it started for me as a desire to catch a bonefish - a fish i'd never
seen, chased, or shaken hands with, but one every serious fisherman
thinks about if only because of the ads, tv stuff, and stories of other
fishermen. so, knowing nothing about it, i began internet searches,
readings, etc. i also contacted willi, who has been doing a lot of
sal****er fly fishing and had experience with bonefishing. he gave me a
lot of suggestions. the bahamas seemed the best bet for my initial
venture, so i started focusing on those islands, mainly acklins,
eleuthera, crooked island, andros. i kept coming back to andros because
of its geography, ease of access, limited population, and lack of
tourists other than fishermen. south andros finally became my choice. i
figured 3 or 4 days at a lodge would give me an idea if it was a fish
i'd enjoy going after, i'd have a structured environment from which to
travel, and i'd get some expert instruction as well. then willi and danl
suggested something other than a lodge, both of them having a bunch of
travel and DIY experience. so, sez they, let's find a local spot to
rent. we looked at a bunch of places on the web...some on the north
island. i found a place in congo town owned by a new york trout resort
owner...but danl located a similar house about a mile away on the same
coconut palm beachfront road at about half the price and with an extra
bedroom. ideal. we found a guide on the internet who agreed to take all
3 of us, and we began studying the island for accessible flats. as it
turned out, we rented a place and a car for 2 weeks, and 6 guided trips,
all for less than 4 days at a lodge. we met and enjoyed the locals...and
we had fun driving up and down the island and doing our own wade fishing.

DIY FISHING

we concentrated our diy efforts around the bay at driggs hill on the
north end of south andros, and around the never-ending shallows and
flats at the far south of the island below mars bay, about 30 miles
south of the place we rented. i liked the south end the best. lots of
fish were always moving about there when the tides were moving. but, diy
fishing for bonefish is tough. it's a hunt and a hike, and because you
wade/walk at a lower angle to the water, spotting the *******s is tough
and often last minute. casts have to be quick and on the mark, or
they're gone. i did run into several schools of hundreds of fish on the
outer flats areas, but they were moving fast or always out of range and
i couldn't catch up with them. we caught bonefish in both places, but
the largest caught while wading were in the bay at driggs hill. willi
got a 9 pounder on a guided trip at the end of one day on a flat in the
south bight at an island the guide called "willi's island" ("dan's bay",
where he caught 5 or 6 in 20 minutes, was on the west coast, and, as
expected, "miller's creek" was near ****'s creek). he caught several
nice 5-6 pounders while wading. i caught my big fish, a 6-7 pounder,
while wading in the northern bay. it probably took 200 yards of backing
before i got any control. they are strong, fast fish on the first run.
incredibly fun to try to catch and to hold on to once hooked.

diy bonefishing isn't for a first-timer. get a guide for 2 days at
least before going it alone, in my opinion. i think i now have the
basics down, and i think i can pursue them on my own once i'm on the
right flats, but i would have been lost without first learning the
routine from the guide and from willi. on south andros, there is no
question that the best fishing requires a boat to get there - either the
west side or the islands at the southern tip are considered best, but
the cays and canals of the south bight are good too.

one stimulating part of wading for bonefish are the sharks. we saw
hundreds of sharks prowling the flats just like the bones. most were 3-4
feet and could be spooked away with a jab of the rod. but many would
follow you around, doing big circles. the advice given everyone is never
wade in water above your knees. hard to do that when wading several
miles a day with the changing tides and changing bottoms. only 2 times
did i feel in danger...both involved bigger sharks about 5 feet
long...one was a big lemon and the other was a gray-colored one. the
lemon and i were following a huge bonefish, the gray one was following
me. i got to the very shallow water as quick as i could and they moved
on. i surrendered the shot to the big fish. willi also had an incident
where he spooked one that charged at him and nearly knocked him down.
keeps you alert.

on our last night, we ate and drank at jeffrey's fruit stand, bar,
outdoor restaurant, and juke joint. next trip, that will be the center
of entertainment and food. a roadside outdoor stand with a backroom
kitchen, jeffrey and his female bartenders attract locals and fishing
tourists alike. he's a gregarious, always smiling, ambassador of good
will and good food. he went out of his way to see that we received good
food and good drink...and his girlfriend was an added attraction.

if anyone wants to give south andros a go and has questions, let me
know. the trip was in the top 3 for me. i'm sure the company i traveled
with made it better, but the island is so different than what i have
experienced with the culture and people on barbados, st. croix, nassau,
jamaica, eleuthera, etc. grocery shopping is very unique...it requires
hunting for one that's open, and one that has much of anything. it's
limited offerings...nothing approaching even the mini-marts we have in
the states. the gas bar in hyde county, nc would be a supermarket in
comparison. we went to one little building on a side street in driggs
hill called "bridgette's". no sign or other suggestion from the outside
that it was a grocery store. while shopping there, willi absentmindedly
left his wallet with money, etc., on the counter in the store. we were
getting in the car to leave, when the young girl at the inside counter
came running outside, found us, and returned willi's wallet with
everything intact. outside the little market building was a lady tending
to an infant, her great grandchild, in a baby carrier. she had a t-shirt
on that said "bahama for obama". she had a great smile and engaged us in
conversation almost immediately. she thanked us for visiting her island
and urged us to return soon. she had 17 grandchildren...all but 2 had
left the island to find work.

i think you'll like the island...i'm pretty sure its people (most
anyway) will like and welcome you. but, it ain't a non-fishing or
non-diving tourist venue. you have to find and make your own fun...or
just vegetate on a beach with no one in sight for miles.


jeff