Crooked Island April 2023

 Crooked Island, Bahamas April 2023

C and I left home on April 5 and met the WVa contingent in Atlanta. Delta kept switching gates and posting delays, but we eventually got to Nassau. As we were waiting in Atlanta, I learned that there is an extra fee for every hour we are late getting to our charter plane in NAS. Then I was told that 5:30 from NAS was our absolute latest take off time because the pilot has to fly us 1.5 hours to Crooked but then be in the air and in radio contact with NAS on the return before sunset. When we pulled up to the Fixed Base Operator terminal in NAS, a guy in an orange shirt yelled out "Are these the guys going to Crooked?". We said yes and loaded quickly and just made the take off time.

All was going well in flight. I looked over at C who was trying to figure out where we were using Apple Maps. It did not tell us much so I turned on my phone (about an hour 15 into an hour and 1/2 flight) to look at Google Maps. I noticed a text message saying "It looks like you are heading to the wrong airport!". Luckily the airport we wanted was 35 miles closer and so after a very rapid descent we landed (my right ear is still popping 10 days later). 

The next morning we had to stay close to port because of high winds and no guides available. C saw some egrets and horse eye jacks on her walk which got us all excited about fishing.  We decided to do 4 on or near island activities. First we went to the tiny island lighthouse from the late 1800s but deserted since the 1990s. We got close via the Ad Lib and then rowed ashore in the kayaks. The wind was at  least 25 mph. 

 

Now way was I going to try to climb those stairs.

Next up back on the main island was a kayak paddle across a deserted salt pond to a trail up to an old fort which the British used to protect the island and the salt business. Andrew the property manager and Ishmael were our guides. They identified poisonwood for us, which is a relative of poison ivy with the same effect on those susceptible like me. We found overgrown stone walls, several old cannon from George V reign, and a couple of ruined plantation houses. The plantations grew sisal and cotton at one time. It must have been hard scrabble living. Population was 7000, now 250.

 

After lunch we did some reef fishing and caught a couple of groupers and snappers of different kinds. Then it was off to a pretty extensive limestone cavern complete with creepy openings, bats, crab shells, lizards, and holes in the stone where trees grew through to the light. We saw 1818 scratched on a wall but it may have been fake.

 

The highlight of the evening for me was catching bar jacks on my Tenkara rod off the back of the SB. Another caption for this photo might be "The moon was a ghostly galleon, tossed on stormy seas".

The next day (Good Friday) we fished with Dennis and Fidel, a guide from Acklins (they are not 7th Day Adventists there). The wind was blowing all day and at one point early on we all got totally soaked in a rain shower. We saw a few fish, mostly in ones and twos but could not see them in time (spooky) and had a hard time casting in that wind. It was pretty depressing.

On the 8th the wind abated but still was blowing. I recommended we try deep sea fishing from the Ad Lib, The water right outside the harbor dropped to 1000, then 1400, the more than 2000 feet. We worked Dennis pretty hard changing baits and getting the riggers up but had no luck. Then right before lunch we moved closer to the reef hoping to pick at least a barracuda. Tom caught a nice cero mackerel there. Saw a white tailed tropicbird.

After lunch we all did individual things. Bill and Jay went to the salt pond on bikes, had fun but no fish, got a flat tire, and met a few of the locals on the way back. C, Tom, and I got a tour of the lodge and read a bit. I fished the slough behind the harbor in the late afternoon, saw a baby turtle and a ray but had no bites.

The wind dropped off and shifted more westerly on the 9th. Our guide was Michael. Both boats had a long bouncy run on the west side of Crooked then back to the north into extensive flats with many dead trees in patches and few mangroves living. We saw fish in schools all morning and caught a few. Bill took a great video of me wading and catching one with others swimming around my feet but I can't figure out how to get over here to the blog. The guys on Dennis' skiff had similar success. 

After lunch we made a long run down to Long Cay (population 6). We came to a big deep flat where the fish were schooled up. We followed their motion and stayed probably a bit too long but we all caught several. I think our combined total for the day was 25 or so. A good day, with two brilliantly pink flamingoes with black striping under their wings to cap it off.

On the long ride back Michael pointed out to me some thimble jellyfish. They show up near the islands when the wind is from the west and pack quite a sting. I caught one in a ziplock without getting stung.

On the 10th Michael took all of us down past Long Cay in search of a big school that hangs out in the Fish Cays. Live conch and starfish everywhere. We tried finding them by wading without much luck but Bill and I had a blast catching tiny snappers (and a needle fish and a small barracuda) while wading.When we got back in the skiffs Dennis and Michael had found the school.

This school must have had 1000s of fish in it. I wish we had photos but we were so entranced with the fish that we took no pictures. Upon reflection again we stayed too long fishing this school. Afterwards I felt like Buffalo Bill Cody shooting at one of those giant herds of buffalo out west where the herd would not run and he just kept shooting and shooting. 

When we did break away we went to a different area of Long Cay where Tom and I waded for quite a way without seeing anything. Then after a short run toward home we came upon a smaller school than the one in the morning but with the same look- swimming in a circle, visible from a distance both by the darkness compared to the sandy bottom as well as the way the fish would thrash the surface in unison. 

This was another wonderful day with a total of more than thirty probably.

Dinner was in the lodge- three courses of conch plus wahoo.

Sunrise in the harbor: 

April 11- Charter to NAS, Delta to Atlanta and Richmond and Dulles. Fun trip.