Bahamas

Bonefishing in The Bahamas

As an avid flyfisherman here in South Florida, I’ve spent many a day chasing “bones” in the Florida Keys. Chasing is the key word here. While bonefish in the Keys are large and plentiful, they’ve seen just about every type of fly and they are constantly dodging the numerous fishermen out on the water on a daily basis. So when I had an opportunity to travel to the Bahamas for a week last month, I jumped at the chance! There, the bonefish see fewer fishermen in a month than their cousins in the Keys see in a day. My chances of hooking up were hopefully, looking pretty good.

Traveling with my good friends Alan & Angie, we departed Miami airport bound for Georgetown on the Bahamian island of Great Exuma. The Exumas actually consist of 365 of the 700 islands and cays that make up The Islands of the Bahamas, and they truly are an island paradise within an island paradise. Their crystal clear waters are quite popular with sailors, divers and fishermen. We stayed in a funky little 2 bedroom cottage at Master Harbor Villas, about 3 miles south of town, and had a beautiful view of Red Shanks anchorage. After a few drinks in town, we settled in early knowing that our guides would be picking us up early in the morning.

My first day out on the flats was interesting to say the least. The wind was blowing about 20 mph and I waded along the Airport flats in search of bonefish with my guide, JJ Dames. As I made my way across the flat, JJ pointed out several bonefish schools. With all that wind, I was having a hard time casting my fly into the proper position. I’m sure my first day jitters also contributed to my lack of accuracy too. After about 2 hours and countless shots, I was becoming frustrated with myself and I handed my flyrod to JJ and let him have a go of it. True to form, JJ showed me the magic that earned him Bahamian National Bonefishing Champion (twice!) and he quickly hooked and landed a bonefish! I was amazed. After several more of my failed attempts into the wind, we headed off in the boat to look for some fish in a different location as the tide was now working against us as well. JJ found a good spot out of the wind and pointed out several feeding fish. After a few casts, I was finally into my first bonefish of the day! A few casts later, I landed a second fish….another cast, another fish! I was finding my groove as JJ put me onto some fish. By the end of the day, I had landed 12 bonefish….a pretty good day, but who’s counting?

My second day found me aboard the skiff of another fine Bahamian bonefish guide, Garth Thompson. Garth wanted to show me some of the “backcountry” of Exuma and we soon ventured off to parts unknown. Unbeknownst to me, Garth had a plan…he had asked how I did the previous day and casually mentioned that we would be looking for bigger fish than the day before. I told him of the 12 fish I caught and how most of them were in the 3 to 6 pound range. As we approached a likely looking location, Garth shut off the motor and began to pole the boat along the edges of the mangrove shoreline. “Get ready”, he said, “fish at 11 o’clock, about 30 feet”. I made my cast and luckily it laid out nicely, just ahead of the fish. “Strip, strip”, he said….then, “You’ve got him, he’s on!” Yes indeed, he was on. The fish then proceeded to demonstrate one of those sizzling, streaking long runs that they are known for, and my reel screamed to life. After several of these long runs, which put me well into the backing on my fly reel, I was able to tire the fish and bring him in for a quick picture and a release. Garth was right…the fish on this day were generally bigger, ranging from about 5 to 8 pounds each. His casting instructions proved to be right on the money all day too, and one fish after another soon became fond memories in my mental scrapbook of adventures. As the sun started to ease its way towards the horizon, we figured it was time to start heading in. “How many fish did you catch today?” asked Garth. Up to that point, I informed him that I had landed 11 good sized bonefish that day, “Although who’s counting?” I said with a grin. Garth’s secret plan was now coming into play as he eased the boat up to a nearby edge and calmly announced, “You may only get one shot at this….10 o’clock, about 40 feet”. This time I couldn’t see the fish, but I put my best cast right were he instructed. The fish didn’t take the fly. “He’s still there, try again”, Garth said quietly. This time, the fish took the fly and it was off to the races once again! After landing the fish, I said “Hey that’s 12 today!....The same number of fish I got yesterday with JJ…but then again, who’s counting?” But I could see Garth already squinting his eyes into the water’s edge again, and that familiar calm voice saying “just past 12 o’clock on the right, about 30 feet, cast now.” I cast to the designated spot and after three short strips of the line, my reel was screaming once again as the line was being torn off it by a fast moving bonefish. This time as I landed the fish, Garth just looked at me smiling and said, “That’s 13, but who’s counting?”

Day 3 on the flats, I shared with Angie and JJ, as Alan was off in search of large fish with Garth. It was one of those “chamber of commerce days” as the sun shone brightly over the pristine white sand flats of White Bay, which seemed to stretch out before us for miles. Bonefish could be seen tailing in the distance, so we set off on foot through the crystal clear, ankle deep water. After about ten minutes, I spotted a pair of cruising fish coming towards me. I crouched down low and fired off a false cast to find my distance, and then laid down the pink gotcha fly about 10 feet ahead of the larger fish. He must’ve heard For more information about bonefishing in Exuma, as well as some great island photography, be sure to check out Alan & Angie’s website: ExumaBonefish.comthe light splash, for he raced towards it to investigate. With a short strip of the line, I made the fly dance and the bonefish inhaled it. As he felt the sting of the hook, he raced off towards the horizon and I held my rod up high as the line peeled off the reel. As I looked off in the distance Angie was also hooked up and playing her fish. A double! It just doesn’t get any better than this, I thought. And so it went practically all afternoon…casts at cruising fish, multiple hookups and some of the most breathtaking scenery I have ever seen. By now, I had really stopped counting…I was just enjoying the moment and having the best time of my life.

We finished our adventure with another day out on the water and then another day exploring Georgetown before our flight back to the US of A. I even had time for a brief rendezvous with some sailing friends who had just sailed into Georgetown the night before, and we swapped stories over a couple drinks at an outdoor bar on Sunday morning. I vowed to return again sometime soon, for more fun, more adventures and possibly more than 13 bonefish in one day….but then again, who’s counting?