Placencia, Belize November 2012
Four of us returned Saturday from Placencia, Belize after 11 days of fishing. This is our story and we are sticking to it. Anglers were Phil, Mack, Mike, and Vernon. As in the past, we fished with Bruce Leslie and Benji Eiley and we stayed with George and Lisa Westby at the Westwind Hotel on the beach in Placencia.
While we had a great time, fishing was difficult due to the weather. North winds up to 25 mph most days and lots of it. Also plenty of rain at times. We really only had 1 and a half "perfect" days. We did not even fish one day due to wind and torrential rain.
There is bait everywhere by the billions (as opposed to last year when there was none) and the tarpon, bones, and others predators are around in great numbers. Much of the bait had not moved into the lagoons or protected areas around the cayes but rather was along the flats around the cayes in 6-12 feet of water. Much of the tarpon fishing was sight fishing around the bait to cruising fish along the edge of flats and that makes it incredibly exciting and not easy to hook up. These tarpon were incredibly fresh and if you got the fly in front of a fish they ate but many times they would follow all the way into the boat and you would have to strip onto the leader. With not much line out, and watching the fish eat it is easy to pull the fly out of the fishes mouth (can you say TROUT STRIKE) or they would swipe at the fly and miss. Also, since there were so many jacks, mackeral, and snappers in with the bait and tarpon, many, many times these little suckers would dart in front of a tarpon and inhale the fly. One time I cast right at the edge of a big bust, the bait cleared and 15 fish were following the fly. You guessed it, a little snapper got there first. Early in the trip the bait and tarpon were thick at Mojo Caye. This is one of my favorite spots because you can wade and sight cast to tarpon along a big white sand beach or coral flats with deeper holes. We hooked and jumped lots of fish here but I do not think we landed one. The hooks just pulled out or the fish jumped immediately when feeling the hook in 3 feet of water which makes a good strip stike difficult.
When we could fish the cayes we did well on 25 to 50 pound tarpon and bonefish. The bones were big for Belize too- biggest was probably 5-6# and many 2-3# fish.
We had a plenty of shots at permit but did not fish them much or catch any due to the wind. When we could not fish the cayes we fished south at Ycacos lagoon several days or in the mangroves and creeks near town. Initially there were lots of 10-20# tarpon in these places we caught plenty. Then they slowly disappeared during the trip but we caught a few every day we fished these areas. We had shots at 20# permit at Ycacos and while they followed and even swiped at the crab- nada.
Ycacos Lagoon
Typical Flats
Flats
A Rare Perfect Day
Roseate Spoonbills
Tarpon Release
Post Election Celebration- Bruce Leslie Style
Small Jack
Tarpon
Baby
Cravelle
Maya Mtns- Cockscomb
Paynes Creek- Ycacos
Double Babies
Tarpon
Early Morning Spanish
Tarpon
Look Down
Fishing for Permit- Phil Style
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