Abaco Lodge: Equipment and Flies

Bonefish:

Bring spools of 20 lb., 15 lb., 12 lb., 10 lb. and 8 lb. so that you can tie leaders. We recommend using a 10 lb, 12 lb, or 15lb (or heavier) tippet when large bonefish are present. Many fresh water anglers make the mistake of using too light a tippet. Standard leader length is 9 - 12 feet, 7-9 feet on a windy day and 12-14 on a dead calm day. Tan and pink Fly patterns work best, Gotchas, Clousers and Crab patterns in sizes 2-8. The list is endless and will depend to a large extent on the kind of flat you are fishing, it's background color and depth. Try to match the fly with its surroundings.

Rods- 7-9 weight, 9’ saltwater rods. Our Favorites rods: Our favorites- Sage Xi2, G. Loomis Crosscurrent GLX, Scott X2S, Winston Boron II-MX

Reels- High quality machined aluminum reels with a disc drag and capable of holding 200 yards of backing. Our favorites- Tibor, Abel, Lamson, Hatch, Nautilus

Fly Line- Floating saltwater flyline. Our favorites- Scientific Anglers Redfish, Rio Bonefish

Flies- Most bonefish patterns in tan and pink work well, we recommend having varying weights and sizes of a few key patterns. Gotcha, Bunny Gotcha, Deep Water Gotcha, Pink Puff, Vevrka’s Mantis Shrimp, Puglisi’s Spawning Shrimp, Miheve’s Flats Fly, Big Bone, , Crazy Charlie’s, Simran’s

Tarpon:

9-10 weight rods such as; Sage's: Xi2 with an Abel Super 8 and a Rio Tarpon taper clear sink tip, a pre-tied tarpon leader with 15-20lb class tippet and shock tippet of 60-80lbs.

Barracuda:

For Barracuda use a wire tipped leader with about 6" of wire and for Sharks increase this to 24". The flies you need are patterns like Shallow Water Cockroach, Deceivers and Abel Tarpon Anchovy, in sizes 2/0 3/0 and 4/0.

Crabflies:
Crab patterns have come a long way since George Anderson introduced us to the McCrab. Actually the Mc Crab has a design flaw. It's all deer hair. To get deer hair to sink it must be loaded with lead. To cast it you need a hard hat. Del Brown corrected this flaw by forming the body of his Del Brown permit fly with Aunt Lydia's rug yarn. This fly sinks quickly with a lot less lead. Jan Isley used similar materials in creating the Rag Head. Bonefish like these crabs just as much as permit. When tied in smaller sizes (size # 2, # 4, and # 6), crab flies are much more enjoyable to cast and perform well on medium to deep flats for bonefish and permit. Tie one of these on when you're fishing one of those flats where you're not sure whether the next fish you spot is apt to be a bonefish, a permit or possibly a mutton snapper.What to bring

While they endeavor to keep up with their fly shop fly selection always bring your own as well, you may have your own favorites!

Clothing

* Our dress code is informal and temperatures vary from 70 to the mid 90s, so you can pack light!
* A good quality waterproof lightweight rain jacket is a must for the occasional rain shower
* Light colored long sleeved flats trousers and long sleeved shirts will protect you from the sun and insect bites
* Saltwater Wading boots are a good idea for flats where you might find coral.
* A good long billed cap to protect you from the sun and enhance your vision.
* Light clothes for the evening and a swimsuit.
* Sun gloves are highly recommended
- Others essentials
* Brown or amber tinted polarized sunglasses.
* Sunscreen: we suggest no lower than SPF 30, ideally waterproof, and a good lip protector.
* Insect repellent and after bite cream.
* Clippers and needle-nosed pliers.
* Hook sharpener.
* Pocketknife.
* Fly-line dressing.
* Neoprene reel cover for the boat ride.
* Leader material.
* Multi-functional tool such as a Leatherman.
* A suitable waterproof bag to hold your tackle in the boat.
* Replacement film and batteries for your camera, depending on the brand,(there maybe nowhere in the island to buy
these).