Andros Island Bonefish Flats (Bahamas) Fishing Guide

Andros is a huge, lightly populated island with endless mangrove creeks, hard sand flats and soft mud flats. It is best known for bonefish, with big schools in some areas and large single fish in others. Tarpon and permit are also found in the creeks and flats.

📍 Andros Island, Bahamas: North Andros (Nicholls Town), Central Andros (Fresh Creek, Cargill Creek), Mangrove Cay, South Andros (Congo Town); the North, Middle and South Bights

📅 The Bahamas Fishing Calendar — best months, closed seasons, bait & rigs →

Map: spots, ramps and marinas

★ Fishing hot spot · ● Boat ramp · ● Marina · ▭ Protected area (solid red = no fishing, dashed = fishing with rules)

Open the full Bahamas, Turks & Caicos map →

Quick facts

Andros is the largest island in The Bahamas (Bahamas Ministry of Tourism).
Fishing lodges and outfitters often call Andros the 'bonefish capital of the world' - this is a marketing claim, not an official title.
West Side National Park, set up in 2002, covers about 1.5 million acres on the western half of Andros and is described as prime bonefish habitat.
The Andros Barrier Reef runs about 190 miles (306 km) and is often called the third-largest barrier reef in the world.
Three big tidal channels called Bights (North, Middle and South) cut across the island.

What you can catch

Bonefish
The main draw; schools and big singles on flats and in creeks.
Permit
Found on the flats; harder to catch than bonefish.
Tarpon
Found in creeks and channels; covered by the flats rules.
Cobia
One of the four species named in the 2017 flats rules.
Dolphin (mahi-mahi), wahoo, kingfish, tuna
Offshore pelagics; 18-fish combined limit per boat.
Snapper and grouper
Reef fish; limit 60 lb or 20 fish per boat, whichever is less.

Month by month

January	Cooler water; good chance at the biggest bonefish. Watch for windy fronts.
February	Similar to January; bigger bonefish come up on the flats more often.
March	More sunny days begin; catch rates usually climb.
April	Spring fishing; good sight-fishing light.
May	Popular month; sunny, warm, steady bonefishing.
June	Warm; fish early and late in the day.
July	Hot; low angler pressure. Hurricane season is on.
August	Hot; low pressure. Watch the tropical weather.
September	Peak hurricane season; check forecasts before booking.
October	Water starts to cool; bigger bonefish return to the flats.
November	Cooler season begins; good for big fish.
December	Cooler water, fewer sunny days; good for big fish between fronts.

Tips

Hard white sand flats are good for wading; soft bottoms are fished from a poled skiff.
If two or more anglers fish the flats from one boat, you must hire a Bahamian-certified guide.
Go when you can - the weather during your week matters more than the month.
South Andros sees less fishing pressure than North Andros and Mangrove Cay (per local outfitters).
Fly in through San Andros (SAQ), Andros Town/Fresh Creek (ASD) or South Andros/Congo Town (TZN), mostly via Nassau.

Rules and license

Department of Marine Resources, The Bahamas · Official rules page ↗

Fisheries Resources (Jurisdiction and Conservation) (Flats Fishing) Regulations, 2017 (S.I. No. 2 of 2017), gazetted 9 January 2017.
Everyone over age 12 needs a personal flats fishing license to fish the flats.
License fees listed by the Bahamas Out Islands Promotion Board: day $15, week $20, month $30, year $60. Check for changes before you go.
Licenses come from the Department of Marine Resources in New Providence or the Family Island Administrators; lodges and guides can buy them ahead for guests.
Two or more anglers fishing the flats from a boat must use a Bahamian-certified guide; only Bahamian-registered boats may be used on the flats. DIY wading anglers do not need a guide.
Commercial fishing is banned on the flats for bonefish, tarpon, permit and cobia.
No catch limit on bonefish, but catch-and-release is strongly encouraged.
Non-Bahamians fishing from a foreign-owned boat need a sport fishing permit, issued when the boat clears Customs. Shore fishing does not need one.
Sharks are protected. Billfish (marlin, sailfish, swordfish) must be released unless caught in an approved tournament.
Spearguns are banned; no scuba gear for fishing; visitors may not sell their catch.

Rules change. Always check the official page before you fish.

Boat ramps and marinas

The map above shows 5 boat ramps and 9 marinas from OpenStreetMap. Tap any dot for directions.

Albany Resort Marina
Coral Harbour Canal
Coral Harbour Marina & Canal
Lyford Cay Canal & Marina
Lyford Cay Yacht Club Canals & Marina
Old Fort Bay Marina & Yacht Club
Stuart Cove's Marina
Venice Bay Canal & Marina

Sources

Checked October 2026. BigJoe does not invent facts: every number on this page comes from the sources listed above.