Down in Belize
“It’s like some dream we live down there.” Jerry Jeff Walker
If you are a fan of the late and great Texas artist Jerry Jeff then you probably have an idea of what he is describing. If not, he is talking about Belize. He has several songs that he has recorded that describes the life and beauty that can be found on the island. Once I booked my plane ticket to head down there his tunes kept playing on repeat inside my head.
The country of Belize is located south of the Yucatan peninsula and shares a border with Mexico. Just off the coast is an island and the city of San Pedro, surrounded by everything an angler could want. On the east side you have the Atlantic Ocean and the west side you have the more famous Ambergris Caye. Both sides are covered with endless grass flats along with various pieces of reef structure. This area is a prime place for catching Bonefish, Tarpon, and Permit and all three species can be encountered anywhere in the waters surrounding the island.
When our flight touched down on the mainland it didn’t take long to notice lots of other travelers with fly rod cases as part of their luggage – a sure sign that fishing must be good! Once jumping on the smaller plane to go over to the island, I got to experience one of my favorite things. Even though I hate flying I absolutely love looking out the window to get an aerial view of the areas that we could potentially be fishing. After getting a good overall look at the area I knew that we were in for a treat.
My friend Lane had handled all the arrangements and Captain Valmont was going to pick us up at our dock for our first fishing adventure. We were up early and had most of our stuff packed and ready to get on the boat. He pulled up right on time and we departed towards Ambergris Caye. After about a 45 minute ride he pulled over and began to scan an area. The previous day he had found a large school of Permit and had high hopes that they would still be there. After a few minutes he decided they moved on so we continued on. We arrived to a bigger set of backwater ponds that had clean white sand and mangrove shorelines. He didn’t have to pole us far until we found a few nice bones tailing and appearing happy.
Lane was on the deck first and had a decent shot at one coming directly down the shoreline. A well-placed cast later, the Bonefish continued on as if it had no interest in the fly. Valmont quickly jumped off the platform and began to inspect our fly boxes with hopes to find the perfect one. He bypassed several that I would have grabbed and picked up a tiny, meager little shrimp. With confidence he tied it on and that fly stayed on the rod all weekend. The next Bonefish coming across the sand flat pounced on it and had no intention of letting it get away. After a few long, fast runs he gave up and we got our first fish of the trip to the boat.
I was on the deck next and we began to see plenty of bonefish showing themselves. There was a handful that tended to be spooky, which is not surprising, but I finally got one to eat. A perfect specimen and exactly what you would want in a bonefish. He followed the fly and kept nosing it until he finally ate and turned away for a fast run. The more that I get a chance to chase these fish the more my admiration grows. Catching them is pretty much everything an angler could want. We ended the day landing several bonefish but never had any chances to cast to Permit.
When we got back to the dock we talked Valmont into picking us up just before daylight, hoping to improve our chances to find some early morning Tarpon. Lane had brought along a portable green light and that evening we put it to work at the end of our pier, hoping to draw in a few Tarpon. We plugged it in and went into town to get dinner and we were both eager to see if her idea worked. As we made our way down the dock, fly rod in hand, we could see some larger shadows swimming around the outer edge – a pair of Tarpon in the 30-40 pound range. I waited for them to circle back and I landed my fly just in front of one of them. Without hesitation, the lead Tarpon turned and completely inhaled it. Making a strip-set, the fly came right out of his mouth and they both bolted quickly. Even though I didn’t get the hookup we proved the green light works!
The next morning came early and away we went. We started at some of the mangrove islands Capt. Valmont wanted to check out and hoped that Tarpon were there. Quite coincidently, these were the same islands that I had spotted from the airplane. He poled me down a stretch of mangroves and we saw four smaller Tarpon hanging along the edge. He told me to wait until one turned and then I could get a decent shot. My opportunity finally came and I drew one out with my fly. She ate, turned and ran, and jumped one big leap. It was over as quickly as it started. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement but that’s exactly how Tarpon fishing goes. Our next move took us across another flat that was loaded with several schools of bonefish and played with them for a bit. Afterwards, we drove north and cut across to the ocean side with hopes to find more Tarpon. We saw one small school that was moving entirely too quickly to keep up with. I made one decent cast but they kept swimming.
The next day we stuck to the same program and had a near identical trip as the day before. The last day we spent riding around that island and seeing a few new sights, eating some different food and just enjoying our time there. I fully understand how Jerry Jeff had the inspiration to write songs and sing about Belize. It was a beautiful place with great people and great food. On top of all of that, the fishing makes it a one of a kind place. I’m already looking forward to making another trip back.