived on some commecial lobster boats. He said he has caught many a lobster here. Thus they both feel comfortable down here. Another day I saw George Lamb casting along some mangroves he hooked up so I moved closer to get some pictures. It was a nice seven pounder and George was all smiles for the camera. The third time and only other time I saw part of our group up close while fishing the Water Cays was on the last day. Simon and Barbara where getting ready to wade a flat. They called me over. I secured my skiff along side theirs. We started walking with Barbara on the shallow end Simon in the middle and me on the deep side. It was about knee deep. Within moments I saw a bonefish that had to go 15 pounds. I whispered to Simon, at first from his angle he thought it was a permit. I made a cast and imediatly saw another one of the same size. Neither one ate my fly. They did not spook they just disapered. Moments latter I took a 7 pounder from a school of 7 or 8 fish. They looked like minnows in the water after seeing those 15 pouders. Two places come to mind that reguardless of how great they where described to me surpassed my expectations. One was Tanzania Africa where I have gone on Safari twice and the other is the south and west coasts of Andros Island. With more fish available than a person would care to catch, and great weather,all agreed it was the trip of a life time. The Lambs and Christys said they loved being 5 minutes from the fishing grounds. They said the longer amount of time on the fishing grounds gave them a chance to take a more leisurely aproach. They are in their 70s and said they never cared for the one hour rides in the skiffs especially in a chop,and liked them even less now. Great food and drinks,hot showers and air conditioned staterooms did'nt hurt either. If you mention this article we will give a $500 discount on your trip that's $2000 off on the required party of 4. To find out more about a trip of your own please visit the Out Island Adventures website or call Capt. John Amabile at 817 866 2525.

This fishing report brought to you by Out Island Adventures.

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