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The bahamas are to bonefishing what Montana is to trout. There are other good places to catch such fish, but each has the best of its genre-and not just in size and numbers of fish. As Montana's big sky, rugged mountains, and fertile waters all set the standard for trout fishing, so does the experience of Bahamian bonefishing define the sport, from the rich pastels of the landscape to the soft accents spoken by local guides to the white sand along shallow flats that stretch to the horizon. It is all pure magic.

It's also closer than you think. Bimini, the westernmost Bahamian island, is a scant 50 miles east of Palm Beach, Florida. The rest of the island chain stretches roughly 400 miles farther south and east to Great Inagua. Within that Caribbean realm are two Bahamas. The first and best known is driven by casino glitz and cruise ships centering around cities such as Nassau and Freeport. The best and lesser known are the Out Islands, places where tourism is less obnoxious, where the bonefish is king, and where you can still find glistening beaches without human tracks.

The Skinny on Fishing
There are two differences between bonefishing here and in Florida. First, many South Florida flats are soft-bottomed and difficult to wade. Most Bahamian flats, on the other hand, are hard-bottomed and afford easy wading. Second, Florida bonefish are intensely pressured, which means wary, skittish, and fussy fish. Many areas of the Bahamas are less pressured and have stupider bonefish that are easier to catch. Not that Bahamian fish are pushovers, but some of them can be.

The cost of guided fishing in both areas is about $300 to $400 per day for a guide and a high-end bonefish skiff. The days when you could find an old-time Bahamian guide with an accent thicker than the hull on his ancient wooden skiff are just about over. So are the old bargain rates. I do miss the old guys with whom I fished almost 30 years ago, but the new kids are awfully good at what they do.

Unless you're a well-traveled Bahamas veteran, there are two rules to follow. First, go to a well-established lodge. Second, use a reputable U.S. sporting-travel agency to make your bookings. Some bonefishing operations seem to come and go with the seasons because, to many Bahamians, the lodge business looks like a deceptively easy buck. You're not going to know ahead of time which owner just got divorced, which one just put his operation up for sale, or from which lodge the manager just left in a huff, to give a few examples of problems I've encountered. Good sporting-travel agencies (see sidebar) keep tabs on these things and will steer you clear of them.

Getting There
You also need to know that air travel to, from, and within the Bahamas can be problematic. With the right airlines and flight schedules, travel can be an economical breeze. Unfortunately, things aren't always right. BahamasAir, the national airline, has numerous flights to and from the U.S. mainland and among the Out Islands. Their staff has always been nice, but the airline has the worst adherence to schedules I've ever encountered.

Nassau is the airline hub to the Out Islands, and dozens of flights from the United States arrive there daily. No matter where you're coming from, it's easier to go through Fort Lauderdale or West Palm Beach, Florida, than Miami. You can arrange private charters (economical for groups of four or more) to and from the Out Island of your choice from either airport. You can also fly direct via Continental/Gulfstream (continental.com) to several Out Islands and skip the hassle of changing planes in Nassau. If you do need to connect eastward from Nassau, I've had luck with Western Air Bahamas (westernairbahamas.com) in addition to Continental. Make sure your flight schedule conforms to your lodge booking dates, and allow a three-hour minimum layover for connections. <Camps to Consider
The Out Island bonefish camps I've visited over the years have all offered bonefishing in ideal surroundings. Here's a look at five of the top lodges.

Deep Water Cay Club Grand Bahama
One of the oldest Bahamian bonefishing lodges, Deep Water Cay Club (DWCC) is still among the best. It was founded in 1958 by Gil Drake Sr., with considerable help from A.J. McClane, Field & Stream's late, great fishing editor who often wrote about bonefishing on the area's 200 square miles of flats. It was here that I took my first bonefish decades ago, with McClane himself in the skiff to show me the ropes.

The club has its own 4,200-foot runway and is easy to reach either by direct charter flight from Fort Lauderdale (arranged by DWCC) or by international airline to Freeport, followed by an hour's taxi drive. The fishing is excellent for bonefish averaging 4 to 6 pounds; the camp record is a 14-pounder. The lodge is on the eastern end of Grand Bahama Island, which is bisected by a number of creeks and channels. By moving from one side of the island to the other during a day's fishing, it's possible to fish favorable tides all day long.

Lodging, meals, and amenities are all top-of-the-line, with the club being managed by the U.S.-based Greenbrier Resort Co. Tennis courts and sporting clays are available. Fishing packages are among the most expensive in the Bahamas. A four-night, three-and-a-half-day guided fishing session goes for $2,900 per person based on double occupancy. Memberships with benefits are available, but nonmembers are welcome as well. Contact the DWCC reservation office at 912-756-7071; deepwatercay.com.

Andros Island Bonefish Club Andros Island
About 150 miles southeast of Miami, Andros is the largest and least inhabited island in the Bahamas. It has more fishable flats than anywhere else in the Caribbean and also has the greatest number of good lodges. The island and its flats are so vast that I've rarely seen boats from competing lodges while fishing. It is truly the epicenter of Bahamian bonefishing. Rupert Leadon's Andros Island Bonefish Club (AIBC) is a classic, hardcore, yet comfortable bonefishing lodge, which he opened in 1988. Located at the northeast corner of the North Bight, AIBC has access to both sides of the island. It's an easy boat run to the vast and underfished flats on the remote west side.

I fished with several young guides here a couple of years ago, all of whom were excellent. It's no accident that many had Leadon as a last name; old Rupert can be called the modern father of Andros' bonefishing in more ways than one. His knowledge of bonefishing is encyclopedic. Get him telling stories in the lodge's bar after dinner, and it will be a highlight of your trip.

Fishing packages are moderately priced. A typical four-night, three-day guided fishing session runs $1,640 based on double occupancy. Most anglers reach AIBC by flying to Nassau and then taking Western Air Bahamas for a 15-minute hop over to Andros Town, where the lodge arranges for taxi transport. AIBC is widely represented by sporting-travel agents.

Mangrove Cay Club Andros Island
Located near the eastern end of Andros' Middle Bight, the newly renovated Mangrove Cay Club offers guided fishing access to the South and Middle Bights as well as Andros' legendary west side. Shackleton International is a new partner here, one that invests heavily in deluxe sporting resorts worldwide. Visiting anglers are thus assured of top-notch food, lodging, guides, and equipment, albeit with prices to match.

One of the things that makes Andros' bonefishing so appealing is the daily option of choosing between large numbers of smaller bones or small numbers of big ones. Some flats hold huge schools of 3- to 5-pounders that are often caught easily. Other, usually deeper flats will show bones appearing as singles or in twos or threes that will weigh from 6 to as much as 15 pounds. This is the place for trophies. Just tell your guide what you'd like to fish for when you start off in the morning. If you're gunning for big bonefish, be sure to carry tan-over-white Clouser Deep Minnow flies that will sink fast enough to reach down on deeper flats.

Reach the lodge by connecting through Nassau to the Mangrove Cay Airport via Western Air Bahamas. A four-night, three-day fishing package costs $2,260 per person based on double occupancy. Mangrove Cay Club is covered by several sporting-travel agents, or see shackletoninternational.com/mcc.

Pete & Gay Guest House Abaco
When lodge owner Stanley White met me at the Marsh Harbour, Abaco, airport, he had a couple of cold Kaliks (Bahamian beer) in hand. I knew immediately I was in the right place. Abaco is a collection of closely knit islands in the eastern Bahamas about 200 miles from Florida. White's Pete & Gay Guest House (named after his parents) is at Sandy Point on Abaco's southern end. This little fishing village is unsullied by tourism, and the lodge is reminiscent of the old Bahamas.

When I was there last February, an intense cold front and unrelenting high winds prohibited boat rides to more productive outlying cays or even to the fabled Marls region about 45 minutes north. Despite this, F&S colleague Nate Matthews and I managed plenty of bones on flats that were close to the lodge.

White's guesthouse offers basic, motel-like accommodations. Everything is clean, the food is good, and the bar is well stocked. Fishing packages are a bargain, with four nights and three days of guided fishing going for $1,460 based on double occupancy. Continental/Gulfstream flies to and from Marsh Harbour via Nassau. Contact Angler Adventures, 800-628-1447; angleradventures.com.

Grey's Point Bonefish Inn Acklins Island
For another slice of the real Bahamas, check out Acklins Island, 225 miles east and south of Nassau. This is in the island chain's southern reaches, which means it's less affected by cold fronts than islands farther north and west.

Your connecting flight to Acklins (BahamasAir from Nassau) will almost certainly be late. Telephone service is erratic, and rental cars are anybody's guess. These are all good reasons to go, because spotty services mean limited tourism and a landscape that's still relatively pristine. A short boat ride from Grey's Point Inn at the island's northeastern corner can put you on either the eastern ocean-hold huge schools of 3- to 5-pounders that are often caught easily. Other, usually deeper flats will show bones appearing as singles or in twos or threes that will weigh from 6 to as much as 15 pounds. This is the place for trophies. Just tell your guide what you'd like to fish for when you start off in the morning. If you're gunning for big bonefish, be sure to carry tan-over-white Clouser Deep Minnow flies that will sink fast enough to reach down on deeper flats.

Reach the lodge by connecting through Nassau to the Mangrove Cay Airport via Western Air Bahamas. A four-night, three-day fishing package costs $2,260 per person based on double occupancy. Mangrove Cay Club is covered by several sporting-travel agents, or see shackletoninternational.com/mcc.

Pete & Gay Guest House Abaco
When lodge owner Stanley White met me at the Marsh Harbour, Abaco, airport, he had a couple of cold Kaliks (Bahamian beer) in hand. I knew immediately I was in the right place. Abaco is a collection of closely knit islands in the eastern Bahamas about 200 miles from Florida. White's Pete & Gay Guest House (named after his parents) is at Sandy Point on Abaco's southern end. This little fishing village is unsullied by tourism, and the lodge is reminiscent of the old Bahamas.

When I was there last February, an intense cold front and unrelenting high winds prohibited boat rides to more productive outlying cays or even to the fabled Marls region about 45 minutes north. Despite this, F&S colleague Nate Matthews and I managed plenty of bones on flats that were close to the lodge.

White's guesthouse offers basic, motel-like accommodations. Everything is clean, the food is good, and the bar is well stocked. Fishing packages are a bargain, with four nights and three days of guided fishing going for $1,460 based on double occupancy. Continental/Gulfstream flies to and from Marsh Harbour via Nassau. Contact Angler Adventures, 800-628-1447; angleradventures.com.

Grey's Point Bonefish Inn Acklins Island
For another slice of the real Bahamas, check out Acklins Island, 225 miles east and south of Nassau. This is in the island chain's southern reaches, which means it's less affected by cold fronts than islands farther north and west.

Your connecting flight to Acklins (BahamasAir from Nassau) will almost certainly be late. Telephone service is erratic, and rental cars are anybody's guess. These are all good reasons to go, because spotty services mean limited tourism and a landscape that's still relatively pristine. A short boat ride from Grey's Point Inn at the island's northeastern corner can put you on either the eastern ocean-