Florida Sport Fishing - Central Bahamas Fishing Forecast: May/June 2008

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Central Bahamas Fishing Forecast: May/June 2008

Written by Northern Bahamas

AS SEEN IN THE MAY/JUNE 2008 ISSUE

May/June Central Bahamas Fishing Forecast:

Central Bahamas: Andros Island, New Providence, Eleuthera, Cat Island and The Exumas.

For those looking to escape the daily grind, Andros is truly an angler's paradise. Rupert Leadon (242.368.5167) runs the Andros Island Bonefish Club near Fresh Creek, and he says that May and June offer visiting anglers extraordinary fishing opportunities. This time of the year, it is possible to catch trophy bonefish and yellowfin tuna within five-miles of each other! The flats around Pretty Creek will hold plenty of hungry bones on the rising tide, not to mention the occasional monster mutton snapper. The Autec Navy buoys are just a short ride away where dolphin and large yellowfin tuna reign supreme. Expect the tuna bite to turn on during the afternoon, but watch out for the severe thunderstorms that routinely pop up.

Early summer also marks the last chance for consistent action on permit and tarpon along the western side of Andros. Rupert and his guides specialize in day trips to the uninhabited side of the island where you will undoubtedly find yourself fishing without another soul in sight.

Thirty-five miles east of Andros is Nassau, a very popular tourist destination. The angling opportunities surrounding this small island are numerous and Captain Mike Russel of Chubasco Charters (242.324.3474) reports that May marks the peak season for pelagics. While a livewell full of frisky pilchards will increase your chances of hooking up with feisty tuna, trolling will allow you to cover more ground when plying the drop-off for marlin and ‘phins. Concentrate on the western side of Nassau where the drop-off can be reached within 15-minutes of leaving the dock.

Heading east towards Eleuthera, Captain Stanley Johnson (242.333.3205) reports that yellowfin tuna fishing will be out of control near Harbour Island. He suggests acquiring a large supply of live bait before heading offshore to the famed Dutch Bar, Shallow Grounds, or James Point. The greatest thing about tuna fishing this area is that you know the fish will be in the same vicinity everyday, so it is not necessary to blindly search for birds. When you arrive at one of the aforementioned spots, simply deploy your spread of live baits on stout stand-up gear and hold on! Other predators such as dolphin and blue marlin will frequent these same waters during May and June.

Of course, the flats-fishing can’t be overlooked. Mutton snapper, barracuda and acres of bonefish will be a given on sunny days along the bay side of Harbour Island or the expansive flats surrounding North Eleuthera.

If it's blue marlin you are after, I strongly recommend a visit to Cat Island. Captain J.R. Holder (242.342.7050) says that calm seas make the run to Columbus Point a breeze where he recommends trolling fresh ballyhoo around the southwest side of the point. Along with shots at hefty blues, droves of dolphin will keep you busy all the way down to Devil's Point.

Just inshore of Devil's Point, excellent bonefishing will be found around the ocean-side flats of Greenwood Beach Resort and Bennet's Harbour. Captain Nathaniel Gilbert (242.422.2877) says that these flats are often un-fishable during parts of the year when the wind is strong, so early summer offers the perfect opportunity for flats anglers to get out there and explore.

Doug and Wendy Rowe of Fish Rowe Charters (242.357.0870) claim that the month of May is absolute peak season for just about every single species with phenomenal snapper and grouper fishing only minutes from the dock. Deep-dropping can also be very productive in depths of 500 to 1500-feet. Anglers can expect to catch yellow-eye and black snapper on oily ‘cuda chunks dropped down into the abyssal depths.

If you find yourself on the northern end of Exuma, try your luck wade-fishing the flats of White Bay. Captain Reno Rolle (242.345.5003) has a reputation for putting clients on massive schools of bonefish during the early summer calm weather. Reno says that during high tide, fishing will be productive for small bones along local mangrove shorelines. Fresh conch is the ticket to success no matter where you decide to fish.