Tobacco Caye Belize Report

[FISHEYE]

Four of us (Phil, Mike, Steve and Vernon) fished at Tobacco Caye, Belize from July 3-8 with guides Bruce Leslie and Ian Cuevas from Placencia. Tobacco is a 5 acre caye on the barrier reef about 12 miles from Dangriga. It sits on a 1/4 mile wide break in the reef and tarpon and lots of other fish stay there and wait for food. A typical day of fishing was up at 4:15 for a cup of coffee and fishing in the channel by 5:00. We'd go in for breakfast around 8 and then either go back for tarpon or go look for permit. We usually ended the day with tarpon in the channel for dinner. The fishing for the 6 days can best be described as slow although we all hooked or caught tarpon and each of us cast to many permit each day. We also caught plenty of nice sized jacks, bonefish, and bonita. There were some blackfin tuna around that Mike and I fished for but we kept dropping them. We saw hundreds a tarpon in the channel which ranged from 30 pounds to close to 100. They did not really cooperate much and stayed out of range most of the time, but if we or they came close enough it was almost an instant hookup. For example, the one fish I landed was in a group of happy, lazy rolling fish. I made one cast, one strip and saw a fish flash and I missed him. Two more strips and I missed another and a few more strips and I hooked one. Pretty cool to have 3 eats on one cast. From past experience and Bruce's comments that is pretty typical in the Tobacco channel. This time the fish just stayed out of rnage most of the time. We also saw schools of a hundred permit under the boat several times and we assume they were feeding on shrimp. Also schools of dozens of large horseeye or cravelle jacks. They are a blast to catch but a pain when you cast into a school of happy tarpon and hook a jack. The permit fishing in the flats around Tobacco was excellent but just like permit everywhere its always a surprise when one eats. We saw many permit everyday and got excellent shots at 15 to 20 each per day. Only 3 eats for the trip and Vernon landed the only one. The weather was typical for the summer. Hot and humid with torrential rain that would last for an hour or more followed by sun. When there was no wind the humidity just about killed us. The accomodations and food were ok but nothing fancy.

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Tobacco Caye

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Steve with tarpon

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Phil tarpon

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Cabins

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Mike and Bruce with big horseeye jack

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We bought lobster from local fisherman to barbecue for dinner

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Plenty of big cuda around

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Cabins with the reef in the background

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The bar

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Sunrise over the reef

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Vernon tarpon

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Vernon with a permit. We saw some 25 pound permit.

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jack cravelle

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Fishing the channel

[john]

Nice report Phil. Bet you guys had a hoot down there. I know somebody was incredibly proud of a couple of "firsts".

[FISHEYE]

John, we had a blast. Vernon does amazingly well since he has only been fly fishing for 3 years. Bruce and Ian both commented about his casting and how impressed they were. I told them he just has not had time to learn all the bad habits the rest of us have accumlated. Phil

[Darian]

WOW!!! Great photos and report. Looks like the fish were all over and near the resort. Permit/Trapon are on my Bucket List for sure.... :D

BTW, in his photo, Steve looks like the humidity was really getting to him after landing that Tarpon.... :|

[vernonp]

John......you betcha! I had a ball. Yep I was very thrilled to catch a Tarpon and a permit. I have to admit to a real soft spot for the permit. Good time.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

I fished down there for years and am very happy that it is going so well for you guys.

The last years we fished were staying in Placencia fishing over an hour north to places like Tobacco Cay and as far south as Ycacus Lagoons near Punta Gorda.

A friend of mine who fished out of Placencia for some time too use to meet his guide for a week on Tobacco Cay for several years.

**Phil and his group is probably doing better than most because of their higher experience level and top guides like Bruce Leslie.

[FISHEYE]

Bill, if if were not for Bruce Leslie and the other guides who work with him (Ian Cuevas and Benji Eiley are the others we fish with), we would not do very well. Bruce has been fishing these areas since he was a kid fishing with his father and he has been guiding for about 18 years. There may be other guides who fish Belize from north to south and know Belize as well but I don't know who they are. Bruce has an intuition about where to be and when, he enjoys what he does and he is just as passionate about catching fish as we are. In fact, I think he wants us to catch fish more than we do. I consider Bruce to be a good friend and like a brother. We have a good time fishing, or just hanging out and talking. One of the things that made this trip so nice is that Bruce brought Anita, his future wife, along. We really like Anita. She is a real calming influence on the group. Bruce and Anita barbecued chicken, fish and lobsters a couple of evenings for us and they did not have to do that. The fresh conch cevice is to die for. I am thinking of taking Veronica down next summer for a couple of laid back weeks with Bruce and Anita. We can snorkel and relax and maybe even do some fishing.

[steelheadsicko]

I am heading there August 1st, well we will be in caye caulker a couple days and then taking a sailboat down to tabaco caye. I believe we will be staying with tabaco caye lodge but we have been having communication problems. Did you guys stay on Tabaco the whole time, and did the guide live on the island or come out and meet you? I won't have the funds to hire a guide while on the caye so I was hoping to maybe find a boat I can use. Any advise as far as fishing and lodging would be awesome, thanks
Garrett

[john]

Steelie----You doing Ragamuffin?

[FISHEYE]

We saw the Ragga boats 2 or 3 times during the week we were there. The anchor at the Tobacco Caye Lodge (TCL) right by the bar, set up tents and cook their own fod. They don't stay long and I am not sure if there is time for fishing but maybe. You might be able to find someone on Tobacco to take you out for a few bucks but they won't know jack about fly fishing and I doubt they will let you use a boat. There are 2 15 foot canoes at TCL. You could take them out maybe but if the wind is blowing in the channel the waves can be wicked. There is no gear available ie a rod as far as I know. Its all hand lining. Bring a mask fins and snorkel. You can fish off the dock at night. Lots of little tarpon up to 10 pounds come in when it gets dark. Bring an 8 wt, 40# bite, some white or clear shrimp patterns and a headlamp. Look for red eyes, turn away so you don't blind the fish and cast. Its not easy to hook one but it can be done. The kids catch fish (not tarpon) off the dock during the day.

Bruce and Ian came up from Placencia.

As far as Tobacco Caye Lodge that is where I would have stayed. We were booked there but the manager left 2 days before we showed so Bruce got us cabins at Tobacco Caye Paradise. The new manager of the lodge (named Fermin) is a great guy and really on top of things. The cook is really good according to Bruce. They even have hot water for the showers.

[steelheadsicko]

ya I am catching a ride with Raggamuffin and when we get to Tobacco we are going to get a place to stay for 3 nights...

[john]

My "home" is AC, and the fascination with Raggamuffin is to just go over to CC, take the sail down to Placencia for a couple 3 days. It's really a snorkling deal, but hell, if they stop, I can fish plus the nites they camp, I can fish. Maybe not the best, but seems like a great way to spend a few days. Plus, you can save the Tropic flight, and ride back with them(outside the reef), go like hell, and get back in an overnite.

[steelheadsicko]

thats my plan, just fish my way down to tobacco