Wandering Angler

Bonefish are catch and release. They are just a blast to catch as they can rip off 100yds. of line in a few seconds, fastest fish on the flats. Barracuda are the same, great sport fish but with the worries of ciguatera poisoning, they aren't worth the risk.

For the most part, on my home waters, 90% of the fish I catch are released. I'll keep a few here and there when my stock gets low in the freezer but typically i'll just keep something to eat for dinner during the week that will be fresh.

I did talk with one guy from a florida fishing forum i'm on and he evidently caught a nice mutton snapper out of one of the deeper holes on the flat. It was of legal size so he took it up to the kitchen area and they offered cooked it up for him. The key is to know the laws for where your fishing and what is legal.

I fully understand why RCCL would not want a bunch of people wandering around with fishing rods on the island, but they don't seem to mind a person that goes about it staying out of others way as much as possible.

Did you just take a fishing pole with you? I told my dad to get a Pocket Fisherman pole if he wanted to try his hand at a bit o fishing on the island but like you said you would have to get out early and go to the other side where not many people venture.

I took a bit more gear than that.

2 travel spinning rods/reels 8lb and 10lb class

2 travel fly rods 7wt and 8wt

Waist belt tackle system

Wading boots

Tackle boxes

All fit very neatly into a modified backback that I use for fishing excursions.

I'm a flats fisherman from florida so it was pretty much the type of fishing that i'm used too. It's not really an environment where you can just cast out some bait on a bobber and catch fish. The bonefish are extremely spooky and take a real eye to spot them and get a lure infront of the school before they see you. The barracuda are a little simpler to catch and can be done on a light spinning rod with a tube lure. There are alot of cuda's in the shallows and they make great sport.

A pocket fisherman would be fine for catching some smaller cuda's and maybe some puffers, but not up to snuff for the larger fish that inhabit the shallow flat on the southern side. To really be successful there you have to put in some research time about what your actually trying to catch.

Pic of the bonefish:

It can be done:D

Bonefish, 21", Coco Cay Bahamas

The first time I visited Coco Cay for our honeymoon I didn't have any tackle with me, suffice to say I wasn't going to make that mistake twice.

Went back the second time a year later and did pretty well with a few good sized bonefish, barracuda, also hooked and lost a decent permit. Only had good water till noon when the tide really dropped and the flats disappeared.

I hit the water first thing on the island and headed to the farthest point. A few RCCL employee's saw me at the far end but no one gave me any trouble. As for legal regulations, a shorebound angler in the Bahamas does not require any license of any type.

If you know what you are doing there are some excellent flats fishing opportunities on that island.