Equipment & Flies

South Andros may be the most informal place on the planet Earth.

Comfortable, casual wear is accepted and encouraged. Flip-flops, sandals, shorts, t-shirts...casual is king. Expect mid-80's during the days, and high 60's to low 70's in the evening and early mornings.

Although casual tropical attire will generally work great during your time on the water, there are three fishing-specific items that are critical for each angler to bring - a raincoat, for boat spray or the occasional cloudburst, polarized sunglasses to help you see the fish, and flats boots or other footwear suitable for wading. Since the flats that we wade vary greatly in their bottom surface (hard sand, soft sand, grass, coral), we do not recommend wading sandals - boots are greatly preferred.
Also, don't forget your passport, and make sure that it expires more than 90 days after your trip!

We recommend long-sleeved shirts and long pants while on the flats. Liberally apply a waterproof sun block of at least 30 SPF rating to all exposed skin including your ears and lips. After applying sunscreen, scrub your hands with a scoop of sand and water as bonefish can smell lotion on your fly and will quickly turn away.

Even on sunny days we suggest including a rain jacket in your boat bag. Boat spray can occur at any time and a cloudburst can form when least expected.

Fly Tackle for Bonefish

Rods
Under most conditions, 9-foot rods in 7, 8, and 9 weights are ideal for fishing bonefish on the flats of South Andros Island. We have loaner rods available in the event that a rod is broken. We strongly suggest 4-5 piece rods to facilitate packing and less stressful travel.

Reels
Since few fish run like a bonefish, bring quality, sturdy, large arbor reels with adjustable drags that are designed for saltwater use. Reels must hold your fly line and 150 yards of 20 lb backing. You'll grow fond of your large arbor reel (which retrieves line at a much faster rate than a conventional reel) if you're playing your fifth, large bonefish in an hour!

Lines
Bring weight forward, floating, saltwater fly lines in high-visibility colors. Your guide needs to see where you are casting to assist in getting your fly near the fish. Specialty bonefish and tropical lines are highly recommended as they remain very manageable when the temperatures rise. Cleaning your line a couple of times during the week with line conditioner or soapy water is recommended as saltwater can make it gummy in no time.

Leaders
On windy days, use a 9-ft leader in the 10-12 lb range. On calmer days, use a 10-12 ft leader. Generally speaking, our bonefish are not leader-shy but those in the double digits can be more particular. Bring several leaders with you and a spool of 10 and 12 lb tippet material. Monofilament and fluorocarbon both work fine.

Bonefish Flies
One of the joys of fishing South Andros is that our bonefish are not particularly shy or picky with regards to what they eat. In many cases, a simple roll cast will be sufficient to reach the fish you see. Standard Gotchas, Crazy Charlies, and Clousers in pink, tan, white, and olive in 2's and 4's with bead-chain or lead-eyes are enough to do the job. We use 2's frequently as we believe larger fish are attracted to them more readily and they find the bottom faster, especially in deeper water.
Other excellent patterns include: Peterson's Spawning Shrimp, Bunny Gotchas, Simrams and Meko Specials, among others.

A good-rule-of-thumb in fly design is based on water depth: Ankle depth: Small bead chain or no weight Ankle to knee depth: Medium bead chain Over knee depth: Lead eyes

About 75% of your shots on South Andros will require medium bead chain eyes but you should carry a good assortment of lightly weighted and lead eye patterns to match those situations. There's nothing worse than watching the back of a large bonefish as he rooster tails off an ankle-deep flat because your fly 'plunked' him on the head.