Question for serious bonefishermen

[Gringo]

Thanks for more great info. I know that if I were to be interested in a place like that as a customer, I would love to take a small boat, a handheld GPS, and a chart with waypoints and routes and comments put there by the guides, and go looking for fish on my own. But that's just me. Local guides who know every inch of that area would be easily available.

As for women loving to go shopping, that's way familiar to me, too. I had a wife like that once. This place being evaluated would be great for families who could hang on the beach, snorkel, kayak, all day while you were fishing, but shopping would pretty much be out of the question. This is fairly remote from any towns with anything that could really be called shopping by serious shopaholic standards.

Thanks for the input.

[Deep C]

The guides at Deep Water were top shelf. Polite and personable. They knew the water and where the fish would be at given tides. The camp owner did allow gurests to go it alone after some experience. This was before GPS and even good radios. Before leaving each day the guides and self guiding guests would all go over each others game plans... If anyone was overdue the others knew where to start looking...

[Capt_John]

I know the guides at deep water cay very well and they are top notch. The whole operation is. There's a reason why that property is doing better than the other DPS properties.

[Deep C]

Havnt been there since I was a kid... I kinda grew p there and at fifteen my dad worked a deal with the then owner to let me guide for a few weeks at spring break and early summer... It was a tips only deal and didn't pay as well as the Jersey party boat mate gig but I loved it...
I guided in the keys when I lived there but never really had the hang of it like I had at Deep Water... There the guides were willing to share info with me and take me under their wing even if I was an ugly white boy... In the keys it was all snobbish, teach your self stuff. I did ok out of Ocean Reef as I had that turf figured out but in Islamorada I was just going through the motions getting lucky now and then with a suicidal fish...
There was something special about those east end grand bahama flats though... Clearer water. Better back cround color, better spacing on the mangrove sprouts... A lot of subtle little factors that made it much more enjoyable to work.

[Reel Candy Sportfishing]

Gringo,

We at Reel Candy Sportfishing try to provide a "Complete Package" to our guests. Everyone knows, that when you are putting hard earned money into a family vacation, it is very important to keep EVERYONE happy.
Reel Candy Sportfishing offers that complete package in multiple ways. Once you book your trip, no matter where, when, or with who, the one variable is always the weather. The uniqueness we offer is that if you get blown out on your bonefishing trip, we can still offer you and your family many other options to make your vacation memorable.
It may be island hopping, sightseeing, snorkeling, or just a ride over to Hopetown to let the girls walk the little shops. We offer countless options so that if something falls through, we have several different backup plans that will keep everyone happy. The Abaco Beach Resort is located on 52 acres in the heart of the Abacos. This is a world-class facility that caters to every detail. Yes, they have an awesome Tiki bar also !
That being said, we catch fish !! Check out our website to see for yourself what our operation has to offer. We specialize in family packages and we love to have kids on board !!
By the way, I got this nice bone today, while just killin some time.

Captain Kevin M. Deiter
kevin@reelcandyfishing.com
www.reelcandyfishing.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjebJdlN608
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMf4-RNrkGI

[reefhunter]

Originally Posted by Gringo

I would really appreciate some input on something I really don't know much about: bonefishing vacations.

Let me phrase it like this:

IF you were presented with an opportunity to design the ideal bonefishing resort, what would you, as potential customers, like to find when you got there? Fish, yes, of course we know that part....but what kind of boats? Guided, unguided? Kitchen, bar, accomodations? What's most important to you?

Assume it's going to be a small lodge, with maybe four cabins for guests. Do you prefer individual cabins, or is a design with all the rooms under one roof okay? In that case, you would have your own outside door onto a shaded veranda.

Do you care how remote it is? Is being able to run into town for some nightlife important?

Any thoughts greatly appreciated.

I want and do receive the best care in the world when I fish Los Roques, Belize and Christmas Island. None are large resorts, given their locations. I prefer cabinas to a room in a lodge structure. Air conditioning is ok, but ceiling fans do a more efficient job. Having an area that is protected from commercial netting gets my attention first. My largest bone has come from Los Roques - 9.2lbs on 8# tippet from the beach. Wading is my preferred method and whilst doing so have managed to land large sharks, 'cuda, tarpon and snook in the same location.

[MountainM]

The explore your own is the type of vacation I love. I wish there were more places around that would let you do that.


Defintely keep that as an available option!