FLY FISHING GREEN TURTLE CAY, ABACO, BAHAMAS |
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Within an hours flight of the major Florida Airports,
you can fly into Treasure Cay; hop a 3-minute cab ride
to the Green Turtle Cay ferry dock and within 15 minutes,
your in Green Turtle, one of the many Cays that lie to
the east of Abaco Island. If you are a serious fly fisher
looking for a remote location for a do it yourself trip,
this is the place. Green Turtle is one of only a few
inhabited Cays in Abaco, with a population of approximately
four hundred, year round residents. It is a tiny area,
1 1/2 miles wide and 3 miles long. Bonefish, Permit,
Tarpon, Barracuda and Sharks are just some of the game
fish that can be found here in great numbers. Average
size Bonefish are between 8 and 12 lbs., with the possibility
of getting into a fish in the 15+ lb. class on the ocean
side of this Cay. If you're a fly fisher seeking a remote
area and big bonefish, Green Turtle is a great place
to start.
New Plymouth is the point of entry to Green Turtle Cay
on it's southeastern shore. On the western side and traveling
north, you will find Black Sound, White Sound and Coco
Bay. On the eastern side Traveling south is the Atlantic
Ocean, then further south, Long Bay and on the southeast
shore, Gillam Bay and then the "Town Flats". Traveling
around Green Turtle Cay is done mostly by golf cart with
three productive bonefish flats, easily accessible, for
the wading fly fisher. If you book with a guide, as many
as a dozen or more are at your disposal. |
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BIG GREEN TURTLE BONEFISH |
For the wading fly fisher, a short 3-minute walk from
New Plymouth, will put you on the western part of the "Town
flats". The Town flats run for Approximately 1 mile with
an average depth of 18 inches during low tide. This flat
runs along the south shore of Green Turtle consisting
of a mostly weedy bottom, with a few homes and brushy
areas lining its banks. Bonefish can be found throughout
in decent numbers, during all tidal stages. As the tide
comes in, more bonefish will arrive and you can see muds
as large as 30 yds in circumference, with tails everywhere.
Fish will average a little smaller here, in the 7-10
lb range. Don't think you have to wade into the middle
of the flat. Check the shoreline before stepping in the
water, you may see a few cruising fish.
As the fly fisher moves east on this flat, the bottom
becomes a bit more sandy, making it a little easier to
spot fish on an overcast day. If you're going to fish
this area of the Town flat, be here during the incoming
tide when the water is a little deeper. Look for cruising,
single or paired fish here. As you move towards the end,
don't be shocked if your target is a Permit and not a
Bonefish.
The next and easiest accessible flat for the wading fly
fisher is at Gillam Bay and Sand Dollar Flat. Within
a 15-minute walk from the main town in New Plymouth,
you will arrive at a picture perfect flat with Pelican
Island as its backdrop. Sand Dollar Flat is protected
from wind out of the north and east because of the way
Gillam Bay lies. Certain areas along this flat are also
somewhat shielded by Pelican Island from west winds. |
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SAND DOLLAR FLAT |
Starting at the southern most point, Sand Dollar Flat
is made up of a white sandy bottom with very few weeds.
Incoming high to 2 hours into the turn is when you will
want to be here to target fish on the white sand. When
the water is at dead low tide, most of the area is out
of water. This will allow you to walk out and fish the
deeper, weedier areas a few hundred yards from the beach.
Darker ocean Bonefish and many other species will cruise
in through the weeds, come onto this white sandy flat
and look as if a log is floating by.. If you're casting
into the weedy area at low tide, it will be difficult
to see these darker fish.
Permit upwards of 30 lbs. frequent this area, frustrating
most with a fly rod. They will occasionally cruise the
shore line within casting distance from the beach. Most
times you will be quietly stalking this fish a little
further out on the flat. If you are lucky enough to fool
one, hold on. Permit are a strong, long running fish
so quite a bit of backing to your fly line is necessary.
As you move north on Sand Dollar Flat, the water gets
a bit deeper with a few more weeds. Bonefish will cruise
this area in large schools in search for a good feeding
area. They will always be on the move digging the bottom,
making the water look like milk in spots. This deeper
area will fish through the tidal changes. As Gillam Bays
shores turn east, the water becomes deeper, with weeds
and a gravely bottom. This is a difficult area to wade
fish and will be targeted best by boat.
Most of Sand Dollar Flat in Gillam bay is very accessible
by foot. While wading, watch your toes for the numerous
stingrays that will swim right to you. Also keep an eye
out for an occasional Lemon, Black tip or Tiger shark.
You will also see quite a few Barracuda as large as 48
plus inches. |
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A BIG BARRACUDA CRUISING COCO BAY |
The Last Flat accessible by the wading fly fisher is
at Coco Bay. If you're staying in New Plymouth, you will
want to rent a golf cart to get you there. Located on
the northwestern part of Green Turtle, as the crow flies,
its roughly 2 miles away, but the way Green Turtle is
shaped, it's about 4 1/2 miles by road. Coco Bay is a
shallow area consisting of a mostly weedy bottom. with
a few large sandy spots. Well protected from the winds,
you will find both darker and lighter colored bonefish
here at almost any time. Seeing a school of a hundred
fish in the 9+ lb class is not uncommon with the Atlantic
Ocean just to your north. The local guides consistently
see three large schools of fish that make their way onto
this flat during the incoming tide. These fish will hang
around feeding through most of the tidal changes, with
a few to be found all day. Access along the beach is
very good with most of the flat wadable. There are two
channels running about 5 feet deep, and a few yards wide,
that come in perpendicular to the beach. Larger boats
will use these deeper areas when coming into dock. This
is where you will see quite a few sharks swimming around.
There are also plenty of large Barracuda that you may
want to take a shot at.
Unlike many other Islands in the Bahamas, there are no
Bonefish clubs here. The Government in the Bahamas only
allows native Bahamians to guide for sport fish. In Green
Turtle Cay, there are only two bonefish guides and 1
guide who strictly fishes off shore. The bonefish guides
can mix it up and can take you out for Durado, Wahoo,
Tuna and other big offshore gamefish if you want.
Even though the bonefish fish are not pressured by fishermen
and women, they are extremely smart and spooky. They
did not get this big by being dumb. It is best to book
a guide on Green Turtle, well in advance of your trip.
A guide with a flats boat will get you to many other
flats on and around Green Turtle and other uninhabited
Cays. Coco Plum and Manjack Cay are two very productive
areas not accessible by foot from Green Turtle. Once
there you can be poled around or walk the area. Moving
further up the chain of Cays, a guide will have you fishing
flats and creeks that do not see anyone for weeks at
a time, all with large Bonefish and many other species
that will put a huge bend in your rod. |
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A HOOKED GREEN TURTLE BONEFISH |
For Bonefish, you will want to plan your trip around
the new moon, or a few days after the full moon. Late
February through June are good times. July into the beginning
of August are tough on the flats for bonefish. The flats
will warm up quickly during the day and you will find
most of your fish mudding in the deeper, cooler water
just off the flat in weedier areas. Do not discount this
time though as it can be very productive. You will also
find Tarpon here during the warmer months. As the month
of August continues, the bonefish will start to frequent
the flats in good numbers again, taking you all the way
through the end of November. As the water cools in late
Fall, the Bonefish will head out again into the deeper
water. Into mid December, you can see the water warming
for a few weeks, bringing the bones back onto the flats.
If you are planning a trip with a partner; you can get
seven days lodging and 5 days with a guide for under
$1200 per person. You can also check some of the other
Inns and lodging on Green Turtle, putting together your
own package, depending on weather you will want a guide
or not. There are a couple of good places to eat as well,
serving both native food and American food. Keep in mind
that once here, there is very limited access to cash.
Most places will take a check.
If you are looking to plan a trip to a remote area with
the opportunity to catch large Bonefish, Permit, Tarpon,
Shark and even take a run off shore, Green Turtle Cay
in Abaco, Bahamas, is definitely the place, and you wont
break the bank. Click here for more photos of Green
Turtle Cay Fly Fishing
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