Andros South Trip Report by Gary Thompson

Gary Thompson, the owner of Anglers All Fly Shop in Denver, hosted a group of anglers at Andros South last month.  He sent us this report on his trip, and we just had to pass it on.

Thanks Gary!

Anglers All Andros South Trip Report

Top three reasons to be at Andros South in early February

1. 20 below zero temps in Jackson, WY
2. Three winter storms hammer the Mid-Atlantic states in as many days
3. The ninety day sentence in Denver until Spring fishing arrives

Can you think of three better reasons to trade in the snow shovel for flip-flops? We arrived on February 6th as the States were getting a weather spanking from one end of the country to the other. Receiving a welcome caress from 80 degree temperatures, manageable breezes and reliable sunshine, our group’s anticipation was running high.

This was our second hosted trip to Andros South, and as before met with tremendous success on several fronts. Counted among the highlights for this trip were extremely reliable fishing conditions for top quality bonefish, a good number of days filled with sunshine allowing for great sighting conditions, and relatively low winds making it easy to move from one location around the island to another.

We were fortunate to have great weather. This made it possible for us to make the trip to the south end of the island three out of our six fishing days. Our group regarded the south end of the island among the best in terms of diverse fishing grounds as well as size of fish. Regardless of weather conditions though, one of the definite distinctions when compared to other islands in the Bahamas, and what makes Andros South such a wonderful fishery, is the flexibility it provides to find great fishing regardless of what Mother Nature deals you. The options are virtually limitless – creek fishing for tailing bones, flats walking for singles on hard bottoms mixed with turtle grass, or huge white sand flats casting to large schools.

Fishing

Bonefish for the week averaged 4-5 lbs. with an occasional 6-9 pound bonefish. I can’t recall anyone boating more than the sporadic fish less than 3 lbs for the week. Everyone in our group enjoyed a steady average of between 5-10 bonefish per day with a periodic barracuda sprinkled in for those that desired a violent pull and some variety. Pockets of deeper water and coral heads right at the shoreline make this a great place to cast a fly to large barracuda and sharks.

Flies

Fly selection for the week was garden variety, although it’s advisable to concentrate on larger patterns, size 2 and even 1/0. Pete’s Pink Bahama Bomb, Idyl’s Big Bone Daddy and Mantis Tan Shrimp were all effective patterns. For those tying their own flies, I can offer a few helpful hints – use contrasting colors against the bottom, and include orange egg sacks on every fly, generous use of long rubber legs, and ESTAZ in OPAL ROOTBEAR. Finally, flies with large red thread heads proved to be uniquely more productive.

Gear

As far as gear is concerned, we routinely caught our fish on 7 – 8 weight fast action rods. I took a Sage 691-4 TCX for giggles and ended up using it as a mainstay on less windy days. What a blast that was! It’s a good idea to shorten your leaders – truth be told I preferred hand spun leaders particularly on larger fish. These fish aren’t leader-shy at all, but accuracy, turn over and set cushion are critical when casting to larger fish.

We can’t say enough about the organization of the lodge, the hospitality of the staff, and competency of the guides. Everything from gear to food to transportation was spot on. What a wonderful trip!

More Trip Reports from Andros South

• Simon Gawesworth
• Michael White
• Rick Grassett