The lodge
Located right on a white sandy beach, the lodge is very nice and comfortable. Run by a very friendly couple, the lodge has 5 large air-conditioned double rooms with bathroom and bath tub, sitting area, refrigerator, Wifi, dresser, chest, etc…
Meals will be taken at the bar/restaurant where cold beers will welcome thirsty anglers, returning from the flats. Food is varied with local specialties like a very tasty conch salad. It is a small, quiet and private lodge, away from large scale tourism. No crowds will be encountered at this superb atoll!
Location
With nearly 50000 acres of flats, the islands of the Bahamas have the largest bonefishing area in the world. These great fish, often sizeable, thrive on the nutrients produced by one of the richest environments of our planet, the flats and mangrove areas are irrigated on a daily basis by the rich waters of the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico, flowing along and between the 700 islands and 2500 cays. Fly fishing opportunities are endless. Besides busy New Providence and its capital Nassau and Grand Bahama Island, the Out Islands as they are also called, are only sparsely populated.
You will discover two islands that are probably among the most pristine and least known, Crooked Island and Acklins. These two islands form a vast atoll with a circumference of just over 140 miles. Located in the southeastern portion of the Bahamas, the “Bight of Acklins” and its huge lagoon are encompassed by Crooked Island, Acklins and Long Cay, totaling some 108 square miles! The islands are located less than 60 miles from the Haitian and Cuban coastlines, respectively… Crooked Island with its 250 inhabitants is quite, “out of the way” and tranquil place.
Nature is particularly pristine and beautiful. On many occasions will you be able to spot pink flamingos on the flats. Landing at Crooked Island is a superb and impressive experience, as the water depth of the huge lagoon does not exceed 10 feet so the vistas are truly breathtaking.
The Bahamas
The Bahamas archipelago consists of 700 islands and 2500 cays spread over roughly 100.000 square miles. The chain extends for about 750 miles from North to South, from Walker’s Cay, located about 75 miles off the coast of Palm Beach, all the way to the Ragged Islands, 50 miles off the northern Cuban coast. The overall land mass of the Bahamas covers only about 5880 square miles and almost every island is surrounded by coral reefs and sand banks, and is mostly low and flat or sometimes undulating. Many islands have deep blue holes that will sometimes extend into underwater caves, some to depths approaching 600 feet. The southern islands of the Bahamas are generally drier with shrub and cactus prevalent. There are more than 1370 plant species according to a recent census, with some 120 endemic species, like mahogany trees found in the forest known as Coppice. Pine trees dominate the isles from north to south, also found are dwarf palm trees, palmettos and ferns. The Caribbean side of the islands is dominated by mangrove: swampy areas that teem with life. Flowers and blossoms abound the entire year with their lush colors like crape myrtle and the spectacular blue mahoe, a local hibiscus species that radiate from yellow to flamboyant red tones.
Celebrities like Michael Keaton, Laurence Fishbourne and the author John Grisham all love Bahamian fishing and have been visiting the islands for many years. The famous writer Ernest Hemingway spent several seasons in Bimini in the 1930’s, attracted by the great fishing the nearby Gulf stream has on offer, a legendary warm water flow that originates in the Gulf of Mexico, gently kissing the Bahamas on its way north.
Environnement
Once you leave Nassau, you will soon be landing at our vast atoll which is over 140 miles in diameter. You may not realize it, but you have just discovered a a very remote location that is largely isolated, time-forgotten and magnificent. Just to give you an idea about its size: you could fit the better part of all of Cuba’s shallow-water fishing areas into the lagoon. All this but without the same amount of fishing pressure! Miles after square mile of pristine sand or coral flats, surrounded by crystal clear waters which are some of the clearest in world. The 280 inhabitants of Crooked Island live in only two or three tranquil and peaceful villages, typical for the area. Three consecutive cars following each other on the road are considered a traffic jam here!
The lodge gives access to a large part of the vast lagoon where colonies of pink flamingos are breeding in season. Many areas are a snorkeler’s heaven; beach-goers will fall in love with the fine sand and many a coral cave is waiting to be discovered in the hills. There are quite a few blue holes in the lagoon, some of which are connected to the open ocean, miles away!
We can organize excursions to some of the smaller cays that are home to iguanas and ospreys, as well as fish hawks that have their nesting areas here. Speaking of fish, the waters are teeming with all sorts of interesting fish species, of course.
Welcome to our natural paradise!
