A party of four with lots of fresh water fly fishing experience, came to fish salt water for the first time. BRL was well recommended to them so they also came with confidence. By email they had expressed the desire for “good fishing, good food and good people”.
On arrival they said that no one in their party had ever caught a tarpon, so any size tarpon was at the top of their list. I advised that some big tarpon were in the area, so be ready! Good food and good people we deliver every day; so not a problem. Good fishing? Well that depends!
“Depends” is a favorite word of guides, lodge managers and booking agents. As we say in Belize Kriol:
Dipen pan di weda.
Dipen pan di fish.
Dipen pan the fishaman.
Dipen pan lata lok.
Depends on the weather. Weather was good and not so good, but not a factor, as fish were caught every day.
Depends on the fish. Permit were just under the bow or too far away. Snook were hungry and aggressive at times and illusive much of the time.
Depends on the fisherman. All anglers were good to great fly casters, always a very positive factor.
Depends on lots of luck. Tarpon as usual have luck on their side as “many are jumped but few are landed”.
Catch of the week: The group leader, who said his biggest fish to date was a 16 pound steelhead, got into big tarpon on the first day. He jumped three and landed one. By measurement this fish calculated to be 160 pounds. The fly was a 4/0 Tarpon Glow. Not bad at all for a man’s first day in salt water!
Other action for this party included: 3 backwater grand slams, (tarpon, snook, bones); About 40 small tarpon 10-50 lbs. were jumped with 8 landed; one permit landed but many more opportunities though permit were not really targeted.
Also this week Joe Rossi from WILDSIDE ADVENTURES has been filming fishing. He also filmed a cooking segment of the snook he caught. The camera recorded this action on the flats: three large tarpon in the air and one 100 pounder boated, one backwater grand slam (tarpon, bone and snook, one angler, same day), more than 15 bones one day, four snook 6, 7, 8, & 10 pounds one day, many casts to permit with only one take on a fouled fly, and up river 6 tarpon 10-20 pounds jumped one landed.
WILDSIDE ADVENTUES Show dates:
April 1, 8, 15, FSN Pittsburgh 12:30 PM EST.
At Belize River Lodge BIG TARPON, Baby Tarpon, Bonefish, Permit, and Snook are the primary targets for the specialist. In addition, Cudas, Snappers, Jacks and several other species make for great variety fishing, any time of year.
At BRL we love to host the specialist as well as the angler who wants to catch a variety of species.
Belize River Lodge is very easy to get to:
American Airlines from Miami and Dallas;
Continental Airlinesfrom Houston and Newark;
Delta Airlines from Atlanta;
US Airways from Charlotte, NC;
TACA from Houston, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Then just 15 minutes from Belize Airport to the lodge
