Belize is a prized gem of the American Tropics. What this Central American country lacks in size, it makes up for in amazing natural and historical treasures.
Blessed with some of the world’s most fertile reefs, numerous coastal rivers and extensive flats, this Caribbean getaway offers terrific angling from Rocky Point just below the Mexican border, south to Punta Gorda near Guatemala.
But it goes beyond stalking bonefish and permit on the coral flats. There’s tarpon fishing around Belize’s Outer Atolls, as well as excellent mixed-bag prospects on the shallows of the Inner Cays (islands located between the outer atolls and the mainland). The mainland estuaries are also world-class, and house snook and sometimes big cubera snapper to spice the mix.
Add the fact that fishing packages are available for any budget (even tent-camping is possible), and you understand why so many fly and light-tackle devotees hold this place in such high regard.
Ambergris Caye, located immediately below Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, is a popular stop for visiting anglers. At famous El Pescador Lodge, located on Ambergris, bonefish is the primary target, but tarpon may be an even bigger attraction, perhaps because the fishing for local silver kings takes place over light- bottom flats with some mixed turtlegrass, reminiscent of the oceanside flats of the Florida Keys.
Permit come in third in the pecking order, followed by a wide array of reef species that venture up on the shallows. After all, Palancar, the world’s second largest barrier reef, comes within a few hundred yards of Ambergris. But El Pescador Lodge is not the only game in town. There’s Journey’s End, Hotel Del Rio, Amigos Del Mar, Coral Reef Hotel and Portofino Resort, to name a few. Some places have their own dock, boats and fishing guides, but even those that don’t can make fishing arrangements for you upon your arrival. Though limited, there also are places to fish from the beach.
If you're willing to ask around, rent a golf cart, and get away from the resorts and the tourists, bonefish and several reef dwellers can be in good supply for the do-it-yourselfer, especially early and late in the day.
Caye Caulker, just south of Ambergris, is another excellent place to target Belize’s glamour species. The Belize Odyssey Resort and the Iguana Reef Inn can offer more than adequate lodging there.
Bonefish are abundant and permit frequent the area, but tarpon of all sizes are the top protagonists year-round, and especially from summer through early fall, when they travel in schools over sandy shallows where they become very conspicuous.
The good news is tarpon as big as 180 pounds have been caught in the area. Tarpon sight casting success depends greatly on the weather. Ocean breezes usually blow from the east during the aforementioned peak months, and the natural windshield provided by the string of islands in the area keeps conditions optimal for sight fishing.
When it blows strongly from a different direction, there are numerous protected coves and lagoons that are sure bets for bonefish. Permit, which often cruise the same open tarpon flats, are also spotted in those sheltered lagoons. So no matter what you’re after, you better have a rod rigged and ready for permit.
Some 25 miles southeast of Caye Caulker are the
Turneffe Islands, perhaps Belize’s most famous Outer Atolls. Turneffe Island Lodge is located there, nestled on scenic Cay Bokel, a private 12-acre island close to the coral reefs, and extensive nearby flats, many of which are suitable for wading. Bonefish around this area run in the 3- to 5-pound range, above the average size for this part of the world, and with enough in the 6- to10-pound class to keep fly and light-tackle anglers excited about the possibilities.
Permit are quite common here, too. And tarpon are available year-round, but most prevalent from June to September. Wading for bones is popular here, and the lodge’s fleet of modern skiffs are employed when targeting permit and tarpon.
Located at the northernmost point of the Turneffe Atoll is Turneffe Flats, another top fishing lodge with similar skiffs and amenities. Here fishermen can explore miles of great flats teeming with bonefish, some of which can be seen tailing just 100 yards from the lodge. Permit, tarpon and snook are also targeted, along with various members of the snapper family, barracuda and sharks that frequent the area’s immense network of channels and flats.
On the mainland, closer to Belize City, Belize River Lodge has been in operation since the early 1960s and helped pioneer angling in Belize. This beautiful lodge sits on the bank of the Belize Olde River, approximately four miles from the mouth, so visiting anglers can also fish the Sibun River, Manatee River, Black Creek and other jungle rivers and creeks for snook, tarpon and big, bad cubera snapper. Plus, nearby flats hold bonefish and permit. The lodge also uses a 58-foot Hatteras and a 52-foot Chris Craft as moving lodges for anglers who want to sample the fishing in other parts of the region during their stay. Meanwhile, a fleet of shallow-draft, 23-foot panga-like openfishermen serves as the actual fishing boats.
Visitors also encounter superb fishing around the Inner Cayes, a long string of islands located between the Outer Atolls and the main Belizean coastline. Hotspots include Tarpum Caye, a gathering place for large schools of baitfish, which in turn attract schools of hungry tarpon that patrol the flats in search of a meal. Big jacks and barracuda are also plentiful there.
