Cliff Smith, The Exumas best Fishing Guide
Once in a lifetime an opportunity presents itself that is impossible to pass up. Recently Tastes Like Travel had the opportunity to travel to Samson Cay Exuma in the Bahamas and live aboard an 80′ Pershing for 3 nights. Samson Cay is just north of the more popular and touristy Staniel Cay. During those 3 glorious days we went fishing every day. Our fishing guide was Cliff Smith, better known as Bonefish Cliff of Staniel Cay Divers. We Arrived on a Thursday afternoon and Cliff arrived a few minutes later. We boarded his center console fishing boat and headed to the deep water east of the more popular and touristy Staniel Cay. Within 15 minutes we had our rigged Ballyhoo trolling behind the boat anticipating action. Cliff began searching the sky looking for birds. He spotted a Frigate bird and announced that the bird would lead us to fish. We closed in on the bird. We did not have to wait long before we hooked up with a Mahi-mahi. There is nothing better that catching a Mahi-mahi. It is a great fight and an even better meal. We Landed 2 pretty quickly and then searched for more. We trolled some more when we spotted a school of Mahi-mahi and turned into them. We hooked up immediately. Cliff instructed us to keep a hooked up fish in the water and the school would stay around. Within a minute or 2 we all were hooked up. It was truly a fun fishing experience.
For the next 2 days we caught more Mahi-mahi and went fishing the shallow water on the west side of Staniel Cay and caught plenty of yellow snapper, groupers and mangrove snapper. Cliff put up on good spots every time and obviously had incredible knowledge of the area and what fish to expect. He also took us snorkeling in some of The Exumas more beautiful places.
The Exumas MAhi-mahi
On the last day Cliff lived up to his name and took us bonefish fishing. He had some special bait he called bonefish candy and we all caught several of the fierce fighting fish. It was truly a great fishing experience and provided us all with memories of a lifetime. For more information visit his website at www.stanielcaydivers.com
Cliff, or Cliffie as we liked to call him, Is truly a great fishing guide. He also is experienced in snorkeling excursions, scuba diving trips, and he can catch you some spiny lobsters, or let you catch them if you wish. Cliff owns Staniel Key Divers. He truly is the go to guide of the Exumas.
Staniel key is accessible by air. Take a flight to Ft. Lauderdale and then catch a flight to Staniel Key. If you go tell Cliffie Tastes Like Travel said Hey Mon!
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We are considering coming to Staniel Cay 2/25 or 2/26 until March 1-2. I am experienced bone fisherman and would like to bonefish for 3 days. Where do you fish near Staniel and is it very good? Your rates for 3 days fishing?
I just wrote a blog about it and am not the guide. I did go bone fishing and it was excellent. I would do a search online for Clifford. It has been several years since I was there.
Thanks