There’s an old mariner’s adage that suggests nice weather is coming if the clouds break late in the day and reveal the evening sunset.
Red sky at night, sailor’s delight
Red sky at morning, sailor’s warning
Well, from the perspective of six blokes fishing Andros Island between May 20-25, 2012, that’s a big honkin’ load of crap. We saw the sunset on three different evenings and woke each of the following mornings to rain coming down in sheets. Thankfully, bonefish still show up quite nicely over white sand on cloudy days, and Andros has neither a shortage of white sand or bonefish.
Located a short drive from Congo Town, Andros South lodge has easy access to the remote West Side flats and the prolific fishery at the island’s southern horn. Bonefish and ‘cudas are the main draw, but occasional brushes with tarpon and permit are also possible. Andros South has comfortable facilities, great food, a seasoned guide staff, and the finest beachfront tiki bar this side of Tonga.
Despite only brief windows of sunshine, we had a big time with outfitter Andrew Bennett and his crew. There was no shortage of laughs, everyone had a rain jacket, and once again my underwater housing saved my bacon. We caught plenty of bonefish, but they took a backseat on day five when Andrew suggested an “any specie, any method” competition that goaded the faithful into trolling creeks, chumming blue holes, and jigging around docks. I’m proud to announce that my partner Dustin Carlson put us in the money with a foul-hooked pilchard that edged out Team Bennett/Gracie in the Inaugural Chickcharney Invitational.
If you’d like to see the entire shoot, please click here.
The West Side of Andros
Planning the day
Josh Willey with his first bonefish
Hand-scribed homage
Wigglers
Built for speed
Some critter lived here, until a bonefish hoovered his roof and abducted him
School kids at Little Creek Settlement
Green Turtle at the Airport Flat
Bonefish ordinance
Mangrove maze
Nurse sharks like it rough
Running from a deluge
The Slack Tide Bar
Pilchard smillchard! Man, you and that Carlson character really play loose with the rules.
Oh, that’s right…there were no rules.
Nice work Texan!
You should be proud of your second-place finish, MG. Needlefish on fly ain’t easy.
That was a trophy needlefish! You’re just jealous.
sweet pics Tosh, still bitter i didn’t make that trip…
I’ll be down that way eventually. Great shots, Tosh. Quality.
Thanks, all. Andrew runs a great operation; highly recommended.
I’m beginning to wonder if the mere act of bringing that underwater housing creates a predetermined outcome that you will need it.
Whoa…now I’m in full ponder…
That’s really deep and profound, Pete.
I’ll soon test Pete’s theory by taking the U/W housing to one of my old quail hunting pastures. We could use the rain there.
[…] actually saw this via The Trout Underground. Tosh Brown is a pretty stellar guy by all accounts. He was recently […]
Thanks for the plug, Bjorn!
Good stuff. Love bonefishing in the rain… which usually doesn’t bucket down till June, but this is an early year (as we’re all learning). I remember a beautiful rainy day a few Junes ago where a client and I walked an entire bay hooking nearly every bone we saw along the way. It ended with a school of tailers pushed into ultra shallow water (backs out) on the incoming and a micro fly barely twitched through the midst. Sweet. As we released that fish I remembered a beach bar a ways up that was (by luck) actually open. Cervezas on the beach watching the rain fall.
Thanks for that, Davin. Puts it all in perspective. I don’t mind the rain and clouds, as long as there’s no electricity about.
[…] Tosh Brown lays down the truth on a recent trip to Andros South. See the photos here: […]
Tosh, sounds like your trip was similar to what I experienced in the Seychelles. That spotty weather almost forces you to keep your camera locked up in the UW housing. You got some sweet split shots it looks like. I need to make it down to the Bahamas one of these days!
[…] Brown puts up a photo spread of his trip to Andros South where there is no shortage of good times… or fish for that […]
[…] out Tosh’s awesome shots from Andros despite crappy weather. If you haven’t seen his images from his White River trip in February click here too. Rate […]
Thanks, all. Appreciate the linkage.
Tosh, love your photography, in good or bad weather. there’s a song by neil finn and it states, “everywhere you go, always take the weather with you”
[…] The weather was tough during our week on Andros, but Tosh still managed a fantastic bunch of photos. We’re happy to say that you’ll be seeing a bunch of them here over the next few months, but what you should do right now is click here to see a great set of pictures on Tosh’s web site. […]