Fish Catching Travel
I am back, and what a really great time we had. To be with your 2 best fishing buddies in one of the coolest places on the planet was a real joy. As one’s life passes by there are some things we all want to do, and you just have to make it happen. Of course it was about the fishing, but it is the overall experience that makes the memories. Eating at Wish Willy’s, walking the streets, having a cold one at the Lazy Lizard, a permit kicking your butt, and just sitting by the ocean and letting it all sink in makes those memories. So we will be back, in fact Shoedog wants to go back in July when there is a flat our guide Ken fishes that has hundreds of big tarpon cruising in shallow water. Makes me want to pack and head out right now.
Just walking the island is a thing of beauty. The sea and the fish are a way of life here. Whether it is lobster, conch, fishing for the restaurants, or providing the services for us tourists, it is all about the water and the island life.
Making lobster traps for the June season. A good time to go there with the big lobster fest.
How about a fresh coconut?
Fishing around one of the many docks.
Can you say the tropics?
How about this for your street?
Shoedog helps with a sunken boat. I hate it when that happens.
There is so much to tell, I have several videos to make so it will take a couple of days of posting to get it all in so keep stopping by. So lets cover the basics today. Caye Caulker is a small island about 20 miles off the mainland out of Belize City. With about 2,500 residents, no cars, and some of the more interesting people from all over the world, it is an experience. Caye Caulker is a lessor know island that is not as well known as some of the other fishing islands in Belize. But the price is right for those of us that want to do it ourselves.
You get there on a short 10 minute hop on Tropic Air from the airport. That round trip runs about $160 and is worth every penny. Not only are you fishing right after lunch, but the flight over the area is awesome, it just looks fishy. You can also take the numerous ferry boats for like $20, and I am glad I did it once, it is a trip.
The view as you leave Belize International on Tropic Air.
There are dozens and dozens of small islands in the area, and they all look fishy.
By time you land from the 10 minute flight you are in a fishing frenzy.
We stayed where I stayed before, Sea Dreams Hotel. Haywood and and his wife, transplants from Austin, own it and it is a great place with great help. Anna runs the show and is a wonderful person and will bend over to help you do whatever you need to get down. It is clean and in a perfect place for immediate access to some nice bonefishing a block from your room. Your room comes with a breakfast every morning, and there is always a few cold beers and pop in the fridge. If you ever think of going, they are the place. And I want to say something else about staying on Caye Caulker at Sea Dreams and using Ken as your guide, the price is right.
When I initially decided to go to Belize I searched the Internet for all the options. There is nothing wrong with those well known places, some which are all inclusive with fishing and food. But I found out one important thing. If you are willing to work a little harder you can save a lot of money. I spent less than half of what those fancy fishing places cost, and guess what, my air fare was included. It is just a matter of how you go about planning your trip.
Shoedog all dressed up with somewhere to go.
Haywood is the real deal as a fly fisherman, and the guide you will read more about, Ken, is a real pro. The small fly shop, Anglers Abroad that is there has flies and a really small amount of other tackle, and Haywood will help you with whatever he can. But a word to the wise, if you want to be sure you have it, take it. And I mean hooks, line, sinkers, rods, reels, lures, flies and anything else you can think of. There is no Academy or Wal Mart, or any place else to get stuff, and what there is is expensive. Everything but the fun comes by boat and with the tax imposed by the government things are high. And the selection is minimal. But who cares, why let a little thing like that mess up a grand time. So be prepared.
As I am getting all the preliminary stuff out of the road lets talk about guides. Sea Dreams will set you up. But remember there are very few guides on the island, and you must make reservations early and make a deposit. Tell them you want Ken, he is the man. I will put links at the end of this post so you can see the things I am talking about.
The dock at Sea Dreams. Shoedog casts to cruising bonefish.
One of the things I like about the places it there are fish right there. Bonefish cruise the area by the docks and can be caught on jigs and shrimp. We also caught lots of small other stuff, unidentifiable but fun to catch. The bones are spooky there, but we caught them. At night we caught tarpon, snappers, and assorted other things. It was simply a matter of catching sardines on a Sabiki rig in the split and then free lining them either off the dock or at the split.
Clyde does battle with another fish off the dock. You just never know what you will catch. They were lots of fun and fought with a passion.
This trip the wind was blowing, I guess I brought it from Texas, and it was to tough to fish the split. And while the wind blew on the front side of the island and you could not see the bonefish, I was till able to catch some. For jigs it was simple, 1/8 hair jigs from Anglers Ammo. You can order them off their website and in the mail they come. Tan or yellow were by far the best, and we used 8 – 10 fluorocarbon line on long light spinning rods, just be sure you have well over 100 yards of line. Those things haul ass!
Before I get to the matter of more serious fishing, I have several videos to make, lets finish the rest of the island. Of course one of the main goals on the trip was to eat as much seafood as possible, and we did. The most expensive meal we ate, including a couple of beers was about $60 for the three of us. Almost everywhere you eat is good, but one place for me stands out, Wish Willy.
You can not leave the island without eating here.
Wish Willy is 2 blocks from Sea Dreams. It is a bar and grill, a home, a hangout, and a few other things. Maurice, who lived in the US for a while and is back on Caye Caulker, is a dread lock wearing , food cooking trip. I have found that eating there is best done by letting him pick the meal, and you provide the fish. How about a couple of snappers?
Mmm Mmm Good! Snapper stew followed by grilled snapper. Shoedog eats his cubera snapper. Napkins? You don’t need no stinkin napkins.
Jeff caught a couple of snappers we dropped them off, came back at 6:30 and feasted. Now folks, when you eat there do not expect full service, matching plates and silverware, or any of the other stuff you expect in the US. Relax, enjoy, and get tastes and flavors fit for a king. A meal at Wish Willy is a must. So pick a place and order something you have never had before.
The boys digesting more seafood. Follow it up with a Cuban coffee and life is good.
So now I hope you have a feel for the place. It is a walking, eating, drinking extravaganza. Laid back, you have to get with the island speed and get your Belize on. If you dive, swim, fish, sail, or anything else on the water, this is the place.
Now on to the reason for the season. We went to catch tarpon, bonefish, permit, and maybe a snook. For the best part we got it done. So now I have to sit down and make some videos and sort through a hundred pictures, but I will get it done. So keep stopping in as it may take 2 more days to get it done. And a big thanks to Sea Dreams, Anna, Haywood and his family, and our guide Ken. It was all it was supposed to be.
Thanks for reading my stuff. So stop in and take a look at their websites, they will appreciate it. Come back tomorrow as the serious fishing begins!
Ken is the man! http://www.chasintail.bz/
Sea Dreams/Anglers Abroad http://www.anglersabroad.com/accommodations.html
Good Luck and Tight Lines
