By Jim Weix
One advantage Treasure Coast anglers have is our proximity to the Northern Bahamas. If one slept on the trip over, they might mistakenly think that that were still in Stuart’s Manatee Pocket when they awoke. When docking at places like Grand Cay, most of the docked vessels are from Stuart and Treasure Coast area. Rosie’s Place, which is located on Grand Cay, just east of Walkers Cay, in the northeastern Abacos, is a popular destination for Treasure Coast anglers. It is approximately 100 miles from the St. Lucie Inlet.
Along with dockage, marine and local guide services, as well as lodging facilities, there is no need to travel long distances to find fish. On a recent trip, the theme song from the TV show “Gilligan’s Island” popped into my mind as Jim Hummel’s “Mad Hatter” entered the 6 to 8 foot waves of the Gulf Stream. Fortunately, Jim is an experienced boat captain, who has made the trip from Stuart to Grand Cay, many times. His experience became even even more valuable, when the steering linkage broke and the rudder no longer worked. He expertly navigated the rough seas by using the throttles to both of the diesel engines.
Our fishing crew consisted of me, Jim Foth, “Woody” Dyall, and Frank Briganti. In a sort of time tested manner, Jim Foth acted as first mate and Bahamian shoal navigator, Frank Briganti was open seas co-navigator, and “Woody” Dyall was maintenance director. Since we all had duties that matched our marine and fishing expertise, I washed the dinner dishes.
Once we reached, we picked up Curtis Russell, our Bahamian fishing guide. Curtis has been guiding anglers for 30 years. Along with a guide service, Curtis commercially catches fish, lobster, and conch. His livelihood has given him an intimate and detailed knowledge of the local waters. Along with guiding anglers between the numerous shoals and coral reefs, Curtis knows where to fish on a daily basis.
Despite rough seas during the recent trip, we managed to enjoy some dolphin, yellowtail snapper, strawberry and gag grouper, plus mutton snapper. Deep dropping for yelloweye and queen snapper was not possible due to the daily rough seas.
Along with exceptional fishing, I was pleased to find that Grand Cay has absolutely no cell phone service, unless you have a Bahamian cell phone and service plan. Jim Hummel has both, in case of emergencies. The lack of constantly ringing phones was a fantastic bonus, as it let you do what you came for, to catch fish, relax and enjoy some great Bahamian hospitality!
Yes, living on the Treasure Coast does have its many benefits and among the top “perks” for boaters and anglers is the ability to enjoy the closeness of the Islands of the Bahamas. The next time you visit Rosie’s Place, tell em’ Jim sent you! And as always, special thanks to Curtis Russell.