Bahamas Bonefishing Evolves With The Delphi Club On Abaco Island

Article Date: December 2010

Some amazing bonefishing operations are emerging in The Bahamas these days, as witness the brand-new Delphi Club on Abaco Island. The brainchild of an Anglo-Irish entrepreneur named Peter Mantle, the Delphi Club is a sort of European manor transferred from the wilds of Ireland to the island of Abaco. Indeed, the model for the lodge is a magnificent country home cum sporting lodge Mantle operates in the Connemara region of Ireland. On the web site for that lodge, also called Delphi, Mantle describes the place as a "...private country house of the highest quality, stylish yet informal, sophisticated yet relaxing."

The Irish Delphi Lodge offers Atlantic salmon fishing. Here is how Angling Report Managing Editor, Tim Jones, remembers the place after a short stay back in August 2001:

"I was on a whirlwind angling tour of Ireland, and Delphi Lodge and its Atlantic salmon fishery provided one of my most memorable stops. The setting, an elegant manor house in a green valley near a small lake against a background of high, steep, rugged and beautiful hills, is nothing short of magical. If the spectacular setting weren't enough, the hospitality of owner Peter Mantle was also memorable. In the evening, at the huge dining table, they served up elegant food and a superb wine list offering unusual, and, I might add, often spectacular vintages. Mantle is a superb host, keeping conversation flowing among disparate guests.

"The fishing itself was almost secondary to the cultural experience of just being there - or it would have been if the potential weren't there for some excellent salmon and trout fishing. Delphi is a bit unusual in that it has, for all intents and purposes, created its own salmon run on the Bundorragha River, with its own hatchery and stocking program which releases 50,000 tagged salmon smolts........(continued)

CONTACT DETAILS FOR COMPANIES/INDIVIDUALS MENTIONED IN ARTICLE (if any)

Peter Mantle, Delphi Lodge. Leenane, County Galway, Ireland. Tel. 011-353-95-42222. Fax 011-353-95-42296. E-mail: info@delphilodge.ie, Web: www.delphilodge.ie

Peter McLeod, Aardvark McLeod Fishing Agency. England. E-mail: peter@aardvarkmcleod.com, Web: www.aardvarkmcleod.com