Bluewater in Belize
by Guy Elson
After our visit to Guatemala, the calm azure waters of southern Belize was the next port of call. Traveling two hours south of Belize City to the Sittee River, we ferried out to Glovers Reef atoll. Named after John Glover, an 18th century pirate, who attacked Spanish merchant ships from here. This palm studded coral island really is 
paradise. Positioned on the crest of a submerged mountain ridge the water surrounding quickly drops off to 3000ft. The caye, protected by the reef is vast, averaging 6-12ft in depth and contains over 700 fringe reefs. Camping here for a week cost us $100 US, but for $240 you can stay in a cabin on stilts over the water (for more info click here ). The sheer diversity of the fishing here is amazing with Bonefish infested flats and more Barracuda, Kingfish, Trevally and Grouper then you can shake a stick at. I joined two visiting fly fishermen, Dave and George, for a days fishing the flats guided by Warren, son of the islands owners. I gained a reputation of sorts by lightly hooking Warren’s grandma the day before whilst attempting to drop a fly in front of a passing Barracuda, nearly everyone saw the funny side!
"As we pulled into the shallows facing the mangrove what appeared to be a dark cloud of weed, 50 yards in diameter, wafted to the other end of the beach, “that’s them” said Warren."
There wasn’t a breath of breeze as we motored out, the coral flats were like a mill pond and gin clear. We drifted over several shallow reefs in search of the elusive Permit I had spotted snorkeling the previous day. The eerie calm weather we were experiencing was the 
precursor to a storm and as a result the Permit had moved into deeper water. Warren knew a mangrove where there was a prolific school of Bonefish ranging from 1 to 12 pounds with several thousand of these ‘pocket rockets’ calling this mangrove home. As we pulled into the shallows facing the mangrove what appeared to be a dark cloud of weed, 50 yards in diameter, wafted to the other end of the beach, “that’s them” said Warren. Tentatively we entered the water to our waists and positioned ourselves along the beach. The technique was to wait until the patrol returned, cast in front of them allowing the fly to settle, then twitch it through them. This proved to be very productive and in two hours I hooked five and landed three Bones all between 3 and 4 pounds. Crazy Charlies and Clousers in pink, sand and white worked well although any shrimp pattern would suffice. Intermediate line was perfect, but bring a floating line as well and your favorite 6 to 8 weight outfit. Although these fish do have the temperament for long blistering runs most reels with a good drag and capacity for 100 yards of backing will do perfectly. For the afternoon we netted some Sardines 
for live bait and dropped anchor on the edge of the reef in 80 feet of water. A handfull of Sardines was thrown in, which in turn sparked a series of explosions around the boat as some giant King Mackeral ripped through the surf. Our guide, to my horror, produced a hand line and tossed his live bait into the fray. I envisaged a bloodied stump of a hand at best and waited with baited breath. The take was savage swallowing 150 yards in seconds. Ten minutes later a 25 kg Kingfish was flapping around on the deck and Warren seemed to have kept all this digits intact. With spinning rod in hand I stepped up and launched my bait towards a slashing kingfish. My line went taut and was met by a fright train run spooling the 300yrds of 30lb braid off my Stradic on full drag in what appeared to be about 20 seconds. Slightly shocked I borrowed another rod and continued fishing into the evening releasing some sizeable groupers, horse eyed jacks, barracuda and two silky sharks. As the sun wandered towards the horizon we headed in with two 6inch pushers in tow, both of which took some big eye tuna, perfect for sashimi and a fitting end to a memorable fishing holiday.
Sportsfishing is never cheap, but I have found that it is possible to keep costs down by dealing directly with the boat owners and negotiating deals for smaller craft for several days. In Guatemala I chartered a 25ft sportsfisher ideal for 2-4 anglers for $500 US per day including lunch and crew. In Belize $250US per day covered a 20ft 
panga with guide. Although both outfits supplied standard rods and tackle, specialized fly fishing equipment must be brought from home. Regarding fly gear for sailfish, a quality 12 or 13wt rod and reel with 300m of 30lb Dacron backing is a must. Scientific Angler makes a very good billfish specific line essential for turning over those large flies. Camsigler, Rio and Tyger all produce a range of IGFA approved leaders and tippet materials. Fly H20 stock a comprehensive range of big game flies made to the highest standard. So if you enjoy an adventure and want to experience the billed beasts of the pacific, or the unparalleled variety of the Caribbean on a fly rod, perhaps Southern Guatemala’s Puerto Iztapa, or Glovers Reef, Belize, should be the next port of call.
Keep checking back in with Fish & Fly to see where Guy reports from next!?
If you plan on visiting Belize, visit the website of the Belize Tourist Board.