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Greg Catches a BIG Fish

Posted by: Mangrove Cay Club Guests Posted Date: 11/19/2009

Greg from Chicago with the biggest bonefish of his life....10 pounds! A beautiful November fish. Guided by Leslie Green.

 

Mangrove Cay Club Report

Posted by: Mangrove Cay Club Guests Posted Date: 11/19/2009

Gang – Back from Mangrove Cay and despite some rotten weather and unsettled weather, Jeannette and I enjoyed 4 good days on the water one of which ranked in the outstanding category. This year’s weather culprit was Hurricane Ida (the 3rd consecutive November a named storm has impacted Andros when statistically there’s only a named November storm every other year – next year should be great). Its outer fringes visited 30+ mph E winds starting on Friday the 6th which persisted thru Monday. Then when the storm reemerged into the Atlantic on Thursday/Friday, it set up a reverse pressure gradient giving us stiff NW winds on Friday. In between, we had some ok weather but it was unsettled. Every day featured wind from a different direction, at different velocities, and different cloud cover.

Traditionally this has spelled disaster for Andros bonefishing. However, the MCC guides really have the fishery figured out and put on us good numbers of relatively willing fish each day that we got out in the Dolphin skiffs. The Club has also improved its ability to handle poor weather and one day were going to have the guides run the boats to Lisbon Creek in the South Bight and drive us there to meet them to avoid a wet ride around the front of Mangrove Cay (the wind backed off and we ended up making the boat ride instead).

Day 1 (Sun) – blown out. Took another bicycle walking tour of Moxey Town and reduced Liz’s supply of Kalik.

Day 2 – Got to Gibson Cay via the catamaran for about 2 hours of wading; tide was high around noon. There were a few skittish fish on the wind blown flat (puffing about 25 from the E) and I scratched up a pair of “Mexican” bones – 1.5 lbers.

Day 3 – Winds switched to the SE and were in the 15-20 range but skies were clear. Checked out a few North Bight flats but the whole place was a stirred up milky mess. Capt. Leslie took us into Moxey Creek where we spent the whole day fishing its always clear water. Found lots of 2-3 lbers ( a couple of 4’s), had a total of 35-40 shots, and boated a dozen or so. Jeannette had a hard time with the stiff crosswind so we missed a bunch.

Day 4 – Our best weather: clear with a S wind vectoring to the SW around 10 mph. Ran to the West Side and Cabbage Creek. As the tide was high when we arrived, Kiki took us way up the Creek to fish the “inside” embayments before the tide ebbed. Quickly picked half a dozen 2-3 lbers and then ran back outside.

Expected to find fish working the shoreline including some of the famous West Side big guys. The bones had not gotten the memo and all we found were a few 2 lb schoolies. However, a big tarpon appeared but we saw it about a minute too late. Kiki poled hard but the only shot was a going away angle and twice I got the fly in front of it and hoped the ‘poon would simply grab the sitting fly – it didn’t. Kiki and Leslie conferred and Kiki took us back south while Leslie and his guy ran north to the Wide Open. We lost this bet. The lower west side was all milked up and unfishable (largely because of the SW breeze). Leslie put his guy on a couple of big fish and he scored a 10-11 lber. Ultimately we ended up inside the North Bight, found some fish – including a nice 5 lb tailer – and landed another 4 or 5 bones. As we were wrapping up, a lemon shark was swimming nearby. Jeannette made a precision cast and the damn thing ate the Gotcha. It was apparently hooked in the corner of the mouth and took off deep into the backing before it bit through the leader.


Day 5 – We woke to a 10 mph west wind, overcast skies and initial pessimism. A west wind is bad news in the Keys and in 14 previous trips to Andros, I had never fished a west wind. Turns out a west wind doesn’t bother South Bight bones in the least and we spent almost the whole day working to a steady procession of tailing fish. The solid dark morning sky was ok though as visibility was pretty good; by midday it cleared out and provided a near perfect afternoon. John was our guide and he opted for the South Bight as its “front” area (Lisbon Creek, Linda Cay, etc) is in the lee of any wind from the west.

Started on the Linda Cay shoreline and had an almost immediate “triple header”: Jeannette and I hooked bones and while we were subduing the pair John nailed a nice lobster out for a stroll. The shorelines of Linda Cay, Pigeon Cay, and Lisbon Creek were full of fish and many, many tailers. I probably had 15 shots at tailers. Got the first couple, including a good 5 lber that was a classic fish oozing along the mangrove roots waving its tail and dorsal out of the skinny water. Then a run of bad juju on 4 successive sets of tailers: the fly picked up weed on one pair, a 6 inch cuda ate the fly first on another, then a 5 inch snapper beat the bone to the fly, and I let the fly line get around my ankle on the fourth and broke if off. Thought I could atone when a big one (John and I guessed 8 lbs) appeared showing dorsal and tail. Made a precise delicate cast, the fish pounced on the fly, it smoked up the shoreline, I pressured it away from the mangroves and then started reclaiming line – when the hook simply pulled. I pitched the fly rod overboard I was so despondent.

By day’s end we had boated 15 fish and most were solid 4 lbers. These were also handsome olive backed, aqua finned ocean bones full of piss and vinegar. An outstanding day of classic fishing for quality fish.

Day 6 – For a while, it looked like the last day would be a blow out and we might get in some wading. It was cloudy and blowing 20+ from the NW at 8 AM with waves crashing on the Club dock. Since low tide in the South Bight was at 11 AM, I knew if we could get there we’d be ok and I lobbied Liz to that effect. She was willing to send the guide around with the skiff to pick us up at Lisbon Creek. Fortunately, the wind let down to 15 and the waves flattened as the tide ebbed and it cleared up too. Climbed on board with John around 10 and back to the South Bight. Fish numbers were down a bit from yesterday but we still found tailers and early on got a fine 6 pounder we found rooting in the skinny water – best fish of the week. Picked away catching a fish or two but suffered another run of bad luck – Jeannette hooked and lost 5 fish and I had 3 or 4 eat the fly and come unbuttoned. As the day wound down John had us on a deeper edge when I got the shot I had waited for all week. A pair of double digit battle wagons were meandering our way over a sandy strip showing big silver tails. John positioned the skiff, I carefully placed the fly 10 feet ahead, and waited. The closest fish proceeded to swim right over the seductively twitched fly without showing any interest whatsoever and disappeared into the deeper water. It’s what keeps us coming back.

MCC remains a superb operation. Ikye’s food remains incredibly good, Liz runs a tight ship, and Leslie, Kiki, John and the others are now real veteran savvy guides. We missed not having our regulars with us but expect you to be there next year!
Bill
  

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