# Fishing Grand Bahamas



## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

Check this site out.  They have a lot of good info.

http://diybonefishing.com/bahamas/grand-bahama/

This is a great book on the subject!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/AUTOGRAPHED-BONEFISHING-BOOK-RANDALL-KAUFMANN-2000-415-PAGES-USED-VERY-GOOD-CON-/121626320451?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c517e5e43

Randall Kaufmann & Brian O'Keefe are a great wealth of information on the subject.

I've taken the ferry over many many years ago, but wouldn't know where to book one of those today.  If you have any good info on that, please share since it would be an easy trip to take for me and my gal.

I've been traveling with 4 piece rods on planes as a carry-on (and I suggest carry-on only) tucked in my carry-on back pack and haven't had too much problems but I think 2 is max.  So I would stick with an 8wt and also take a 9wt in case it's windy (also for your backup).  I might go to a 5 piece travel rod in the near future since I hear things might be tightening up on airplanes.  But as far as the ferry goes, I'm sure 4 piece rods will be easy to do.


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## johnmauser (Sep 9, 2009)

> I am planning a trip to go after bonefish on Grand Bahamas this summer.  I am toying with the idea of taking the ferry over.  I was wondering if anyone has ever gone on a fishing trip to this location via the ferry.  I like the idea because in the past when I have flown to destinations my tackle has ended up at my location later than me, or not at all.....I was planning on booking my fishing through Yellow Dog, but if anyone has any other suggestions I am open.  Thanks in advance for any information or ideas.


Funny coincidence.  I just got back from a diy trip to Grand Bahama Island.  We took the ferry, and planned everything out ourselves.  Did some diy bonefishing and spent one day fishing out of one of the lodges.  First time in the Bahamas and first time bonefishing.  It was fantastic, I would highly recommend it.  Give me a call, and I can fill you in on some stuff and answer any questions you have.  It would take too long to type out all the info.  My cell is 910-340-4811

some bonefish video we shot 
https://vimeo.com/125219928

a writeup I did about the trip
http://www.marshwearclothing.com/blogs/news


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## greyghost61us (Dec 8, 2014)

Thanks for the replies.  Nice video John, interestingly enough, I am toying with staying at the East End Lodge, the rates seem decent.  I have been thinking about making this trip for awhile, ever since I ran across the ferry that runs from Ft. Lauderdale. Their site says you can take a kayak over for an extra 100.00 which is another idea I am tinkering with, I understand that a kayak can come in handy on Grand Bahamas to reach some of the better flats, that is if I do a diy trip.  Not having any real experience with fishing for bonefish though, I might be better off doing a stay at a lodge with guides and boats....At least on my first trip there, with the ferry rate of 45.00 plus the cost for extra baggage, it seems a very affordable trip.
https://www.ferryexpress.com/wps/portal/corporativo/web?WCM_GLOBAL_CONTEXT=/corporativo/en/SeccionesBimini/Empresa/Presentacion
Is that the ferry you took? If so how was it?


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

Remember, there are other fees involved going to the Bahamas, including port fees, duties, etc.  Cab rides and either be cheap or expensive, depending where you pick one up and where you are going.

I also think it maybe cheaper to rent a yak as oppose to bring one and lugging it around.

Personally, I think Freeport is a blinking tourist trap and not a fav of mine. If they ever get a ferry to go to the Andros, or one of the other islands, then that would be waaay better!     Of course, you can take a chance and run the mail boat!   ;D


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## johnmauser (Sep 9, 2009)

Jay,

I'll try to answer some questions here but I could probably answer questions with more detail on the phone. There are a few diy options on GBI. I would recommend spending at least one day with a guide (and one of the first days of your trip) to get a feel for how to see the bonefish, properly feed the bonefish and how to find them in that area. I fished with East End Lodge, but I did not stay there...but its a fantastic place and plan to stay there in the future. I hooked up with them on a day where they had some open boats. That is an option for you. Call them and speak to Robert. Go with East End Lodge for any guided fishing you do, don't waste your time with any other lodge or independent guides...that's how highly I think of them. 

I'm not sure about the $45 rate you saw for the ferry but round trip (not the daytripper cost) is around $190 per person. Punch in some dates on the website and see what price it gives you. They say 2 carry-ons per passenger and they have a size limit....although I saw people take more than two carry-ons and take stuff bigger than the size limit. They seem very lax on that rule but don't quote me on that. $25 per way for bigger baggage. The kayak is an option, but most of the places you would fish diy style are walking along the beach on the south side. Most of the guides fish the north side mangrove flats (not really wadeable) but it is a bit of a pain to get to...a lot of the north side launches have you driving down dirt roads through the woods. I saw enough fish on the south beaches to not be concerned about trying to get to the north side.

Again though, I blew a ton of shots at bonefish, not knowing what it takes to get them to eat on my own. I went with the guide on my last day and learned so much that I could have nailed some bones on my own after that. It would have paid off to fish with the guide on the first day and then maybe go diy after that. We rented a sweet apartment in Lucaya for $100 a night right on a canal. VRBO has some affordable rentals. If you go that way, you can have a rental car place ( I recommend Brad's Car Rentals) pick you up at the port. If you go with East End Lodge, they will pick you up at the port and drive you across the island to the lodge.

So much to talk about... Don't worry about tying a ton of bonefish patterns, some size 4 and 6 gotchas and mantis shrimp will work well... more importantly, tie some with small bead chain, medium bead chain and some with lead eyes. Do some light sand colored flies and some brown ones for the darker bottom areas. Tons of sharks and barracuda on the flats too, if you want to bring a big rod.


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## johnmauser (Sep 9, 2009)

I didn't see anywhere on the island that rented kayaks. Honestly I feel like they would be a hindrance, because the bones are tough enough to see when standing up, so its going to be really tough to see them in a yak, unless its a stand up yak.

Car rentals are going to be about $70/day including tax and insurance. Gas is about $4.00-$4.50 per gallon over there....but this is still cheaper than taking a cab and you will have much more freedom. 

The food at the grocery store is 3-4 times as much as in the US due to importing it. If you like fresh seafood, eating out is pretty cheap around there. You have to check out the Wednesday night fish fry at Smith Point if you DIY.


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## mcraft173 (Apr 21, 2014)

I've stayed and fished at East End Lodge and highly recommend it. It was my first time bonefishing and fishing with their guides obviously increased my success.

Although a DIY trip may be cheaper, I think this lodge provides the best value for fishing Grand Bahama. Once you break everything down, the cost is similar to a hotel, eating out and booking a guide each day in the keys. Maybe a little cheaper. Plus, you are greeted at the airport, jump right into their transportation and within an hour you are either heading out to fish, or have a cold drink in your hand. Highly recommended. The fishing was great too.


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## el9surf (Dec 23, 2008)

This looks like a lot of fun. The ferry looks like a decent deal, plus you can avoid the headache of dealing with the airport. From what I was looking at you need a boat to get to most of the white sand wading spots. Are there spots where you can access from a car where you can park and wade out and find fish?


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## johnmauser (Sep 9, 2009)

> This looks like a lot of fun. The ferry looks like a decent deal, plus you can avoid the headache of dealing with the airport. From what I was looking at you need a boat to get to most of the white sand wading spots. Are there spots where you can access from a car where you can park and wade out and find fish?


Yes....


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## JRH (Mar 18, 2007)

My wife is Bahamian and was born in Freeport so I go over 3-4 times a year and have taken the ferry many times.

The ferry has its pros and cons:
It's cheaper than flying.  ~$200 round trip compared to flights that are over $300 depending on where you depart. 
It does take longer than flying.  It's about 3.5 hrs total.  The actual crossing is less than 2 hours unless the seas are really rough.  If the boat is crowded, when you "land" in Freeport the time it takes to get off the boat and clear customs/immigration can be 45mins+.
The port is further to the west than the airport, so it's a bit further of a drive to get into Lucaya.
They just got a new ferry about 2 months ago that is larger and supposedly nicer, but I haven't been on it yet (going next month).


If you can afford it, just book East End Lodge (45 mins from Lucaya) or H20 Bonefishing (in Lucaya out of the Pelican Bay hotel) - http://h20bonefishing.com/

If you're trying for DIY - book a guide the first day.  You can try asking either of those lodges for just a single day trip.  If they are not booked with guests at the lodge they will do a single trip.  There is another solo guide out east named Bernard that is good too - http://www.bonefishingbahamas.com/

DIY is pretty much all wading the beaches and flats on the south side. You'll need a rental car if you're staying in Lucaya.


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## JRH (Mar 18, 2007)

Also, as other posters have said, don't worry about bringing a kayak. You're going to be on foot.


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## paint it black (Nov 3, 2007)

I paid $480 for two people which included two round trip boarding passes for the Balearia Alcuhemas (it took about 3.5 hrs) and it was really fast to get off the ship at Free Port, but it took an hour to disembark at Port Everglades on the way back. The package we got also included a hotel room for two nights at Flamingo Bay Resort, and transportation from Free Port to the Hotel, and back to Free Port from the Hotel. We got a rental car for $60 a day, it was actually a nice newish car, did great on fuel. I fished all the way out at the east end and back towards Lucaya. I saw more fish further west than I did East, but I went on a really bad weekend. There was a front pushing through, so there was big swells coming in off the ocean. It was pretty rough the first two days, the third morning was pretty nice, found a ton of fish, mostly all 8lbs and up.


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## greyghost61us (Dec 8, 2014)

I do believe I am going to stay and fish out of East End Lodge, at least for the first attempt at Bahamian bonefish fishing.  What tackle do yall recomend taking, right now I am looking at taking a Sage 890-3RPLX with a Tibor Everglades. loaded with Rio 8wt WF8F Bonefish Quick shooter. and a Thomas &  Thomas Horizon II 9wt with a Lamson Litespeed Series IV loaded with Rio W9WF Bonefish line.  Would I need any other outfits on the trip?  I have a travel rod case that can hold 8 flyrod tubes.  

What patterns work good at this location?


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## johnmauser (Sep 9, 2009)

8wt for bones is good. There are a lot of bones that would be fun on a 7wt but you never know when the big ones will pop up, so I'd stick with the 8wt in hand. 

Lots of bonnet head sharks on the flats that would be fun on an 8wt, but there are lots of 4ft lemon sharks cruising the flats along with huge barracuda. I'd pack a 10wt for the lemon sharks and cuda. 

There are some permit around too so 9 or 10wts would cover them too.

I tied about 8 different bonefish patterns but realized when I got down there that the bones aren't very picky. I ended up only using tan/pearl gotchas, brown/orange gotchas on dark bottom, and veverkas mantis shrimp. The weight seemed to be more important than pattern. Tie each fly with a small beadchain, medium beadchain, and a lead eye version to cover different water depths. Tie the bone flies on mostly size 4, with some size 6 and 2 hooks. Tie some crab patterns for permit, some cuda flies and some shark poppers and shark flies if you want to fish for those guys.

I came with 12 ft leaders with 12 or 14 lb fluoro tippet.. The guide kind of laughed it off and by the end of the day we ended up catching fish on 9ft leaders with 16 lb mono tippet, the bones didn't seam to care. My recommenation though, is to bring everything you can pack because you can't buy any of that stuff on the island. 

Bring some wading shoes too.


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## el9surf (Dec 23, 2008)

Glad I saw this post. This is going to be my next trip.


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## paint it black (Nov 3, 2007)

It's crazy that I hear they are so easy to catch. I got denied by over a hundred fish. I was there for three days and got skunked. I tried all kinds of different patterns, still to no avail. From gotchas, charlies, crab flies, shrimp flies, nothing worked. I catch bonefish on fly in Biscayne Bay, and couldn't buy an eat at Grand Bahama. The first two days, the weather was the worst. I had one shot day two at a tailing fish, with no take. I was throwing a 10' leader with 15 flouro tippet (as I do in Biscayne Bay) Day 3 I was only able to fish until Noon, as I had to make the drive back to the resort near port lucaya to catch our shuttle back to freeport to board the ferry. This day I went with 14' leaders, the weather was phenomenal. The amount of fish I took shots at was ridiculous, but still not a single take. Now, the fish I threw at were all in the 8lb range minimum, with many over 10lbs, but I still got skunked. Funny thing was I caught two bones earlier that week in Miami before heading over there.


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## JRH (Mar 18, 2007)

> I do believe I am going to stay and fish out of East End Lodge, at least for the first attempt at Bahamian bonefish fishing.  What tackle do yall recomend taking, right now I am looking at taking a Sage 890-3RPLX with a Tibor Everglades. loaded with Rio 8wt WF8F Bonefish Quick shooter. and a Thomas &  Thomas Horizon II 9wt with a Lamson Litespeed Series IV loaded with Rio W9WF Bonefish line.  Would I need any other outfits on the trip?  I have a travel rod case that can hold 8 flyrod tubes.
> 
> What patterns work good at this location?



An 8wt and a 9wt will be just fine.

Patterns don't matter much. Stick to tan/brown/white colors. Nothing flashy. Just tie some with beadchain and some with small lead eyes and some with weedguards.


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## JRH (Mar 18, 2007)

> It's crazy that I hear they are so easy to catch. I got denied by over a hundred fish. I was there for three days and got skunked.


I hear ya man.  The DIY on Grand Bahama is not easy because if there's a wind over 15mph coming out of the south (even the day before), you're pretty much fucked because the beach flats are washed out.  I've lost track of the times I've driven 30 mins out east only to find it looking like this:











Basically the same exact spot with no south wind:












Generally speaking, as you go further east in a boat with a guide the fish are "easier to catch".

DIY wadefishing the beaches and flats out east is not something I'd ever consider easy.  If you walk the beach you're going to see a lot of fish, but those fish on the pristine white sand in a foot or less of water are spooky as hell.  I've learned to just to just avoid them and concentrate other areas.


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## johnmauser (Sep 9, 2009)

Yeah what JRH said. The day before my guided trip I cast to 150 big bonefish on one of the south facing beaches. I got one eat, and I blew it. Those fish were tough but I had never bonefished before. I was basing everything off of what I know about redfish.

When we fished with East End Lodge, we ran a long long ways to the fishing spots...we were basically almost in the Abacos. Those fished seemed a lot more interested in jumping a fly. Although the diy beach bones were tough, I think the knowledge I learned on my guided day would have put a bone or two to hand if I had gone back to the diy spot the next day.


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## paint it black (Nov 3, 2007)

looks familiar.... this was out east when I was there.

https://instagram.com/p/0v-LA5FZAC/?taken-by=estrada_art


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## Blue Zone (Oct 22, 2011)

You have received some really good advice on here and I'll try to add a little. I prefer the sea run bones off the beach as I think they more fight in them than the bones on the flats. Although they are harder to spook, they can be very moody. 

My favorite spots are 25-30 East of Port Lucaya. You will see an old tracking station in that area and any of the roads down to the shoreline will put you on some good water; just park by an empty lot and walk to the beach. Look for spots where there is a horizontal cut parallel to the beach with the bar 30' or so off the beach. Once on the bars you will find places where the cuts turn away from the beach to the ocean. The schools will go up on the bars and circle around they cuts. Anytime is a good time except for dead low tide.

Now here's the tricky part. Once the water (if rising) gets to pocket level, always be mindful of your surroundings; it can be a bit unnerving to be between a school of bones and the man in the grey suit. You should also run across some palometas, pompano and 'cuda.

If you get out that way, drop in to Bishops in High Rock; decent food and cold beer.


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## mcraft173 (Apr 21, 2014)

I'll mirror some of the previous comments. 

I took an 8wt and 9wt and it was the way to go.

Standard run of the mill bonefish flies are all you need. no need to find the latest trendy new fly. More importantly, as mentioned before, have a variety of weights (small bead chain, medium bead chain, lead) for 8 or so basic patterns in light tan to brown. I also suggest a white and tan clouser with lead eyes for fishing deeper mudding fish. 

The great thing about the East End location is you will be able to fish the north or south side of the island depending on tides and wind and the guides will chase the tides they like throughout the day.

Each of the guides has their own approach and personality, so that will dictate your day, but my experience was we would wade an incoming in the morning in shin deep water (8 wt and bead chain flies) and then fish deeper mudding fish when the wind picked up in the afternoon (9wt and lead eyes)

As far as the fish being picky - my first day, the fish would charge a botched cast from 10 ft away, but towards my last day, I was hard pressed to wade within 150 feet of the fish without spooking them. Like any kind of fishing anywhere else, tides, wind, weather, fronts, time of year, etc can shut the fish down or turn them on. That said, the fishing exceeded my expectations. Good luck.


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## greyghost61us (Dec 8, 2014)

Thanks for the information John. I hopefully will be able to put it all to use.


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## JRH (Mar 18, 2007)

Update:

Went over last week. The new larger ferry sucks. The baggage restrictions on the old fast ferry were relaxed and you could carry on everything no matter the size of your luggage and there were no extra fees. We chose the ferry because we were going to be spearfishing and fly fishing so we had larger than normal luggage.

Now Baleria makes you pay $25 per bag for checked bags and they have essentially the same size restrictions as airlines. So to check 2 bags, you're now paying $300+ to take the ferry.

Checked in at around 6:30am; did not clear customs in Freeport until around 12:45pm.

Going home we checked in around 4:30pm; did not clear U.S. customs until about 11:45pm.

I will be flying from here on out. Most likely on the American Airlines flight from Miami. The ferry used to be a cheaper, more relaxed, and more efficient way to get to GB than flying. It is now worse than flying. Way to screw it up Baleria.


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## johnmauser (Sep 9, 2009)

I took the Balearia this Spring. I was actually surprised to see a lot of people carrying on bags that were above the size limit for carry ons...although I wouldn't recommend that people plan on it happening every time. You are allowed 2 carry ons per person so my wife and I took 2 carry ons each and packed one big suitcase to check in.

It cost us $190 round trip for each person to take the ferry plus $25 each way for our 1 checked suitcase. Plane tickets out of Ft Lauderdale or Miami were $300+ each plus $25 per checked bag. We went with the ferry to save a few hundred dollars and we were happy with our choice. If I had the extra money to take the plane and save time, I absolutely would, but we were on a budget and had no complaints. The other advantage for us was that we didn't have time to get our passports before the trip, and you can make the trip on the balearia with just your birth certificate and drivers license. That saved us $300 on the purchase of 2 passports...although we will probably purchase passports in the future as we hope to do more traveling. 

I think it all comes down to budget vs time.


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## paint it black (Nov 3, 2007)

We took oversized bags with no issues, and they didn't even question us. I did see them make others check stuff in. We just acted like our super heavy bags weighed nothing. As was stated, I wouldn't expect to always be able to sneak a oversized bag passed them, but they didn't notice. 


We paid under $500 for the whole thing including hotel, transportation to and from the hotel. I'd do it again without a second thought. Flights alone would have cost more than that. The only thing I would do different next go around is to stay longer than 3 days, just to be able to adjust for any bad weather.


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## JRH (Mar 18, 2007)

Ive taken the ferry 6 times total. I had no issues with oversized bags in the past too. 

The point of my post was just to say that as of 2 weeks ago they have tightened their baggage restrictions (compared to my previous trips). So if you're traveling with larger luggage and don't want to spend 6-7hrs traveling, you can take the American Airlines flight from Miami for about $75 more (first checked bag is free).

If you're trying to save some $, Balearia is the way to go.


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## jboriol (Jan 2, 2010)

Groupon $99 round trip multi day ticket. 

https://www.groupon.com/deals/balearia-bahamas-express-15


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