18
Jan 10

Grand Bahama – Day 4 – The Wind

I could hear the wind last night… it was blowing hard.  Weather.com said the wind today in Freeport was going to be around 17 mph.  The wind on the East End had to be harder.

When I got to the first flat there were waves… waves are not good for sight fishing for bonefish.  The water was churned up and visibility could be measured in inches, not feet.

Second stop and it was just as bad.

Here’s the flat yesterday…

Same flat today…

Oh… that’s not good.

This was going to be a tough, tough day.  Forget that the wind  had to be blowing 25 mph… there was no seeing the fish.

So, what do you do when you are on a fishing trip and the weather doesn’t cooperate?  You go fishing.

I drove as far east as I could and found a beached barge I remembered from my first trip.  Put on a clouser and went in search of something that would eat.

skunk breaker, but no bonefish (a nassau grouper, me thinks)

skunk breaker, but no bonefish (a nassau grouper, me thinks)

Also found a cuda.

Little Cuda

Little Cuda

This guy didn’t like the windy conditions either.

I found a flat that was sheltered and the water was clear… but the fish weren’t there.

Crab.

Crab.

I tried a road I had been told about heading to the North side of the island, that would have been sheltered from the wave action that had dirtied the water on the South side… but it was too much for my mico-compact.

Basically, it was not going to be a good bonefishing day.  So, I went to Geneva’s and had some cracked conch and Kalik.

Tomorrow I fly out, but not until 2:00, so I have some time to try for bones in the AM.  If the wind isn’t as bad (and it isn’t supposed to be as bad tomorrow) I might have a shot.  The temps are supposed to be cooler, but, you go fishing when you can, not only when everything is perfect.


14
Dec 09

I Love Crack(ed Conch)

Bonefish live in lots of places with lots of interesting things to eat and drink.  In the case of the Bahamas, one thing you’ll find in great supply is Conch (pronounced “konk”). Conch is, as you probably know, a really big mollusk with firm, white meat.  There are Conch Fritters and Conch Chowder and Cracked Conch and Conch Conch and, well, you get the idea.

On my upcoming trip I don’t plan on eating out too much (think Ritz Crackers and Peanut Butter).  One thing I am looking forward to is at least one night of Cracked Conch.  Cracked Conch is basically like clam strips, but made with conch.  It is super yummy and will be washed down by a nice cold Kalik beer.

Bahamian Cuisine

Cracked Conch

Ingredients: 1 ½ lb. conch, 1 oz. lemon juice, 2oz. flour, 3 eggs

Method : Cut the conch in half horizontally and tenderize. Marinate the conch in the lemon juice for ½ hour. Beat the eggs and dip the conch in the flour, egg wash and finally dip again into the flour. Deep fry. Serves 4.

Pretty simple… and simply delicious.

Post Cracked

Pre-Cracked... kind of pretty, really.