AS SEEN IN THE MARCH/APRIL 2008 ISSUE

March/April Central Bahamas Fishing Forecast:

Andros Island, New Providence, Eleuthera, Cat Island and The Exumas.

If you are staying at the Andros Island Bonefish Club, you won’t have to travel far to get in on some great flats fishing. According to Captain Rupert Leadon (242.368.5167), during the early spring, visitors can expect to catch solid numbers of three to five pound bonefish just a hundred yards from the club. He says that there are plenty of bigger bonefish around Fresh Creek for those willing to venture a couple extra miles. Literally thousands of fish invade the flats to feed and at times, the action can be downright exhausting! For a change of pace, Captain Leadon reports that the deeper channels and flats edges on the western side of the island are great places to try for a tarpon on fly.

Eleuthera is an angling paradise and by the time March rolls around, savvy anglers know that the waters surrounding Harbour Island will be loaded with game fish of all shapes and sizes. Captain Stanley Johnson (242.333.3205) and his son Captain Jermaine Johnson introduced me to bonefishing on Harbour Island when I was a kid. Well, they are still at it and Jermaine reports that the bonefish are as plentiful as ever. He says that the higher tides in James Bay offer numerous staging points for large schools of bones to mud around. Freshly cut conch or skimmer jigs will do the trick. Also, don't be surprised if you cross paths with a large mutton snapper on the deeper edges of the flats. The snapper are suckers for a white or yellow skimmer jig dragged in front of their snout.

Stanley says that local offshore guides will be scouting the area for live pilchards in anticipation of the spring run of yellowfin tuna. The local guides know that areas such as Dutch Bar, Shallow Grounds, and James Point hold some of the best tuna fishing in the islands. By the end of April, the bite should be off the charts with tuna averaging 50-to 100-pounds. Live pilchards will bring in the big yellowfin while blackfin and schoolie yellowfin can be taken on the troll with feathers and cedar plugs.

If it’s blue marlin you're after, maybe it's time you take a trip to Cat Island! Captain J.R. Holder (242.342.7050) hopes that by the end of March, there will be a decent run of large blues around Columbus Point. He says that when the marlin show up they tend to feed around current rips and temperature breaks. The yellowfin tuna action should also start to heat up as April approaches. As a place to start, focus your tuna efforts underneath birds in the vicinity of the Tartar Bank.

Captain Nathaniel Gilbert (242.422.2877) knows these waters like the back of his hand, and he says that bonefish will be everywhere during the spring. The wade-fishing will be excellent in the many tidal creeks in the area, and for a shot at a few bigger fish, look to Bennet's Creek at low tide or Orange Creek as the tide floods.

In Georgetown, Great Exuma, Captain Doug Rowe (242.357.0870) reports that anglers can expect a mixed bag of offshore pelagics including dolphin, tuna and marlin. Wahoo should still be around, and fish approaching the 100 pound mark are not uncommon in this area. Doug says that the dolphin should be schooled up in large numbers, so don’t forget about the bag limits imposed by the Bahamian Government. It is important you know the rules because Bahamian officials are looking for violators.

If it's Exuma bonefish you are after, Captain Reno Rolle (242.345.5003) can put you on the spot. He says that as water temperatures begin to rise, angler's can expect to encounter large schools of bonefish on the flats. At higher tidal stages, bones will move toward the shorelines to crunch on crabs and other shellfish around White Bay. Trophy bonefish will still be around, but these fish can be a little trickier to coax.

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