Articles

BAHAMAS GETAWAY

By Mike Rice

One afternoon back in February of 2001, I was sitting at my desk watching the wind blow the falling snow around and thinking about fishing. Rather than concentrating on the pile of paperwork scattered around my desk, I was contemplating the differences between a Crazy Charlie and a McKvay's Gotcha and which one I liked best. About the time I decided on the Gotcha in tan, my wife, Wendy, called with really good news. She informed me that she had decided that we needed to go somewhere warm and had booked a four day trip to Grand Bahama Island for the first week of May. She had found a deal on the Internet for an all-inclusive package at Club La Viva Fortuna which, she added was right on the beach and would surely present the opportunity for some fishing.

We flew out of Boston in the morning darkness on May 4th and arrived at Fortuna in time to take advantage of the breakfast buffet. We couldn't get into our room for a few hours, so we decided to hit the beach. We secured beach chairs strategically located between the water and the Tiki Bar and started working on our tans. I had been sitting there patiently for about 15 minutes when Wendy said, "Why don't you go fishing?" I wasted no time in breaking out my fly rod and headed down the beach. As I walked, I looked through my fly box and the many different patterns I had tied for the trip. I had been on a Brooks Blonde binge during the weeks leading up to the trip and had tied up a few in several different color combinations. I decided to be safe and tied on a chartreuse Blonde.

I walked down the deserted beach about a quarter of a mile and found a bed of turtle grass that looked promising. As I waded out to waist deep water, I scanned the water for signs of activity and saw a few small barracuda cruising the edges of the grass. Having had a close call with a three foot 'cuda the previous year on the flats in Andros, I decided that knee deep water would be just fine and backed up. Several 'cuda in the 10" to 12" range followed my fly on the first retrieve. A few casts later one of them hit the fly and took of with it. Like a dog chasing a car, I played the fish for a minute until I wondered what I was going to do with it when I brought it in. My fear of these vicious creatures is immense due greatly to unfamiliarity, but I decided I that had read enough and remembered how the guides on Andros had released them, to be able to let the little fella go. I released the fish and he appeared no worse for the wear, but it was not a pleasant experience for either of us.

I spent the next two hours blind casting at beds of turtle grass and released several small jacks, a variety of snapper and several blue and white striped fish I have yet to identify. None of the fish were of great size, but they fought well and were extremely fun to catch. As always, the 'cuda were everywhere and caused great panic for the fish on my line but there were no "swim-by casualties". There were also large numbers of needlefish working the area between the surf line and the turtle grass that would follow my fly but never, over four days and about 20 different fly patterns, took one.

For the duration of the trip, my schedule was simple - two hours of fishing before every meal. Each day I made it a little further down the beach and by the end of our stay, had identified a few "honey holes" that guaranteed fish regardless of the tide. The flies I used the most were 2/0 Blondes in several colors, #4 tan Gotcha's and my trusty 2/0 olive over white bucktail sand eel which seemed to closely match the little baitfish that were everywhere. This is no exaggeration, but I caught so many fish each day that I stopped counting them. There were no huge fish or trophy fish like a bonefish or permit, but it was fun catching fish I had never seen before. It also provided incredible casting practice in windy conditions. I made time each day to practice sight casting at needlefish for thirty minutes and by the time I left, had added considerable distance to my cast and decreased the need for false casts.

Fishing aside, Club La Viva Fortuna is an amazing place not only for the fishing but also for relaxing and socializing. It has a family atmosphere and the staff goes the extra mile to keep the guests entertained with activities from Latin dancing lessons to water polo to island tours. Every night the staff puts on musical and comedy shows in the theater that are first rate. The accommodations are comfortable and clean. The food in the cafeteria is good and plentiful and there is an Italian restaurant within the confines of the resort that doesn't rival Boston's North End but is unique. And then there are the Tiki bars that never seem to close. The all-inclusive package was worth its weight in gold. We never left the resort and I think we only spent about $30.00 between the two of us over four days.

For those looking for a short tropical getaway that is not outrageously priced and affords the entire family the opportunity to partake of almost anything you could want to do, or do nothing but hang out on the beach, this is the place to go. The fishing is pretty good too.