Our group of seven anglers from Eugene had a great time Bonefishing at South Andros BoneFishing Lodge this past week. We flew in from Nassau Saturday and were greeted by a driver who delivered us the final 20 minutes to the beach side lodge. Four days is a pretty short fishing trip given the travel distance, but when it’s blue skies and light winds all trip you can’t complain.
Lodge Details
South Andros is a well organized lodge with two American host/co-coordinators who are hands on in making sure your trip runs smooth. The lodge itself is nothing fancy. Basic motel style rooms with air conditioning and a group dining room. Wi-fi and phone are available if desired. All meals and alcoholic beverages are included in your trip charge. Special requests for beverages are welcome and accommodated if possible. The fishing day starts early with 5am coffee, 6:30 breakfast and 7:30 fishing departure, a short drive to the dock and you are on your way to the flats by about 8:15. The beach side “Tiki Hut” self serve bar is perfect for cocktail hour and post fishing “tales”. Appetizers are served at 5:30 and dinner at 6:30.
Fishing was very good for our group most days anglers had plenty of action sight fishing to Bonefish in the 2-6lbs range with larger fish seen, hooked and lied about.
South Andros Lodge is a really solid, no frills Bonefishing operation. Good guides, good boats, miles of beautiful Bonefish habit and a very organized fishing program make it highly recommendable. If you would like further details on this trip or help planning your next bonefish trip don’t hesitate to contact me.
Gear Notes
This year I brought along a Sage ONE 9wt for Bonefish. My normal stick is a 7 or 8 Sage xi3 or Winston B3x. The 990-4 Sage ONE is feels like a 7 but casts into the wind like a dream. Casting it all day with a Nautilus N/V 10/11 with G spool or the Hatch 7+was no different than any of the 7 or 8 weight rods on the trip in terms of weight. Performance wise the rod was superior to the light rods as it handled heavier flies and wind much better. The nine was great in terms of casting and fighting fish, in reality it may even be a bit of overkill on smaller Bonefish.
Other Details
The week prior to our arrival South Andros received more rain in one week than ever recorded in May. There was standing water all over the island, resulting in a massive mosquito emergence. If there wasn’t a light breeze around camp the bugs were vicious. Add in the Doctor flies on the water ( a Deer fly cousin ) and bug repellent was just as important as sun screen.
Everyday 6-12 anglers depart with flats boots, boat bags, rods, cameras etc.. the South Andros staff makes rod transport really easy. All rods are placed on a custom rod rack and transported to the dock before you get there. At the end of the day they are again carried back for you to a rack where they are washed and dried.
CD
What great photos and an honest and solid report!! Looks like a great bonefish destination and relatively easy on the travel.
Looking for a good first time bones trip and not too tough on the wallet. Wlould this place qualify? Thanks for your information.