Belize help needed, fly and spin

[hwchubb]

W e have a family trip scheduled for Belize over Thanksgiving, one that is mainly a family vacation with some time allotted to Dad on the water when I can. We’re staying on a bay south of Belize City, with some kayak access to a river as well. Hope to target mostly snook, snapper and baby tarpon, if bones enter the picture that would be a bonus. Would appreciate some fly suggestions, and some suggestions for spin lures for my son as well. I’m assuming rapalas or similar and jigs are always a safe bet, but I’m 35 years removed from fishing spin gear in the salt on the east coast and really pretty clueless.

So, any advice from you world travelers would be appreciated. Thanks!

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

http://www.destinationsbelize.com/tours-and-attractions/placencia-belize-fishing/gear.html#light-tackle


Where are you staying?


You might get a good skiff guide?

Sometimes they have a 23 foot Panga and can take out the whole family.

[hwchubb]

Wow - thanks Bill! Great info.

We,re staying at the Almond Beach Resort on Hopkins Bay, about 45 minutes south of Belize City. Planning on doing family, touristy stuff (ruins, jungle tour, etc) but with enough time to take the kayaks out, book a day with somebody if we can.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

You should have a great adventure with the family.

[Tony]

you should call Will Flack. He has a fly shop in san pedro but a lodge near hopkins. He can probably hook you up with one of his guides. He uses 23 foot super pangas. His lodge focuses on permit but I am sure you could river fish for juvie tarpon and snook .

I just spent a week with him in Bolivia-great guy.

Trespescados.com

[hwchubb]

Thanks Tony! Bills info above was great, nice lady but they guide a bit south. I’ll give will a call.

Funny how times change - as a kid in the late 70’s / early 80’s, Bolivia still makes me think of drug kingpins and the Wild West, South American style. Obviously different now.

[Tony]

Not as different than you think. Still a great time.

[hwchubb]

Thanks, guys! Wound up booking with Blue Horizon for a day, should be great in spite of predicted showers (all week - my usual timing). Did get a very short response from Wil Flack, said they only guide permit(although I watched a video where he said he guides for “bonefish, tarpon and permit).

Tony - were you fishing for Golden Dorado in Bolivia? Man, they look nasty...

[Jake O]

you should call Will Flack. He has a fly shop in san pedro but a lodge near hopkins. He can probably hook you up with one of his guides. He uses 23 foot super pangas. His lodge focuses on permit but I am sure you could river fish for juvie tarpon and snook .

I just spent a week with him in Bolivia-great guy.

Trespescados.com

When my wife and I were on our honeymoon we booked a trip through Will. Very nice guy when i spoke with him about setting up the trip but it was a time of year when I believe he was in BC and so not personally guiding. He set me up with one of his guides (want to say his name was Rojo or something like that). Very knowledgeable guy and I caught a ton of fish but his personality was way to intense. My hope was to get my wife (novice fisherman) to do a little fishing and after I broke off a nice bone on the smallest mangrove I never did see and the guide flipped out and got all pissy (shouldn't I have been the one upset if anyone??) it totally turned her off, made her feel way overwhelmed, uncomfortable, etc. I don't know why some people take themselves so seriously...in any event, suffice it to say she never felt comfortable enough picking up the rod that day. Moral of the story, I like Will, have heard great things about him, but did not have a good experience with his guy.

[Norman B]

I spent 2 weeks on Ambergris Caye a year ago, and stayed in a VRBO cottage 10 miles north of the town of San Pedro.
I have flyfished in many areas in the salt but I like to arrange for a day with a guide to figure things out and maybe go for bigger fish
I called Will Flacks fly shop in town and visited the shop too, I was unable to get Will but I agreed to another guide
The guide spent 2 hours getting to a spot that he said had tarpon, and we had 3 shots at tarpon, no follows or hook-ups. Finally after 3 hours the guide says lets go and I thought that we were going to a better spot, but we were actually going back to town to pick up his girlfriend and young son before he dropped me back at the dock at my cottage without any discussion or agreement.
So $150 a cast later (total $450), I was not very happy and wrote Will an email about the day and never heard back from him
The rest of the trip I self guided on the north tip of the island and caught 15-20 bones every day and had a blast (thanks to getting some great flies at Kienes with the advice of Andy)
So I cannot recommend Will Flacks shop or his guides in San Pedro