If your mind keeps conjuring images of bonefish tails waving, with stunning tropical-island shores for a backdrop, it might be time to finally pull the trigger on that dream flats-fishing getaway. The Caribbean and Central America offer precisely what you need to quench that thirst, and many renowned fishing operations are again welcoming anglers. Be sure to include these on your short list of top options.
1. The Bahamas
While bonefishing options in the islands nation are varied and numerous, Andros, the largest island in the Bahamas, is known as the “bonefish capital of the world.” Swain’s Cay Lodge is a top-notch, full-service bonefishing operation on Andros that caters to hardcore anglers and nonangling family members.
2. Belize
A handful of atolls and the flats and shoals stretching the length of the country’s coastline afford ample opportunity for visiting bonefishers. Located on the southern tip of the largest atoll in the Western Hemisphere, Turneffe Island Resort is one of the oldest and most established lodges in Belize, offering excellent year-round fishing.
3. Cuba
The Bay of Pigs and Playa Larga fishery offer prolific numbers of bonefish in a vast, still untouched locale within Las Salinas Wildlife Sanctuary and the Ciénaga de Zapata Biosphere Reserve. Amazing scenery, seasoned guides and well-equipped skiffs make for a memorable trip.
4. Mexico’s Yucatan
Better roads and small-aircraft service now make the trek from Cancun to the many fishing lodges in the peninsula considerably easier. Grand Slam Lodge is the ideal base of operations for fishing famous Ascension Bay, perhaps better known for its permit, but also home to a vast bonefish population.
5. Honduras
While the country’s Bay Islands have long been known to deliver excellent wade-fishing -opportunities for bones, the new Far Away Cayes operation—a remote fishery accessed via helicopter—has reset the bar for the most productive and untouched flats in the region.
