Ed Blank's Adventures Main Page
Tackle and Gear
South Andros may be the most informal place on the planet Earth. Comfortable, casual wear is accepted and encouraged. Flip-flops, sandals, shorts, t-shirts...casual is king. Expect mid-80's during the days, and high 60's to low 70's in the evening and early mornings.
| Airline Tickets | Pants (Long, short) | ||
| shirts ( long sleeve and short sleeve) | Passport | ||
| Band-Aids | Prescription Medicines | ||
| Bandana/ face sun protector | Rain gear (wind jacket) | ||
| Boat Bag | Reading glasses | ||
| Books | Reel Lube | ||
| Bug Spray | Rubber bands (multiple uses) | ||
| Camera / film | Spare reels | ||
| Cash | Sunglasses (and spare) | ||
| Chest / fanny pack | Sun Gloves | ||
| Clippers | Sunscreen | ||
| Flies/Fly box | Swimsuit | ||
| Fly Line | Sandals | ||
| Fly Rod (+ Spare Fly Rod) | Tippets / leaders | ||
| Garbage bag - for bringing home any wet clothes or fishing gear |
Zip lock bags (for lens cleaning cloth, toilet paper, cash, etc) |
||
| Hat(s) | Toiletry Kit | ||
| Hemostat | Traveler's Checks | ||
| Lip Balm | Wading shoes | ||
| Neoprene Reel covers | Alarm Clock | ||
Although casual tropical attire will generally work great during your time on the water, there are three fishing-specific items that are critical for each angler to bring - a raincoat, for boat spray or the occasional cloudburst, polarized sunglasses to help you see the fish, and flats boots or other footwear suitable for wading. Since the flats that we wade vary greatly in their bottom surface (hard sand, soft sand, grass, coral), we do not recommend wading sandals - boots are greatly preferred.
We recommend long-sleeved shirts and long pants while on the flats. Liberally apply a waterproof sun block of at least 30 SPF rating to all exposed skin including your ears and lips. After applying sunscreen, scrub your hands with a scoop of sand and water as bonefish can smell lotion on your fly and will quickly turn away.
Even on sunny days we suggest including a rain jacket in your boat bag. Boat spray can occur at any time and a cloudburst can form when least expected.
Flies
One of the joys of fishing South Andros is that our bonefish are not particularly shy or picky with regards to what they eat. In many cases, a simple roll cast will be sufficient to reach the fish you see. Standard Gotchas, Crazy Charlies, and Clousers in pink, tan, white, and olive in 2's and 4's with bead-chain or lead-eyes are enough to do the job. We use 2's frequently as we believe larger fish are attracted to them more readily and they find the bottom faster, especially in deeper water.
Other excellent patterns include: Peterson's Spawning Shrimp, Bunny Gotchas, Simrams and Meko Specials, among others.
A good-rule-of-thumb in fly design is based on water depth: Ankle depth: Small bead chain or no weight Ankle to knee depth: Medium bead chain Over knee depth: Lead eyes
About 75% of your shots on South Andros will require medium bead chain eyes but you should carry a good assortment of lightly weighted and lead eye patterns to match those situations. There's nothing worse than watching the back of a large bonefish as he rooster tails off an ankle-deep flat because your fly 'plunked' him on the head.
Ed Blank's Adventures Main Page
PO BOX 180446 BOSTON MA 02118
Phone: 888-857-6700
Fax: 617-427-7890
ed@flyfishingheaven.com