The Fishing
Black Fly Lodge fishes 6 Fishing Zones
Zone 1
Schooner Bay Ramp northward for 15 miles to the southern edge of the Marls out to Big Mangrove Cay:
Fishing can begin as soon as the boat is launched from the ramp at Schooner Bay. The shallow water inlet is home to resident fish and we have observed mudding schools of fish and large single fish in double digit sizes all within a few hundred yards of the ramp. A run though the mangrove creek from the inlet is exhilarating and builds the anticipation before the day’s fishing. Fishing can resume as soon as the boat clears the creek. Schools of fish feed in the bay and work the edges of the numerous islands. To the North there are numerous flats systems where we have observed schools of juvenile bonefish evidence of a healthy estuary and breeding ground for the bonefish stock.
The wade fishing is exceptional in zone one with miles of firm bottom flats that drop off into deeper mud and grass flats. It would take weeks if not months to explore all that zone one has to offer in the extensive creek system that forms the southern reaches of the world famous Marls. Working westward we fish the area around Big Mangrove Cay. This is a series of small cays that are surrounded by deep water and turtle grass flats. As the tide comes in, muds of feeding fish work the flats and numerous schools feed along the shore. Sharks and Barracuda are in abundance and according to Paul, Permit are usually seen in good numbers.
Zone 2
Schooner Bay Ramp southwards to Sandy Point:
Zone 2 is an 18 mile shoreline extending from Schooner Bay to Sandy Point. Numerous islands, creeks and flats create an unlimited habitat for many species. Small to large bays form the shore line providing cover in the wind and huge numbers of fish. We observed large schools of mudding fish along this shore observing in one school hundreds of bonefish, jacks, and snappers all feeding together. It was in Zone 2 that we observed one of the most amazing schools of tailing fishing we had ever seen. For some one hundred yards it looked like the flat had come alive with a thousand sparkling tails. It was one of those moments where you are just amazed with wonder as you witness how it must have looked 100 years ago.
Zone 3
Cross Harbour Flats System:
The Cross Harbor Flats System comes directly out of the blue waters of the ‘Hole in the Wall’ making it one of the best flats in the Bahamas for really big fish. Large numbers of Permit and double digit bones can be seen regularly on this flat. Anglers have reported getting numerous shots at large Permit. This flat system is accessed by a 20 minute trailer from Schooner to Sandy Point.
Zone 4
Blue water and ocean flats:
The blue water fly fishing opportunities from Schooner Bay are unprecedented. The legendary blue water of southern Abaco is only minutes from the mouth of the Schooner Bay Harbor. Dorado, Tuna, Billfish and many other species abound in this rich offshore environment. This blue water zone is virgin territory for anglers seeking the thrill of connecting with large ocean fish on the fly. When weather permits the run to Hole in the Wall will produce amazing opportunity to connect with some of the toughest fighting fish in the world as well as exploring ocean flats that hold very large bones and permit.
Zone 5
Cherokee Sound:
A twenty minute trailer to Cherokee Sound will put our anglers in one of the best ocean flats on the planet. Lush turtle grass flats, intersecting with gin clear white sand flats, that have produced some of the largest Bonefish ever caught. This area will be the zone that receives the most pressure making the fish a bit more challenging to catch, however the numbers and size of these fish are legendary.
Zone 6
Moore's Island:
Moore's Island is the largest of some 10 -12 cays that sit on the edge of the northwest providence channel and comprises about a 20 sq. mile area of most beautiful fishing we had ever seen and undoubtedly one of the most remarkable fly fishing destinations in the world. Eighteen miles from the Schooner Bay and a quick thirty minute run across relatively shallow water brings you to the edge of a fishing fantasy. The tide was just coming in when we arrived at Moore's and large schools of bones were moving onto the flats. Within minutes we were seeing double digit fish and the rest of the day was simply surreal. At one point we polled to a mud where what looked like thousands of bones, many double digits, were feeding alongside large mutton snappers. Paul, our head guide, was able to pole the boat into the center of the fish and from any direction you could cast to large fish. Schools of bones, tailing permit and mutton snappers were all over the flats. We were in awe and Paul was telling us this was an off day. With a summer run of Tarpon, Mores Island has grand slam potential and records will be broken here.
Our philosophy on boats is another area where we had to re-evaluate what the other lodges have done and how we were going to give our angler the safest and best possible angling experience. One of the biggest complaints that we hear is that "that ride to and from the fishing beat us to death", especially with the move to smaller technical poling skiffs in the Bahamas. Our thinking is that our fishing area is more like the Keys and Key West, with areas of open water that you need to cross to get to the good fishing. Also, fishing for larger bonefish and permit, along with the tarpon, in deeper water, we found that a larger boat was the best choice for us. When the boat finally does touch bottom most people want to get out and wade anyway. Our solution was the Hewes Redfish 21 with lots of room and comfortable seat backs for those rough rides on the way to and from the lodge. Safety is always paramount and each boat is equipped with a first aid kit, necessary tools, and a communication device (satellite phone/radio) in addition to all of the necessary fishing equipment.
One of the biggest mistakes a bone fisherman can make is not to adjust his fly to changing water depth. Your fly should be weighted such that it sinks to the bottom in 2 to 3 seconds and then stays near the bottom within view of the fish after you begin stripping. However, fishing too heavy a fly (Lead Eyes) in shallow water will undoubtedly spook many fish. Often bonefish are spooked by seeing flies that do not match the environment in which they are swimming. A fly that matches the background color of the flat you are fishing can pay dividends. The watchword, in general, is flexibility; listen to your guide, no-one in the boat has a better idea of technique or choice of flies than him.
You do not have to be a fly fisherman to fish at Black Fly Lodge. Many of our guests arrive with a full complement of light weight spinning rods along with small bonefish jigs. Black Fly Outfitter, the tackle partner for Nervous Waters Lodges, carries many types of 3 and 4 piece traveling spinning rods and many different styles of bonefish jig kits. The outfitter store can be found at
www.blackflyoutfitter.com
The average flat depth, whether you're wading or poling, ranges from 12"-30". In this depth, a Gotcha or Shrimp pattern, like Clint’s secret fly, with medium sized bead chain eyes should provide close to the perfect sink rate without overweighing the fly (and potentially spooking the fish). A good rule of thumb is your fly should reach the bottom in about 2 to 3 seconds. If you find your fly is not getting to the bottom, you should switch to a fly with lead eyes or add a few wraps of lead wire to the eye of the fly.
The angler who is willing to fish deeper flats will often be rewarded with the largest bonefish. Big bonefish prefer the protection of deeper flats or shallow flats close to deep water. When you're fishing water 3-4 feet deep, you'll need a fly with lead eyes to get to the bottom quickly. A proven deep water fly is the Skinny Water Clouser. The two best color combinations for bonefish are tan and white, and chartreuse and white. Other successful deepwater flies are the King of Abaco, Deep Water Clouser, and several types of crab patterns. Lead eyes come in a variety of weights but for ease of casting, you'll want to carry flies with the smaller lead eyes. If you’re using the very heavy eyes, you can shorten the leader to get the fly line to roll over properly.
The last thing a bone-fisherman wants to do is scare an actively feeding fish by casting too heavy a fly too close to the fish. Therefore, you must go light in skinny water. By light we mean no weight other than the weight of the hook. For this we recommend mono (or plastic) eyes and a body that lands softly. Perfectly designed flies for this situation would be the Squimp, Bone Voyage, Prismatic Shrimp, Missing Link, Epoxy Shrimp, and Captain Clint’s Secret Fly! Good color combinations would be the same as the other productive flies we've already described; tan and white, brown and white and the Gotcha colors, pink and white. Buy these fly in sizes 4, 6, and 8. Size 8 is for the very shallow water tailers. You can throw these un-weighted flies right on the nose of a tailing fish. Its entry into the water is almost imperceptible, but they sink well. The rabbit fur and rubber legs of these flies make them look alive even before it's stripped. If it's within view of the bonefish and he's hungry, all you need do is give these flies the tiniest of strips.
Crab patterns have come a long way since George Anderson introduced us to the McCrab. Actually the McCrab has a design flaw--It's all deer hair. To get deer hair to sink it must be loaded with lead and to cast it you need a hard hat. Del Brown corrected this flaw by forming the body of his Del Brown permit fly with Aunt Lydia's rug yarn. This fly sinks quickly with a lot less lead. Jan Isley used similar materials in creating the Rag Head. Bonefish like these crabs just as much as permit. When tied in smaller sizes (size # 2, # 4, and # 6), crab flies are much more enjoyable to cast and perform well on medium to deep flats for bonefish and permit. Tie one of these on when you're fishing one of those flats where you're not sure whether the next fish you spot is apt to be a bonefish, a permit or possibly a mutton snapper. We also recommend a few other crab patterns that are great for bonefish and permit. The famous Flexo Crab, the Whisper Crab, Key Bone Crab, Casa Blanca Raghead, Puglisi’s Decendant Crab and the Epoxy Mantis Shrimp.
Bonefish:
Nine foot, 7 to 9 wt rods. Under normal summertime weather conditions you can make a delicate presentation with a 7 or 8wt weight rod and a long leader with an un-weighted fly. For the normal 10 to 15 mph winds we encounter during the rest of the year, a 9wt is the rod of choice.
We recommend a good quality saltwater reel with a smooth adjustable drag. The reel should have a capacity of at least 180 to 225 yards of 20lb backing. A weight forward floating line from Scientific Anglers, the Royal Wullf Triangle Taper or the Rio XS Bonefish line are great choices for the flats of Abaco. The most common leader at Black Fly is a fluorocarbon 9’-12lb tapered leader. It’s a good idea to bring several spools of different sizes of Flurocarbon tippet to tie on to your leader as it becomes shorter throughout the day changing flies. We recommend using a 12 lb. (or heavier) tippet when large bonefish are present. Many fresh water anglers make the mistake of using too light a tippet with too light of a rod. This will only result in fish that are too exhausted to escape their predators when released. There are many flies that we use at Black Fly Lodge, here are a few: Clint’s Secret Fly, The King of Abaco, Gotcha’s in different sizes, colors and weights, the Kwan, and the Squimp. The list is endless and will depend to a large extent on the kind of flat you are fishing, its background color and depth.
Tarpon:
9-10 weight rods such as; Sage's: Xi3 with an Abel Super 8 and a Rio Tarpon taper clear sink tip, a pre-tied tarpon leader with 15-20lb class tippet and shock tippet of 60-80lbs. Also the Temple Fork BVK, Orvis Helios, the G.Loomis GLX, and the Hardy Pro-Axis are good rods as well. We stock all of these rods at Black Fly Outfitter. For Barracuda use a wire tipped leader with about 6" of wire and for Sharks increase this to 24". The flies you need are patterns like Cuda Needlefish, Multi Needlefish, Mike’s Cuda Fly and several deceiver and baitfish patterns. For reels, choose a large arbor reel with a capacity of 250 yards of backing. A smooth drag is essential in tarpon fishing and some of the anti-reverse models are a good choice if you don’t want to crack your knuckles as the tarpon makes those long burning runs on the hook up. Reel choices are Abel, Tibor, Orvis, Ross, Sage and Hardy.