Bahamas in May

[Tim Donaldson]

Headed to a resort on Great Exuma for 6 days in late May.  Have never fished the Caribbean, or salt for that matter (other than surf casting).  I'm good with lots of walking and wading, wasn't planning on hiring a guide.  Couple of questions:

-I was hoping I can get by with my 9'6" 7wt RL Winston B3X.  Planning on loading up a tropical/bonefish line.  That is unless you all convince me I absolutely need an 8 wt...

-I'm poring over google maps now, I guess I'm looking for mangrove adjacent flats?  We're staying at Grand Isle resort near Emerald Bay.    

-Was planning on fishing early mornings to stay ahead of the wind.  Should I worry much about what the tide is doing?

-Am I dooming myself by skipping the guide?  I know my odds go down but I'd rather spend that money on flat shoes and a new fly line.  

Any advice you guys can offer would be appreciated.  

Tim 

[Yambag Nelson]

That rod is plenty fine.  I wouldn't worry about whether there are mangroves near the flats.  Really isn't relevant for flats fishing.  Casting to mangroves is something that is typically its own thing and for different species than what you might target on flats (i.e bonefish and permit). Tides are generally important in that you will want a moving tide.  In general, flats generally fish better on particular tides.  In other words, one flat might have fish on an incoming tide while another might fish better on an outgoing tide.  

I would skip the flats shoes (i have never found the necessary) and get a guide.  Salt is a whole other level and a guide will help with the learning curve.  That said, even without a guide might be able to catch "lesser' fish (cudas, snappers, ect).  

On Saturday, March 24, 2018 at 6:20:09 PM UTC-4, Tim Donaldson wrote

[Dan Kozel]

I would recommend getting a guide for at least one day. If nothing else they will likely divulge some information of local flats that your could DIY later in the week.

As far as flats shoes I would recommend getting some if coral is present. I know some that have used Kayaker type shoes and even shoes that have a very hard sole like Converse Chuck Taylors. I was in Eleuthera  a few years ago and a brand new pair of "Flats Boots" that were cut to pieces by coral. In my opinion you're better safe than sorry. The 7 weight will serve you just fine for bonefish.

Once you figure out the tides and locate areas that bonefish frequent I would recommend getting to your for the incoming tide. Find a good spot near a creek mouth or a likely passage point and post up like a heron. I personally found that the more walking I did the less fish I saw since the water is gin clear and the fish can see/hear you from quite a distance away. They don't call these fish the "Grey Ghost" for nothing. Make sure you have good polarized glasses. Even with them they will be difficult to spot depending on what the flat bottom consists of. 

Hope this helps!

[Charlie Church]

Tim,

Here is a link to a solid resource for DIY bonefishing. I noticed the site is currently redirecting to incorrect pages so the link below is from the "Way Back Machine".
https://web.archive.org/web/20170430050032/http://diybonefishing.com:80/bahamas/exuma

I agree with what Yambag and Dan said about getting guide. If that's not in the books, the site above should be a good starting point. I used it for a previous trip and did pretty well (another location).

As far as tides and flats (for all fish), I'm a big believer and paying attention to bottom type on. Mud flats will generally be warmer than hard bottom. And incoming tide will be cooler than an outgoing...especially earlier in the day. So use those two facts to try to find an optimal water temp which I think is 70 - 85.

[Tim Donaldson]

Thanks all, definitely going to hire a guide early in the trip.  Appreciate all the info!