There’s a reason the Walker’s Cay Open, presented by Anetik is considered a “major” by SFC standards. The roughly one-mile long island at the northern tip of the Abacos is sport fishing’s mecca. Comparing it to other sports, this is like Augusta National in Golf, Monaco in F1, Daytona in NASCAR, Wimbledon in tennis, Indianapolis in Indy Car, Churchill Downs in Horse Racing. To put it simply:
There’s history here.
Just like the Indianapolis 500 that is happening on Sunday, Walker’s Cay has a very similar schedule. The Indy schedule keeps teams at the famed “brickyard” (Indianapolis Motor Speedway) for a month, first racing the road course and then prepping for the 500 with rounds of testing and qualifying.
SFC’s Atlantic Division has been off since the Fort Lauderdale Billfish Open in April, and some clubs have taken the time to get very familiar with Bahamian Waters in the leadup to the Walker’s Cay Open. The club with the most time logged in the Bahamas is clearly Lights Out New England.
Captain Tyler Dufresne, Rob Carmichael and company have been there for the better part of three weeks.
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Marsh Harbour, Baker’s Bay, and now Walker’s Cay.
“[It] definitely allows us to kind of see where the fish are spread out and give us a better idea of where we want to be for the [Walker’s Cay Open,” Carmichael said. “We'll take all the practice we can get and as much local experience we can get.”
That local experience is something that is very definitively Walker’s Cay. Purchased by Carl Allen in 2018, the island’s rebirth has been slow, steady, and calculated.
Rebuilding an icon cannot be rushed, but it has also allowed for the humanity of the sportfishing community to shine. While lodging continues to be built out, competitors stay on their boats in the marina. All the action happens on the docks, where everybody is together, sharing food, beverages and trading stories.
“It's hard to beat Walker's, it's really got kind of like the old Bahamas feel still,” said Captain Tyler Dufresne. “Not much there but just camping out and going fishing.”
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