Here is a wonderful report by subscriber Chris Bray on his recent trip to Eleuthera. The perfect trip combining family, friends and fishing. “Howdy, fellow DIYers! I recently spent ten days on Eleuthera, staying at a VRBO property near Palmetto Point. I was there with my wife and her sister and my brother-in-law, Scott. He’s also an avid fresh/saltwater fly fisherman with whom I have fished with all over the place – Colorado and Wyoming for trout, the Texas Gulf Coast and Florida for redfish, and the Grand Bahama and the Yucatan for bonefish. In a word, he’s my fishing buddy. I’ve often counted my blessings for having a brother-in-law like him. We’ve had some great times and adventures, just the two of us. After we touched down on the Eleuthera Airport runway, we taxied past the “terminal”, which is no bigger than your average Outback Steakhouse. Immediately, I knew I was going to like this place. As soon as we “passed through immigration and customs” (a process that only took about 25 minutes, since there were only 25 people on our little puddle jumper), we walked out onto the main road and looked for our rental car agent. Weeks before we arrived, my wife had arranged to rent a Chevy SUV for about $700 from a guy named McLean Pinder, on the recommendation of our VRBO owner. Mclean was nowhere to be found. We asked if anybody knew him and one of the airport porters said he knew him and called him on his cell phone. After a little conversation, the porter told us, “Your car is down along that fence and the keys are in it. Mclean said he’ll catch up with you later”. We found the SUV and loaded our bags, and headed towards Palmetto Point, stopping at a little liquor store to grab a case of Kalik and some rum. As we passed through a small town of Lower Bogue, we were flagged down by a large gentleman driving the other way. We pulled over and he approached the car and introduced himself as McClean. He leaned in the window with a big smile, and we all chatted about our destination. He offered some fishing spots, recommended a couple of restaurants and made some small talk for five minutes. We then handed him $700 in cash and he said thanks and “I’ll see you in ten days”. That was it. No contract, no request for my license or insurance…nothing. And come to think of it, we didn’t ask him for identification, either. We just handed $700 “American” out the window to a total stranger and went on our way. It was crazy, we laughed. We then made our way to our VRBO rental, which was in Palmetto Point on the “ocean side”. A beautiful place. We’ve always been pleased with VRBO. I’d tell you which one it was, but it’s my understanding that the house just sold to a private party. As for restaurants, shopping, etc., for the girls – your best bet is Harbour Island. Shopping opportunities on the rest of the island are few and far between, as are nice restaurants. Eleuthera has a slogan – “It’s not for everybody”. I can vouch for that. If you’re into nightlife, stores, restaurants – this isn’t the place for you. Very few classic hotels and resorts on the island, so if you’re renting a house, head to the store and buy your provisions because you’ll be eating in a lot (at least we did). Which was fine for us, we’re used to that. But traveler beware. Another tip: Get a map, print some screenshots from Google Earth, and consult them frequently – there are very few street signs on the island. There’s not even a stoplight over the entire 100-ish mile island. OK, now on to the fishing report. From a conditions perspective, the weather was a bit choppy and by the time that the weather calmed – we were right in the middle of a spring tide. So if you’re of the opinion that the fishing is better during a neap tide…I’d have to agree that this seemed to be the case during this trip. Winds were consistently out of the west, which made fishing the flats on the Caribbean side a challenge, and the flats on the “Ocean Side” were a little less disturbed – although we really didn’t see any bones. I caught a couple of reef fish, which was fun (anytime you catch something it’s fun, right?). We were there in February, and I’ve seen many recommendations about planning your trip to coincide with prevailing weather patterns, moon phases etc. But to the average DIYer, this isn’t always an option. You go when you can get vacation and hope for the best, right? As far as flies, we tried several patterns. But the winner was Peterson’s Spawning Shrimp, a pattern that you can pick up at any Orvis retailer or online. I’ve fished that pattern in Mexico, too and it consistently attracts and lands bones. As far as guides, we never looked for one. The first, last and only guide we have ever used was on the Grand Bahama, where Scott and I were introduced to bonefish. I see plenty of reports on DIY sites that are posted by guides or by fishermen that used a guide…which to me defeats the purpose of a DIY site. I’m sure there are some guides available, but we stayed true to the concept of DIY…take your gear, hunt for a place, step in and see what you can do on your own. But on Eleuthera, you really don’t need one. Every flat we fished (and a dozen others we didn’t) were completely accessible for the DIYer. No need for a skiff, paddleboard or canoe. I’m not discounting the value of a guide – especially when you’re in a new location – but half the fun of DIYing is the adventure, you know? Our first opportunity […]
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