Andros Island is divided almost in the middle by the North, Middle and South Bights (a bight is a waterway cutting through the island).
Through these bights one can get from east side of Andros to the west side. The bights are filled with flats, channels and lagoons that bonefish call their dinner table. Right in the middle of this is Mangrove Cay and on the north side of this fairly large cay sits Mangrove Cay Club (Google Earth at 24.17.41 N and 77.41.48 W). From this wisely chosen site their guides have access to the North, Middle and South Bights and the large bonefish and tarpon of the West Side. This ability to travel in all directions without ever having to trailer a boat or run in the open ocean enables the guides to plan their day around the changing tides or to fish the lee shores.
Beautiful, duplex cottages lodge their anglers in absolute waterfront luxury. Spacious suites feature two queen size beds, an adjoining sitting room that allows an early riser to prepare for the day without disturbing a roommate and plenty of storage space. The meals are expertly prepared and get rave reviews. The guides work for the lodge from the fleet of lodge owned 16′ Dolphin Skiffs with 90 HP motors and move from flat to flat with as much comfort and safety as possible.
Seasons at Mangrove Cay Club
This fits right in the bonefish schedule around Andros. The summer heat can sometimes make the flats too warm during the late morning/afternoon for the bonefish comfort level. Fishing in the early mornings on certain tides can always find fish, but closing during the summer means you don't have to worry about this nor for the occasional storms that brew up during the July – October time frame.
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Anytime you can manage to fish with the Mangrove Cay Lodge is a good time. Because of their location they can almost always find manageable waters in the lee of some island, no matter which way the wind is blowing.
Getting to Mangrove Cay Club
There are two regularly scheduled airlines from Nassau to Mangrove Cay, Flamingo Air & LeAir. Their check in counters are located in the domestic terminal of the Nassau airport. Both have a daily morning flight that leaves Nassau at 7:00 a.m. and a daily afternoon flight that leaves Nassau at 4:00 p.m. Both flights return to Nassau after the 20 minute flight to Mangrove Cay.
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Mangrove Cay Club is located a short distance, about a 10 minute drive, from the Clarence A. Bain Airport on Mangrove Cay (Airport Code MYAB Runway 5,000’ x 75’). They will pick you up at the airport when you arrive at Mangrove Cay.
If you are flying commercially into Nassau International Airport you will first clear immigrations, retrieve your luggage and clear customs. Once you have cleared customs, you will need to recheck yourself and luggage to Mangrove Cay at the nearest Bahamasair counter. You must claim your luggage on your first point of entry into the Bahamas and clear immigrations and customs. Failure to claim your luggage will result in your luggage not showing up at your end destination.
Upon arrival at Mangrove Cay airport, you will have to wait a bit for your luggage, as it is hand loaded off the plane. Once you have your luggage, a taxi will be waiting for you arranged by the lodge. There may be other anglers making their way to the Club that you can share a taxi with. The drive takes approximately 10-minutes. Upon arrival at the lodge you will check into your room and receive a brief tour of the resort from lodge hosts. The rest of the day is at your leisure.
Please reconfirm your departure arrangements with the Club the night before departure. Again a taxi will be arranged for you by the lodge to take you to the airport. Upon departure from Nassau, a departure tax of $15 is payable at the airport when leaving the Bahamas.
Lodging at Mangrove Cay Club
In an impressive setting on manicured grounds Mangrove Cay consists of 4 spacious duplex cottages on the waterfront.
Each cottage consists of two suites and each suite has a large bedroom furnished with two queen sized beds, a large bathroom with an over-sized, walk-in shower having 24 hour hot water. A hairdryer and basic toiletries are provided along with plenty of bath towels. With a
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maximum of 16 guests and the high level of service provided by all of the staff, each guest is provided with a first class experience. Each suite has a separate (spacious) sitting room to relax and enjoy the seascape and for an early riser to get his or her day going without disturbing a fishing partner. There is an abundance of space for gear and equipment. There is a fresh water outlet and a rod rack outside every room to make cleaning rods, reels and tackle an easy operation.
Apart from the cottages, is the main lodge with its high ceilings, dining area, bar and sitting/reading area. There is also a fly tying table, washrooms, satellite TV and a well-stocked tackle shop.
There is a large deck outside of the main lodge with easy access to the boat dock where your guide will meet you each morning.
Mangrove Cay Lodge is especially proud of its chef, kitchen staff and menu. Simply, the best.
Fishing at Mangrove Cay Club
A typical fishing day at Mangrove Cay Club starts early in the morning and designed to maximize time on the water and insure guests' comfort and relaxation.
About the time you pour your first cup of coffee at 6:30 am, Iyke and his staff have been in the kitchen for a couple of hours; the guides and the dock master are on the dock preparing the boats for the day. Coolers,
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drinking water and boat equipment have all been prepared to be picked up by the guides.
On your first day of fishing, Liz Bain, Lodge owner/manager will introduce you to your guide, who will assist you with setting up your gear and selecting your flies. After you pack your own lunch, the guide will stock the cooler and insure that all gear is loaded securely into the boat. At 8:00 a.m. you depart from lodge dock for guided fishing. After a day of fishing you will arrive back to the lodge dock at 4:00 p.m. The rest of the evening is left for cocktails, fishing stories, and dinner at 7pm.
The fishing is done mostly by boat over softer-bottom flats. There are wading flats around and if that is your preference, some time can be spent there as well. The guides will pole your boat over the flats positioning you for the best cast to bonefish spotted by you and/or the guide. There always seems to be this game to see who sees the fish first.
The guide nearly ALWAYS wins this game. Even though bonefish are targeted, you might encounter barracuda, permit, jacks or tarpon, so be prepared with the correct tackle and flies.
There are flats within 5 minutes of the lodge and being positioned on the north side of Mangrove Cay, there are no exposed ocean journeys to get the fishing waters if it is a bit choppy.
Andros Island is known for its big bonefish and Mangrove Cay is positioned right in the middle of it. The guides are all skilled boatsmen, experienced, and know the waters well. They are all well equipped in the lodge boats with safety radios, spare rods in the boat, boga grips and knotless nets to maximize the health of the bonefish.
What Makes This Destination Special and Unique?
• All of the guides at Mangrove Cay are skilled Boat Captains, licensed by The Maritime Authority of the Bahamas and trained in boat and water safety measures. They are all skilled fly fishermen; seasoned guides and enjoy what they do. You can count on them to put in a full day, find lots of targets and you will be a better angler after fishing with these experts for a week.
• Mangrove Cay’s location provides quick simple and safe access to the north, middle, south bights, and the west side of Andros Island. That translates into hundreds of square miles of flats, back bays and creeks to explore and fish; near infinite number of fishing locations. The West Side” of the island, is a vast uninhabited wilderness that sees little if any angling pressure. Anglers that like the idea of fishing true wilderness flats for bonefish that are big and dumb owe it to themselves to travel to the “West Side” for a day or two.
• The lodging at Mangrove Cay offers deluxe and upgraded accommodations that will satisfy the most demanding bonefishermen. The food is Bahamian gourmet, prepared by a trained staff and the attention to detail is spot-on. This is a destination where all your wants and needs will be met and exceeded. All you need to do is relax, be waited on hand and foot and enjoy your worry free angling holiday.
• Mangrove Cay offers great boat and wade fishing opportunities, ensuring that no matter what the weather dishes up you are going to find fish to cast to. Now that is peace of mind. In addition the flats skiffs depart directly from the lodge dock – no wasted time. More time on the water means more opportunities and more fish to hand…