Mars Bay is located literally at the end of the road at the southern end of Andros Island, and they have the closest access to the miles of hard sand flats at the southern tip of Andros, where schools of bonefish roam the flats.
This area is a vast, uninhabited, trackless saltwater frontier, with little fishing pressure and few humans. These waters are home to giant schools of hungry, unsophisticated bones as well as trophy, double-digit singles – the trademark of Andros Island.
There is nothing pretentious about this lodge. It is not a high-end fancy resort. The napkins are paper. They won’t crack your pepper for you, you’ll not find a mint on your pillow, and you will not be greeted at the dock with a hot steaming towel to wipe your brow. You can grab your own beer and mix your own drink the way you like it. Mars Bay is a fly fishing lodge for sportsmen. Think of it as the difference between a stuffy dinner party and a casual gathering with good friends.
Bill Howard attends to the details. He is the American owner/operator and has been managing the lodge since it opened in 2002. He catches the fish and lobster for dinner. He maintains all the boats and equipment. He makes all the repairs around the lodge. He orders the supplies, fuels the boat, and carries the coolers. He is hands on and has the reputation as being the hardest working lodge manager in the Bahamas. None of it would be possible without having an excellent staff of cooks, maids, and guides doing their jobs.
The lodge has a laid back vibe to but don’t let that mislead you. Everything goes off on time as scheduled. One review said the lodge runs like a Swiss watch. The reviews are always the same; great food, great house staff, clean rooms, excellent guides, well maintained boats, great fishing, we’ll be back.
The lodge is small with capacity for eight fishermen. They will take bookings for singles, doubles, and small groups to fill the lodge. Because it is a small lodge, it sets up great for groups wanting to reserve the entire lodge.
Mars Bay is situated on the southeastern tip of Andros that affords anglers a short and easy skiff ride to pristine flats teeming with unpressured bonefish. The lodge itself is located on a flat large enough for a dozen fishermen. Mars Bay is the end of the road. To go any further south you will have to hop in a boat. That puts you ten miles closer to the best fishing grounds on Andros than the nearest lodge. What does that mean to you? No less than a ten mile shorter run over rough open water and an extra hour fishing each day. By the end of the week you’ve fished an entire extra day.
You can expect to encounter everything from large schools, classic sight casting to smaller schools of five to twenty fish in the two to ten pound category, as well as shots at cruising doubles and singles exceeding ten pounds!
You will be on the water early and back safely in time for dinner. In twelve years they have never had a boat break down. At the end of the day if you still want to fish or practice your cast you’re welcome to step out onto the flats in front of the villa and fish till dark. They catch bones there on a regular basis. That is assuming the tide isn’t up. You will find the accommodations clean and modern; the food is great, the equipment reliable, the guides excellent, and the beer ice cold.
Headed out on your next adventure with us? The Fly ShopⓇ has you covered. As a thank you to our travel guests, enjoy 15% off all retail purchases for a year! — the perfect chance to gear up before your trip.
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