Bairs Lodge, Bahamas 

Bahamas

Strategically located midway between the South Bight and Curly Cut Cays of South Andros, Bair’s Lodge benefits from some of the most remote and productive flats in all of the Bahamas. Anglers can fish from the bow of 18 foot Dolphin skiffs or choose to wade a wide variety of protected flats. Of all the Bahamian destinations, Bair’s offers a superb mix of high numbers of fish, large fish, and a wide range of productive, wind-protected
fishing areas.

This intimate and cheerful lodge caters to twelve anglers per week and offers air conditioned rooms with private bathrooms. Fresh and beautifully prepared seafood, personal and professional local guides, maid service, full bar, and fly shop round out the experience. The lodge represents a benchmark in terms of quality water and guiding, delicious food, comfortable accommodations, and warm hospitality.

Anglers are encouraged to fly one hour from Miami to Congo Town in South Andros via private charter. Due to a high percentage of repeat clientele, early bookings are essential. For anglers who can plan their trips well in advance, this is a Bahamian destination not to be missed!

Location:
Bair’s Lodge is located on the east side of South Andros Island in the Bahamas.

Fishing Program:
Bair's Lodge fishes primarily for bonefish with occasional tarpon and permit. Other species encountered include barracuda, jacks and several types of snapper. Offshore fishing can be arranged seasonally for billfish species, wahoo, tuna, and dorado. Ideally located to access Deep Creek, Little Creek, and the famous West side and Southern Cays, the lodge enjoys some of the most under-fished flats in Andros. The boats are docked right by the lodge, with easy access to the flats. Bair's Lodge is a strictly CATCH AND RELEASE fishery. Fly shop fully equipped with flies, rods, reels, lines, selected items of flats wear and local crafts.

The Fishing:
Andros has long been synonymous with the biggest bonefish in the Caribbean. The South and more particularly, West of the Island have built a reputation as the place to try for a 'Giant'. The flats in Andros are some of the largest and most varied in the world, offering both opportunities to wade or fish from the boat, in the ocean flats or creeks and bights. This incredible choice of classic bone-fishing environments, as well as the numbers and size of the bonefish is what makes South Andros the bone-fishing capital of the world. Bair's Lodge, famed for its access to the vast and largely under-fished flats of the South and West, is strategically situated between the South Bight and Water Cays, near Little Creek. This location gives our guests easy access to the flats of the South, whilst providing many sheltered locations irrespective of wind direction, within the interior of the Island. In addition, from Bair's Lodge guests have the opportunity to try for occasional Permit, Tarpon and Snook, as well as offshore and reef species such as Wahoo, Tuna, Dorado,(Seasonal Billfish), Snapper, Barracuda and Grouper.

Every morning, you step out of the lodge into a boat, and can be fishing within a few minutes, or you can choose to ride further a-field to explore the more remote, pristine white sand flats Andros is famous for. Deep Creek and Little Creek a few minutes run from the lodge, open into large bay areas dotted with many small cays, where there are always flats that offer protection from the wind. Both creeks allow access to the fabled West Side and other remote Cays to the South and South- West that may provide lucky anglers with the possibility of trying for Permit and Tarpon to complete the famous "Grand Slam." The Southern flats are home to some of the largest schools of bonefish. Grassy Creek is a 40 min boat ride from the lodge. Weather permitting you can ride on to Hawksbill Creek and onto Cistern Point. This area sees little fishing pressure and is regarded as the place to come for numbers of fish. The flats stretch as far as the eye can see and wading next to these huge schools is the experience of a lifetime.

One of the biggest mistakes a bone fisherman can make is not to adjust his fly to changing water depth. Your fly should be weighted such that it sinks quickly to the bottom and then stays near the bottom within view of the fish after you begin stripping. However fishing too heavy a fly, (Lead Eyes) in shallow water will undoubtedly spook many fish. Often bonefish are spooked by seeing flies that do not match the environment in which they are swimming. A fly that matches the background color of the flat you are fishing can pay dividends. The watchword in general is flexibility; listen to your guide, no-one in the boat has a better idea of technique or choice of fly than him!

The average flat depth, whether you're wading or poling, ranges from 12"-30". In this depth, a Gotcha or Shrimp pattern with medium sized bead chain eyes should provide close to the perfect sink rate without overweighting the fly (and potentially spooking the fish). A good rule of thumb is your fly should reach the bottom in about 3 seconds. If you find your fly is not getting to the bottom, you should switch to a fly with lead eyes or add a few wraps of lead wire to the eye of the fly. The angler who is willing to fish deeper flats will often be rewarded with the largest bonefish. Big bonefish prefer the protection of deeper flats or shallow flats close to deep water. When you're fishing water 3-4 feet deep, you'll need a fly with lead eyes to get to the bottom quickly. A proven deep water fly is the Clouser minnow and the two best color combinations for bonefish are tan and white and chartreuse and white. Another killer deep water fly is the Simram, which is a fuzzy (rabbit fur) version of the Gotcha fly with lead eyes. Lead eyes come in a variety of weights but for ease of casting, you'll want to carry flies with the smaller lead eyes as well as the heavier lead eyes that cause many of us to duck when forward casting. The last thing a bone-fisherman wants to do is scare an actively feeding fish by casting too heavy a fly too close to the fish. Therefore, you must go light in skinny water. By light we mean no weight other than the weight of the hook. For this we recommend mono (or plastic) eyes and a body that lands softly. A perfectly designed fly for this situation is a pattern called the bunny bone. The bunny bone is made with rabbit fur, rug yarn and mono eyes. Good color combinations would be the same as the other productive flies we've already described; tan and white, brown and white and the Gotcha colors, pink and white. Tie this fly in sizes 4, 6, and 8. You can throw this un-weighted fly right on the nose of a tailing fish. Its entry into the water is almost imperceptible, but it sinks well. The rabbit fur makes it look alive even before it's stripped. If it's within view of the bonefish and he's hungry, all you need do is give it the tiniest of strips.

Crab patterns have come a long way since George Anderson introduced us to the McCrab. Actually the Mc Crab has a design flaw. It's all deer hair. To get deer hair to sink it must be loaded with lead. To cast it you need a hard hat. Del Brown corrected this flaw by forming the body of his Del Brown permit fly with Aunt Lydia's rug yarn. This fly sinks quickly with a lot less lead. Jan Isley used similar materials in creating the Rag Head. Bonefish like these crabs just as much as permit. When tied in smaller sizes (size # 2, # 4, and # 6), crab flies are much more enjoyable to cast and perform well on medium to deep flats for bonefish and permit. Tie one of these on when you're fishing one of those flats where you're not sure whether the next fish you spot is apt to be a bonefish, a permit or possibly a mutton snapper.

Fisheries :
Andros has always been synonymous with the biggest fish, and South Andros has built a reputation over the years as the location to try for a 'giant'. Names like Grassy Creek, Deep Creek, Little Creek, the Water Cays and Curley Cut Cays are intrinsically linked to sight fishing for some of the world's largest bonefish. Ideally situated midway between the South Bite and Curly Cut Cays, Bair's Lodge accesses some of the most remote flats, while also providing many sheltered locations irrespective of wind direction.

Since the early 90's Bair's has become highly regarded as providing the best fishing South Andros has to offer. The lodge has also come to represent the bench mark in terms of quality guiding, delicious food, comfortable accommodations and courteous hospitality.

Non-Angling Activities:
Snorkeling, bird watching, trips to the Androsia fabric factory, Island hopping trip by private charter from Congo Town.

Accommodations and Meals:
Perfect for small groups, the charming house has seven air-conditioned guest rooms, each with private bathroom. Limiting the occupancy to twelve anglers enables the staff to provide exceptional personalized guest service. Superb cuisine includes beautifully prepared Bahamian specialties concentrating on magnificent fresh seafood, and when applicable, "the catch of the day". In addition to the comfort of our dining room, sitting room and bar, anglers will appreciate the convenience of our fly-tying table and facilities, as well as the on-site fly shop, fully equipped with flies, rods, reels, lines and selected items of flats wear and local crafts. The lodge is equipped with a telephone and internet access for their guests. Bairs has a computer available for guests and they charge $20 US for guests who would like to use it anytime during their stay. They also have wireless so guests can connect with their own laptops at no charge. There is maid and laundry services that can also be used. A fleet of 18ft. dolphins skiffs, powered by mercury outboards can also be found.

Sample Itinerary:
Day 1: Arrive Congo Town. Transfer to lodge (approx. 20 minutes) and get settled in.
Days 2 – 7: Six full days guided fishing.
Day 8: Depart Lodge.

Typical Daily Schedule:
Can be tailored to suit angler's needs though generally speaking a typical day will start with breakfast at 7:00AM, fishing at 8:00AM and ending between 4:00 -5:00PM. Picnic lunches and cold drinks are taken to the flats in a cooler by your guide.

Bair's Fishing Report March 2009

 
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