BELIZE FISHING GUIDE
Exciting fishing in Belize can involve wrestling a tarpon, stalking a permit or pitching your tackle against a giant marlin. Which will it be for you?
Before the scuba divers and eco-tourists came to Belize, there were the fishermen. For decades, anglers have been coming to Belize seeking the excitement of jumping a tarpon or seeking out the elusive permit, choosing their locale from the country's mud flats, the rivers, or the deeper waters near the reef.
Whatever type of fish they seek, environmental awareness has rubbed off on fishermen: there is general agreement that Belize's lush, pristine foliage and abundant wildlife add immeasurably to the total fishing experience. It is not uncommon during a river trip to see monkey's iguanas and crocodiles as well as orchids and bromeliads, and even the cayes are completely different environments from what North Americans and Europeans are used to at home.
THE FLY FISHING CRAZE
Over the years Belize has seen changes in fishing techniques. Bait fishing, once the most popular, has to some extend given way to fly fishing - a result of the fever that has taken hold of sport fishing throughout the world. Fly fishers describe their technique as an art rather than a skill, and consider themselves to be conservationists as well as sportsmen. They are the first to argue in favor of preserving bot the fish and their natural habitats in order to ensure healthy populations in the future.
For this reason, most fishing in Belize is now catch-and-release, with very few fish killed, and there's increasing pressure to make this standard practice. The new breed of angler's is more concerned with skillfully landing the fish than with making it a trophy or filling an ice chest to take home; success is not measured by the number of fish brought to the boat, but by achieving a flawless cast or choosing just the right lure.
Most fly fisherman do not consider themselves to be on vacation in Belize - it's more like they are on a mission Often they are in the boat before dawn and back at the lodge only at sundown. For these passionate fisherman, Belize offers exotic surroundings and several of the most sought-after saltwater game fish in the world, the most popular of which is undoubtedly the tarpon.
Fly fisherman or not, there is a wealth of sea angling experiences awaiting the visitor to Belize and its numerous offshore islands. Indeed, many species respond better to spinning methods or to natural baits than to artificial flies and it would be a mistake to restrict tackle and tactics in any way. For the angler who enjoys exploring new territory the main excitement is never knowing what may be next to attach itself to the end of the line. A number of most exciting species to be taken from the shore or boats have ferocious teeth, so it is essential to attach lures or baits by means of wire trace unless bite-offs are to become a way of life. Perhaps the best and cheapest way to search out the potential is by light tackle spinning. If you arm yourself with a small selection of plugs and spoons, beaches, rocky points, mangroves, flats and reefs can all be investigated.
Polarized sunglasses are an essential item of equipment for spotting fish in clear shallow water. It is unusual to fish for very long without seeing signs of life. Shoals of baitfish spray from the water as huge tarpon strike from below. Groups of bonefish or permit melt away like shadowy wraiths, and the table-top sized stingrays glide off from the margins of the flats at a heavy footed approach. In contrast, the sword-tipped needlefish race wildly after lures, retrieved at speed just beneath the surface of the water while snapping repeatedly at a fast moving spoon. Fish will often be present almost in the margin of the sea, particularly at dawn and dusk, and the trill of hooking a 10 lb. barracuda, a deep bodied jack or a gorgeously colored mutton snapper in only inches of water has to be experienced to be believed.
THE ATHLETIC TARPON
Of course, it is for the recognized big game or sport fish that many visitors come to be Caribbean, and perhaps the prime target in Belize is the tarpon or silver king, a giant relative of the herring and shad. Known for their spectacular jumps, tarpon in Belize range in size from 5 to 150 lbs., but most commonly weigh between 20 to 60 lbs. Even the smaller tarpon will twist and turn sommersaults, but the real thrill is when a big one takes the bait, fly or plug. A large tarpon will leap into the air shaking its head violently, and for a brief instant will appear to hang in mid-air. This amazing action has led Belizean fishermen to dub the tarpon the "silver Michael Jordan" after the American basketball player. A tarpon is capable of keeping up the fight for two hours, so it is no wonder so many fisherman consider it a real challenge. Guides say most anglers visiting Belize have a good chance of landing a tarpon, although success is measured by how many jumps a fisherman achieves that day or week.
Bonefish are Belize's second most popular game fish. These fish may be small, but they have great power for their size. A bonefish can provide a fantastic run once it is hooked, but getting one to take your fly is by no means easy. The bonefish's mirror like scales also give it almost perfect camouflage as it travels over green sea grass or the gray bottom of the mud and coral flats.
GHOST OF THE FLATS
Alghtough a bonefish can be practically invisible in the water, it is the permit that is known as the "ghost of the flats". These powerful, deepbodied members of the jack family average between 10 to 12 lbs. and have been described as 10 times more elusive than bonefish. They may also be 10 times more powerful: once hooked, a permit takes off with such explosive force it amazes most anglers the first time they experience it. Fishermen stalk the easily spooked permit by wading through the water, or standing silently in a skiff as their guide poles it. Permit feed almost entirely on crabs and shrimps and, although they will take flies and other artificial baits, it is on live crustaceans that they are most likely to be caught.
Another popular saltwater fish move up and down river estuaries with the tides and frequent the seaward margins of mangrove forests. They are aggressive, hard-fighting fish and will take plugs, cast close to the mangroves, with seeming abandon. Unlike tarpon, bonefish and permit, which are not considered very tasty, snook are delicious. Dubbed the "steak of the sea", snook used to be standard fare at some fishing lodges, but these days more and more are being released as environmental awareness grows: there has been a marked decrease in the average size of snook from the record of 47 lb. over a decade ago to between 6 & 8 lbs. today.
Barracuda and several species of snapper and jack are also plentiful off the Belizean coast, and many tourists charter individual boats from Ambergris Caye to try their luck. Trolling along the outer margins of a reef with shallow running or surface plugs is likely to produce spectacular sport with black grouper or the bright orange colored cubera snapper. Both species are liable to seek shelter within the reef after being hooked and large specimens will test the knots on the stoutest tackle.
There is some commercial sport fishing for billfish, and the Belize Fishing Association holds yearly ocean tournaments and rodeos for those who want to catch marlin and sailfish. Despite increasing pressure to release these large fish taken in competitions - which can weight in at up to 450 lbs., most are cut up for their meat. Tuna, wahoo, kingfish and dolphin fish are all likely rewards of trolling for big-game fish in Belize and can each, in their own right, provide the angling event of a lifetime on suitable equipment. Big-game trips are, however, often expensive and it may be preferable to charter a local commercial fisherman informally and troll for these lesser species closer inshore, using plugs or rubber lures.
Whatever type of fish they seek, environmental awareness has rubbed off on fishermen: there is general agreement that Belize's lush, pristine foliage and abundant wildlife add immeasurably to the total fishing experience. It is not uncommon during a river trip to see monkey's iguanas and crocodiles as well as orchids and bromeliads, and even the cayes are completely different environments from what North Americans and Europeans are used to at home.
THE FLY FISHING CRAZE
Over the years Belize has seen changes in fishing techniques. Bait fishing, once the most popular, has to some extend given way to fly fishing - a result of the fever that has taken hold of sport fishing throughout the world. Fly fishers describe their technique as an art rather than a skill, and consider themselves to be conservationists as well as sportsmen. They are the first to argue in favor of preserving bot the fish and their natural habitats in order to ensure healthy populations in the future.
For this reason, most fishing in Belize is now catch-and-release, with very few fish killed, and there's increasing pressure to make this standard practice. The new breed of angler's is more concerned with skillfully landing the fish than with making it a trophy or filling an ice chest to take home; success is not measured by the number of fish brought to the boat, but by achieving a flawless cast or choosing just the right lure.
Most fly fisherman do not consider themselves to be on vacation in Belize - it's more like they are on a mission Often they are in the boat before dawn and back at the lodge only at sundown. For these passionate fisherman, Belize offers exotic surroundings and several of the most sought-after saltwater game fish in the world, the most popular of which is undoubtedly the tarpon.
Fly fisherman or not, there is a wealth of sea angling experiences awaiting the visitor to Belize and its numerous offshore islands. Indeed, many species respond better to spinning methods or to natural baits than to artificial flies and it would be a mistake to restrict tackle and tactics in any way. For the angler who enjoys exploring new territory the main excitement is never knowing what may be next to attach itself to the end of the line. A number of most exciting species to be taken from the shore or boats have ferocious teeth, so it is essential to attach lures or baits by means of wire trace unless bite-offs are to become a way of life. Perhaps the best and cheapest way to search out the potential is by light tackle spinning. If you arm yourself with a small selection of plugs and spoons, beaches, rocky points, mangroves, flats and reefs can all be investigated.
Polarized sunglasses are an essential item of equipment for spotting fish in clear shallow water. It is unusual to fish for very long without seeing signs of life. Shoals of baitfish spray from the water as huge tarpon strike from below. Groups of bonefish or permit melt away like shadowy wraiths, and the table-top sized stingrays glide off from the margins of the flats at a heavy footed approach. In contrast, the sword-tipped needlefish race wildly after lures, retrieved at speed just beneath the surface of the water while snapping repeatedly at a fast moving spoon. Fish will often be present almost in the margin of the sea, particularly at dawn and dusk, and the trill of hooking a 10 lb. barracuda, a deep bodied jack or a gorgeously colored mutton snapper in only inches of water has to be experienced to be believed.
THE ATHLETIC TARPON
Of course, it is for the recognized big game or sport fish that many visitors come to be Caribbean, and perhaps the prime target in Belize is the tarpon or silver king, a giant relative of the herring and shad. Known for their spectacular jumps, tarpon in Belize range in size from 5 to 150 lbs., but most commonly weigh between 20 to 60 lbs. Even the smaller tarpon will twist and turn sommersaults, but the real thrill is when a big one takes the bait, fly or plug. A large tarpon will leap into the air shaking its head violently, and for a brief instant will appear to hang in mid-air. This amazing action has led Belizean fishermen to dub the tarpon the "silver Michael Jordan" after the American basketball player. A tarpon is capable of keeping up the fight for two hours, so it is no wonder so many fisherman consider it a real challenge. Guides say most anglers visiting Belize have a good chance of landing a tarpon, although success is measured by how many jumps a fisherman achieves that day or week.
Bonefish are Belize's second most popular game fish. These fish may be small, but they have great power for their size. A bonefish can provide a fantastic run once it is hooked, but getting one to take your fly is by no means easy. The bonefish's mirror like scales also give it almost perfect camouflage as it travels over green sea grass or the gray bottom of the mud and coral flats.
GHOST OF THE FLATS
Alghtough a bonefish can be practically invisible in the water, it is the permit that is known as the "ghost of the flats". These powerful, deepbodied members of the jack family average between 10 to 12 lbs. and have been described as 10 times more elusive than bonefish. They may also be 10 times more powerful: once hooked, a permit takes off with such explosive force it amazes most anglers the first time they experience it. Fishermen stalk the easily spooked permit by wading through the water, or standing silently in a skiff as their guide poles it. Permit feed almost entirely on crabs and shrimps and, although they will take flies and other artificial baits, it is on live crustaceans that they are most likely to be caught.
Another popular saltwater fish move up and down river estuaries with the tides and frequent the seaward margins of mangrove forests. They are aggressive, hard-fighting fish and will take plugs, cast close to the mangroves, with seeming abandon. Unlike tarpon, bonefish and permit, which are not considered very tasty, snook are delicious. Dubbed the "steak of the sea", snook used to be standard fare at some fishing lodges, but these days more and more are being released as environmental awareness grows: there has been a marked decrease in the average size of snook from the record of 47 lb. over a decade ago to between 6 & 8 lbs. today.
Barracuda and several species of snapper and jack are also plentiful off the Belizean coast, and many tourists charter individual boats from Ambergris Caye to try their luck. Trolling along the outer margins of a reef with shallow running or surface plugs is likely to produce spectacular sport with black grouper or the bright orange colored cubera snapper. Both species are liable to seek shelter within the reef after being hooked and large specimens will test the knots on the stoutest tackle.
There is some commercial sport fishing for billfish, and the Belize Fishing Association holds yearly ocean tournaments and rodeos for those who want to catch marlin and sailfish. Despite increasing pressure to release these large fish taken in competitions - which can weight in at up to 450 lbs., most are cut up for their meat. Tuna, wahoo, kingfish and dolphin fish are all likely rewards of trolling for big-game fish in Belize and can each, in their own right, provide the angling event of a lifetime on suitable equipment. Big-game trips are, however, often expensive and it may be preferable to charter a local commercial fisherman informally and troll for these lesser species closer inshore, using plugs or rubber lures.
