The Tribune

DEEP Water Cay recently broke its fly-fishing record with a 14.6lb bonefish caught by “Big Jim” Easterling, visiting from Texas.

“Everything at the lodge was great! On Wednesday I caught a 9lb bonefish while fishing with my guide Joseph and on Thursday I caught a 10.5lb bonefish while fishing with my guide Meko,” exclaimed the excited Texas visitor.

“That was my first double-digit bonefish! Then on Friday – wow!” he exclaimed.

Bonefishing is as much of an art as it is a technique, and Deep Water Cay is known for its excellent local bonefishing guides who have helped fishermen catch many large bonefish. However, this latest catch is a new club record.

Jim’s guide Omeko “Meko” Glinton, a well-known third-generation Deep Water Cay guide, is the inventor of the famous Meko “Special Fly”.

Another frequent guest at DWC, Jeff “Storm” Harkavy, commented on the new record, saying, “DWC is truly home to many giants. My last day there started off with a couple of nine pound plus fish. Shortly thereafter, I cast to a pair of fish, one being the biggest bone I ever laid eyes on. However, I hooked the far smaller of the two – a 13.5lb beauty.”

DWC prides itself on the large numbers and sizes of fish available around the resort. Bonefish are caught and released on a daily basis at the cay and the resort is a strong supporter of fishing conservancy and of the proposed BNT parks for the area. Bonefishing in the Bahamas is estimated to bring in nearly $141m annually to the Bahamian tourism market, according to Bonefish Tarpon and Trust.