South Andros Bonefish Flies

Big and Light.

At Andros South, we have the luxury of chasing bonefish under a pretty unique set of circumstances.

• Bigger fish than normal
• More aggressive fish than normal
• Shallower water than normal

This combination is exactly what most bonefish anglers would ask for, but it can present some problems for guests who want to arrive with a box full of perfect flies for the week.  Most widely available bonefish flies fall into one of two categories –

• Designed for places like Belize and Christmas Island, so they’re light enough but way too small
• Designed for the deep water of the Florida Keys, so they’re big enough but way too heavy

At Andros South, we like our flies big and light.

The go-to fly on most days on South Andros Island is a #2 with bead chain eyes.  This matches the water depth that we fish most frequently, but presents a meal that’s big enough that it seems to get the big, aggressive fish of South Andros most excited.

It’s certainly helpful to have flies of various weights available for different water depths.  An average box for South Andros might have 80% flies with bead chain eyes or very small lead eyes, 10% flies with normal lead eyes and 10% flies with mono eyes or no eyes.

Likewise, a range of sizes can be helpful, but think big.  Your smaller fly on South Andros is a #4, and some veterans of the fishery have been known to fish bonefish flies longer than 3″ and tied on 2/0 hooks.  #2 is your most versatile size.

A couple of different colors are also good to have, but again a huge variation is not too important.  A darker pattern to match turtle grass or marl and a lighter pattern to match light sand should get the job done.