Bone Fish suggestions

[dcmooney]

I have a couple of friends that want to put together a bone fishing trip. It needs to be someplace with both great bone fishing and a place to relax with our wives ( sorry it's a deal killer).

We are considering the Bahamas but I would love to hear about other options before deciding. We are going to go in April 2008

Any thought are welcome.

[Keith Hixson]

South Shore of Molakai Hawaii Rustic. Laid Back. You'll have do your own research but its there.

KEH

[Richard]

Bahamas. Peace and Plenty.

The other option is the Florida Keys, but that would be tough bonefishing/catching if the fisherperson is not experienced, but tremendously rewarding when one is caught.

You didn't say what time of year, which is a consideration . . .

[Anil]

The Bahamas in general, offer a good compromise between numbers and size. As a general rule, areas that have very large fish usually have fewer/tougher fish. Bonefish travel in large schools when they are smaller and as they grow larger will often be found in smaller schools or singles and doubles. The other thing to consider is the depth of the flats. Big fish tend to spend most of their time in deeper water. If you would like to wade for tailing fish, you should avoid areas with deeper flats.
As you might expect, the more fish there are, the easier the fishing, but the size usually goes way down.
-The Mexican Yucatan and Belize have large numbers of small Bonefish.
-Christmas Island is famous for large numbers of slightly larger fish and a few larger ones.
-The Bahamas has some areas with legitimately huge Bonefish, but most areas hold small to medium sized fish.
-Florida holds some of the largest Bonefish in the world. It can be a difficult place for beginners to catch fish. These fish get more pressure than most Bonefish.
Conditions vary. It’s fishing, so be prepared for anything.
Anil

[gt]

depends on the time of year in many spots. you did not specifcy what the females enjoy doing whist you are out fishing, that could also make a big difference.

xmass - if you are not experienced, the inside lagoon will get you into literally hundreds of hookups. if you dare, fish the lee side reef, there are world record bones out there and the fishing is super tough. walking the beach without another foot print in sight is an experience. the women would have to enjoy sitting, bird watching, snorkeling or diving.

bahamas - lots fewer shots. depending on the area you choose could be some big fishes but they are few and far between. the women would have unlimited opportunites depending on how far off the beaten path you go.

keys - well i would just scratch that off of you list, period. the good wadeable flats will have a ton of folks during the warm weather with unlimited standups zoomin around. the keys are the keys and the women would have a blast. never pass up the lorelei, never!!!! :D:D and if you want to experience the 'old' keys for effect, book a stay at bud and mary's, the original keys place to stay, a step back in time and pretty fun to boot.

[dcmooney]

We are going to go in April. Thanks for the advice.

[Gary Thompson]

Bahamas, Grand Bahama Island, Pender brothers guide service, white and tan gottas.
Killer time, wind blowing hard, put two in the boat, lost many really big ones to the mangroves.
It was my first Bone fishing trip. Well worth every penny!! I'll be there again in late Sept.
A bad day of Bone fishing is better than any day at work.
P.S. take a gig with wire for the big cudas.

[TroutTamer]

The wife and I went to Belize on our HoneyMoon 3yrs ago... I was able to fish 3 days out of the ten, wich is pretty good I think..

Had a great time, with plenty of bonefish around... There was plenty do for the wife, but it depends what your lady's like.. Mine is really into the old ruins and stuff.. so we were able to do alot of that... Plenty of snorkling and diving too.

It doesn't have the white sandy beaches like the bahamas, its to close to the reaf.... but there is plenty of beach and people bringing you drinks..

The northern part is much more "touristy" but not anything like mexico... The southern part is more of a european backpacker town.. but the fishing was awsome...

I didn't care for our guide in the north.. His name was Senoi... really good, but no patience for beginners.

He actually told me and my wife that she would not catch anything... WTF.... but she did to his amazement...

anyway.. thats my take..

[Citori]

My girlfriend and I spent a week in Belize a year ago October. Fished bones and tarpon, both of us caught the former, missed the latter, but did catch some jacks (or whatever) on flies after the tarpon trip, which we took to a local restaurant and they fixed them for dinner for us...

Ambergris Caye has good fishing access, and a fair amount to do for 3-4-5 days. I would also recommend the Belize zoo, and touring ruins on the mainland. I liked my guide, he was good with both of us, and took us snorkeling and diving for lobster one day as well. Have contact informatiion for him if you want.

Haven't been to the Bahamas...

[Richard]

Christmas Island is a great place to catch lost of bones and learn to see them, but the conditions are very spartan and, if spouses are going along, may not fit the bill of a place to both fish and relax with the wives.

Here's an option, though. I did this before with my wife and mother-in-law. To get to Christmas Island one has to fly to Hawaii and stay over night. My wife, MIL, and I went a few days ahead of when I was to fly down to CI, and stayed on Oahu for a few days sightseeing, boogie boarding, and what not. I then left to CI, they stuck around for a few days and did what they wanted without a guy being along, and I got my week doing the hard core bonefishing gig at CI.

Another option is for your buddies to go to CI, and then on the return trip have the spouses meet them in Hawaii. The first time I went to CI several of the guys in our group did that, and it seemed to be a great compromise. Both the guys and gals had separate time and together time. :)

But I would not recommend non-fishing spouses at Christmas Island. Nothing to do (except fishing - but of course, what else is there?), and the conditionns are very spartan.

[David Loy]

The Bahamas trip sounds like a great option but on the "trip of a lifetime" front, my cousin did this:
You and your buddies, with wives fly to Paris. Leave the wives there (w/Visa presumably) and the fishers fly on to the Seychelles for a week. Of course it helps that he has significant cash flow and no kids. Doesn't even fly fish really.

[Mike]

You gave a time of year, you did not mention price.

Turks Caicos has some nice options like Pine Cay. It is pricey.

Los Roques may be an option. One of the best bonefish destinations in the world. Has some charm for the spouses. You can fish from the local beach if you don't want to go out with a guide for the day. Another option is a water taxi to an outer island for a day trip. That way you can fish and spend time with the spouses. Take along Gummy Minnows.

Bahamas:

Georgtown, Exuma (Peace and Plenty) – You can rent a boat and explore Elizabeth Harbor. The rented boat is good for DIY fishing since there are 2 of you. The town is OK for the spouses. There are local events most evenings. Listen on VHF 16? (it has been a while) at 9:00 each morning for announcements.

Harbour Island – Dunmore Town has more the most to offer, nice shops and restaurants. Has a real nice ocean side beach. You get around on gold carts. My wife and kids loved it there. You can rent a boat as well, get a guide to show you around first.

Aboacos (fly into Marsh Harbor)– Green Turtle Cay has some DIY fishing you can walk to. New Plymouth is nice little town. Lots of white and pastel houses. Very interesting sailing community there. You can rent a boat as well. Hope Town on Elbow Cay is a nice place, very picturesque. Resturants are limited. Again rent a boat. From March Harbor you can get a guide to take you to the Marls on the east side of Abaco.

All three of these have direct flight out of Miami and/or Ft Lauderdale using Continental or American, so you don’t need to got thru Nassau or use Bahamas Air.

Mike

[tyler]

are you all thinking about a DIY trip or an all inclusive lodge deal?

my buddies and i do a DIY trip to the bahamas (abaco) every year in may with our wives. fly into marsh harbour and stay on elbow cay (key). we rent a house, boat, etc... this is a great trip but there is some leg work involved for the DIYer. and the fishing doesn't have to be all DIY. there are a few guides available to take you back in the famous marls of abaco. PM me if you're interested in more details.

also, my wife and i stayed at a cool lodge in belize called jaguar reef. lots to do for non-fishing spouses -- mayan ruins, jungle hikes, snorkeling, sea kayaking, etc... the flats aren't as close as they are in the northern part of the country but it's a neat spot.

i've been itchin' to go to x-mas but keep getting bad reports about the lodging and lack of activities for non-fishing spouses. i'll get there someday but it sounds like it'll have to be an all guys trip.

t

[PDXfisher]

I just got back from Andros Island (Bahamas) a couple of weeks ago (with girlfriend in tow). I would advise against Andros as there is little to do there if you're not fishing. A good compromise island in the Bahamas would be Eleuthera Island. Very beautiful with nice pink beaches, enough civilization to keep the non-fishers occupied. She loved Abaco Island the best, but you would have to look into the bonefishing there, as I'm not sure about their flats.