Andros
South Bonefish Lodge, May 2-9, 2009
I
will be hosting a group of fly anglers at Andros South bonefish lodge from
May 2-9, 2009. This will be my 4th trip to Andros South and my 7th
trip to Andros Island, which I think offers some of the best bonefishing anywhere in this part of the world. Fishing is
with 2 anglers and a guide per boat. One of the best features of this lodge is
that everyone has their own room. As an FFF Certified Fly Casting
instructor, I will be available to help you with any casting problems
and I will be fishing with group members throughout the week.
Spots
are filled on a first come basis. The spots are up for grabs until they are
secured with a deposit. Cost is $3650 for the week. A 50% deposit ($1825) will hold your spot
and the balance is due 30 days out. Details on the lodge are at www.androsouth.com . The payment
policy is at http://androssouth.com/docs/Andros_Payment_Policy.pdf.
I'll
also be making the flight arrangements for the group, which will be handled
separately. Estimated cost for airfare is $410 with Lynx Air. The only other
costs are gratuities for guides and staff. Food, lodging, guided fishing and alcohol are included. It's a great trip. Hope you can join
us. Thanks.
Capt. Rick Grassett
(941) 923-7799
www.flyfishingflorida.net
and www.snookfin-addict.com
Capt. Rick Grassett’s
Fishing Report for Turneffe Flats Lodge, Belize,
11/15 through 11/22/2008
Early Saturday morning, a group of 5
other anglers and I headed for a week of fishing for bonefish and permit at Turneffe Flats Lodge in Belize. Capt. Frank Rhodes, from
Auburndale, FL, Les Fulcher, from Longboat Key, FL, and
Sarasota winter resident, Norm Boardman and I departed from Tampa and met up
with John Freeman, Jr., from Venice, FL, in Miami. Doug Boardman, from
Richmond, VA, met up with us in Belize City. Although I host groups of anglers
to various fishing destinations several times a year, this was my first visit
to Turneffe Flats Lodge. The lodge was highly
recommended by several friends whom have visited Turneffe
Flats Lodge multiple times, so I felt very comfortable with the trip.
Turneffe Flats Lodge is one of the nicest fishing lodges
that I have ever visited. Our meals were restaurant quality complete with linen
napkins. Breakfast featured a special each morning with an option for eggs,
bacon or sausage cooked to order. Dinner menu items included beef, fish and
lobster with exquisite made from scratch breads and desserts. Lunch orders for
the following day were taken at dinner each evening.
Our
group stayed in the Garden Villa, which was perfect for a group of 6 (2 anglers
per guest room with a living room and kitchenette with satellite TV). A workout
room was on the ground floor below us, definitely not the kind of amenities you
expect to find in a fishing lodge. The lodge caters not only to fly anglers,
but to scuba divers and eco/adventure tourists (kayaking, snorkeling, bird
watching, etc) as well. One evening several of us were treated to a crocodile
sightseeing tour. We cruised around and spotted several crocs up to 6’ or 8’
long!
We
arrived in beautiful conditions on Saturday evening just in time for dinner. We
were awakened before dawn on Sunday morning by a driving rain storm. Unfortunately,
weather conditions were poor most of the week. A front or low pressure system
sat on top of us causing wind and clouds with occasional rain on and off
throughout the week. The sun popped out a few times during the week giving us
hope that conditions would improve.
We
found the bonefishing challenging, but had some
success mostly wading flats on the outer edge of the atoll. Dubs, Dion and Mark
were our guides and they worked hard for us all week. On the better days up to
6 or 7 bonefish were caught and released by a couple of anglers in our group.
On the slower days, only a couple of fish were caught by our group. We had a
few shots at permit, also on the outer flats where we mostly targeted bonefish.
Frank had a take from a permit, but missed hooking up. We were not able to fish
the lagoon area on the inside of the atoll where large schools of permit roam
the flats due to persistent wind and lack of sun. I was surprised that a couple
of the permit that I cast to let us take multiple shots at them before they
spooked. I had a permit tail up on my bonefish fly while wading
a flat on the south end one day, but it didn’t eat. I spoke with several other
anglers whom had visited Turneffe Flats Lodge
multiple times with great success. My guide for most of the week, Dubs, landed
4 permit on his boat the day before we arrived. I know
that the weather was our problem and I would certainly return again to try and
get my first permit on a fly.
In
addition to the fine guide staff, Betty, Martha and Claudia took great care of
our group in the dining room. Management staff members Linbert,
Lourdes, Jeff and Jake were also on top of everything making sure that our
visit was enjoyable. On the first day when it was pouring rain, Jeff hosted a
knot tying session following a very detailed fishing orientation. I look
forward to visiting Turneffe Flats Lodge again soon.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com