Belize Fishing Experience?

[Cozmo4196]

I'm heading to Belize in the beginning of April(specifically the Stann Creek district) and was wondering if anyone has experience fishing that area. Various sources suggest bringing our own gear but I'm curious as to what rods/reel combos I should pack along. If you have knowledge of the area/fishery and are willing to answer a few questions let me know I'll shoot over a PM.

[fishinChristian]

Salt, I would assume? Standard salt gear, with a few extra plugs if you're used to the NW. It was great in the 70's but I don't know now. I have friends who still scuba there and say there's still lots of fish. Any particular focus? Different species, and there's lots, need different tackle.

[ncwflounderer]

get a hold of the "Fishin' Magician" Dave Graybill and ask him. I think he has gone there in the past, and will probably let you know what you will need

[Gringo Pescador]

I have not fished Belize, but have fished the Quintana Roo area of Mexico (just north of Belize) a few times. A lot depends on where you are. Close to shore there is a lot of opportunity for flats fishing for Bonefish, Barracuda, Permit, Tarpon & Snook. Then you have your deep sea stuff which can bring you Sailfish, Tuna, Bonito, etc.
For flats fishing the main technique is fly fishing, but I fished with gear, just a heavy trout setup (think Pink gear or light steelhead gear) with jigs, lures & hermit crab for bait. The cool part about flats fishing is you can stand in the Panga (boat) or wade and site fish and catch anything from stocker trout sized bonefish to huge tarpon.
Just make sure you have a large brim hat, sunglasses, sunblock, wading pants, etc, etc. The sun can be brutal on th water, when I went the 1st time I wore a big brim straw hat. After a day of fishing I got back to the hotel, took off my hat and I had a ring of little red diamonds seared into my head because the hat had little diamond vent holes woven into it. I looked like a playing card.

I would start by Googling Belize fishing and go from there. At minimum take a trout pole and just look for other people fishing and do what they do.

Another thing I do when I go down is to take a bunch of discount bait hooks and spoons and spinners (anything silver) and stuff. Then give them to people that help me to fish. At least in Mexico, it is hard to get good tackle and when they do it is expensive. Great way to break down the language barrier

[Cozmo4196]

I have not fished Belize, but have fished the Quintana Roo area of Mexico (just north of Belize) a few times. A lot depends on where you are. Close to shore there is a lot of opportunity for flats fishing for Bonefish, Barracuda, Permit, Tarpon & Snook. Then you have your deep sea stuff which can bring you Sailfish, Tuna, Bonito, etc.
For flats fishing the main technique is fly fishing, but I fished with gear, just a heavy trout setup (think Pink gear or light steelhead gear) with jigs, lures & hermit crab for bait. The cool part about flats fishing is you can stand in the Panga (boat) or wade and site fish and catch anything from stocker trout sized bonefish to huge tarpon.
Just make sure you have a large brim hat, sunglasses, sunblock, wading pants, etc, etc. The sun can be brutal on th water, when I went the 1st time I wore a big brim straw hat. After a day of fishing I got back to the hotel, took off my hat and I had a ring of little red diamonds seared into my head because the hat had little diamond vent holes woven into it. I looked like a playing card.

I would start by Googling Belize fishing and go from there. At minimum take a trout pole and just look for other people fishing and do what they do.

Another thing I do when I go down is to take a bunch of discount bait hooks and spoons and spinners (anything silver) and stuff. Then give them to people that help me to fish. At least in Mexico, it is hard to get good tackle and when they do it is expensive. Great way to break down the language barrier

All great information and I appreciate your response. We'll be in Placencia which is roughly 175 miles south of Quintana Roo so I expect the fishing situations to be similar. I've been doing some general research and will be bringing my steelhead gear as that seems most appropriate for bonefish, jacks and snappers. I've read that guides will take you out and troll the reef... I run a 9'3 8-20# FethaStyx Downrigger rod with a Tekota 500 that I use for Kings and Coho. Think would do the trick since most places suggest bringing your own gear?

What about fishing line? I was assuming to run braid with a top shot/leader of fluro since the water conditions are so clear. I just get worried about being spooled if we potentially hook into something big and having limited supplies to replace with.I got a handful of crankbaits that I use for bass, BC spoons and some bonefish jigs that I'll bring along as well.

Anything else I'm missing?

[fishinChristian]

Sounds good. Add a couple of wire leaders, and I took a spare spool of line. Don't forget repellent, please! Most guides will provide heavier reef tackle, at least the ones I've been with. I took an ultralight outfit to catch bait when I was on my own. Also had good results with typical Lingcod style jigs with plastics of the curly tail design. 2 oz was a good match for what I went after in that area. A few extra high quality hooks might be good, as some areas used to have cheapo hooks, and one guide I went with had distance release wire hooks that let everything over a few pounds go. I'd definitely take more than one rod, just in case, and for variety. If you're going to fish from a boat, spooling is kind of unlikely, at least it never happened to me in 6 months of fishing south of the border. Lean toward minnow imitations on the plugs, and I had a blast on topwater in that area. If I remember the best was a 9" rapala floater/diver. Fun area!

[eat-sleep-fish]

I am probably going to state things that you are already taking. A pair of shoes that you can wade the flats in, sounds like many active species on the flats. A quality pair of polarized sunglasses for spotting fish. Maybe topwater plugs for snook? I would also bring an extra spool of line for each reel, just in case. Do you flyfish? I have seen many shows on bonefish and they look like a blast to catch on a flyrod.

[Gringo Pescador]

Yes! Good Call! Wire leaders, wading shoes and polorized sunglasses.

Regarding guides/charters, make sure you know what you are getting before you get on the boat. For many of the deep sea charters down there the trip consists of you sitting and drinking beer/soda while the crew fishes. They hook one, then call the customers over one-by-one to reel in the already hooked fish. This is not my thing so I always make sure I find someone that will allow me to do the work. In most cases I have found if you look for "light tackle" guides/charters it is more of a hands on experience.

Another thing to check into that is pretty cool is to find out if there is a restaraunt near you that will cook up your catch for you (most will.. at least in MX).
In PV I have a Gringo guide that not only arranged the boat & captain for me, but afterward he took my catch (3 decent Dorado and 1 medium sized Rooster) to a local restaraunt and made reservations for me and my family. All I had to do was go back to the hotel, shower, round up the family, hop in a taxi to the restaraunt and enjoy. The only thing we had to order was our drinks. Beachside table at sunset, 8 adults and three kids and we had Rooster Fish Ceviche and baked Dorado with rice and Mango Salsa . My inlaws were kind of bent that I took off to go fishing all day but they got over it real quick come dinnertime and the best part (for me) was picking up the tab and they only charged me $10 per plate!

[Cozmo4196]

I am probably going to state things that you are already taking. A pair of shoes that you can wade the flats in, sounds like many active species on the flats. A quality pair of polarized sunglasses for spotting fish. Maybe topwater plugs for snook? I would also bring an extra spool of line for each reel, just in case. Do you flyfish? I have seen many shows on bonefish and they look like a blast to catch on a flyrod.

I have a flyrod but don't feel confident enough to rely on it as my only method to catch fish. We'll be using spinning gear to target all of our fish.

Yes! Good Call! Wire leaders, wading shoes and polorized sunglasses.

Regarding guides/charters, make sure you know what you are getting before you get on the boat. For many of the deep sea charters down there the trip consists of you sitting and drinking beer/soda while the crew fishes. They hook one, then call the customers over one-by-one to reel in the already hooked fish. This is not my thing so I always make sure I find someone that will allow me to do the work. In most cases I have found if you look for "light tackle" guides/charters it is more of a hands on experience.

I will definitely look into this. I don't want a hand holding fishing experience. We plan on checking out the marina/boats/guides to see what they offer before we make a final decision.

Sounds good. Add a couple of wire leaders, and I took a spare spool of line. Don't forget repellent, please! Most guides will provide heavier reef tackle, at least the ones I've been with. I took an ultralight outfit to catch bait when I was on my own. Also had good results with typical Lingcod style jigs with plastics of the curly tail design. 2 oz was a good match for what I went after in that area. A few extra high quality hooks might be good, as some areas used to have cheapo hooks, and one guide I went with had distance release wire hooks that let everything over a few pounds go. I'd definitely take more than one rod, just in case, and for variety. If you're going to fish from a boat, spooling is kind of unlikely, at least it never happened to me in 6 months of fishing south of the border. Lean toward minnow imitations on the plugs, and I had a blast on topwater in that area. If I remember the best was a 9" rapala floater/diver. Fun area!

I totally forgot about soft plastic baits. IS that what you'd typically use around mangroves and structure? I assume alot of this is like bass fishing techniques but on alot bigger scale.


What do you guys think about the braided main line with fluro leaders? Or should we just run mono?

[fishinChristian]

I would take one of each, mono and combo, but that's just me. Different conditions call for different tactics, and I like to have on rig ready if there are rising fish. Just reel up, drop the first rod, and cast. Wouldn't go ANYwhere without jig/plastics, ever, if I have the choice. In fact, if allowed just one type of gear, that's the one, especially in salt. Minnow imitations, and a Zara Spook type of walk the dog lure would also go along. I'd skip the flyrod if you aren't fluent in it, but they are fun. And Gringo is right, check the rep of potential guides. There are forums out there that help. Also, check the reputation for numbers versus size the charter specializes in. I've found some are better than others if you're after a trophy, or after a pile of fish. Oh, and ordering those drinks, make sure you don't have ice, or that they use filtered water, unless you've spent enough time traveling to get used to various, ummm, maladies that reside there. I have a friend who drank bottled water, but poured it over ice, and the rest of his trip was spent deciding which end to point at the toilet! There are safe sources, but make sure. I took a hiking type of water filter with me just in case. Never used it, but felt better having it.

[The Quadfather]

I spent my honeymoon in Belize, on Amburgies (sp?) Key. I did go out with a guide to fish the reef. We caught a lot of trigger fish, and other 3-5lb varieties. You have plenty of great information from people above.

I was just going to say that as far as packing your own rods down there, just go get a piece of 4-5" wide PVC pipe. Cut it to the length for your rods when broken down. Duct take the bejeezus out of both ends. And take it as checked baggage.
No need to buy an expensive rod holder. This works for me every time.
I 2nd what Gringo Pescidor said about making arrangements to have some of your catch cooked up for you.
We got back to the beach... boat guide took our fish, met us in a bar in an hour, and he had made the best ceviche you could ask for!
Have a blast!

[MarkFromSea]

Ambergris Caye was pretty fancy! We stayed on Caye Caulker 20ish years ago for a week. We spent a week trekking to Tecal as well. Didn't fish, but scuba and snorkeled off island every day! SUNSCREEN!!!!!! SUNBLOCK!!!!!! Oh the pain, the horror! LOL I wasn't laughing then..... You'll have a great time.

[Cozmo4196]

I spent my honeymoon in Belize, on Amburgies (sp?) Key. I did go out with a guide to fish the reef. We caught a lot of trigger fish, and other 3-5lb varieties. You have plenty of great information from people above.

I was just going to say that as far as packing your own rods down there, just go get a piece of 4-5" wide PVC pipe. Cut it to the length for your rods when broken down. Duct take the bejeezus out of both ends. And take it as checked baggage.
No need to buy an expensive rod holder. This works for me every time.
I 2nd what Gringo Pescidor said about making arrangements to have some of your catch cooked up for you.
We got back to the beach... boat guide took our fish, met us in a bar in an hour, and he had made the best ceviche you could ask for!
Have a blast!

Thanks Chris. I've been reading about Ambergris Caye and it sounds like a phenomenal place. Outdoor Emporium sells PVC plastic tubes with screw-on end caps for less than $20. Holds three rods if the eyelets aren't too big. Sure beats what they're trying to sell at Cabelas.

I'm bringing three rods(two casting and a trolling) with me at this point so I feel like I should be covered. Just trying to make sure that everything is accounted for prior to departure, because the supplies once we arrive are very very limited.

[fishinChristian]

You should be fine with what's described. When I was there tarpon ran over 100lbs and the grouper were pretty big, too. Barracuda are always fun, and we used surgical tubing with 3 hooks and wire leader running thru it for a cheap effective way to catch 'em. You don't want expensive lures in their mouths, or I didn't! Tarpon on topwater when they are in the mood are awe inspiring!!