Harbour Island Trip

[bar rod]

Has anyone here been to Harbour Island before? I'm headed there with the family and would love to get out and do some fishing. I think it would be great to bring some tackle and rent a small boat once down there, but I don't know if this is feasible. If anyone has some experience to share I would really appreciate it.
Thanks in advance for any help!
Ed

[neilinov]

Bar:
My family has a home on Eleuthera and we spend a lot of time there fishing. Harbour island has to be one of the best fishing grounds in the bahamas. If you are wanting to go deep the big game fish are less than a mile out. If you want reef fish the devil's back bone to the north has to be one of the best reef fishing spots in the world. There are a couple of guys that do rent boats there, but the reefs can be trecherous. Lots of shallow heads right next to 100 foot deep spots. I would recomend you get one of the local guys to take you out if it is your first time there. There are a couple of charter guys there, and if you are there during the week of May 6th the Bahama billfish chapionship series is on Harbour island. You can catch bone fish on girls bank on the west side of the island. Good luck Harbour Island is one of the prettiest of the Bahamian islands I've seen, and the people are the nicest in the word.

Neil

[bar rod]

Neil,
Thanks so much for the info. From everything I've heard it's a beautiful place with lots of fishing opportunities. I guess the big question for me now is whether to bring a couple of rods and rent a boat or just strictly charter it. Any guesses on price to rent a smallish center cosole? I've fished a couple times off Abaco Island and was thinking I could do some fun dolphin/reef fishing on my own if it was easy to rent a boat.
I think we're also planning to go to Eluethra for a day as well. Besides the fishing, is there anything you would recommend as a must-do while there? I've heard it's a pretty laid back island w/o much in the way tourism etc, which sounds perfect.
Again, thank you for the information.
Ed

oh, and we'll be down the last week of may26-june 22, so no tourney action for us.

[Prime Time]

The two major marina's on the island are Valentines Marina and Harbour Island Marina. You can search for the website and see what they have to offer or give them a call. Valentine's is more in the center of town, while Harbour Island is more south of the island away from the action. I stayed at Harbour Island last year(small pool and tiki bar), they did have some boats in the marina avialable for different charters. Valentine's has more to offer, resturant,large outside bar, dive shop, ship store etc.
Hope this helps.

[neilinov]

Ed:

You are going to miss the Custom boat Shootout by a couple of days. That is a really cool tournament with some awesome boats. Check out sea Fox charters out of Harbour island Yacht club. A cool laid back marina at the south end of the island. As far as the center console boat goes your picking will be slim. Most of the rental boats are open boats with no shade. They are built on nearby Spanish wells. Heavy duty solidly constructed boats, just not that well taken care of. They are not going to be what you are used to in the Abaco's. The reefs on the devil's backbone are trecherous and I would suggest that for your first trip out have a local show you the way around. You have to run almost on the beach to stay in the channel.

As far as Eleuthera goes if there is a big swell go check out the glass window bridge. The huge swells crash up against 70 to 100' cliffs and it is an awesome sight to see. The waves wash right across the island at the bridge and you can swim in near mirror calm water on the west side of the island while giant waves wash through a cut in the island. This is also a great place to spearfish. Last time we were there we got a dozen lobsters and a 30# margate fish. I would also not miss Elvina's on Tuesday night jam. It's a bar that is about the size of the average living room and you will be amazed at the bands you see. We have seen Lenny Kravitz, The Black Crows, Rita Marley, and Patty LaBelle on any random tuesday night there.

[Turkey Feeder]

Check out the side of the island known as the "Pink Sands"...it is rated in the top 10 most beautiful beaches...the sand is pinkish from the coral---shells, etc. A couple years ago I was there for the Boy Scouts Tournament...it was one leg of a three leg tournament ...Harbor Island is one of the legs....the Blue bite was off.....but other than that a nice stay.
Jim