grand bahama — east end (mclean's town and deep water cay)
The eastern tip of Grand Bahama, with fishing villages and a maze of flats and mangroves. Resident bonefish and hard-bottom flats to wade.
East End is the eastern tip of Grand Bahama, far from Freeport, with small villages such as McLean's Town and Sweetings Cay and islets such as Deep Water Cay. Between them opens a maze of flats, creeks and mangroves that the Ministry of Tourism guide presents as one of the best-known bonefish spots in the world. Many flats have hard bottoms, good for wading. Bonefish are resident, permit show up at the edges and channels, and barracuda stay near the mangroves. Outside, in the blue water, marlin, sailfish and tuna pass at certain times, while mahi-mahi, grouper and snapper are there all year. Part of the island's bonefish habitat was included in East Grand Bahama National Park, announced in 2015.
best season
Bonefish all year, with March and April among the best months; permit show up most from spring to early summer. June to November is hurricane season.
Local rules: On the flats, a personal license is needed for anyone 12 or older (Flats Fishing Regulations 2017), issued by the Department of Marine Resources, island administrators or Go Outdoors Bahamas. Bonefish, permit, tarpon, snook and cobia are catch and release only, on hook and line, with at most 1 fish in possession. Only boats registered in the Bahamas may enter the flats; foreign boats need a sport fishing permit and a licensed guide. East Grand Bahama National Park was announced in 2015: ask your guide whether any zones already have their own rules. Check local rules.
- getting there
- From Freeport, take the Grand Bahama Highway to McLean's Town, at the island's east end. From there, a guided boat trip reaches the flats, Sweetings Cay and Deep Water Cay. The international airport is in Freeport.
- facilities
- Lodging and bonefish guides in Freeport and, in fewer numbers, in East End. The villages are small with few services: arrange boat and guide in advance.
- country
- East Grand Bahama, Bahamas
tip
On hard-bottom flats you can walk with confidence: step slowly, look for bonefish tails on the rising tide and keep the sun at your back.
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Each card shows the day's index (0 to 100) and, below it, a strip with the index for each hour, from 0h to 23h. from poor to excellent.
what you can catch here
before you fish in the Bahamas
A boat not owned by a Bahamian needs a sport fishing permit, obtained at Customs at the port of entry on arrival, before any fishing. Those fishing from the beach, the pier or aboard a Bahamian boat, such as local charters, don't need it. To fish the flats (bonefish, permit, tarpon, snook and cobia), every person aged 12 or older needs a personal angler licence; for non-citizens and non-residents, the 2017 regulations set B$15 per day, B$20 per week, B$30 per month and B$60 per year (the Bahamian dollar is worth the same as the US dollar). The Fisheries Act, 2020 was published to replace the 1977 law on which these regulations are based: confirm amounts and rules with the Department of Marine Resources.
- Marlin, sailfish and swordfish must be released alive, except in authorized tournaments. Sharks have been protected since 2011: every shark hooked must be released.
- Onboard limit for foreign sport fishing boats, per boat and not per person: 18 pelagic fish in total (mahi-mahi, wahoo, mackerel and tuna), 60 pounds or up to 20 bottom fish, such as red snapper and grouper (whichever is less), 10 lobsters during the season and 6 queen conchs. Visitors may not sell the catch.
- In the flats, bonefish, permit, snook, cobia and tarpon may only be caught and released, with hook and/or bait; except for fish kept for food, no one may have more than one specimen in possession at the same time (Flats Fishing Regulations, 2017, reg. 9). Commercial fishing in the flats is prohibited.
- Fishing with scuba gear and speargun is prohibited. Hand spears only with written authorization on the permit, never within 1 nautical mile of the coast of New Providence and southern Grand Bahama, nor within 200 yards of the coast of the other islands.
The rules and closed seasons in the rest of the app are Brazilian. Outside Brazil, the regulations of the country and province apply: confirm with the official agency.
sources and references
Access, facilities and season information changes: check with the lodge, a local guide or the city hall before you travel.
- official Fisheries Resources (Jurisdiction and Conservation) (Flats Fishing) Regulations, 2017 — texto publicado no bahamas.com (Ministério do Turismo)Personal license from age 12; catch and release for bonefish, permit, tarpon, snook and cobia; at most 1 fish in possession; licensed guide on foreign boats
- official Bahamas.com (Ministério do Turismo) — Fishing Regulations & FAQWho issues the flats license; only Bahamas-registered boats on the flats; sport fishing permit for foreign boats
- technical The Bahamas Fishing Map & Angler's Guide 2020 (publicado com o Ministério do Turismo das Bahamas)Grand Bahama: East End flats are among the best known for bonefish, many with hard bottoms for wading; seasonal marlin, sailfish and tuna
- technical Bonefish & Tarpon Trust — Bahamas Announces New Marine National Parks (8 de setembro de 2015)Announcement of East Grand Bahama National Park and The Gap National Park to protect bonefish habitat; rules still to be set at the time