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Thread: Belize Flies.

  1. #1
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    Default Belize Flies.

    Hi, I am taking a trip to Ambergris Caye, Belize in September. I have hired a guide for a few days and I want to mainly fish for bonefish and baby tarpon. I am just curious if anyone has fished down there and has any fly suggestions?

    I am thinking I will tie deceivers, black deaths, tarpon bunny's, and toads for tarpon, and just some simple Christmas Island specials for the bonefish. Am I missing and must bring patterns? Thanks.

  2. #2
    Join Date
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    Default

    I know that Captain Andy Guibord at Kiene's Fly Shop in Sacramento has fished that area for many years now.



    I fished the entire coast of Belize for about 20 years too but Andy is more up to date with modern patterns.

    Out of Ambergris Key you will have Tarpon, Bonefish and Permit.

    Take any rods you have from 8 to 10 weight in 4 piece models.

    We mostly use tropical floating lines.

    Most use smaller #1/0 flies about 2 1/2" for Baby Tarpon.....Red/yellow, barred tan, red/white, yel/orange are good.



    Early in the mornings you can wade for Bonefish, etc right along the shore on the east side of the island in front of the resorts.
    Bill Kiene (Boca Grande)

    567 Barber Street
    Sebastian, Florida 32958

    Fly Fishing Travel Consultant
    Certified FFF Casting Instructor

    Email: billkiene63@gmail.com
    Cell: 530/753-5267
    Web: www.billkiene.com

    Contact me for any reason........
    ______________________________________

  3. #3
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    I can't speak for Ambergis because I've never been there, but I can speak for Turneffe in Belize because I have been there (in fact just got back on SUN). There are no baby tarpon at Turneffe, so I can't speak for Ambergis. At Turneffe, the traditional style tarpon flies (like toads, bunny leeches, etc) are rarely fished. Everyone at the the lodge was fishing baitfish style flies, think of natural colored striper flies in purple/black, tan, brown, and olive about 4-6" long with 3/0 and bigger hooks. EP tarpon flies are very popular in this style if you don't tye your own.

    https://www.epflies.com/product/tarp...-black-purple/

    At Turneffe, for bones, you fish ridiculously small unweighted flies. Most all of our bones were caught on #10 Gotcha/Charlie style flies tied with plastic Hareline eyes. I've been SW flats fishing the tropics for over 30 years, and prior to going to Belize I NEVER have fished a #10 unweighted fly. If I didn't have 3 dozen of them in my box, we would have been SOL.
    This EP bonefish fly was very effective at Turneffe in size 10.

    https://www.epflies.com/product/turn...p-pearl-tan-8/

    I recommend tying/getting bonefish flies (pattern doesn't matter much, but size does) in sizes 8-10, some with lead eyes, some with bead chain eyes, and some with Hareline plastic eyes. We didn't fish a single typical size 6 bonefish fly the entire week.
    Last edited by WLREDBAND; 07-16-2021 at 03:36 PM.

  4. #4
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    WLREDBAND, why do you use such small flies for those Bonefish? What's the average size fish you are catching?
    Thanks

  5. #5
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    You pretty much have to use small unweighted flies at Turneffe if you wade the flats. Fishing ankle deep water, loaded with coral snags, to very spooky fish. Bigger flies splash too much, and they hang up on the coral, spooking the fish. In over 30 years of SW flats fishing I have NEVER had to fish an unweighted #10 bonefish fly. I had to fish them at Turneffe. Thankfully I had 3 dozen of them in my box. And I only returned with around 10 because I lost so many due to the coral. So carry lots if you go there. You NEED them.
    The only place I have not fished for bones is the Seychelles, and Turneffe has the largest average size bonefish I have seen anywhere. Most fish are 3-5 pounds and bigger models are very common. Me and my buddy got about a half dozen around 8 pounds and we broke off frequently on bigger fish. Unfortunately at Turneffe, landing the bigger models is difficult due to all the sharp coral snags and break offs are very common.

    Quote Originally Posted by dynaflow View Post
    WLREDBAND, why do you use such small flies for those Bonefish? What's the average size fish you are catching?
    Thanks

  6. #6
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    I've fished Belize from Dangriga to Placencia and found the bones to be very small by comparison to anywhere else. I was even one of the first to use a SAGE RPLXi in a 6 wt. just because of the abundance of small fish there.

    The original Blue Horizon with Lincoln Westby was our home base for several trips. Got my first permit there too.
    Tony






    TONY BUZOLICH
    Feather River Fly
    Yuba City, CA.
    (530) 790-7180

  7. #7
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    Default Turneffe Flat Bones....

    I have to agree with Tony. In a week at Turneffe, the largest Bone I caught was around 5 pounds and many were around 2-3 pounds.

    I fished a size 8 fly while my partner fished a size 10. My partner hooked/landed 2 bones to every one I hooked/landed but they were small.

    For what it's worth, the Permit we saw were all good sized.
    "America is a country which produces citizens who will cross the ocean to fight for democracy but won't cross the street to vote."

    Author unknown

  8. #8
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    Just got back from there last SUN. I know what I saw and landed. Since the netting has stopped a few years ago (Thank you Turneffe Atoll Trust), the fish have responded in a big way. And Turneffe is NOT Placencia, where netting still occurs, it's a long long way from there. Turneffe has the biggest average size for bones of any place I've fished over the past 30 years. I know because I saw it with my own eyes.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by dynaflow View Post
    WLREDBAND, why do you use such small flies for those Bonefish? What's the average size fish you are catching?
    Thanks
    Turneffe Island is a different situation where the Turneffe Flats Lodge is a big deal.


    They have had some of Belize's top guides out there for decades.

    Joel Westby, Willie Dyer, Eddie Hide, and Winston "Pops" Cabral are all Belizean legends.


    The Bones there are in large schools swimming over shallow Turtle Grass flats.

    They use very long leaders and #10 flies that cast over the top of the big schools.

    The school 'flinches' and then returns to feeding. It is not my favorite type of Bonefishing.

    The lodge was owned by a dentist and his wife in Montana/Idaho and has a huge selection of really good salt water flies.



    *Over a 20 year span I fished every mile of the coast of Belize.

    I love the people, the food. the eco system, and the snorkeling.
    Bill Kiene (Boca Grande)

    567 Barber Street
    Sebastian, Florida 32958

    Fly Fishing Travel Consultant
    Certified FFF Casting Instructor

    Email: billkiene63@gmail.com
    Cell: 530/753-5267
    Web: www.billkiene.com

    Contact me for any reason........
    ______________________________________

  10. #10
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    Yep Bill, the "flinch" is a pretty good description of bonefishing there. Not my favorite type of bonefishing either, and if the bones weren't so big, I doubt I'd go back. But, they are oh so big!
    Except we didn't fish the turtlegrass flats for bones because we were too busy focusing on permit when those flats had tides. 90%+ of our bonefishing was done on very shallow hard coral bottoms loaded with sharp snags (I shredded two pairs of flats pants there hanging up on coral).
    small flies=less weight=less gape=less hangups=less spooked bones
    Small flies have nothing to do with the size of the bones there.

    Quote Originally Posted by Bill Kiene semi-retired View Post
    Turneffe Island is a different situation where the Turneffe Flats Lodge is a big deal.
    The school 'flinches' and then returns to feeding. It is not my favorite type of Bonefishing.
    Last edited by WLREDBAND; 07-19-2021 at 08:15 AM.

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