Da Bay Area Bonefish Lodge

Trip Overview
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. 

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.

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.

Package Rates 

Double Occupancy (shared room and boat)
3 Nights / 2 Days Fishing = $2,500.00
4 Nights / 3 Days Fishing = $3,185.00
5 Nights / 4 Days Fishing = $3,810.00
6 Nights / 5 Days Fishing = $4,560.00
7 Nights / 6 Days Fishing = $5,310.00

Single Occupancy_(single room and boat)
3 Nights / 2 Days Fishing = $3,250.00
4 Nights / 3 Days Fishing = $4,650.00
5 Nights / 4 Days Fishing = $5,950.00
6 Nights / 5 Days Fishing = $6,950.00
7 Nights / 6 Days Fishing = $7,950.00

Single Room/Double Fishing Occupancy (single room and shared boat)
3 Nights / 2 Days Fishing = $2,800.00
4 Nights / 3 Days Fishing = $3,585.00
5 Nights / 4 Days Fishing = $4,310.00
6 Nights / 5 Days Fishing = $5,160.00
7 Nights / 6 Days Fishing = $6,110.00

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 alcoholic and 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

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  
Unless otherwise noted on your invoice, for all trips less than 90 days out, full payment is required after receipt of the confirmation email to secure guides and reservations. For trips outside of 90 days, a 50% deposit is required upon receipt of confirmation email to confirm your reservations.   

Yellow Dog accepts on-line payments via a secure payment portal – a quick and easy way to complete your trip reservation. Please reach out to accounting@yellowdogflyfishing.com to gain access. 

Yellow Dog Flyfishing Standard Forms of Payment 

• Debit card (fee-free) and credit card (3% convenience fee) - to pay via card please utilize the customer payment portal. If you need assistance, reach out to 406-585-8667 ext. #3 
• Wires - please include name and/or invoice number for reference on your wire. Please reach out to accounting@yellowdogflyfishing.com for wiring instructions. (client is responsible for wiring fees) 
• Physical check - please include your invoice number in the memo. Mail checks to 213 S. Willson Ave. Bozeman, MT, 59715

If you have any questions about alternate payment methods, please contact Yellow Dog at (406) 585-8667 ext. #3. We are available Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM MT.