Straight Path to Crooked Island
by Al Quattrocchi
Wading across warm, clear, ankle-deep water on endless flats with a fly rod in hand, as large schools of tailing bonefish wake through the current, can be as good as it gets in saltwater sight fishing. Crooked Island and Acklins, part of a Bahamian atoll nestled between the more populated Grand Bahama to the north and Turks and Caicos to the south, is home to some of the largest wading flats in the southern Bahamas.
I visited Crooked Island for the first time with a small group of my fly fishing friends in December. Our anticipation was sky high after covid-related travel restrictions knocked us out of a trip a year and a half ago. Traveling there still isn’t easy: Entering the Bahamas and traveling between islands requires a Bahamas Travel Health Visa (travel.gov.bs), proof of vaccine card, and a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of entry. Proof of a negative test also is required prior to reentry to the United States. It’s inconvenient, but it’s worth the hassle when you step off the plane in Crooked Island.
It’s a relatively sleepy, not-too-touristy fly fishing destination that’s easily accessible to US anglers by charter plane through Nassau. Home to the country’s first post office and high school, it’s the Bahamas’ definition of seclusion. There’s a single early-Saturday charter flight out of Nassau each week, so it’s best to stay in Nassau on a Friday night to catch the flight the following day. There’s also a Wednesday flight, but most guides take off Saturdays, so you’ll likely miss a day of guided fishing with a midweek round-trip schedule.
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