Da Bay Area Bonefish Lodge

Accommodations

Comfortable Beachfront Lodge Rooms // Capacity - 10 Anglers

Season

Year-Round

Species

Primarily Bonefish With Some Possibilities For Barracuda, Sharks, Tarpon & Permit

Ideal for

Solo Anglers & Friends

Trophy Bonefishing in Famous South Andros

Opened in 2011, Da Bay Area Bonefish Lodge overlooks the expansive Mars Bay, the southernmost settlement on Andros Island. Not only is Mars Bay ideally located for easy access to the southern tip of the island’s extensive flats system, but the bay itself is a massive home flat system. You may wade fish until you drop after your guided day or take a relaxing day off, allowing the ultimate flexibility in customizing your trip package to fit any budget. Da Bay Area Bonefish Lodge is the most reasonably priced lodge in South Andros, with comfortable accommodations and a quiet beach setting. A day or two with the independent, knowledgeable guides who are fun to fish with and know the area well, can get you oriented for wade fishing to substantial numbers of schooling bonefish.

Lodging Details
Da Bay Area Bonefish Lodge offers all beachfront rooms and suites, with the flats right out your door. The main lodge provides a comfortable social area with a fully stocked and complimentary bar, dining area, reading areas, and a deck overlooking the flats of Mars Bay. Their motto is “relax, fish hard, and make yourself at home.” Managing partners Melinda Black and Rolle Smith are friendly hosts and will ensure you are well taken care of while vacationing at Da Bay Area. The single rooms have a queen bed and plenty of room for gear. The double room suites offer guests two (2) twin beds and a separate sitting area room complete with a small dining table and couch. All the rooms have remote-controlled A/C, ceiling fans, private bathrooms, and satellite TV.

Food and Beverage
Local legend, Chef Candy (because he is so sweet) first started cooking in Nassau but since has come home to work full-time at Da Bay Area Bonefish Lodge. The meals at Da Bay are well-prepared and tasty. You can expect plenty of fresh seafood, such as conch, snapper, grouper, and lobster (when in season). The lodge also prepares chicken dishes and fresh salads and can customize any menu and facilitate any dietary requirements (be sure to inform Yellow Dog of your needs well before you arrive). Breakfast is cooked to order, but if you are lucky Candy will whip up his special grits and lobster or conch. The on-water cooler lunches consist of tuna or ham sandwiches, chips, cookies, fresh fruit, and plenty of bottled water. Again, the lodge can customize lunches if you are on a special diet.

Typical Length of Stay
A trip of any length can be arranged to start on any day of the week. Please call Yellow Dog for details.

Non-Angling Activities and Options
Although Da Bay Area Bonefish Lodge is primarily a fishing destination, there is a beautiful beach for lounging, reading, and relaxing. Be advised, however, that this is a destination that is perhaps best suited for anglers.

Internet / Communications
The lodge does offer Wi-Fi for guests. U.S. cell phones do work on South Andros Island depending upon your service plan.

How To Get There
There are several options for flying into Congo Town Airport (TZN). Please contact Yellow Dog for ticketing and scheduling assistance. Our recommended choice for reaching this part of Andros Island is through Nassau with Western Air. Western flies two flights each day to Congo Town from Nassau International Airport (NAS). Groups of more than six people may consider a private charter from Fort Lauderdale or Nassau. Yellow Dog works with several charter companies in Fort Lauderdale and Nassau and would be happy to work with you to arrange a charter flight. Please allow at least two hours between your inbound Nassau flight and your connecting flight to Andros Island to pass through customs and immigration. On the way home we suggest three hours between the Andros flight and your international flight back to the U.S.

Arrival and Departure Details / Times
The flights from Nassau (NAS) to Congo Town (TZN) depart at 7:00 AM and 3:00 PM, and take 20 minutes. The flights return to Nassau (NAS) at 7:30 AM and 3:30 PM. Reservations can be made with Western Air (or Yellow Dog can make these arrangements for you). You may now book your Western Air ticket online or over the phone, but we do insist you check in one hour before departure time. Once you arrive in Congo Town, a taxi will meet you at the airport to take you on the 40-minute drive from the airport in Congo Town on South Andros to the Da Bay Area Bonefish Lodge. This taxi is included in the package price.

Documents Required
All U.S. citizens are required to have a valid passport that does not expire within six (6) months of trip dates. Please be sure that your passport has at least two blank, unstamped pages remaining in the back, and that it is not torn, delaminated or damaged in any way.

Travel Arrangements
Yellow Dog provides airline reservations ad ticketing assistance through etcTravel Group, and a full-service airline logistics agent that can help book airline tickets, hotels, rental cars, and more. You can click here to request a quote or contact Yellow Dog for more information at 406-585-8667. etcTravel Group offers dedicated support services for all Yellow Dog clients. Service fees may apply when booking or researching tickets, and etcTravel will discuss this with you before sending quotes.

Travel Tools
– Airline Ticketing
– Moon Phases
– Rent This Rod
– Trip Insurance and Emergency Evacuation
– Global Rescue Membership

General Information
Southern Andros is ideal for anglers seeking strong numbers of bonefish. The guides at Da Bay Area Bonefish Lodge will customize the day if you want to wade the expansive hard white sand flats, or fish from the skiff while the guide poles the boat. The guides often feel wade fishing is the most productive strategy to access the super skinny water many of the bonefish prefer to feed in. This makes for excellent stalking opportunities for tailing fish and schools creating nervous water as they push across the flat. There are plenty of inland flats inside southern Andros to get out of the wind. The guides access these areas via Grassy, Deep, or Jack Creeks. Dozens of intricate creeks feed expansive inland lakes that provide the perfect habitat for juvenile bones, which is an educational setting for anglers new to saltwater fishing. Huge schools of bonefish circulate these inland areas, which allows for consistent action to fish that rarely see flies. A day or two of inland fishing practice and you may graduate to the ocean bays where the bigger bonefish swim the rocky shorelines and flats adjacent to deeper water.

One of the main advantages of South Andros is that you can usually find a good tide, due to the way the water flows around the Curley Cut Keys and the southern tip of the island, the numerous inland creeks, and both coasts of the island itself. You can expect to wade fish during low tide and keep moving east or west to “follow” that low tide. In southern Andros the bonefish average around two- to three pounds, with good numbers of four- to six-pounders, and occasional seven-pound-plus fish. We feel south Andros is one of the more accommodating fisheries in the Bahamas for pure numbers of fish when conditions allow. You will find strong numbers of large barracuda as well, which are often overlooked as a legitimate gamefish on the fly or conventional tackle.

The home flats system right off the lodge’s beach is around six square miles and allows for guests to fish as long and hard as they choose. After your guide day, you may fish as the sun sets over the island. This is a fun time to stalk tailing fish whose tails shimmer in the evening light, or schools pushing water as they chase prey. Around low tide, you will need to walk pretty far east to find enough water to hold fish, but as the tide comes in, there can be fish right off the lodge beach. This allows for the ability to fish almost entirely through low and high tides at the lodge. We can customize a fishing package with guided days and do-it-yourself days since there is a productive flats system right out your door. This flexibility allows for package pricing that will match your budget.

At Da Bay Area, the guides do not include trailer skiffs or use a van to meet the boats unless the winds are unusually high. The boats are kept anchored in front of the lodge in Mars Bar. You can expect a bit of a walk to get to the skiffs in the morning or afternoon each day, due to tides. At low tide, you walk approximately 400 yards, but at high tide, the boats can be within 50 yards of the beach. The guides handle all the fuel and cooler preparation, so you must carry your gear between the boat and your room. When the walk is further, you may fish your way back to the lodge along a sandbar edge at low tide. The guides are happy to deliver your gear bag back to the lodge while you continue to fish.

+ Read a Quick Guide to Fly Fishing Andros

Boats and Equipment
Anglers fish from locally made Rahming Skiffs with 60 and 80 HP Yamaha outboard engines. Each boat is equipped with internal rod holders, push poles, and poling platforms. The lodge has a rod rack outside your room and an outdoor shower for rinsing your gear.

2023 Package Rates (Effective October 1st, 2022)

Double Occupancy (shared room and boat)
3 Nights / 2 Days Fishing = $2,300.00
4 Nights / 3 Days Fishing = $2,932.50
5 Nights / 4 Days Fishing = $3,507.50
6 Nights / 5 Days Fishing = $4,197.50
7 Nights / 6 Days Fishing = $4,887.50

Single Occupancy_(single room and boat)
3 Nights / 2 Days Fishing = $2,990.00
4 Nights / 3 Days Fishing = $3,795.00
5 Nights / 4 Days Fishing = $4,427.50
6 Nights / 5 Days Fishing = $5,462.50
7 Nights / 6 Days Fishing = $6,382.50

Single Room/Double Fishing Occupancy (single room and shared boat)
3 Nights / 2 Days Fishing = $2,600.00
4 Nights / 3 Days Fishing = $3,332.50
5 Nights / 4 Days Fishing = $4,007.50
6 Nights / 5 Days Fishing = $4,794.50
7 Nights / 6 Days Fishing = $5,587.50

What’s Included:

Round trip ground transfer to and from the Congo Town Airport and the lodge
Accommodations at the lodge as specified in the package
All guided fishing as specified in the package
Access to home flats for wade fishing
All meals at the lodge
All non-alcoholic beverages at the lodge
Complimentary Wi-Fi
All hotel and VAT taxes on package

What’s Not Included:

International airfare to and from Andros Island, Bahamas
Gratuities for lodge staff and fishing guides
All equipment, tackle, and flies
Bahamas fishing license
Alcoholic beverages at the lodge

Da Bay Area Bonefish Lodge (Andros Island, Bahamas)
TERMS AND CONDITIONS – CANCELLATIONS
For all cancellations, written notice must be sent to and received by Yellow Dog Flyfishing Adventures, LLC. For cancellations outside of 90 days from beginning of the trip, full amount minus the Yellow Dog handling fee may be refunded or a full credit applied to a future trip booked within one year. This decision will be made by the lodge. No refund or credit will be given for trips cancelled inside of 90 days from start of trip, regardless of reason. If a cancelled package is resold by either the lodge or by Yellow Dog Flyfishing Adventures, then a full refund will be sent minus a $100.00 per person cancellation fee charged by Yellow Dog Flyfishing. Da Bay Area Lodge and Yellow Dog strongly recommend that anglers and guests purchase travel insurance for your trip. Da Bay Area Lodge will not refund payments in the event of a hurricane or poor weather. No refund can be made for unused arrangements or fishing time lost due to inclement weather. Receipt of deposit and/or final payment is acknowledgment that registrant has read and accepts the deposit, cancellation, refund and responsibility clauses for these packages. Once again, Yellow Dog Flyfishing Adventures strongly recommends that anglers and guests purchase travel insurance for this trip.

Payment Terms For All Yellow Dog Trip Bookings
In order to lock in your trip reservation, we ask that you please remit payment at the time of receipt of invoice. For your convenience, Yellow Dog accepts on-line payments via a direct and secure ACH platform – a quick and easy way to complete your trip reservation. Note that all Yellow Dog invoices include a live link that takes you directly to the Yellow Dog ACH platform for fast and easy payment. For open and existing invoices with a remaining balance, payment reminders also include this easy link to the ACH page.

Other customary forms of payment that are accepted are checks or wire transfers. If you would like to pay in a different way or have any questions about alternate payment methods, please contact Yellow Dog at (888) 777-5060 or (406) 585-8667. We are available Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

Beginning September 1st, 2020, Yellow Dog will apply a 3% convenience fee for all credit card transactions.

Yellow Dog Flyfishing Adventures Standard Forms For Payment

ACH online payments (for US banking institutions only).
Traditional checks (sent via mail)
Electronic wire payments (client is responsible for any wiring fees)

*Please contact us if you prefer or require a different payment option. Convenience fees may apply for other payment methods.

**Please be aware that the ACH platform is only available for US financial institutions and bank accounts. International payments can be made via wire or with a credit card.

“Da Bay Area Bonefish Lodge was a pleasant surprise in terms of the lodge setting (lovely) and the quality of the accommodations (rooms are oceanfront and well laid out). fishing on your own is limited to following the front side flat in one direction. it seemed to be decent on incoming tides. they said it could fish equally well on outgoing tides, but I did not try it. The lodge manager, Kim, is excellent! very attentive. She even waded out in the water with cold beers on our return from the flats each day. The territory we fished (the south end of the island) is huge, with endless wading and thousands of bones. While I was told they would be smaller fish, I saw a number of large ones out there. the only knock I have is that it is a long (1 hour+) run to the end of the island every day – but well worth it.” – Mark W.
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“I caught plenty of bonefish but most were caught on my own wading. I didn’t mind this as I prefer to fish that way. The lodge was excellent. The staff are very friendly and responsive and the food is plentiful and very good. Rollie runs a good lodge and is there to help when you need him.” – Graham S.
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“The trip was a reuniting time for me and my son. It was every bit the adventure I had hoped it would be. Da Bay Area bonefish lodge it truly “da bomb”!!!” – Don C.