Bonefish Paradise in Bahamas The Bahama Islands are the finest bonefish habitat in the world. The low shallow banks covers each and every island which in turn has bonefishing to some degree.
Bonefishing in the Bahamas started in Bimini and the first guides operated from there. Then Walker's Cay and Deep Water Cay Club offered bonefishing as a diversion to their blue water angling guests. The fly fisherman then discovered bonefish in the late 1960's and places like Exuma and Eleuthera became popular destinations. And then Andros and Abaco until finally the most remote southern islands had bonefish camps opened on them.
Today every island can offer bonefishing ranging from the "fine wine/white table cloth" experience of Grand Bahama to the family-owned and operated guest houses of Crooked and Acklins Islands in the deep southeastern region.
However, bonefish do not handle the pressure of boats, push poles and fly lines slapping the water and a newly discovered "hot spot" goes from start to bad overnight if the fishery is not managed properly. A great bonefish spot can become "cooked" in a relatively short time if hammered every day by guides, boats and anglers. There are places on Andros and Abaco now that are so cooked that all they can do is stop fishing and wait eight years for this generation of bonefish to die off and a new generation to appear. This is quietly known as....Florida Keys Syndrome.
The most remote of the Bahamian bonefishing destinations is Mayaguana Island, lying northeast of Great Inagua and east of Acklins Island. This island is 30 miles long, 6 miles wide and has 380 inhabitants spread over three settlements. They make their living fishing and farming and since bonefish have no commercial value they have been left virtually alone. Fly fishing for bonefish on Mayaguana is akin to fishing a wilderness area.
Mayaguana Trophy Bonefishing is the only fly fishing operation on Mayaguana and has gone to serious extremes to protect this fishery and prevent it from being cooked. Canoes are used instead of clumsy, noisy flats boats. All fishing is done by wading. Catch & release is strictly enforced. Flats are rotated on a daily basis. And a maximum of six anglers per week, two weeks per month and nine months per year represents the total pressure exerted on the bonefish population of Mayaguana. Consequently, Mayaguana is a place where a angler can routinely stalk tailing bonefish of ten pounds or more and where big bonefish still rush to the fly. The biggest bonefish you will catch in the Bahamas will be caught on the snow-white wading flats of Mayaguana.
Mayaguana is a medium sized island, there are several roads that access the three settlements, several good flats and miles of pretty beaches. This is the place to go for people who like "doing your own thing". There is lots to do and you will be the only one "doing it".
Besides respectable bonefishing, there is scuba diving, snorkeling, blue water fishing, shelling, exploring a nearby island with iguanas and goats and cooling off at the week-end fish fry.
