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 Belize Redux: A Bonefish Education
Posted by pete on May 06, 2005
I don't know, the last post about Belize won a reel so it's a tough act to follow, but...
My brief trip to Belize was a tremendous experience, but my day of fishing didn't go as planned. I met my guide at the docks at 7:30am, with the wind gusting at about 20 mph. Not ideal conditions for fly fishing. Plus, my guide revealed that he was a fill-in who specialized in reef fishing. Still, he motored me over to the outlying mangrove islands in search of bonefish.
We found a few flats in the lee of the wind, and my guide started poling. I noticed he didn't have polarized glasses, or any sunglasses at all for that matter. "How are you going to find the fish?" I asked. "They'll be tailing." "What if they don't tail?" "They always tail."
Sure enough, we saw a school of twenty fish tailing on the first flat we poled. We inched over so as not to spook the crowd and I presented my fly to a--sheepshead? I had never seen sheepshead tailing like that before, but it was pretty wild. I made a cast or two but they had no interest in my gotcha fly. We didn't see another tailing fish all day.
I quickly came to this realization: On a typical guided flats trip, the guide spots the fish, tells you where to cast, when to cast, and when to strip. Since my guide couldn't see anything, I had to figure out those variables myself.
Finding them is the hardest part. It took me a while, but I started picking up their shadows, and following little puffs where bonefish were rooting through the marl. I started noticing little slivers moving
against the bottom--bones. I began to figure it all out--how to lead the fish, when to start stripping and when to let the fly fall. I presented to a bone that actually turned and started following my fly. He accelerated and nailed it--I did it! But wait, he spit the hook.
So I didn't catch a fish in Belize, but I believe the experience made me a better angler, as I was forced to figure out on my own what I'd previously left to the guide. In that sense, the trip was a success.
Overall, the outlying islands and flats of Belize are as beautiful as you'll find anywhere in the world, and I had an amazing trip the next day taking a small boat up a jungle river to some Mayan ruins, where howler monkeys jumped around in the trees above us. (I wish I'd had my five-weight, the eco-guide told me the river held 3-5 pound peacock bass.)
Of course, the day i flew home the wind lay down and the flats looked as smooth as glass. Guess I've got to go back.
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Re: Belize Redux: A Bonefish Education
by jeremy on May 06, 2005 http://www.ineedasimplesolution.com | Pete - that was a great read. i really appreciated it because of the honesty and sometimes...we all know....that's just the way it goes. sometimes, for any number of reasons, you just can't get them. You might like a fish tale about a NOT so productive trip for joe, pete-d and myself.
CLICK HERE TO SEE STORY: Beat Up By The Bows [www.fliesandfins.com]
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Re: Belize Redux: A Bonefish Education
by MarshallD on May 06, 2005 http://www.flyanglersguide.com | pete, I liked your story too. Reminded me of a recent guided trip I took in the Keys. I learned a lot down there. Learned more on my own too and I think that is where the values lie; becoming a better angler and passing along the tips through stories.
I feel it's sometimes worth it to hire a guide, especially in a new environment, although sometimes a good guide on a bad day can be a waste of money. |
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Re: Belize Redux: A Bonefish Education
by hedrush999 on May 06, 2005 http://www.fliesandfinssouth.com | | pete, what the heck happened, i had full faith in you! sounds like you had a crap guide...oh well, next time make sure that you book with the lodge, their guides are killer. all in all, it sure is cool down there, huh. |
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Re: Belize Redux: A Bonefish Education
by Pete on May 06, 2005 http://www.fishingjones.com | Thanks Jeremy. I just read the story you posted. I guess it's that whole thing about how sometimes the fish have other ideas on how your day's going to go.
MarshallD, your story on the Keys was definitely running through my mind during this trip. Thinking back to what your wrote about the learning experience definitely helped keep me in a positive frame of mind.
Hedrush, I didn't write this part, but we did fish the mouth of the Belize River and I watched with a little envy as the Belize River Lodge pangas came downstream and turned into that little creek up to the lodge. Seems like they went way upriver to get after snook. My guide was a good dude and upbeat but he didn't know much more than I did. |
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