Captain Bob Bushholz
Jensen Beach, Florida
(772) 225-6436
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Walkers Cay Bahamas Trip
Last week I departed on a scheduled 4-day fishing trip to Walker's
Cay, Bahamas aboard my friend, Capt. Joe Edge's 30' Rampage "Bite
This Too". We left Anchors Aweigh Marina around 7:00 a.m. Sunday,
August 4, making it to Walker's in about 5-1/2 hours with calm seas the
entire way.
We started fishing Monday morning, first trolling ballyhoo looking for
barracuda to use for bait later. Within an hour we had 3 cudas to 10 lbs.
in the box, so we headed to the drop-off about 2 miles from Walker's to
try some deep-dropping. Fresh barracuda makes excellent chunk bait for
yellow-eye snapper, grouper and various other bottom feeders. After
preparing the cudas in 2-inch chunks, we were ready to go. The tackle
used: electric reels, 5-lb. sash weights, 800 yards of 100 lb. power pro
and bait rigs consisting of 10/0 circle hooks. The rigs were spread about
4 feet apart with a water-sensitive light attached at the leader. Starting
around the 200-foot depth, we drifted to 700 feet. Some real nice
yellow-eye snapper along with a few strawberry grouper, bar jacks and a 6'
bull shark provided great action. Fishing electric reels is always a
blast. During hot summer days, you can fish all day long and not even work
up a sweat. After 3 hours, we headed back with a dozen or so nice
yellow-eyes and an assortment of others, making the first day's fishing
there an excellent start.
Tuesday's winds picked up a bit making fishing deep uncomfortable.
After an hour of bouncing around, we elected to head back in and join the
non-stop "tailgate party" back at the dock. Around 1 p.m. I
noticed a 65' sporty backing into a dock two slips away which was still
flying a yellow flag indicating they were new arrivals and hadn't yet
cleared customs. This boat, "Medalist" was from Jupiter, Florida
and its owner, Greg Norman, (the professional golfer) was aboard. He kept
a low profile, staying inside most of the time and everyone respected his
privacy. What struck me funny was that while docked, Greg's boat
continuously ran his radar. Later that day he pulled out, and just in
time. Those of us remaining at the dock finally figured out what the radar
was all about. Around 3:30 a.m. Wednesday, we were greeted by Cristobal,
packing gale winds and dumping 14" of rain for a solid 13 hours.
Three boats in the Marina went down, including a 23' center-console which
beached itself 10' up the boat ramp with considerable hull damage. A dozen
or so boats suffered minimum damage with concrete pilings holding the boat
cleats snapping like twigs. Seems like they probably don't have access to
re-bar at Walker's. After the "big blow" conditions never
returned to "fishable" with 10-15 mph winds still mixing things
up. We planned on departing Thursday morning, but sea conditions did not
allow our return until Saturday. The water quality coming back into our
inlet was still miserable, but it looked pretty good to us.
When you're stuck on a remote island (no casinos, sightseeing, etc.)
and you can't fish or go diving, it seems only logical to seek out
someplace good to eat. I did manage to discover a great "new
restaurant" on Walker's sister island, Grand Cay. If you are visiting
Walker's Cay, just ask any of the locals to hook you up and they will
ferry your party over the two miles to Ron's Hot Spot on Grand Cay, free
of charge (but tipping is allowed). Dinners there are the best around and
the prices are very reasonable. I was really impressed with Ron's Hot Spot
and definitely will return again on my next trip.
Fortunately I was able to get a few pictures and will post them on my
website in a few weeks. Just remember, it is hurricane season and if you
are planning a trip to the Bahamas by boat, make sure you have an
alternative plan if you are committed to a specific return date. The good
thing is that all the locals are friendly and the service at the hotel,
marina, restaurant and nearby islands is warm and courteous. Can't say
enough good things about Walker's Cay. Joe Edge is a great captain and
runs a top-notch boat. Look forward to going again sometime soon. If you
are interested in a Bahama run or just want to bend some rods off Stuart,
give Capt. Joe Edge a call at (772) 370-4159 or e-mail him @ bitethistoo@aol.com
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