The Fishing
The typical trip does not fish on arrival or departure, but we can arrange this if your flights allow and upon special request. Breakfast is served at seven and we leave the dock at eight. We will plan to return around four. This schedule can be tailored to your needs with advance notice. Picnic lunches and cold drinks are taken to the flats in a cooler, by your guide.
Fishing Areas
The Marls encompass a huge area of flats on the west side of Abaco. For twenty miles the average depth is four feet. The lodge is centrally located directly on the Marls side of the island with access to them all directly from the lodge dock. This location gives our guests easy access to the flats, while providing many sheltered locations irrespective of wind direction.
The majority of the fishing is done from the boat but wading opportunities exist. Runs to the flats vary from 10 to 45 minutes. Cherokee Sound, the Bight of Robinson and Snake Cay are minutes from the lodge and offer opportunities at incredible, challenging Bonefish.
The flats on the ocean side require only a short drive. All of the skiffs are equipped with padded seats with backrests and a lean bar in the front.
The bonefish on the Marls average 2-4 lb., with the occasional shot at bigger fish. The ocean side flats offer opportunities at some of the largest bonefish in the Bahamas, but they are incredibly wary creatures. The Bahamas is primarily composed of bone-fisheries, and Abaco is no different. There are the occasional shots at Permit, Tarpon, ‘Cudas, Jacks, and sharks. We recommend you bring the appropriate tackle just in case. There is nothing quite as frustrating as seeing a 20 lb Permit tailing, or the juvenile Tarpon cruising the flat while not having the right gear set up.
Offshore Fishing
In addition to the wonderful flats, Abaco has incredible blue water fishing. We are happy to coordinate a day, or two, with the best captains available. On these outings we are in search of Marlin, Sailfish, Dorado, Wahoo, and Tuna, depending on the season. Arrangements can be made at the lodge, but the best captains book early and we recommend you do as well. There will be an additional charge for this type of fishing.
Fishing Techniques
One of the biggest mistakes a bone fisherman can make is not to adjust his fly to changing water depth. Your fly should be weighted such that it sinks quickly to the bottom and then stays near the bottom within view of the fish, after you begin stripping. However fishing too heavy a fly (Lead Eyes), in shallow water will undoubtedly spook many fish. Often Bonefish are spooked by seeing flies that do not match the environment in which they are swimming. A fly that matches the background color of the flat you are fishing can pay dividends. The watchword, in general, is flexibility. Listen to your guide, no-one in the boat has a better idea of technique or choice of fly.
Typical Depth
The average flat depth, whether you're wading or poling, ranges from 12"-30". In this depth, a Gotcha or Shrimp pattern with medium sized bead chain eyes should provide close to the perfect sink rate, without overweighing the fly (and potentially spooking the fish). A good rule of thumb is your fly should reach the bottom in about 3 seconds. If you find your fly is not getting to the bottom, you should switch to a fly with lead eyes, or add a few wraps of lead wire to the eye of the fly.
Deeper Flats
The angler who is willing to fish deeper flats will often be rewarded with the largest Bonefish. Big Bonefish prefer the protection of deeper flats, or shallow flats close to deep water. When you're fishing water 3-4 ft. deep, you'll need a fly with lead eyes to get to the bottom quickly. A proven deep water fly is the Clouser minnow. The two best color combinations for bonefish are tan and white, and chartreuse and white. Another killer deep water fly is the Simram, which is a fuzzy (rabbit fur) version of the Gotcha fly, with lead eyes. Lead eyes come in a variety of weights. You'll want to carry flies with the smaller lead eyes, as well as the heavier lead eyes that cause many of us to duck when forward casting!
Shallow Flats & Tailing Fish
The last thing a bone-fisherman wants to do is scare an actively feeding fish by casting too heavy a fly, too close to the fish. Therefore, you must go light in skinny water. By light, we mean no weight other than the weight of the hook. For this we recommend mono (or plastic) eyes and a body that lands softly. A perfectly designed fly for this situation is a pattern called the bunny bone. The bunny bone is made with rabbit fur, rug yarn, and mono eyes. Good color combinations would be the same as the other productive flies we've already described; tan and white, brown and white and the Gotcha colors, pink and white. Tie this fly in sizes 4, 6, and 8. Its entry into the water is almost imperceptible. You can throw this un-weighted fly right on the nose of a tailing fish. The rabbit fur makes it look alive, even before it's stripped. If it's within view of a hungry Bonefish, all you need to do is give it the tiniest of strips.
Fishing Tackle
Bonefish:
We recommend 9ft., 7-8 wt. rods. Under normal or windy conditions, you can still make a delicate presentation with a 7 wt. rod and a long leader with an un-weighted fly. Also recommended is a quality fly reel, preferably with adjustable brake, cork disc drag, and a capacity of at least 150yds. of 20lb. test backing. A weight forward floating line should be paired off with clear fluorocarbon leader.
A general rule of thumb is 10’ 10 lbs. Bring extra leaders and a few spools of tippet in the 8-15lb. range. Fly wise, stick to tan patterns with rubber legs and you will be fine. The list of options is endless, but will depend on the kind of flat you are fishing, and its background color and depth. A few we wouldn’t want you to go without include: Puglasi’s spawning shrimp, Miehieve’s Flats Fly, Kwabbit, mink shrimp, and of course the Gotcha.
Tarpon:
Most of our Tarpon are small juveniles and an 8 or 9 wt. rod such as; Sage's: Xi3 with an Abel 7/8 and a Rio line. These smaller tarpon don’t require elaborate leader systems; a section of 30-40 bite tippet is perfect. Flies we recommend are the Toad, Black Death, or any smaller baitfish tarpon imitation.
Predators:
For Barracuda and sharks you will need wire bite tippet with about 12" of wire. We prefer single strand in the 40lb range but the knot able wire will work as well. For sharks we like a large popper in bright colors; think red, orange and yellow. For Barracuda a classic needle fish fly, or Lety’s shark and ‘Cuda fly are great choices if you can move it fast enough!