joulter cays — north andros (lowe sound)
White sand banks north of Andros, a national park since 2015. Large schools of bonefish, fished on foot with Lowe Sound guides.
The Joulter Cays are uninhabited islets north of North Andros, surrounded by a huge bank of fine, very white oolitic sand that dries and floods with the tide. It is a flat to fish on foot, with the fish in sight. Bonefish move in large schools, permit show up on the deeper edges and barracuda wait in the channels. Guides leave from Lowe Sound and other northern villages and boat across to the banks. In 2016, scientists from the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust and the Bahamas National Trust tagged 587 bonefish in two days in the Joulters, with a Lowe Sound guide. The area became a national park in 2015.
best season
Bonefish all year. March and April are usually the strongest months, and autumn also produces well between cold fronts. June to November is hurricane season.
Local rules: On the flats, anyone 12 or older needs the personal angler licence under the 2017 Flats Fishing Regulations, issued by the Department of Marine Resources, island administrators or the Go Outdoors Bahamas platform. Under the 2017 fee table, visitors paid US$15 per day and US$20 per week. Bonefish, permit, tarpon, snook and cobia are catch and release only, on hook and line, with at most 1 fish in possession. Foreign boats need a sport fishing permit and a licensed guide. The national park still has no manager or management plan in the world registry: check with your guide whether it has its own rule. Check local rules.
- getting there
- Flights from Nassau to San Andros airport, on northern Andros. From Lowe Sound or Nicholls Town, a guided boat crossing to the Joulter banks, north of the island.
- facilities
- Bonefish lodges and rental houses on North Andros, independent guides in Lowe Sound and Nicholls Town. The Joulters have no facilities at all.
- country
- North Andros, Bahamas
tip
The sand is pale and soft: walk slowly, wear polarized glasses and carry light shrimp flies. There is no shade on the banks, so bring water and sun-protective clothing.
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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 required from age 12; catch and release for bonefish, permit, tarpon, snook and cobia; at most 1 fish in possession; one guide per 2 anglers on a foreign boat; fees in the Third Schedule
- official Bahamas.com (Ministério do Turismo) — Fishing Regulations & FAQFlats license issued by the Department of Marine Resources (New Providence) or island administrators; only Bahamas-registered boats on the flats; links to Go Outdoors Bahamas
- technical Protected Planet (UNEP-WCMC) — Joulter Cays National ParkNational park designated in 2015, 375.42 km²; manager not yet designated in the registry
- technical Bonefish & Tarpon Trust — BTT Expands Bahamas Initiative to North Andros (8 de setembro de 2016)587 bonefish tagged in the Joulter Cays over two days, with a Lowe Sound guide and a Bahamas National Trust team