I hosted a group of friends and customers at Andros South bonefish lodge on South Andros, Bahamas for my annual trip last week. Norm and Francie Boardman, Joe Bursel, Norm Worthington and Marlowe Bowman, all from Sarasota, Les Fulcher from Longboat Key and Tony Johnson from Venice all were along on the trip. Most of us traveled together to Ft. Lauderdale and had an easy, 1-hour plus flight over to Congotown.
Except for windy conditions one afternoon and thunderstorms the following day, weather conditions were very good. We had sunny conditions most of the time which made good conditions for sight fishing. We spent most of our time fishing protected creeks, inside waters and the west side of the island. Some anglers headed south a few days and Les Fulcher and I had great action with big barracudas and sharks in that area one day. We landed a pair of big ‘cudas to 23-lbs. I caught one on a fly popper with an Orvis Clearwater III 9-weight fly rod that I am field testing, which casts very nice and has a lot of backbone. Les caught another one almost as big on a plug. We also caught several smaller ‘cudas and Les hooked up some sharks in the 40 to 50-lb class on flies. It was a nice change to do something different and the action was great!
Les and I fished together most days and had good action with bonefish. He caught and released a 7-pound fish on his first day! There was a slow day or two, but we averaged about 12 bones per day. We also had a shot at an estimated 12-pound bonefish later in the week. Tony Johnson and I fished together one day and caught about a dozen fish. Tony also fished with Joe Bursel for a couple of days and they had good action. They both caught and released numerous bonefish up to about 5-lbs. Norm and Francie Boardman also had good action with flies and jigs. Francie used a spinning rod and cast a light jig that I had tied a shrimp pattern on, which worked well. Fishing became a little more challenging towards the end of the week as tides got higher as we approach a full moon.
We fin clipped more than 15 bonefish for a DNA study for the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust, Bonefish Fin Clip Program. Marine biologists will perform DNA analysis on the tiny fin clip samples to establish a data base to study bonefish migration patterns. The tiny sample removed from the fish doesn’t harm them and will grow back. Most fish averaged 2 to 3-lbs and several in the 4 to 5-lb class. Top producing flies were Mantis Shrimp, Peterson Spawning Shrimp and Gotchas.
This was my 5th trip to Andros South. The staff and guides do a great job and the food and fishing are great! One of the best things about the lodge is that it is only just over an hour flight from Ft. Lauderdale, but it seems like you are a world away. Watermakers Air out of Ft. Lauderdale executive airport makes it easy, you park right at the hanger for the easy flight over on a Cessna Caravan. A small customs office at the airport makes the return trip just as easy as the whole group is in and out in about 15-minutes. This is an annual trip for me, usually the first week of May, so if you are interested contact me for more information or look for info on future trips on my website.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com
Les Fulcher, from Longboat Key, caught and released this estimated 7-pound bonefish on a fly while fish out of Andros South lodge.
Tony Johnson, from Venice, caught and released this nice bonefish on a fly while fishing out of Andros South lodge.
Les Fulcher, from Longboat Key, caught this big 'cuda on a plug while fishing out of Andros South lodge.
Capt. Rick Grassett caught this big 'cuda on a fly popper with an Orvis 9-weight fly rod while fishing out of Andros South lodge.
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