Have to thank Kevin Becker and his wife for such a wonderful report on Grand Bahama. There couldn’t be an easier location to get to, it has all of the services a person could want. And has a wide variety of lodges, independent guides and DIY fishing opportunities. My Winter on Grand Bahama Island – 2015 Research “Since my Wife and I are both retired, I began searching for a place in warm weather that we could escape our Minnesota Winter and catch some fish while doing so. Preferably Bonefish that I did not have to have a boat to fish. We also wanted a bit of infrastructure as we were going to be gone for over 2 months. Having been on some remote islands of the Bahamas such as Exuma and Abaco before, we both knew we would have a hard time spending that much time on a remote island. So, we looked at Grand Bahama Island, which had Freeport, a ‘City’ of 55,000 plus people. This would offer us decent Grocery Shopping, restaurants and other amenities that other Bonefish locations would not. We were perfectly willing to accept less than ‘Ideal’ fishing conditions to make a ‘comfortable winter home. Using VRBO (Vacation Rental by Owner), I booked a place called Dolphin Cove Apartments in Freeport. The Apartments only had 12 Units and was about 2-3 Blocks from the Ocean on a Saltwater Canal. We ended up renting a One Bedroom unit for about $2,600 a month. It was furnished very nicely with Stainless Steel appliances, granite counter-tops. Top notch furniture and furnishings. Wains-coatings and crown molding and exquisite tile flooring accented the apartment with a Balcony that over looked the turquoise waters of the Canal. It also had high speed internet and 2 Flat Screen TVs to keep in touch with the ‘Outside World’. I also needed a Car for our 2-3 month adventure, so I contacted Brad’s Car Rental in Freeport and arranged for a Compact car at a monthly rate of about $1200. The car insurance would be handled by my credit card company, rented on 30 day contracts. Now I needed a Bonefish Guide to get me into the remote Bonefish Flats and maybe some Permit Fishing. And my goal was to DIY Bonefish after I honed my skills. Searching the internet I came across ‘Firefly Bonefishing’ and a guide named Whitney Rolle. I read his Bio and learned that he had been a guide at Deep Water Cay Bonefishing Lodge for 19 years before venturing out on his own with a couple other guides. Whitney had guided quite a few celebrities such as Prince Phillip of England. He also guided many other Fly Fishing notables such as Flip Pallot and Andy Mill. I contacted Whitney by e-mail and asked him if he would consider guiding me without staying in his Lodge, as I had an apartment in Freeport. He agreed, since I was fishing from January through Early March, this was his non busy time of the year and he would be open quite a bit. I told him that I would contact him when I arrived in Freeport in January of 2015. He also asked me if I was interested in Fishing Permit as he knew where some hung out. Interested, I said ? …. I am ‘All In’ on the Permit Fishing! Arrival We arrived in Freeport, Grand Bahama Island, Bahamas on Dec 30, 2014 to a wonderful 77 degrees, which was a great respite to the Minneapolis 5 degrees that we had left that morning. We arrived at our rental apartment in short order and were busy setting up our home. In my younger years, I may have been stringing up a fly rod and heading to the beach, but I had 2 ½ months to enjoy this island and I was going to be patient, thinking of the ‘long term’ rather than the short term. And I might also mention that my intent was not to fish the entire 2 ½ months on this island. I did look at the weather forecast and it looked warmer than normal for Freeport and Sunny Skies and light winds. The next day I contacted my guide, Whitney and asked if he wanted to go fishing on Sunday, January 4th. I needed a guide, as I had not been Bonefishing for 5 years as I have been concentrating on Tarpon and Redfish and was really ‘Rusty’. So, I knew I needed help in spotting fish, getting my Strip and Retrieve down and a tight line for some confidence. Whitney sent me an e-mail in short order and we were booked for Sunday. The next few days I spent with my wife grocery shopping and setting up the household for our winter home. I was proud of myself for not stringing up a fly rod and running down to the Ocean 2 blocks away and flailing away. I even saw a school of 5 Bonefish in our Canal in the Backyard and I left the Fly Rod in the apartment. The apartment owner told me that they always swim up and down the canal. Here is a picture of our Apartment and Saltwater Canal. First G.B.I. Bonefish On Sunday, January 4th my wife and I had to drive to the East End of Grand Bahama Island to meet Whitney, my Bonefish Guide. It is about a 55 Mile drive to the East End of Grand Bahama Island to Mcleans Town (Conch Cracking Capital of the World). I met Whitney at the Dock and we headed out for about ½ hour onto some remote flats. No other fisherman in sight, as this is January and a low season, so I pretty much had a few hundred miles of flats to myself. My wife does not fish, but enjoys a day in the boat to see the flats and wildlife, shells, birds, sharks etc. And it is Sunny and not cold winter like Minnesota! In the first […]
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