With the Mayan Apocalypse and more importantly, last minute holiday shopping behind us, anglers throughout the Mid Atlantic may find themselves bundled up and thinking about warmer locations and more cooperative fish. We have recently been outfitting folks heading to Belize, the Caribbean, South Carolina, New Zealand, South Florida and the Keys. I was fortunate enough to escape the Mid-Atlantic cold for a week of fishing on Grand Bahama Island. While generally not as well publicized as other bonefish destinations in the Bahamas, Grand Bahama is home to some of best guides and oldest fly fishing lodges in the Caribbean and is one very special fishery. GBI does not have the endless white sand or marled flats that some of the other islands do but what it lacks in sprawling wadeable flats it more than makes up for in abundance and size of fish. One can expect dependable shots at double digit and even teen-sized bonefish on the north and east sides of the island. While there, I fished with a guide and waded on my own and would highly recommend fishing with a one of the island’s many established bonefishing operations. The local guides will lead you into the most productive areas and put you onto countless fish that you might otherwise miss going solo. That being said, I found enough fish on my own wading the islands south side beach flats to keep me busy for the rest of the week.
