he sun was rising over Big Harbour
Cay. The luxuriant light gave the
water a pinkish tinge that slowly
morphed to a brighter reddish-orange. The
young mangrove shoots just offshore were
bathed in the sweet light and the coconut
palms in the foreground burst with color.
I’ve always been a morning person, and
today, like so many, many days before, I’m
glad I am. This little part of the world on
the East End of Grand Bahama Island came
alive with the erubescent sun. And as the
crepuscular critters softly ceased their
serenade, the tide would begin to ebb,
schools of bonefish would come out of the
mangroves, and I was ready to meet
another day in paradise.
After a glorious day of bonefishing
in the 250 square miles of near-pristine saltwater mangrove flats that comprise the
T
Deep Water Cay, like many bonefish lodges around the world, participates in fish-tagging programs for
the Florida-based Bonefish & Tarpon Trust. (Photo courtesy of Deep Water Cay)
The Iconic Deep Water Cay
Grand Bahama Island
Story and Photos by King Montgomery
Florida Keys angling guide Harp Heffernan casts to a bonefish directed by guide Meko Glinton and encouraged by fellow angler Jim Nix of Falls Church,
Virginia.
eastern part of Grand Bahama Island (GBI),
I paused again to gaze out as the setting sun
slipped slowly and magnificently beneath
the watery horizon. Pinks, then reds
appeared in the sky in almost the reverse
order of this morning’s spectacle. And the
now-fiery water darkened as the twilight
creatures again took up their stations and
tuned up for their symphony at the
gloaming. Indeed, the whole scene this
day, from start to finish, truly was a
theophany. There are many days like this
all across the cathedral of the Caribbean
saltwater flats with the sky for a ceiling,
mangroves for walls, clear, warm, shallow
water for a floor, and many bonefish for a
congregation.
Where the Big Fish Play
And so it is at the Deep Water Cay
(DWC), a bonefishing destination since the
late 1950s. Under new ownership, this
luxurious, Orvis-endorsed lodge recently
completed phase two of several million dollars
of renovations and construction giving the
place serious surgery. Everything here is
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June/July 2014
first class except the price, which is similar
to other, less nice, bonefish establishments
in the Bahamas archipelago. This is one of
those very rare places where you actually
get more than you pay for. Several episodes
of the Outdoor Channel TV show
Buccaneers and Bones were filmed here
with luminaries as Lefty Kreh, Tom
Brokaw, actor Michael Keaton Patagonia’s
Yvon Chouinard, and Dr. Bill Klyn from
the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust. Kreh, who
first fished here with A. J. McClane in the
late 1960s or early 1970s, remembers the
excellent bonefishing and that the fish were
larger on average than elsewhere in the
Bahamas. Lefty would fish here now and
then over the years. He was very
pleasantly surprised when he returned in
2011 and in 2012.
Deep Water Cay has grown up
from a very rustic fishing camp to a
boutique, full-service resort where fishing
still rules, but there are many other options
for entertainment as well. In particular, the
new diving programs include professional
dive instruction and certification beginning
in the infinity pool and culminating in local
dives at various depths. Other water outings
available include snorkeling, paddle
boarding, sailing and kayaking.
When I last visited Deep Water
Cay two years ago, there was extensive
construction just east of the main lodge and
across the water in nearby Mcleans Town.
Today, these phase-two projects are completed.
The Mcleans Town marina and boat storage
facility is the departure point for the private
water taxi for the less than five-minute boat
ride to the private cay; and the new guest
house is open for business expanding the
resort’s capacity without crowding things.
All the other resort facilities have been
renovated and the private macadam airstrip
is always well-maintained making Deep
Water Cay a premier destination in the
Bahamas archipelago.
There are a number of lots where
folks are building second homes, and soon
new real-estate opportunities will be
available including beach/waterfront lots.
Even with the building efforts, the cay
remains wild and scenic, and is a testament
to the beauty that sand and mangroves lend.
The Engaging Flats
Mangrove flats always have held a
revered place in my heart. Peering into
their shallow, clear and fertile waters from
the front-casting deck of the boat is as if
you were floating suspended over a giant
aquarium. Mangroves are an incredibly
adaptable plant, usually growing in shrub or
This nice blue runner, a spunky jack, smacked the fly.
The Meko Special lodged in the jaw of this bonefish is tied by Deep Water Cay guide Meko Glinton. This
and other traditional flats flies will take plenty of bones and the occasional permit.
small tree form. Not only are they one of
the few plants that grow in saltwater; they
also thrive in wild swings of salinity, and
can stay high and dry exposed to the sun for
long periods. One of the mangrove’s
greatest characteristics is that bonefish
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June/July 2014
love them.
Mangroves serve as anchor spots
for a number of marine organisms; these
small creatures draw larger animals,
including fishes and crustaceans that, in
turn, are eaten by larger fishes including
know many of these spots and can put you
onto fish as they depart the mangroves.
At slack low and in the first few
hours of the incoming tide, the bonefish
will seek water that is comfortable for their
needs. This could be shallow water less
than three or four feet deep, or deeper to
seven or eight feet or more. The shallower
fish can be spotted and sight-fishing is
possible. If the bones are feeding in deeper
water, the moving school creates a “mud,”
visible to the observant angler and seldom
missed by a good guide.
Blind-fishing these muds for
bonefish is frowned on by purists because
you are not casting to a visible fish. I
normally don’t fish muds either, unless the
guide and I want fish to tag and release to
support the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust
program. I believe, however, that fish in the
muds are a valid target for beginners to get
the feel of the bite and the fight of these
noble creatures. I call them “bonefish with
training wheels” and see nothing inherently
wrong with catching them if you wish.
Lefty Kreh, Tom Brokaw, Michael Keaton and other luminaries slept in these cabins.
As the tide withdraws, the bonefish move with it out of the mangroves. It
pays to stake out some of the known man-
grove exit routes to intercept the fish as
they swim into deeper water. Good guides,
and the lads at Deep Water Cay are superb,
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June/July 2014
Other Fishing Patterns
The fish act differently in places
where mangroves are not a factor, but the
fish still move and feed with the tide – only
in different places. On the east side of
Grand Bahama Island mainland and on
many of the cays, there are a number of
sandy beaches, some that extend for miles.
High tide often finds some fish tailing along
the beach-water interface. Waves here are
virtually nonexistent except during storms
so this is a good place to feed. Here is
where flies with little or no weight are best.
I’ve heard that San Juan Worms tied on size
2 to 6 hooks sometimes will take these
shallow fish, but haven’t tried them yet.
The bones follow along with the
outgoing tide, often feeding as they go.
They will cruise along, either feeding or
just going from here to there. Even while
just transiting bonefish will take a wellpresented fly. If a poor presentation makes
the fish skittish but not spooked, it’s best
just to move on because they won’t eat
your fly.
Folks often ask me when is the
best time to go bonefishing, and my initial
answer always is “whenever you can.”
Bonefish are caught year-round on GBI and
the other Bahamian islands. And they are
taken during all stages of the moon and the
tides. But if I could pick optimal conditions,
it would be in April/May and
October/November during a quarter to a
new moon, and on the last several hours of
an outgoing and the first few hours of an
incoming tide. On GBI, particularly in the
tangle of cays on the East End, the tide
progresses at different rates, and many
good spots are in range of Deep Water
Cay’s slick Hell’s Bay flats boats. You
literally can chase the tide for excellent
bonefishing.
Regardless of the time of year or
stage of the tide, the most important
condition that guarantees plenty of bonefish action is consistency in the weather.
Marine organisms that inhabit the saltwater
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June/July 2014
flats don’t like changes in the weather,
particularly with shifts in barometric
pressure and extended periods of rain.
In addition to a zillion bonefish,
the waters of GBI have tarpon, permit,
barracuda, and plenty of sharks. Various
snappers and groupers also are available.
DWCC offers reef-fishing trips and offshore outings for billfish, wahoo, and other
offshore species.
Deep Water Cay’s accommodations
are upscale and comfortable with all the
amenities of home. The meals in the lodge
make a gourmand smile, and the wine
selection is excellent. Your lunch on board
your Hell’s Bay skiff is prepared according
to the choice of fare you selected the
evening before while having a cool Kalik or
dirty Grey Goose martini at the bar.
The cay is romantic too, so bring
along your non-angling partner. There
aren’t many places where you can fish,
swim, dive, sail, relax, have a message, eat
good food, do nothing or do just about
whatever you wish; and be treated to a
colorful sunrise and a dramatic sunset all
by just turning around at different times of
the day.
For further information, contact Deep
Water Cay at 1-888-420-6202 or visit
www.deepwatercay.com.
For information on land and building options,
contact [email protected].
King Montgomery is a well-known outdoors and travel writer-photographer who
recently moved from Burke, Virginia, to
Kennebunkport, Maine. Contact him at
[email protected].
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