Bountiful Belize

By Nick Honachefsky

If you closed your eyes and just listened, you would swear you’d been transported back to the Jurassic Era along the banksides of the Belize River. A cacophony of a thousand melodious tropical birdsongs punctuated with the booming roars of howler monkeys elicit something magical, ethereal and even cautious from deep in our past. A stone’s skip out of the Belize rivermouth delta, you open your eyes to an aquamarine Babylon, islands in the stream of deep green coconut palms and mangroves surrounded by aquamarine flats that shimmer with the coolest shade of blue from Mother Earth’s palette. This is Belize. Out of the jungle and into the bluewater flats in seconds, both of which hold immeasurable fishing, ecotouring and soul searching opportunity. It had been 14 years since I had been back to Belize and I wondered if it would be like I left it years before.

INTO THE DEEP

In any fishing adventure, there’s no time to waste. A puddle jumper flight from the mainland to San Pedro had us immediately on deck of the sturdy Belizean built center console, Sweet Caroline, as my friends Sean Reilly and Demi Bagbyjoined me on the boat to fish the Belize Deep Sea Offshore Classic.  

Purple bluewater with an electric sheen surrounded us as Captain Richard trolled Ilander lures rigged with ballyhoobehind in the wake. In moments, wild-eyed barracuda pounced on the baits, Demi was first on the rod to reeled in her first ever cuda. A few more gigantic barracuda sliced and diced the baits as we managed to pull a few more in. As we continued on the troll, the outrigger snapped off and Captain Richard yelled “ Dorado! Dorado!” as a 30-pound mahi jumped with aerial antics behind the boat. Demi grabbed the rod and a bit of slack line allowed the mahi to shake the hook to our chagrin. No matter. The lines went back out, and in a few more minutes redemption was found as the line of the Shimano Tiagara 50 went zipping off again. This time, I grabbed the rod and put a 15-pound mahi on deck. Not a tournament winner, but dinner for the whole crew nonetheless. At the end of the day, Sean and I bellied up to the pool bar at the Grand Caribe to toast a fine day offshore.

BACK TO THE FLATS

A quick island hopper flight back from San Pedro to the mainland had us quickly at the Belize River Lodge where we promptly were whisked away to the lodge’s private out island at the Long Caye Outpost. Captain Mike Torres stood on the platform of his 20 foot panga, stalking with the push pole inside Stinking Bay, on the prowl for permit. The quietude was broken as Captain Mike said in a hushed but urgent yell, “Permit! Permit!” A school of 8 flashing silver pans flittered at 9 o’clock, all 5 to 10 pound fish, but I was too late on the fly cast. A missed opportunity I hoped I would not regret. Mike push poled us into a channel to cast for bonefish, where a passing thunderstorm interrupted our fishing and compelled us to hide in the mangroves while lightning crashed around us. The thunderboomer drenched us, and gave us a little time to enjoy some rum with a splash of coconut water. We picked up and started off of drifting the backside of Keck’s Caye, where the leeward protection from the wind laid down the water to a mirror glass calm. A few ripples outside of my range allowed Sean to make a cast with a tiny 5 foot Ugly Stik rod rigged with a shrimp jig. In an instant, chaos ensued as Sean came tight.  Bonefish, we thought, but a frying pan sized silver flash told different. “It’s not a bone, it’s a permit!” Sean belted out. I swear I saw his knees immediately buckle. In 10 minutes, the 5-pound beauty was boatside, being released and held a spot in Sean’s heart as his first permit he ever caught. Bones were on my mind, so Captain Mike motored to another caye, poling around the flats where we stumbled upon a 6 pack of bones hiding in the mangrove roots. I made a quick cast with the Spanish Shrimp fly, caught the attention of the largest bone in the pack, he swirled on it, sucked in in, and...I missed the hookset! It didn’t matter as I quickly false casted and dropped another cast two feet from his face. The the fly sunk down and this time I found purchase into the little rooting mouth of the bone. A zipping drag and 5 minute battle I had a respectable bonefish on deck, released to fight another day. Another 6 bones tallied up the list on the day to add to my fly rod quiver of catches.

JUNGLE CRUISE

Sun rose over silent Long Caye, and after a swift Belizeanbreakfast of puffy pancakes and lightly seasoned eggs, we flatsfished our way back to the jungle at the Belize River lodge, stopping at the muddy water rivermouth delta as Captain Mike prompted us to cast a red and white Yo-Zuri crystal minnow plug into the channel for tarpon. Sean immediately hooked up with a 100-pound silver king but after a 20 minute battle, the king took his crown back as the line parted after a huge tail slap.

“Let’s go to the river” Captain Mike prodded. We motored back deep, far into the 100 foot wide Belize river upriver to where a newfound jungle world opened up before my eyes. Along the riverbanks were a primordial scene of flora and fauna I had never experienced before – a completely verdant painting of hardwood Bullet Trees, coconut palms and native bamboo bolstering the riverbanks, birdsong of social flycatchers, Kiskadees, Montezuma bird oriole hanging nests serenading the airwaves, magical sightings of deep shaded blue leafwing and pale blue common morpho butterflies the size of your hand along with the Banded Peacock butterfly with its contrasting brown, black and orange eye spots flittering about. Honestly, I could care less about the fish at that moment. But pursuing fish we were, and casted about under the overhangs and tiny outcoves in attempts to catch snook, tarpon and cuberas lurkingbelow in hiding to ambush prey.

Captain Mike suggested we go in deep, real deep, into the jungle. Cruising down the Belize River, he made an immediate turn into what looked like solid bankside of mangrove roots, but upon nearing it, opened up into a secret doorway to a hidden 10 foot wide back creek, Alova Creek, inside the magnificent Mangrove Cathedral. Our heads were tucked down as weducked under overhanging mangrove roots reaching for the water. This place had something sublime and secret to it. At the entrance, I spied the standing guard to the creek - a newborn saltwater crocodile sunning itself on a log. The small creekmouth had even smaller creeks emptying into it where the juvenile 1 to 15 pound tarpon lay around, snook averaging 1 to 5 pounds, going into the nurseries of this magical place. Imagine growing up in this paradise for fish, who would ever want to leave to enter the bigger Belize River? Casts were made, and hooks were set on tiny high-flying juvenile tarpon and snook that learned the right way to shake hooks at an early age. The scene was forever etched into my mind.

LAST CALL

Already late for the plane to head home, Captain Mike pushed the motor throttle hard to get back in time, but there was one more spot to hit, the channel where Sean shook his first tarpon off. Why not “one more cast”? I only had time for three casts and on the final third launch of the swimming plug, there it was – boom! Tarpon! My reel burned off line and a monster 150-pound silver king jumped clean 5 feet out of the water, still hooked, where I gained ten cranks of line on him, the line moving up the water column for the inevitable next jump. Time stopped for a moment as the king jumped again, the sun gleaning off his magnificent silver sides, and then did what he does best, shook the lure. Just to have the opportunity to be connected to such a fantastic creature, even for a few seconds, put a smile as wide as the horizon onto my face. I realized in my return to Belize, I found it just as I had left it - with happiness and adventure awaiting. That will serve me well until the next time I am beckoned back to the majesty of Belize.

SIDEBAR – LODGING

Belize River Lodge/Long Caye Outpost

Located just 1-1/2 miles outside of Belize City, the Belize River Lodge has immense historical significance as the oldest fishing lodge in Belize. Operated for over 25 years by the stately and cordial Mike Huesner and Margaurite C Jones Miles since they took over from the original owners Vic and Betty Barothy who opened it in 1959. Mahogany wood floors and walls adorn the main rooms and quarters dotted with fishing flies like Merkincrabs along with natural oddities like gigantic sawfish rostrums from days past. Meals are prepared in true Belizean fashion of indigenous treats from breakfast to dinner such as mango, shrimp ceviche, and soft fluffy pancakes, summoned to sample in traditional style with the ringing of a small porcelain bellfrom the chefs, Stephanie and Yvonne. The lodge exudes history and soul. Sit on the screened in back porch of cottage and simply listen to the night sounds of chirping insects, night birds and distant howler monkeys as you watch the water of the Olde Belize River shimmering as it flows by. www.belizeriverlodge.com

Long Caye outpost, operated by the Belize river Lodge, is solitary by nature. Its a 45 minute boat ride to your private island, where a simply quaint 3 bed lodge and help quarters/kitchen stand as the only structures on the island, along with the dock. This is the place to get some peace and quiet, while you prepare for the day’s flats fishing or relax afterwards to celebrate the day with a Belikin beer, fresh coconut milk happily extracted by the groundskeeper Rudy as he deftly collects them from the shortest tree on the island, for you to pourinto your rum. https://www.belizeriverlodge.com/about-long-caye-island-resort/

Grand Belize – San Pedro

Offshore anglers looking for a jump off point can stay at the refined, high class grand Belize in San Pedro where a 15 minutegolf cart ride gets you downtown into sample local bars and cuisine such as at the Truck Stop and Barefoot Bar. Amenities are all taken care of at the swim up pool bar and meticulously manicured grounds. www.grandcaribebelize.com