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Andros Island At almost 2300 square miles, Andros Island is the largest of the Bahamas Island group. It consists of two main islands (North and South Islands) and many smaller ones. Separating the north and south islands are North, Middle and South bights (waterways). This area provides several islands, channels and flats that attract bonefish by the thousands. It also offers a relatively easy pathway to the remote west side of Andros (there are no communities on the west side). When conditions (wind and tides) are right this side of the island offers shots at some of the island’s largest bonefish, tarpon and barracuda. It is a long passage from the east to the west side but the fishing can be exceptional. If you find yourself in this area, check with a guide about a cross-island trip to see if it is worthwhile. There are usually some extra costs involved, so check that out ahead of time so there are no surprises. The origin of its name – Andros – seems somewhat obscure but points to three main possibilities:
No matter where the name comes from, it means BONEFISH to flyfishers. It was home to pirates displaced loyalists during the revolutionary war and slaves during the 1700’s. In more modern times, its abundance of natural beauty, especially on the flats, the world’s third largest barrier reef (140 miles long) and the Tongue of the Ocean where the ocean plunges 6000 ft a short distance from Andros’ east shore, attracts thousands of birders, divers and anglers each year. It contains the largest supply of freshwater in the Bahamas and, in fact, supplies approximately 55% of Nassau’s fresh water shipped to it (almost 5 million US gallons shipped out daily) in barges. It also has the largest concentration of blue holes in the world, both on land and in the ocean. Getting to Andros is easy from the US. There are airports at San Andros in the far north, Andros Town (the main airport on the North Island), Congo Town on the northern part of the South Island and a 5000’ strip on Mangrove Cay in the Middle bight area. Western Air out of Nassau services each of these. Their phone number is 1-242-377-2222; you can check out their website for current air fares and schedules at: www.westernairbahamas.com . You can also contact Continental Connections at 800-231-0856 or www.continental.com for flights to various airports in the Bahamas including Andros Town. And direct flights from Ft. Lauderdale to Congo Town on the South Island can be checked out at 888-596-9247 or www.lynxair.com . Flights from these two airlines are NOT daily, so you should check with them and plan lodge dates accordingly. Private In-Country Charter Companies:
CARIBBEAN AVIATION (Nassau) LE AIR CHARTERS Nassau International Airport
United States Based Charter Companies: GOLD AVIATION (Fort Lauderdale,
FL) Aircraft: All nicely-appointed
for executive style configuration. Also available: Gulfstream II-V, Embraer Legacy, Challenger 600-604, Citation SII, Hawker 700-1000, Lear 35, 55 and 60 Additional charges MAY apply for catering, special requests, ground transportation, fuel surcharge, de-icing, aircraft handling fees, customs, airport fees and taxes. AIR FLIGHT Entry Requirements: US visitors staying for eight months or less need a return ticket plus a passport. Green card holders require their green card and a valid passport from their place of birth. All US citizens are required to have a valid passport for entry in and out of the Bahamas. Canadian visitors not staying more than three weeks need the same identification as those do from the United States. Some visitors that are not citizens of the U.S.A. may also require a visa, check with your country’s consulate. An overtime fee is due to Customs on weekends, holidays or before 9:00n AM or after 5:00 PM on weekdays. At this time this fee is $76.00 per plane. There are 4 airports on Andros Island. Be sure to get tickets and/or charter flights to the correct one for the lodge you will be visiting. For South Island lodges (Andros South, Bairs etc.) you will fly to Congo Town. For Mangrove Cay Lodge, fly to Mangrove Cay. Lodges on the North Island require flights to Andros Town (for Tranquility Hill, Andros Island Bonefish Club, Kamalame Cay and Stafford Creek) or San Andros at the far north end if you are visiting on your own. Fishing The fishing on Andros Island varies some from lodge to lodge, but from North to South Andros is famous for its bonefish their numbers and size. At the far North end and a little to the east are the Joulter Cays. These are excellent wading flats with hard light colored bottoms. The north end of the island is best fished from the boat as is the whole west side of the island. The middle bight area dividing the North and South islands is mostly boat fishing with enough wade fishing to keep it interesting. At the south end of the south island is a vast area of where there are flats that don’t see anglers for years at a time. It is a maze of open and mangrove studded flats and channels that harbors tens of thousands of bonefish averaging an honest 2 1⁄2 to 4 lbs, with plenty of fish over that weight to test the tackle and skills of any angler. On one trip, Bill Marts of our travel staff was fishing there and told his guide he wanted to do some wade fishing. It was one of the best wade fishing days of his life. They fished places that had not seen a handful of anglers prior to their being their. And it was the first time it was fished in the last couple of years. They parked the boat early in the morning and hiked a big circle getting back to the boats at noon; had lunch and boated to another nearby area and repeated the same program getting back to the boat around 4:00PM. Practically virgin territory. It is an adventurous place to fish. A lot of the lodges are starting to add deep sea fishing to their menu. The Tongue of the Ocean (a huge trench just east of Andros that plunges to depths of over 6000 feet) is a short distance from most of the lodges and offers a chance to sample some deep sea angling and fly fishing for billfish, tuna and dolphinfish. Weather and seasons Expect weather in much of the Bahamas to be much like that of southern Florida. Check out http://www.bahamas.com/vacation-planning/bahamas-weather for current, 5-day and 10-day for most of the major islands. Although there is fishing every month of the year, the generally accepted season for fishing the flats is November through May. There is fishing during the summer and early fall, but the flats fishing is mostly during the cooler morning hours. Some places open year around will fish the flats early in the mornings and the deeper waters in the afternoon for tarpon or permit or, if they have the option, travel to the deep sea waters to target blue water fish. The hurricane season is June through November. This shouldn’t stop one from fishing the Bahamas during this period, but be aware of the weather systems in the Atlantic (http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ ), check out the lodge’s hurricane policy and seriously look into trip insurance and check out their policy for hurricane related trip interruptions. Between November and February, the weather is the key; clouds especially. There are some cold fronts that could move through and make fishing a little tougher, but they usually don’t keep the fishing down for long periods and right after a cold front the fishing can be phenomenal. During the cooler winter months, huge bonefish are out on the flats in what are now, very comfortable temperatures for them. This is the time to hunt for and expect to get shots at trophy bones in the double-digit category. From March through May is a very comfortable time to visit Andros Island. The weather is generally very good and getting better. If a cold front does slip through, it is very short lived and rarely affects the fishing that much. The temps are in the 80’s during the day and 70’s at night. Very comfortable! Andros is a very safe place to visit and fish. The general population there definitely live to a different schedule than most US and European residents, but the guides are hard working and know their craft well. English is the spoken word here, although there are times when it makes one wonder if it really is the language, until you’ve been around it a while and get used to hearing it. We work with and book several
of the top lodges on the island from the north end to the end of
the road on the south island. We have been to all of them.
Take a look at them here on our web site and give us a call to discuss
which one is perfect for you. |
For
reservations or questions please contact
The Fly Shop or
call 800-669-3474 |