saltwater fly lines for belize

[Kenny]

Not sure if this is the right section for a gear question but it is a fly fishing travel gear question. Anyway, does anyone have recommendations/experience for all around fly lines that would pair well with a SALT 9 weight and a Redington Predator 8 weight. Both 9 feet. I like rio flylines but the number of choices from that single company is daunting.

[Darian]

My limited experience at Turneffe Atoll made up my mind for me. I started fishing a RIO, Tropical Outbound Short (WF-10-F/I clear tip). It cast well but snagged on everything on the flats, worse near the reef. Still caught fish but it was a pain in the arse. Went to a RIO Redfish line (8 wt., floater) and have decided that it's my line of choice for flats fishing. Casts well in the wind, lands the fly nicely on the waters surface and doesn't snag up. I plan on using it for flats fishing at Christmas Island, too.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Call Kiene's American Fly Fishing Company and ask for Andy, Jim or Terry.

They have done a lot of flats fishing.

[mems]

Aloha Kenny, try a floating line for flats fishing. you don't want the line to penetrate the surface, that spooks the bonefish. You can overline by one weight if you are worried about windy conditions. there are lots of great bonefish lines. Like Darian said the Redfish has a larger head for wind. The Bruce Chard Permit line is another great choice. The Triangle Taper Wulff line is a great line for spooky bones. I like the Cortland Crystal for spooky bones here in Hawaii. If they are too spooky, you can use a longer leader. Key to good bonefishing is short accurate casts, get the fly down in front of the fish, little tug. They zoom in look for the head shake and set the hook. I think the bones in Belize are on the small side, but a 2-3 lb bone will still take you to your backing. The guys at Kiene's should be able to set you up.

have fun, mems.

[gitt]

The Rio redfish or permit line (both floaters) will do you just fine. Yes, it sounds like a lot of money, but it gets you in the game. Originally thought the bonefish line would be sufficient, but you aren't going to Belize for the bones. If you have shots at permit, you will want that fly to turn over on target. The Rio bonefish line has too long of a taper. Add a leader to it and the wind will be your nemesis. I have yet to fish a windless day in Belize unless we were lucky to fish lagoons as big as Frank's Tract. Then the humidity and temp took off and water temps soared. Lucky for us, we did not spot any fish and we got back outside on the coral heads and flats where there was the welcoming breeze to cool things down. Stick with shorter leaders as well and you will be good to go. The Belize bonefish, although on the smaller side, can be fun, but they don't come close to being as memorable as the permit or tarpon. We actually saw locals catching bonefish off of a dock for consumption. When we told them that they were a protected species, it fell on deaf ears. Evidently, catch and release as well as a license is for visiting anglers only. Enforcement of enacted laws to protect against overfishing is far from perfect.

Can't emphasize this enough, practice casting your selected fly lines into different wind directions in preparation for your trip. 30-50' range is all you will need. If the line turns over on target, you'll do just fine targeting permit. There is nothing more frustrating than to make the cast and then observe your fly turn over, catch the wind and move 45-90 degrees off target. On the water, with a fish in your sights is no time to work the kinks out with your casting or your line and leader selection. Hope this helps.

[Kenny]

Thanks gentlemen for the advice. I was thinking about having the 9 weight strung up for permit and baby tarpon. I was thinking of over lining it with a ten weight redfish or ten weight permit line as over lining generally suits my style of casting. Not exactly a finesse style caster. Someone stop me if that's off base.

[O.mykiss Hunter]

I'm in Belize right now fishing for baby tarpon in Ambergris Caye. As said in a previous post wind will be your biggest factor, whatever line you end up with iust make sure you can cast it accurately in 10-15mph plus winds. Also, if your going for baby tarpon you need to be proficient in casting ACCURATELY out to 50-70+ feet, no joke. Everytime the guide would try to get us closer to the fish they would move away just as far. The wind would change every other minute, it would be a calm breeze one second then a strong 20pmh wind the next, and always at the wrong angle. I found myself wishing I have spent more time practicing in the wind.

[Kenny]

I'm in Belize right now fishing for baby tarpon in Ambergris Caye. As said in a previous post wind will be your biggest factor, whatever line you end up with iust make sure you can cast it accurately in 10-15mph plus winds. Also, if your going for baby tarpon you need to be proficient in casting ACCURATELY out to 50-70+ feet, no joke. Everytime the guide would try to get us closer to the fish they would move away just as far. The wind would change every other minute, it would be a calm breeze one second then a strong 20pmh wind the next, and always at the wrong angle. I found myself wishing I have spent more time practicing in the wind.

Yes. Everyone was spot on with their advice. I was fine with the smaller bonefish and permit flies out to 70 feet but bushy air resistant streamers and poppers in the wind was rough. Our guides did an excellent job of keeping the wind at our backs, the casting shoulder over the bow and the fly line away from people. I think self preservation was certainly part of their motivation to work that hard. I'm wondering if a tarpon fly specific line would have helped with the big flies as opposed to the bonefish quickshooter line but probably not. It's just tough and more experience and practice will help in the future.

[mems]

Cool give us a report and some pictures!

[Tony]

I suspect you have already gone to turnoff but if not Rio permit is a noticeably heavierline than rio redfish. For the salt I would recommend the rio redfish. I have a. 9 weight method and the rio permit line throws very well . however, the salt is not as Fast as the method and the redfish was perfect for my 9 weight xi3.

Also, the permit head is a lot longer head so it. Is not as good for quick shots as the redfish