On This Water

Doctrine · not a honey-hole list

Seasonal fundamentals

When a coast, a type of water, and a fish actually line up. If you elected Texas on the list, this page opens on Texas — Seychelles stays off the board until you ask for it. Filter by region, method or habitat, and species. The year bar is peak versus present. Limits cite TPWD and FWC — verify before you keep one.

Bahamas

Bahamas — bonefish country

Winter singles. Summer schools. Permit on the west sides when it lays down.

Andros is the capital — west-side white sand, schools by the acre, double-digit singles in the creeks, tarpon in the bights, permit May through October on the west side and outer cays. Abaco is Marls and ocean cays; verify what is actually running after Dorian. Grand Bahama is the thinking wade, a town to sleep in, big singles on foot. Eleuthera and the Exuma edge take more weather and give you more permit. Tides here are a modeled lunar clock, labeled as such — there is no NOAA gauge on these islands. Flats licensing has been tightening; verify before you wade. Jacks will find you. They are not why you booked the week.

May. West-side permit turn on. Bones still school. This is the grand-slam calendar month if the wind allows the fly.

May · peak

What is actually on

    TarponBonefishPermitHogfishYellowtail snapperMangrove / gray snapperMutton snapperBlack grouperGreater amberjack
Peak Present Off

Closures

No coast-wide harvest closure on the board. Still verify before you keep a fish.

Jack crevalle

Caranx hippos

Peak MayBahamas

J

F

M

A

M

J

J

A

S

O

N

D

Thermal window

64°94°

68–90°F · best 74–86°F

Summer noise. Texas passes and beachfront. Not the reason you booked Andros, but they will find you. They do not own a Texas or Keys headline.

Fly. 9–10 wt baitfish. They will destroy a trout setup. Fun, not subtle.

Spin. Topwater or heavy spoon. If the birds are on them, you are late — cast past the boil.

Bahamas. Treat as incidental. Not why you booked the flat.

Official source

Want this week’s weather on top of the doctrine? Read the Saturday Letter.