Back to the Bahamas

Cue the nostalgia—and some good old-fashioned bonefish fun.

In a world buzzing with notifications, deadlines, and digital noise, nothing grounds you in the moment quite like a wind-up disposable Kodak camera.

When you're holding one of those little yellow bricks, you're not checking email. You're not doom scrolling or refreshing your likes. You're just there—with your friends, in the sun, chasing shadows on the flats.

And really, out here, that's all you need.

An ice-cold beer. A few happy bonefish. Maybe a little less wind and a little more sun.

It’s simple, perfect—and one of those rare moments in life where everything you need fits into one small bag.

It felt good to be back.

Last November, we took a crew out to the Berry Islands with our friends at Soul Fly Lodge (you can read that story HERE).

This time around, we pointed our sites toward Grand Bahama to fish with East End Lodge—on the hunt for big bonefish and maybe a permit or two.

One of our co-founders Chase Hancock has fished this area a dozen times, and after years of stories, it was time to bring the Drifter crew along.

Grand Bahama is still carrying scars from Hurricane Dorian. The storm camped out overhead for days, flooding the East End with saltwater and damaging the mangroves and trees. Like so many coastal places hit hard by hurricanes, you can still see the fingerprints of the storm if you look closely.

But that’s the paradox: in the middle of that damage lives something pristine. Clear water. A thriving fishery. And a dock full of Bahamian guides cracking jokes, rigging gear, and getting ready to make the most of whatever the day holds.

This trip, we did something a little different.

We left the pro cameras at home—and handed everyone a Kodak Funsaver instead. No lenses. No light meters. No edits. Just snapshots of real moments, captured in between beers, laughs, and bent rods.

Big shoutout to Wes Tallyn, who carried the lion’s share of the quality shots. Turns out, there’s still magic in the grain and glow of film—especially when it’s soaked in salt, sun, and good company.

We had an awesome time fishing. The water looked like a postcard—or, in the spirit of the retro vibe cameras, a Windows 99 screensaver. The guides were enjoyable to be around, each one having their own personality, style, and humor. We caught plenty of bonefish, and I got to watch permit refuse every crab pattern I had brought with me in my box. While the double-digit pound bonefish eluded us this time, we had lots of action and few complaints.

We also enjoyed plenty of feisty barracuda, a VERY overlooked species to target...but we can dive more into that another time.

In between blowing shots on fish, and dodging summer rainstorms, we would find some of the most relaxing lunch spots around. Shore lunches overlooking crystal clear water are some of the best memories I have from this trip.

When we were in Xcalak back in March, there were moments when I felt like I was wading through a childhood nightmare—sinking into cartoon like quicksand. A guide would be urgently shouting for me to reposition as the mud crept up toward my waist, suctioning me down with each step.

In the Bahamas, wading for bonefish feels like a stroll in the park. The white sand flats are easy to navigate and offer one of the coolest ways to approach tailing fish. Easy, that is—unless you're Joe Clements. I’d share the video I have of him fighting for his life in two feet of water, chasing bonefish beside me, but he locked me into an ironclad NDA after one too many margaritas.

At the end of each day, we would all reconvene at the bar, order our favorite cocktails, and swap stories from our time on the water. Being somewhere outside of cell service not only helps you stay focused on the boat, but also builds anticipation to hear how your fellow anglers did.

We had some great times climbing onto those stools and sharing our stories. I love those moments. They’re hard to find in our daily, over-connected lives.

Fair warning, our bar photos came out a little...rough. We were feeling not having Mason Erwin around to shoot "real" photos.

This trip was exactly what I had hoped for, and exactly what we needed. Laid back conversations, target-rich environments to fish in, and plenty of quality time with other club members. We laughed over drinks, enjoyed some good food, and ran around the island with our retro-styled cameras racking up life long memories.

Huge thanks to the wonderful team at East End Lodge. We really enjoyed out time together.

• To listen to my podcast with East End co-founder, Cecil Leathan click HERE.

• To listen to our Drifter Roundtable where we recap the trip, click HERE.

• To learn more about the Drifter Fish Club head to www.drifterfishclub.com

• To get behind the scenes stories, updates, and whatever other caffeine induced musings I have, subscribe to my Substack HERE.