Capt. Rick Grassett’s Mars Bay Bonefish Lodge, South Andros, Bahamas Fishing Report, November 2021

Rusty Chinnis with a South Andros bonefish caught and released while fishing out of Mars Bay Bonefish Lodge.

After a hiatus from the trip due to COVID restrictions last year, I hosted a group of friends and clients at Mars Bay Bonefish Lodge in South Andros, Bahamas recently.

Stewart Lavelle and Mike Perez, from Sarasota, Kirk Grassett, from Middletown, DE, Rusty Chinnis from Longboat Key, Bill Crelin, from Milwaukee, WI and I drove from Sarasota to FXE in Ft. Lauderdale where we met up with John and DJ, from NY, and Tracy and Cullen Baker, from North Carolina. We then boarded a Makers Air plane and traveled to Congotown, South Andros in the Bahamas.

We waded vast sand flats and also fished from flats skiffs for everything from large cruising or tailing single and double bonefish to large schools of fish. Conditions were tough on a couple of days with wind and rain but action was fairly good on those days. There were also a couple of slower days but overall actions was good and included a few bonefish in the 4 to 6-pound class and a couple of double digit fish. Top producing flies during the week were Peterson’s Spawning Shrimp, Mars Bay Special, Ververka’s Mantis Shrimp, Gotchas and Gotcha variations. Overall it was a great trip to a great lodge!

Bill Howard, the resident owner/operator, does a great job making things run smoothly at the lodge. We dined on a variety of excellent authentic Bahamian dishes including fresh fish, lobster and conch. One of the best things about Mars Bay Lodge, the southernmost lodge on South Andros, is fishing the vast sand flats and scattered mangrove keys to the south. Being the southernmost lodge on South Andros also means about a 10-mile shorter boat run each way and more fishing! South Andros has got to be one of the most beautiful places on earth! This trip, as well as my Montana trip, are annual trips so if you have an interest in any future trips contact me or go to the Destination Trips page of my web sites.

Back home in Sarasota, tripletail in the coastal gulf has been a good option depending on conditions. Deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay have been producing trout, blues and jacks on CAL jigs with Shad tails and Clouser flies.

Capt. Capt. Rick Grassett

Rick is the owner of Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc. He's a full time fishing guide and outdoor writer based in Sarasota, FL. He’s been guiding since 1990 and is an Orvis-Endorsed fly fishing guide here at CB’s Saltwater Outfitters, the 2011 Orvis Out­fit­ter of the Year.

After a hiatus from the trip due to COVID restrictions last year, I hosted a group of friends and clients at Mars Bay Bonefish Lodge in South Andros, Bahamas recently. Stewart Lavelle and Mike Perez, from Sarasota, Kirk Grassett, from Middletown, DE, Rusty Chinnis from Longboat Key, Bill Crelin, from Milwaukee, WI and I drove from Sarasota to FXE in Ft. Lauderdale where we met up with John and DJ, from NY, and Tracy and Cullen Baker, from NC and traveled to Congotown, South Andros on Makers Air.

We waded vast sand flats and also fished from flats skiffs for everything from large cruising or tailing single and double bonefish to large schools of fish. Conditions were tough on a couple of days with wind and rain but action was fairly good on those days. There were also a couple of slower days but overall actions was good and included a few bonefish in the 4 to 6-pound class and a couple of double digit fish. Top producing flies during the week were Peterson’s Spawning Shrimp, Mars Bay Special, Ververka’s Mantis Shrimp, Gotchas and Gotcha variations. Overall it was a great trip to a great lodge!

Bill Howard, the resident owner/operator, does a great job making things run smoothly at the lodge. We dined on a variety of excellent authentic Bahamian dishes including fresh fish, lobster and conch. One of the best things about Mars Bay Lodge, the southernmost lodge on South Andros, is fishing the vast sand flats and scattered mangrove keys to the south. Being the southernmost lodge on South Andros also means about a 10-mile shorter boat run each way and more fishing! South Andros has got to be one of the most beautiful places on earth! This trip, as well as my Montana trip, are annual trips so if you have an interest in any future trips contact me or go to the Destination Trips page of my web sites.

Back home in Sarasota, tripletail in the coastal gulf has been a good option depending on conditions. Deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay have been producing trout, blues and jacks on CAL jigs with Shad tails and Clouser flies.

Capt. Capt. Rick Grassett

Rick is the owner of Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc. He's a full time fishing guide and outdoor writer based in Sarasota, FL. He’s been guiding since 1990 and is an Orvis-Endorsed fly fishing guide here at CB’s Saltwater Outfitters, the 2011 Orvis Out­fit­ter of the Year.