East End Lodge

The East End of Grand Bahama offers extraordinary fishing opportunities partly due to a few key physical features. First, the island is surrounded by deep water. This close proximity to deep water gives big bonefish a sense of security on the flats, floods the flats with cool, oxygenated water twice daily, and allows for some of the best Permit fishing in the Bahamas (seasonally). Second, there are five bights that run diagonally (Southwest to Northeast) through the east end. Like the bights of Andros, this creates a complex flats system with variable tides, depending on where you’re fishing. Smaller than the bights of Andros, you can motor through the East End’s bights in 20 minutes to get to the outside. It’s almost always possible to find optimal tidal conditions – fishing medium to low tides all day.

East End Lodge is within an hour’s boat ride of over 250 square miles of bonefish flats, with plenty of wadable hard-packed, white sand flats and are ideal for spotting fish and comfortable to wade. The average fish is between 3 – 5 pounds, but fish in the 7 – 10 pound range are a daily possibility, and fish up to 14 pounds have been landed. In addition to bonefish, there are good numbers of barracuda and sharks on the flats and snapper, jacks, and sometimes tarpon (not common) in the deeper cuts. There are also permit fishing “hot spots” further afield, like Moores Island and Burrows Cay. Anglers should note that permit fishing in the Bahamas is unpredictable, but the areas around East End Lodge are known for producing permit in the 28 – 30 pound range, and fish over 45 pounds have been landed.

East End Lodge is staffed by a roster of veteran local guides: Cecil, Simeon, Howard, Willis and Walter, each of whom have a minimum of 18 years experience guiding bonefishermen in this area. The guides work on a rotational basis and you may fish with a different guide each day. The fishing day is generally from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM but the East End Lodge guides fish longer days if requested. However, for safety reasons all boats must be back at the dock well before dark.

East End Lodge was completely rebuilt in 2021 after Hurricane Dorian, and is comprised of three buildings. There are six (6) single occupancy rooms and four (4) double occupancy rooms, available on a first come first served basis. The main lodge is comprised of modest sitting area, full dining accommodations and a well-stocked bar. Each building is well-designed and air conditioned.  All cottages have large decks with views of the crushed coral courtyard and its massive fire pit, the marina, tiki huts, the ocean, and the docks. There is even a high-def flat screen television available in the lodge with DIRECTV service so that guest can take in games or watch other important programming.  

The bonefish skiffs are easily accessed from floating docks a mere 60 feet from your room.

East End Lodge has seven specially designed 16-ft Dolphin Super Skiffs with 85-hp Yamaha engines. Each boat has a casting deck with removable leaning post, center console steering behind two comfortable bucket seats for anglers, poling platform and a cooler for lunches and cold drinks. All boats are double hulled, self-bailing and unsinkable and each has a cell phone and radio for communication with the Lodge’s base station and with one another at all times.

 East End Lodge also operates a 23 ft. Mako for reef or “offshore” fishing where the reef on the Southside of the island drops off. Weather permitting, anglers looking for a break from flats fishing can target snapper, shark, barracuda, mahi, and wahoo. East End Lodge is one of the few lodges in the Bahamas that offers an “offshore” option. 

Included: roundtrip airport transfers Freeport/East End Lodge, guided fishing based on two anglers per boat / guide; accommodations based as described above; breakfast, picnic lunch with purified or bottled water; dinners with complimentary wine, optional use of lodge’s rods and reels (Loomis rods and Hatch reels or Shimano spinning gear); Bahamas Value Added Tax (VAT).

Not Included: Guide & staff gratuities; flies, lures, terminal tackle and accessories (some items available for purchase at the lodge); Use of the Mako; Alcoholic beverages (other than wine with dinner); soda, juices or beer or candy bars to take aboard the boat or at the lodge; laundry service (nominal charge); Bahamas fishing license.