Rick Grassett, Bahamas

I hosted a group of friends and clients at Mars Bay Bonefish Lodge in South Andros, Bahamas during the past week. Stewart Lavelle from Sarasota, FL, Kirk Grassett, from Middletown, DE, Nicholas Delle Donne, from Lancaster, PA, Bill Crelin, from Milwaukee, WI and I drove from Sarasota to Ft. Lauderdale last Saturday where we met up with John and DJ, from NY, and traveled to Congotown, South Andros on Watermakers Air. Jerry Poslusny, from Rochester, NY, met up with us at the lodge via Nassau.

We fished hand-picked tides on the quarter phase of the moon, low tide in the morning progressing to slightly later each day throughout the week and it paid off.  We did a lot of wading and fished everything from large schools of bonefish to cruising or tailing singles and doubles. Conditions were good and action was also good, including quite a few fish in the 4 to 8-lb category and a couple double-digit fish. John caught and released a bonefish of a lifetime, 33” and an estimated 14-lbs! Top producing flies during the week were Peterson’s Spawning Shrimp, Mars Bay Special, Ververka’s Mantis Shrimp, Gotchas and Gotcha variations. Like fishing anywhere, there were some great days and some slower days, but overall it was a great trip to a great lodge!

Bill Howard, the resident owner/operator, does a great job making things run smoothly during our stay at the lodge. We dined on a variety of excellent authentic Bahamian dishes including fresh fish, lobster and conch. One of the best things about Mars Bay Lodge, the southernmost lodge on South Andros, is fishing the vast sand flats and scattered mangrove keys to the south. South Andros has got to be one of the most beautiful places on earth! This trip as well as my Montana trip are annual trips, so if you have an interest in any future trips contact me or go to the Destination Trips page of my web sites.

Back home in Sarasota, night snook fishing and tripletail and Spanish mackerel in the coastal gulf have been the best options depending on conditions. Fish peak tidal flows for snook and look for bait schools, diving birds or breaking fish to find mackerel or albies.

Tight Lines,