There are probably a lot of good spots in the Bahamas to catch bonefish, but when I find a good one, I keep going back. The Island of Exuma is one of those places.
The Island consists of Great Exuma and Little Exuma, which are connected by a low bridge called the Ferry. To pass under the bridge, you tie up your boat to the side of the bridge, climb up the ladder, and crank the bridge open. Then after you pass under the bridge , you tie up your boat, climb the ladder, and crank the bridge closed. One good thing is that small flats boats fit under the bridge.

Staying at the Beach Inn, which is affiliated with Peace & Plenty Bonefish Lodge, the accommodations are excellent: clean rooms, dining area, bar, and in-ground fresh water pool, which is located right on Bonefish Bay.
In the morning after breakfast, the guide picks you up and takes you to the Bonefish Lodge where the boats are kept. From there, you head out for a full day of fishing on the flats.

Most days you never see another boat. These flats on the south end of the island are easy to wade without boots because there are very few rocks. Although an occasional sea urchin might get you! Seeing schools of 75 to 100 bonefish coming right at you is enough to make anyone’s heart start pounding which makes you forget everything you ever learned about casting. The south end of the island has large schools of smaller fish that are very cooperative.

I’ve tied almost every type of bonefish fly, but all the guides that I have used seem to reach for the same few each time:
#1 McVays Gotcha
#2 Becks Sili-legs
#3 small chartreuse or tan clousers or Charlies

I can’t believe they didn’t pick anything yellow!

To get to Exuma, Spirit Airlines flys out of Atlantic City to Fort Lauderdale and then Lynx Air goes from Lauderdale to Exuma in a small 12 seater. Everyone gets weighed with your luggage and they are very strict about weight limits. Also, everyone has a window and an aisle seat. You can look over the pilot’s shoulder and right out the front window of the plane.

Last year’s trip was to the Barreterre Bone fish Lodge, which is located at the far north part of the island. Not as many bonefish, smaller schools, but larger fish. I also saw tarpon, and permit at this end. The accommodations here are clean and suitable and the meals are fit for a king, all fish. One night the cook prepared a side dish of barracuda that we had caught that day- excellent taste.

This trip I tried a new fly created by Doc. Lewis, a combination of a shrimp and crab pattern with rubber legs. It worked great til I only had 1 left. I saved the last one so he could tie more.

You hook a lot of fish but you don’t land them all. They seem to make a blazing run and then find something to break you off on. Bring plenty of leader material and plenty of flies.

They opened a new Four Seasons Resort at the north end of the island with 183 rooms and an 18 hole golf course. I don’t think it added any more pressure to the fishing, there are so many flats you can always fish alone.

Georgetown is the capital of the island. It has a post office, a one-room school and a church. There are no 7 Elevens and no movie theaters. This island has a population of 1300 people, virtually no crime, and their main tourist trade is fishing and diving.

I’ve always gone the last week of June and first week of July. The weather is hot but not unbearable. The Tropic of Cancer runs right through the middle of Great Exuma.

When thinking about going bonefishing, consider your wife as your partner because she only wants the bow of the boat about 10% of the time. I’m up there the other 90%- my kind of equal sharing fishing time. She’s content to sit in the boat and read a book when she gets tired. My wife fishes with a spinning rod and the guides work very hard to get fresh bait, conk or these little white crabs that you have to chase down on some of the islands. When standing in the water with a school of bonefish coming at us, she’ll cast a piece of crab on a jig and all 75 bonefish turn and head right for it. So much for fly presentation.

So if you’re looking for an island away from the hustle and bustle of Nassau or Freeport, where the water is crystal clear and turquoise blue, where you can fish to your heart’s content with some of the friendliest people I’ve ever met, try Great Exuma.

Remember, if you see someone in the middle of winter wearing shorts, it’s because his body may be in New Jersey but his thoughts are about bonefishing in the Bahamas.