Bahamas Fishing Report: Early Summer Bones, Reef Action, and Offshore Mahi

Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your Bahamas fishing report for the day. We’ve got classic early‑summer Caribbean conditions. Light easterly trade winds around 10–15 knots, seas running 2–4 feet on the banks and a little higher out in the Tongue of the Ocean. Sky is mostly fair with the usual build‑up of clouds and a chance of a brief passing shower this afternoon as the heat kicks up. Air temps are sitting in the low 80s and climbing into the upper 80s by midday, water temps hovering around 82–84 degrees, just right for everything from bonefish on the flats to pelagics offshore. Tides around Nassau and much of the central Bahamas are showing an early morning incoming, peaking mid‑morning, then swinging to an outgoing through the afternoon, with a smaller evening bump. On the flats, that flooding morning tide is prime time: bonefish are sliding up onto the marl and turtle grass, tailing tight to the mangroves. As that water starts to fall, they’re funneled off the edges and into the channels, making them easier to track. Sunrise hit just after 6 a.m. local, with sunset expected a little after 8 p.m., so you’ve got a nice long light window. Best action is the usual: daybreak to mid‑morning on the rising water, then again late afternoon into dusk when the heat backs off and the current changes. Recent inshore reports around Andros, the Bights, and the Exuma flats have been solid. Anglers have been putting good numbers of bonefish in the 3–6 pound class on the skiff, with the occasional 8‑pound bruiser. Shrimp‑pattern flies, small tan and pink Gotchas, Crazy Charlies, and lightly weighted spawning shrimp have been doing work, especially when you land them soft and strip slow. Spin guys are doing well on 1/8‑ to 1/4‑ounce jigheads tipped with live shrimp or small pieces of conch, and tiny white bucktail jigs. On the reef edges and nearshore structure, mutton snapper, yellowtail, and a few black grouper have been coming over the rails. Cut ballyhoo, squid strips, and live pilchards are top baits. Small metal jigs and 2–3 ounce bucktails worked along the bottom are also producing when the current allows. Chumming with ground chum and glass minnows is pulling the yellowtail up in better numbers, especially on that evening tide. Offshore, boats working the drop‑offs south of New Providence and along the Exuma Sound have been seeing steady dolphin (mahi), a few wahoo lingering in deeper, cooler bands, and the odd blue marlin for those trolling bigger gear. Mahi are hitting small to medium skirted ballyhoo in blue‑white, green‑yellow, and pink, plus diving plugs and 5–7 inch soft plastics around weedlines and color changes. High‑speed trolling with dark, heavy heads is still turning the occasional wahoo early and late in the day. Keep an eye out for birds and flying fish; when you find them, you’re in the right neighborhood. If you’re looking for a couple of hot spots: – The flats on the west side of Andros are fishing strong for bonefish when that morning tide creeps in. Pole quietly, keep the sun at your back, and look for those ghost‑gray shadows sliding up out of the deeper cuts. – The southwest reefs and drop‑offs off New Providence toward the Tongue of the Ocean are holding good mixed‑bag reef fish and pelagics; anchor up on the edge for snapper and grouper, then slide off and troll the blue water for mahi and billfish. Best all‑around lures right now: small tan and pink shrimp flies for bones, white and chartreuse bucktails for reef species, and blue‑white or green‑yellow skirted ballyhoo rigs offshore. For bait, you can’t beat live shrimp, pilchards, and cut ballyhoo. That’s your Bahamas fishing rundown from Artificial Lure. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss the next report. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn