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Great Inagua and Sandy

3K views 5 replies 3 participants last post by  juro 
#1 ·
I was on Great Inagua last week when Sandy came through. We went down on the 17th and were due to leave Friday the 26th. We could see Sandy was coming and tried to fly out Wednesday but Bahamasair would not leave Nassau though things were fine on Inagua. Sandy came through that area on Thursday and we had Tropical Storm winds but not hurricane winds. We were staying in a duplex about 50' off the ocean with a sea wall about 15' high in front of us. At high tide the waves were breaking over the sea wall at times and about reaching the front porch. Parts of the wall were washed away but not directly in front of us. I never felt in danger. The high seas kept up through Sunday but the winds died down and we were able to fly out Monday. You could lay in bed at night and feel the waves as they hit the sea wall shake the house.

We still got in 5 good days of fishing with lots of bones, tarpon and a couple of snook before the storm came through. We tried to fish the flats Saturday and Sunday but the winds were just too high still and the flats were muddy. Also you could not get the boat to the creek flats because of the high seas. We managed to find some tarpon in the canal going into the lake and portions of the lake protected from the wind that you could reach by truck.

I have made 8 trips that time of year in the last 10 years and this is the first one that we were bothered by a hurricane. I guess it's a chance you take that time of year but without the hurricane threat the weather is usually very good and I prefer it to the spring.
 
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#4 ·
juro said:
Good stuff Walt - glad you're safe.

Would you say that tarpon is a reliable bet over those 8 trips?
Juro,

We have caught tapon on other trips but this was by far the best we have done with them. Usually they are spread out in the lake, which is huge, and they are difficult to find. When Sandy came through there was a lot of fresh water from the rain dumped in the lake. This caused the fish to move to where salt water was being pumped into the lake. The tarpon as well as snook and some bonefish were in a canal maybe 100' wide and about .5 miles long. This was crystal clear water, maybe 3 to 4 feet deep and school after school of tarpon would run up and down that stretch of canal. We jumped fish after fish and landed double digits. You were almost upset when one did not throw the hook after a couple of jumps and you had to fight it to the bank. You could watch the fish turn on the fly, follow and then take it. Very exciting stuff. Most of them were in the 20 to 30lb range and perfect for a 10 wt.

That being said it is not common but if you could time your trip to the day after a hurricane you could probably find the same type of fishing.

Walt
 
#6 ·
Swalt said:
This was crystal clear water, maybe 3 to 4 feet deep and school after school of tarpon would run up and down that stretch of canal. We jumped fish after fish and landed double digits. You were almost upset when one did not throw the hook after a couple of jumps and you had to fight it to the bank. You could watch the fish turn on the fly, follow and then take it. Very exciting stuff. Most of them were in the 20 to 30lb range and perfect for a 10 wt.
Let me just linger on that thought for the rest of the day...
 
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