Honeymoon in Nassau at Sandals. need some opinions

[luked]

getting married in June of this year and our Honeymoon is going to be in the Bahamas at Sandals. was planning on taking a day trip to Abaco for a bonefishing trip but with the amount of time we are going to be there I have decided against it.
so I am thinking now that I am going to take a bit of gear with me and just fish from the shore just to be able to at least say I fished in the Bahamas. I know im not going to probably catch much but that's what I would like to do.

could anyone give me some ideas on what I should take? rod and reel weight and flies in particular

 

[flyminded]

Bonefish are the popular target of choice.

Why not take a guide trip from Nassau ....there are options there, I stayed with friends and took a trip and got into some nice Bones. There are a few spots you can fish from the beach. .....Google Earth is your friend.

 

[airborne 82nd]

Buddy unless you're future bride Fly fishes ... I'd suggest plan a short trip to Bahamas after you're wedding ,honeymoon lol
Just a thought , take care of her , bite the bullet , shop, party, jet ski, and treat her like a queen , ...... make her honeymoon about her , .. it will pay you twofold in the future lol, flights in and out of Bahamas are cheap.... had a buddy go duck hunting on a weekend getaway w/ his wife and she never let him forget it ....lol my 2-Cents lol. .....enjoy buddy

Airborne ( David)

 

[dennyk]

luked, congratulations on your upcoming wedding!

I'd be more then tempted to fish, but IMHO I think Airborne (David) is spot on.
I've been married almost 30 years, I think skipping the fishing for now will pay dividends later!

Good Luck in whatever you choose!

Denny

 

[comeonavs]

My wife and I only go on a "vacation" every few years...aka back to Maui or Kauai.

She always asks why I don't bring the golf clubs or fly rods....women will tell you they want you to fish but really they're thinking you selfish sob, you're gonna never live this down if you do go.

Enjoy the wedding and hit a 3 day weekend trip with the buddies after, you'll be better off in the long run.

 

[flyminded]

Mmmm starting to see the error of my ways reading everyone else's responses.

Just tell her it's a guided boat trip around the island and take her with you ....she will see a bunch of marine life that she would never see otherwise.

Or just accept your life is over now. [poke]

 

[sawinredneck]

Married 24yrs now, we didn't get a honeymoon, my wife was fired the week we got married and we had to go into penny pinching mode. I've never lived that down but we'd have never survived, financially, had I not made that call.
My suggestion is to take a rod, take a reel and a few flies, TELL HER you are bringing them and you just want to be able to say you fished the Bahamas. Do not book anything, just go with the flow. If the two of you are chilling on the beach and you see some fish see how she reacts. Maybe she's cool with sipping on a cocktail and watching you fish an hour or so, maybe she's not. But I don't care who tells you otherwise, the wedding and honeymoon are all about HER! PERIOD! Anything you do, intentionally or not, will haunt your ass the rest of your marriage, maybe even beyond! Now days my wife would be somewhat alright with it, but not when we first got married!
Good luck to you.

 

[gpwhitejr]

It depends on your wife's interests. My wife and I went bonefishing in Mexico. She is ho-hum about fishing (she made a few casts with a spinning rod) but she really enjoyed the wildlife (birds, etc).

 

[mtboiler]

A long time ago someone told me two really good pieces of advice.
One...Never put yourself in a position to look back and regret not doing something once it is to late to go back.
Two...Your either compatible or you are not. No amount of money will solve that.
So, my advice is take the rod. You might not get the chance to go back and fish. Take an hour walk on the beach with your wife to 'explore' what opportunities are available within a mile of the resort. Than take an early morning or mid day jaunt up to fish a bit. if she makes your life miserable about it, guess what? That will not be the only time. I have done a dozen or so short shore fishing trips like that over the years. Early morning is usually when i do it because I am up way earlier than my wife. The only time I did not take a rod on a vacation, I still regret it to this day!! Never did it again, and have never regretted taking it.

 

[Rip Tide]

A long time ago someone told me two really good pieces of advice.
One...Never put yourself in a position to look back and regret not doing something once it is to late to go back.
Two...Your either compatible or you are not. No amount of money will solve that.
So, my advice is take the rod. You might not get the chance to go back and fish. Take an hour walk on the beach with your wife to 'explore' what opportunities are available within a mile of the resort. Than take an early morning or mid day jaunt up to fish a bit. if she makes your life miserable about it, guess what?. That will not be the only time. I have done a dozen or so short shore fishing trips like that over the years. Early morning is usually when i do it because I am up way earlier than my wife. The only time I did not take a rod on a vacation, I still regret it to this day!! Never did it again, and have never regretted taking it

Married 33 years and one thing that I've learned..... always, always, always bring a rod whenever you travel.
You might never use it, but if you don't have one when the opportunity arises you'll be kicking yourself for years to come.

 

[huntschool]

The response my wife would have made is.... Make sure you pack my rods and reels along with yours and dont forget the leaders and tippet reels......

I was lucky that I found a go get um fishing/hunting girl. Oh yea, we did not get a real Honeymoon. Both of us had to be at work the following Monday. However, we agree that the hunting and fishing trips we have taken since have sure made for a great Honeymoon.

 

[moucheur2003]

could anyone give me some ideas on what I should take? rod and reel weight and flies in particular

Well, for bonefish you want an 8 or 9 weight rod with a floating tropical saltwater line and at least 100 yards of backing, 200 would be better. Most people prefer large-arbor reels these days for faster line retrieval, but for any reel a strong drag is essential. If you already have a standard arbor with good drag system that should be good enough. Flies would be mostly Gotchas, sizes 4-8, some with heavier dumbbell eyes and some with lighter. Add a couple of more realistic crab and mantis shrimp patterns and you've got the basics covered.

BUT!

Buddy unless you're future bride Fly fishes ... I'd suggest plan a short trip to Bahamas after you're wedding ,honeymoon lol
Just a thought , take care of her , bite the bullet , shop, party, jet ski, and treat her like a queen , ...... make her honeymoon about her , .. it will pay you twofold in the future lol, flights in and out of Bahamas are cheap.... had a buddy go duck hunting on a weekend getaway w/ his wife and she never let him forget it ....lol my 2-Cents lol. .....enjoy buddy

You sound as though you aren't an experienced enough bonefisher to fish without a guide. So what do you love more, your wife or fish? If you take most of a day out of your honeymoon and pay a guide $400-800 plus tip to show you the ropes, the odds are pretty good your new bride will see it that way, even if you don't, and even if she doesn't say so. If you fish from the beach at Sandals and catch nothing and look like an idiot in front of everybody, ditto. But if you forego something she knows you love in order to spend more time with her, she will remember. Airborne is giving you wise advice: make your honeymoon all about your wife. If you want to learn how to bonefish, do it on another trip.

 

[moucheur2003]

But I don't care who tells you otherwise, the wedding and honeymoon are all about HER! PERIOD!

If this is punctuated correctly, I agree. If not, either bring your tackle anyway or schedule a different week! :wink:

 

[mikechell]

Wife and I have been to all 50 States. Alaska was a two week trip. Hawaii was four days in the middle of my business trip, she flew in and out around a weekend.
All the contiguous 48, we drove through.
Only one of those trips did I do any fishing. California, I was already there for a business trip and it was Wife's third visit during those. We drove to a mountain national park. I had the gear in the car, just because it was already there. Wife wanted to take a few pictures of me fishing. So, I made a few casts, then put it all away.

When I am home, Wife practically kicks me out of the house ... "Go ... go fishing !!!"
When we travel together ... I don't even think about fishing. Didn't even take gear with me to Alaska.
Time spent sight seeing with Wife was infinitely more important than fishing. If you don't feel that way, then perhaps you aren't marrying the right girl.

 

[brownbass]

My wife of almost thirty years is sitting near so I ask her what should she do. She said to set up a spa day for the wife and hire a guide and go fishing. I guess he should make sure she is all right with this. The young man probably doesn't need to pack any gear as the guide should have all he needs. But, then she is telling me I should take off with the guys and go to YNP for a week in September to fish.

Bill

 

[cpowell]

I would leave all gear behind and if the time is right and the stars align you can take the trip and they will have gear for you. I would forego the fishing and enjoy the time doing only the things she wants to do.

Sandals...lucky dog. I watch the commercials and me and my wife look at each and say "we are not beautiful enough to go there" Everyone is perfect.

Their resorts look phenomenal though.

 

[flyminded]

Not a lot of activity from the op since posting his question 8 months ago ...guessing our advice didn’t go over to well.