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Bahama bonefishing

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Idlewild87

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I am heading to the Bahamas in June, I will be taking my fly rod just in case. I want to just walk the beaches and see if i can catch some bonefish. Does anybody here have any experience with that? What all would i need? Fishing license? Permission? Permit? And as far as gear? Thank you in advance.

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I did a lot of that in Abaco. Didn't see any bones off the beach but I did catch a lot of pompano, cuda, had a couple shots at lemon sharks but didn't connect. Locals were not helpful at all because they want you to hire a guide. I still had fun though and got a mutton when I finally found some flats... Compared to New England in February just casting to non-frozen water is a treat though lol...

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11 mins ago, stormy monday said:

I did a lot of that in Abaco. Didn't see any bones off the beach but I did catch a lot of pompano, cuda, had a couple shots at lemon sharks but didn't connect. Locals were not helpful at all because they want you to hire a guide. I still had fun though and got a mutton when I finally found some flats... Compared to New England in February just casting to non-frozen water is a treat though lol...

What all did you have to get to fish? Did you have to get in contact with the minister of fish and game? 

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12 mins ago, stormy monday said:

I did a lot of that in Abaco. Didn't see any bones off the beach but I did catch a lot of pompano, cuda, had a couple shots at lemon sharks but didn't connect. Locals were not helpful at all because they want you to hire a guide. I still had fun though and got a mutton when I finally found some flats... Compared to New England in February just casting to non-frozen water is a treat though lol...

Also, what type of gear did you bring?

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So it was before all the license drama, the rules are different now. I brought 2 8 weights with floating lines and intermediate lines on a spare spool, plus a 10 weight in case I saw any tarpon other than the ones under the local dock. Luckily I met a guy who was into fishing but didn't have a rod, I loaned him one and we became good friends. I always bring a spare for this reason. For flies I did bring a bunch of bonefish flies, but they did me no good (this would be different if I found the flats earlier). What worked best for me off the beach were "Smartt's glass minnow" tied on size 4 hooks for pompano, predominately white streamers with a little flash for the cuda, and cream colored crab flies for various things on the flats. Also - and this was kind of fun, tossing a hookless gurgler and watching the needlefish go crazy after it entertained me. They go nuts, then you stop the retrieve and they back off, then you speed it up again and they go nuts again. Cheap thrills, but I'm not one who can just read a book on the beach with my wife. I spent a lot of time walking and studying the beach, the spots that looked like they would give up fish usually did. Drank a lot of rum too....

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37 mins ago, stormy monday said:

So it was before all the license drama, the rules are different now. I brought 2 8 weights with floating lines and intermediate lines on a spare spool, plus a 10 weight in case I saw any tarpon other than the ones under the local dock. Luckily I met a guy who was into fishing but didn't have a rod, I loaned him one and we became good friends. I always bring a spare for this reason. For flies I did bring a bunch of bonefish flies, but they did me no good (this would be different if I found the flats earlier). What worked best for me off the beach were "Smartt's glass minnow" tied on size 4 hooks for pompano, predominately white streamers with a little flash for the cuda, and cream colored crab flies for various things on the flats. Also - and this was kind of fun, tossing a hookless gurgler and watching the needlefish go crazy after it entertained me. They go nuts, then you stop the retrieve and they back off, then you speed it up again and they go nuts again. Cheap thrills, but I'm not one who can just read a book on the beach with my wife. I spent a lot of time walking and studying the beach, the spots that looked like they would give up fish usually did. Drank a lot of rum too....

Very cool, thank you for your info. I have been researching a lot, and all I can come up with is I just need a license. I read something about having to get the license stamped by some official. But am uncertain. Guess I will just have to get there. I may end up hiring a guide for a day...

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Call Paul Adams at North Riding Point Club (Google it).  He can explain the license situation, which is something I understand that you can run afoul of.  Think about where you're going.  Can you say "martinet"?  Also, sometimes Paul has an unbooked guide/boat available.  If you use a guide you're about a million times more likely to get nice fish.

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I just got back from Bimini this past weekend and I had the same questions. I went to the sport fishing marina called the Big Game Club hoping they would know. The person at the front office sent me to the customs office. I talked to all three people in the office, they only really seemed to care about people fishing from boats, they ended up telling me I didn't need a license to just fish from the beach (none of them gave a very confident answer). So I fished for about three days just walking the beach in front of my cottage without any issue. Not sure if I was legal or not  :shrug:

 

This probably doesn't help much, I was under the impression that someone there would know but now I know better. I think calling a local guide like Bill suggested would be the best bet. 

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Thank you everybody, i am now more confident about going now. I was not even sure if I even wanted to take some gear with me to try. Now i know that i am taking some, and will see what i come up with. I may still get a guide for a day, just to get a feel for things.

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I think its definitely worth taking along. I am brand new to fly fishing as of last summer and brought my stuff for the hell of it. I brought about 6-8 flies, had the most luck on a size 6 clousers that I tied with orange bucktail and shrimp color EP gamechange blend. 

 

Kind of kicking myself for not making a effort to get out on the bonefish flats, but I had fun just fishing from the beach. 

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8 hours ago, kross57 said:

Just bring an 8 or 9 weight fly rod and a fanny or shoulder pack. Good polarized sunglasses, a few gotchas and charlies, a few leaders, some tippet and you're good to go. Some of the beaches there have flats and bonefish, some don't. Pays to explore.   

^^^exactly

 

Shame your resort is of no help. They should be able to assist with getting your license in order if you don't do it ahead of time. Rent a car.

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