Sal V Linus
07-26-09, 05:47 PM
My wife and I just celebrated our 10th anniversary in Belize. We stayed on Ambergris Caye in San Pedro. Our trip was amazing. The people on the resort were very nice and enjoyable to be around, but the local culture was simply amazing. This was our second trip to San Pedro and we had an even better time this trip. I would recommend the trip to anyone who wants a vacation not at a "mega-resort" like Cancun or Atlantis in the Bahamas.
So on to the fishing. We had set up a guide for 3 days and then planned to fish every other day as our own guides just cruising the flats within a couple miles of our resort. The day we got there we were greeted with this:
http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv302/andylott/Belize%202009/P6290152.jpg
I knew the fishing could be excellent. Having bonefish tailing right outside your door is something everyone should experience. A few drinks at the pool bar and a nice dinner that night. I was well rested for the next day. Our first morning and once again, tailing fish just up the beach. I waded to within 20 yards of two small schools and just observed them to try and figure out a feeding pattern. I stalked closer and when I was within 40 feet of a group of 3 fishing feeding toward me I made a couple false casts and put the fly in front of them, let it settle, gave a couple strips and the line came tight! This was followed by the sweetest song I have heard in a long time, zzzzzzzzzz the sound of fly line and backing racing off the reel. I was deep in to the backing several times before I brought the fish to hand. My first Belizean bonefish!
http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv302/andylott/Belize%202009/P6270073.jpg
Self picture because my wife decided to sleep in.
http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv302/andylott/Belize%202009/P6270074.jpg
That evening we both went out and I ended up with another bonefish.
http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv302/andylott/Belize%202009/P6270096.jpg
We then had a guided trip the next day and the weather was not very cooperative. We had overcast skies all day which made visibility on the flats pretty tough. T
I managed a couple of fish early morning in the mangroves. Here is the better of the two.
http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv302/andylott/Belize%202009/P6280132.jpg
Ok, a little background. We fell in love with Belize last time we were there, and went fishing, but we found it somewhat difficult with a guide to target bonefish from a flats boat when one person is using a fly rod, and the other is using a spinning rod. I looked at this trip as an investment in the future. I felt pretty certain that if I could get my wife to catch a bonefish on the fly she would be hooked and the spinning rod would stay at home from now on. I also knew, that I would now constantly be out-fished by my wife.
Here is where my wife's trip started. She usually out fishes me, but up until this point I was able to play the "fly rod card" with her. It usually went something like this. Yes, I know you caught more fish this today, but you were using a spinning rod. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but a man needs to keep the "hunter gatherer" title as long as he can, right?
My wife had picked up a fly rod less than five times, and never anything larger than a 4wt. She struggled with casting and seeing fish all day. Then, 6 and 1/2 hours in to our trip she connects and the rest is history. Here she is with her first bonefish on the fly.
http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv302/andylott/Belize%202009/P6280147.jpg
http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv302/andylott/Belize%202009/P6280146.jpg
So, the rest of the week with the guide we both catch at least 12 bonefish each day. It was amazing. Here are a couple of other pictures in the slideshow. Just click on the picture below. Sorry about the long post. Tight Lines!
-Andy
http://s694.photobucket.com/albums/vv302/andylott/Belize%202009/th_P6260065.jpg (http://s694.photobucket.com/albums/vv302/andylott/Belize%202009/?action=view¤t=47d750ec.pbw)
So on to the fishing. We had set up a guide for 3 days and then planned to fish every other day as our own guides just cruising the flats within a couple miles of our resort. The day we got there we were greeted with this:
http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv302/andylott/Belize%202009/P6290152.jpg
I knew the fishing could be excellent. Having bonefish tailing right outside your door is something everyone should experience. A few drinks at the pool bar and a nice dinner that night. I was well rested for the next day. Our first morning and once again, tailing fish just up the beach. I waded to within 20 yards of two small schools and just observed them to try and figure out a feeding pattern. I stalked closer and when I was within 40 feet of a group of 3 fishing feeding toward me I made a couple false casts and put the fly in front of them, let it settle, gave a couple strips and the line came tight! This was followed by the sweetest song I have heard in a long time, zzzzzzzzzz the sound of fly line and backing racing off the reel. I was deep in to the backing several times before I brought the fish to hand. My first Belizean bonefish!
http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv302/andylott/Belize%202009/P6270073.jpg
Self picture because my wife decided to sleep in.
http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv302/andylott/Belize%202009/P6270074.jpg
That evening we both went out and I ended up with another bonefish.
http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv302/andylott/Belize%202009/P6270096.jpg
We then had a guided trip the next day and the weather was not very cooperative. We had overcast skies all day which made visibility on the flats pretty tough. T
I managed a couple of fish early morning in the mangroves. Here is the better of the two.
http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv302/andylott/Belize%202009/P6280132.jpg
Ok, a little background. We fell in love with Belize last time we were there, and went fishing, but we found it somewhat difficult with a guide to target bonefish from a flats boat when one person is using a fly rod, and the other is using a spinning rod. I looked at this trip as an investment in the future. I felt pretty certain that if I could get my wife to catch a bonefish on the fly she would be hooked and the spinning rod would stay at home from now on. I also knew, that I would now constantly be out-fished by my wife.
Here is where my wife's trip started. She usually out fishes me, but up until this point I was able to play the "fly rod card" with her. It usually went something like this. Yes, I know you caught more fish this today, but you were using a spinning rod. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but a man needs to keep the "hunter gatherer" title as long as he can, right?
My wife had picked up a fly rod less than five times, and never anything larger than a 4wt. She struggled with casting and seeing fish all day. Then, 6 and 1/2 hours in to our trip she connects and the rest is history. Here she is with her first bonefish on the fly.
http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv302/andylott/Belize%202009/P6280147.jpg
http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv302/andylott/Belize%202009/P6280146.jpg
So, the rest of the week with the guide we both catch at least 12 bonefish each day. It was amazing. Here are a couple of other pictures in the slideshow. Just click on the picture below. Sorry about the long post. Tight Lines!
-Andy
http://s694.photobucket.com/albums/vv302/andylott/Belize%202009/th_P6260065.jpg (http://s694.photobucket.com/albums/vv302/andylott/Belize%202009/?action=view¤t=47d750ec.pbw)