Bonesfish: All Year ** Barracudas: All Year ** Tarpon: April – November is best ** Permit: May – November is best ** Mutton Snapper: April – August is best
Fishing on North Andros with, Benry Smith,is excellent all year long, however your chances of catching specific species or sizes can be enhanced by timing your trip to peak seasons.
Bonefish: Bonefish are caught 12 months a year, in the winter months the water is a little cooler and bigger double digit bonefish are more common on or near flats. Expect to see them in small schools or single fish along the edges of the flats and expect to fish in some wind. If you have your heart set on 10 pound plus fish, plan your trip for October thru March.
During the summer months the weather is more predictable and large schools of bonefish in the 3 to five pound range are common. If you are looking for quantities, fish mid spring thru summer sunshine, plan your trip for April, May, June, July, August or September.
Permit Your best chances for Permit are May thru November. Schools of Permit are common on the west side of Andros from Red Bays to Williams Island with fish in the 30 pound range and as as many as 5 to 20 plus in a bunch.
Tarpon Tarpon start to show up in the flats in April and are fairly consistent through the summer and fall. Again the best place to find them is on the west side, most of the fish are under 100 pounds but occasionally some schools have bigger fish.
Mutton Snapper Mutton Snapper are not a fish one usually thinks of when thinking about flats fishing in the Bahamas until you have caught a few, then you are always looking for them. Mutton Snapper run in the eight to fifteen pound range with some fish approaching twenty pounds and they are frequently on the flats in the summer months – April thru August. They come with the added bonus of being one of the few flats fish you will be able to talk your guide into putting in the cooler for dinner.
Barracuda Barracuda may be the most underrated fish on the flats. They can be highly aggressive, will definitely show you the backing and frequently change direction and greyhound through the air past you going in the opposite direction of your rod tip. They are present on the flats 12 months a year and you will rarely spend a day fishing without seeing some. Fishing for them with a fly rod is loads of fun but getting them on a spin rod with a top water plug can be veryexciting too. Be sure to have something ready to throw at them.