Variety is definitely the spice of life here on South Andros. There are miles and miles of easily-waded white sand flats as well as hidden, unspoiled mangrove creeks peppered with large singles and doubles. Inland lakes fill up with eager schools of bonefish on the change of every tide. Expansive ocean-side flats attract bruisers from the deep (no, that’s no shark – it’s a bonefish, mon – cast now!). Remote, rarely visited cays are home only to schools of bonefish numbering in the thousands. The diversity and size of the fishery mean a completely different fishing experience every day of your trip.

The flats of South Andros teem with life. In addition to our incredible population of bonefish, we’ve got great sight fishing on the flats for barracuda, and even for sharks, if you and your tackle are up to it! Some anglers enjoy looking for permit when the conditions are right, and a lucky guest in the right place at the right time might even seem a tarpon swim by.

Adding to the varied experience at Andros South, we offer an offshore fishing program in which guests use fly and conventional tackle to target dorado, tuna, wahoo and more. If you really want the big pull, here’s your shot!

Most of the major towns on South Andros are scattered along its northeastern coast. Heading south, the settlements become more remote and are well worth a visit for palm-fringed beaches and warm and friendly people. Driggs Hill, Congo Town, and Kemp’s Bay are ideal for long walks among wild orchids and relaxing in hammocks under the palms. Nearly everyone lives and fishes on the eastern shore of South Andros.

The reef is the third greatest in the world, over 125 miles long. It presents a spectacular opportunity for snorkeling and diving, not to mention fishing for barracuda, wahoo, snapper, jacks, and yes, bonefish too, at times.

Andros Island is altogether more than 100 miles long, north to south. It is divided by three large “rivers” or bights, flowing through the middle of the island, east to west, making the larger North and South Andros islands and the smaller middle islands, Big Wood Cay and Mangrove Cay.

Our rooms are clean, comfortable, and air-conditioned. Each has its own bathroom, which awaits you with a warm relaxing shower at the end of your fishing day. Did we mention each guest gets his own room? Yes, it is true! No listening to your “good buddy” snore all night. Each room has tile floors and is furnished with comfortable beds and modern dressers and nightstands.

Dining Room

Our dining room is welcoming and laid back. It is perfect to enjoy cocktails, great meals and conversation with friends, both new and old.
Boy, do we have seafood! Many other great dishes too, like jerk chicken and ribs. During your stay you will be treated to lots of fresh local seafood. From fresh snapper and grouper, to lobster and conch, this is fresh fish at its finest. We’re happy to take special requests for food – if you’ve got dietary requirements, or just a personal preference, let us know and we’ll and we’ll cook something up just for you.

You will enjoy a variety of dishes, with an emphasis on traditional Bahamian cooking. The main dish is always complimented with hearty side dishes and topped off with a variety of truly sinful desserts. You definitely won’t go hungry here. Homemade key lime pie, anyone?

The Slack Tide Bar

Located right on the beach is our tiki bar that we affectionately call ‘The Slack Tide’. This is a favorite spot to enjoy the beach, the breeze and drinks and appetizers at the end of your fishing day.

Most of your encounters with bonefish will be on extensive shallow flats or winding mangrove creeks in 1 to 2 feet of water. The fish will often be moving quickly on the tide and grubbing as they go looking for shrimp, crabs, worms, shellfish, baitfish and small invertebrates. A bonefish’s mouth, unlike that of most other gamefish, is located underneath the head, enabling the fish to easily root around the bottom for food. While you will often see (and cast to) larger schools of relatively easy-to-catch fish, the bruisers will often be traveling in singles or pairs and they offer some of our more challenging fishing. Since bonefishing is often viewed as a combination of fishing and hunting, it is important that you stay alert and watchful for inbound fish. Your guide will put you on the ‘clock’ system to guide your shots at the fish – meaning that if he says look to 1 o’clock at forty feet, that’s where your cast needs to be, pronto!

If at all possible, attempt to spot the fish prior to laying down your cast. You will need to lead the fish a bit as bonefish can easily spook if you ‘line’ them or plunk a fly right on their heads. Bonefish can be nervous critters (as everything considers them a delightful meal) and learning to spot the fish, even with your guide’s assistance, will greatly enhance your success rate in hooking up.

Barracuda

Barracuda will be one of your constant companions here on South Andros. Sight casting on the flats and blind casting in creeks and blue holes can deliver numerous explosive strikes and aerial battles. Beyond the opportunistic shots you’ll find throughout each day, ‘cudas offer an excellent option for action on the flats when the rare cold front blows through.

Barracuda are primarily targeted with 9 or 10 weight rods and tropical floating or intermediate sink tip lines. Wire leaders are a must – these are toothy critters.

Poppers, Bangers, needlefish flies and large Deceivers are all very effective in antagonizing these aggressive fish into striking.

Sharks

There’s plenty of food for sharks around South Andros, and that means…there are plenty of sharks. Lemons and blacktips are the species we see most of on the flats.

We frequently see sharks that are much too big to be landed with any reasonable fly tackle, but throwing big streamers at some of the smaller sharks is just flat-out fun. They’re aggressive, they’re fast, and they pull really, really hard.

Pre-made leaders rigged with wire braid can land some smaller sharks, be we prefer single-strand wire leaders. Sharks have a lot of very sharp teeth, and it’s not uncommon for them to bite through wire braid.

Big streamers are the ticket here, and red and orange seem to be the most effective colors.

Permit

We’ve recently spend some time discovering the best locations and tides for permit on South Andros. While we don’t have big numbers of permits on our flats, a day spent looking for them under the right conditions is likely to result in some shots.

There are specific locations, particularly the near shore cays on the Southwest side and some of the ocean flats, holding good populations. And, there are specific periods in the spring season where their inshore numbers increase significantly.

Permit here are generally in the 15 to 30 lb. range and are best targeted with a 10-weight with a tropical floating line.

Merkins, large mantis shrimp patterns and various yarn crab fly patterns will give you your best shot if you’re lucky enough to spot one. Your guide will let you know if you are visiting an area inhabited by permit so you’ll know to have a 10-weight rigged for the encounter.

Tarpon

The creek systems and the West side flats harbor populations of both resident and migratory tarpon. The tarpon fishery continues to develop but the habits and travel routes of South Andros’ silver kings have not yet been patterned to deliver highly consistent fishing. We’ll keep you posted as this fishery further develops.

Most of the resident tarpon range in the 40 to 100 lb. class and can be handled on a 10-weight with tropical floating or intermediate sink tip line.

Cockroaches, Bunny flies and Keys-style flies are all good bets if your guide takes you to an area that holds tarpon.

Andros south not only has some world class flats fishing but they also offer a bluewater fishing program that allows guests to sample the great fishing available in the Tongue of the Ocean, just to the east of South Andros Island. Depending on the season, dorado, tuna, wahoo, king mackerel, ocean barracuda, sharks and other species are available.Anglers use a variety of techniques, including fly fishing, using live bait on spinning gear, and trolling. Bottom fishing for snapper and grouper can also be a great option. The fishing platform is a 25-foot power catamaran captained by Rosewell Rahming, an experienced local captain. There is an additional charge for each day of bluewater fishing. The offshore fishing near South Andros Island is a phenomenal resource, and yet is virtually untouched. Join us for some fun in the deep water! Please contact us for more information.

Here is a list of the basics you will need for your trip. Many of our destinations are pretty remote with no chance to buy things on site.

Bonefish

 

Permit

 

Baby Tarpon

 

Big Tarpon

 

Barracuda/Sharks

 

The Fly List:

Go a little smaller than you might think, better to have too many 8’s than 4’s for the bonefish. Tie a few patterns with just the weight of the eyes as a variable 1 with lead eyes, 1 with chain, 1 with small chain, and 1 with no weight or mono eyes just to make sure you have flies for very skinny water all the way to waist deep water. Presentation seems to be much more important than fly selection. Weed guards will be a plus on the grass flats.

Fly Name	Colors	Sizes	Qty for a 1 Week Trip
Toad Fly	chatreuse, olive, tan, purple/black	1, 1/0	12
Cockroach	standard	1/0, 2/0	4
Black Death	white, tan	1/0, 2/0	4
Purple Demon	purple/black	1/0, 2/0	4
Layup tarpon fly	brown, chatreuse ,yellow	1, 1/0	6
Enrico's Tarpon Streamer	Purple & Black	2/0	4
Enrico's Tarpon Pinfish	Olive/white	3/0	4
Del's Merkin	tan/brown	1/0, 2, 4	6
Turneffe Crab	Cream, olive	2, 4, 6	4
Clouser minnow	chatr/white	1/0-2/0	6
Bonefish CLouser	assorted	4-6	12
Crazy Charlie bead eye	pink,white,tan,brw	4, 6, 8	12
Moe bonefish	amber, pink	4	6
Christmas Island Specials	pink, orange	6, 8	18
Gotcha	standard	4, 6, 8	12

Tropical Packing List

√	Packing Item	√	Packing Item
√	Passport	√	Camera & media
√	Photocopy of Passport (packed separately)	√	Computer
√	Airline tickets	√	Cell Phone
√	Itinerary with contact numbers	√	Reading & writing materials
√	Emergency Medical insurance docs ( if purchased)	√	Rod repair (tip top and glue)
√	Major credit card	√	Sun gloves
√	Cash for tips (there are a couple ATMs in San Pedro but they may not be working))	√	Face Sun protection (buff)
√	2 Hats with brim and neck guard (or sun hat for non anglers)	√	Sunburn relief spray
√	2-4 long sleeve shirts for fishing (SPF fabric)	√	Sunscreens SPF 30 or above
√	2 quick dry pant for fishing (SPF fabric)	√	Sun block for lips and nose
√	2 quick dry shorts for fishing (SPF fabric)	√	Toiletries
√	White socks (tops of feet get burned in the boats or wear under wading shoes)	√	Prescription meds
√	Underwear	√	Non-prescription Meds
√	Casual pants or shorts	√	Eyeglasses (and spare)
√	Casual shirts, short sleeve	√	Fly Rods
√	Sandals	√	Reels
√	Belt	√	Fanny or other small fishing pack
√	Light sweater or fleece	√	Water bottle ( Holster optional)
√	Socks	√	Waterproof boat bag
√	Wading shoes	√	Lines
√	Bathing suits,	√	Leaders
√	T- Shirts	√	Tippet
√	Sandals or walking shoes ( Barefoot is good)	√	Flies
√	Rain jacket (an occasional cold squall will roll though or the boat spray may chill you to the bone!)	√	Nippers
√	Bug repellent (for dead clam days or evenings)	√	Pliers/forceps
√	Sunglasses (polarized with lanyard)

1. Unbiased Advice: Most people recognize the advantage of our unbiased advice, there are hundreds of destinations to choose from and our job is to know the ones that are right for your needs. We offer the real story you can't get from a lodge owner. Would the outfitter in questions tell you are booking in a less than stellar part of the year? Remember our unbiased advice is 100% free! 2. We Can Book Anywhere: Our website highlights many of our favorite destinations but we have access to hundreds more. If there are fish there, we can book it. In fact, we will give you 5% back if you book a trip through us that is not on our website! We enjoy learning about new spots! 3. Loyalty Discounts: 2017 Special: You are automatically enrolled in our loyalty program before your first trip and will get the 5% cash back on your very first trip. This offer is good until December 31, 2017. In January you will ear your loyalty discount on the second trip and every trip thereafter. This discount applies to all your friends who are going with you as well. f you organize a group of 8 or more we will give you 10% off! All you have to do is book the first trip and you are a flyfishingheaven.com frequent fisher! 4. Price Guarantee: If you find a price lower than ours we will beat that price by 5% if you book through flyfishingheaven.com!

Our Pledge

We promise to work for you, not a lodge, outfitter or resort. We pledge to get you you to a destination that will live up to your expectations at the best possible price. You will never be charged more than booking directly (in fact most of our clients are paying less - *see below). We will make sure you are well prepared for your trip with specific knowledge about the gear, the flies, the rods, packing lists, travel documents, connecting information everything. Since we are not tied to a particular destination we promise honest pros and cons of any destination at the time of year you are traveling. We do earn a small commission when we book a trip as all lodges and outfitters offer this as they depend on agencies like ours for much of their business. This fee is paid by the lodge not you, and they do not keep different prices for direct bookings vs agency bookings, it is bad business.

A 10% deposit is required if you are booking more than 6 months in advance, 50% deposit is required when less than 6 months until departure date with the balance due 60 days prior to departure. If you are forced to cancel with more than 60 days notice, you may keep full credit towards another trip or receive a refund less a 10% service charge. Deposits on cancellations with less than 60 days notice are not refundable unless your spot can be filled. MC, Visa, and checks are accepted. We recommend travel and or medical emergency insurance for all our trips.

“Hey, I’m headed to Andros South. I think I’m going to spend some time in Nassau on my way down. What should I do?”

We hear this a lot. Today’s post is by no means meant to be an exhaustive guide to Nassau. It’s simply meant to answer that question – if you have some time in Nassau, here are a couple of options on how to spend it.

You Should Go to Atlantis

Atlantis is a giant Vegas-style hotel/casino/restaurant/beach club complex on Paradise Island, a ~$30 cab ride from the airport. Is it a relaxing, authentic view into real Bahamian life and culture? No, not at all – but that’s what you’re going to get on South Andros. If you’ve got the better part of a day to spend, Atlantis is worth checking out.

The aquarium complex is amazing and worth the trip by itself – with open-air lagoons, underwater tunnels, and some of the biggest bonefish, tarpon and grouper you’ll see in your life. You can get a day pass for the aquarium area if you’re not staying at the hotel (they claim ‘limited availability’ but we’ve never had a problem).

If you’re looking for big-time night life, Atlantis is definitely the best option in Nassau. The casino is pretty big, pretty nice, and an excellent spot for people watching. There are also a bunch of bars, a handful of restaurants and a night club.

The cab ride goes right through downtown Nassau, and traffic can be bad. Plan on 30 – 45 minutes, and don’t bother making the trip if you can’t go for 3 or 4 hours.
It’s not cheap. Food, drinks, cab rides…none of it is ‘value priced’.
Again, it’s a big, fairly polished production – do not expect authenticity!

You Should Eat at Indigo

Our favorite restaurant in Nassau is called Indigo Cafe. It’s a short cab ride from the airport.

Most of the patrons seem to be locals. The menu is varied, with some traditional Bahamian dishes and some that range more towards Italian. The dining room is nice, and there’s a great outdoor seating area. The service is really friendly. Prices are quite reasonable for very good food.

It’s a restaurant in Nassau, therefore the service is not very fast. Relax, go when you have more than an hour to spend, and you’ll be just fine.

Hotel Options

If you’re coming in late and leaving in the morning and want a nice, clean room that’s close to the airport, you should check out the Sandyport Hotel and Resort. The web site makes it look like just a residential development, but they have nice units where you can stay by the night.

If you’re spending more time and want to settle in a bit, we like the Comfort Suites on Paradise Island. The equation here is very simple – it’s clean and perfectly nice, and it’s right next door to Atlantis – so you can have your fun at Atlantis without paying the very, very high room rates at the Atlantis hotels.

We Think You Should Avoid

Casinos that aren’t Atlantis. They’re not much cheaper, they’re not nearly as nice, and they don’t have anywhere near the people watching.
The ‘downtown shopping district’. There’s not much to see here, and somehow we think there are better places to buy your Rolex.
Have fun!

Tropical Packing List

√	Packing Item	√	Packing Item
√	Passport	√	Camera & media
√	Photocopy of Passport (packed separately)	√	Computer
√	Airline tickets	√	Cell Phone
√	Itinerary with contact numbers	√	Reading & writing materials
√	Emergency Medical insurance docs ( if purchased)	√	Rod repair (tip top and glue)
√	Major credit card	√	Sun gloves
√	Cash for tips (there are a couple ATMs in San Pedro but they may not be working))	√	Face Sun protection (buff)
√	2 Hats with brim and neck guard (or sun hat for non anglers)	√	Sunburn relief spray
√	2-4 long sleeve shirts for fishing (SPF fabric)	√	Sunscreens SPF 30 or above
√	2 quick dry pant for fishing (SPF fabric)	√	Sun block for lips and nose
√	2 quick dry shorts for fishing (SPF fabric)	√	Toiletries
√	White socks (tops of feet get burned in the boats or wear under wading shoes)	√	Prescription meds
√	Underwear	√	Non-prescription Meds
√	Casual pants or shorts	√	Eyeglasses (and spare)
√	Casual shirts, short sleeve	√	Fly Rods
√	Sandals	√	Reels
√	Belt	√	Fanny or other small fishing pack
√	Light sweater or fleece	√	Water bottle ( Holster optional)
√	Socks	√	Waterproof boat bag
√	Wading shoes	√	Lines
√	Bathing suits,	√	Leaders
√	T- Shirts	√	Tippet
√	Sandals or walking shoes ( Barefoot is good)	√	Flies
√	Rain jacket (an occasional cold squall will roll though or the boat spray may chill you to the bone!)	√	Nippers
√	Bug repellent (for dead clam days or evenings)	√	Pliers/forceps
√	Sunglasses (polarized with lanyard)