In February 2020 I'd had enough of the winter wonderland in God's Country, and lit out for Belize. Anticipating a second surge of cabin fever, I started scheming an escape in the fall. Fortunately, Orvis helped the planning by offering a three-day "Bonefish Bonanza" outing at the El Pescador Lodge on Ambergris Caye (https://www.elpescador.com/). Surrounded by 400 square miles of flats, as well as reef and offshore fishing opportunities, the lodge is a prime location to catch all three flats species (Bonefish, Permit, and Tarpon), as well as Jacks, Barracuda, Snapper, Snook, and pelagic fish in the deeper water just three miles off the beach.
When I booked the trip for Mary and me, Belize was still in lockdown. The lodge and hotels expected to reopen in mid-December, but the airlines had not resumed their normal flight schedules. Our arrival at El Pescador was scheduled for January 10; the earliest Delta flight into the country was a week earlier. So we "sucked it up" and booked a week at the Mahogany Bay Resort in San Pedro, a Hilton property just a few miles south of El Pescador.
As expected, the weather was perfect for a departure to warmer climes....
In fact, the driveway, as well as the dirt road section of Atkins Road, were one sheet of ice. Son-in-Law Jay Whitfield was here, did a bit of reconn, and determined that once we got onto the hard pavement we were good to go for the 2 hour drive to Buffalo to catch our plane. Fortunately, we had enough kitty litter to get traction on the driveway, and crawled the next 100 yards until we got to terra firma.
Getting into Belize was fairly easy. Get a covid test (with a negative result) within 96 hours of flying, and fill out an app with the Ministry of Health 72 hours prior. Although the country was open, the effects of the lockdown are still apparent. There were probably 30-40 passengers on our flight, and when we off the plane the airport, which was normally bustling with tourists, was a virtual ghost town.
Fortunately, the Belikin store was open, permitting a cold one before we boarded our Tropic Air "puddle jumper" to San Pedro.
A twelve minute flight to the island, and a five minute cab ride to the resort, a quick check in , and Old Man Winter got fainter and fainter in the rear view mirror.
Week one was less about fishing and more about just enjoying the sun and the resort. There are certainly fishing options available. A local charter service runs trips out of the lodge. And there are plenty of DIY opportunities. Juvenile Tarpon move up and down the canals that divide the properties. On the couple of occasions that I fished the canals, I saw fish roll, but failed to get a take. The resort also has a private beach a 12 minute boat ride away. Here Mary and I got to do practice for our El Pescador outing, and each managed to land Bonefish that were surprisingly swimming in close proximity to the folks in the water.
The weather for the week cooperated for the most part. We had some cloudy and windy days which precluded decent sight fishing at the resort. But the temps were in the upper seventies, and there was plenty of Belikin to while away the hours.
The first week went by quickly, but we still had four days left on the island. So on Sunday we loaded up the suitcases, and cabbed it to town, where staff members from El Pescador were waiting. A quick boat ride up the beach and we checked in to the lodge, received our fishing orientation brief, downed a few Painkillers, enjoyed a great meal, and prepared for three days of hard fishing.
Even for folks who don't care to fish, El Pescadore is a fantastic resort. Rates are all inclusive, so you not only have very comfortable accommodations, but meals, bar service (local rum and beers are included in the package), and if you're fishing, the guide fee. The lodge can also set up snorkel/diving trips (should you desire to abdicate your position as apex predator), jungle and Mayan ruins tours on the mainland, and spa stuff. To a person, the staff are always on the lookout to help, and go out of their way to make the stay enjoyable and memorable.
As its name implies, though, El Pescador is about fishing. If you're looking for a Grand Slam (Bonefish, Permit, Tarpon), or just to target one of the three, this lodge ought to be on your list. As I mentioned earlier, there are many other decent charter services on the island that will put you on fish. I think one difference with El Pescador, however, is that the guides are the most experienced on the island, and are probably more focused on catching big fish than the clients (if that's possible). The second big difference is you'll be spending at least 2 hours more on the water with these guides than the other charter services operating out of San Pedro. The third difference is that the guides are also patient and expert instructors. Fishing the flats is both exciting and intimidating. Trying to lay out a 60 foot cast to a cruising Bonefish, and putting the fly in a spot close enough to get its attention but not spook the fish, is challenging. It's even more challenging when you only get to fish the salt once a year or so. But the guides are relaxed, and that helps steady the nerves, especially when you blow the shot. (Which happened to us often).
We had Cesar as our guide for the three days. He was the consumate professional, yet also outgoing and friendly, and patient to a fault. Now, there's no goofing around at El Pescador; the fishing day is oriented to spending time on the water. So after a quick breakfast you're on the dock at 0630, where Cesar was waiting to load us up and get to the fish.
A preordered lunch is packed for you in the cooler, including drinks (and, of course, some cold Belikins). And off you go.
The first two days we targeted Tarpon in the morning, and finished up with Bonefish in the afternoon. On day one Cesar took us north to an ecological park that borders Mexico. The area was beautiful as he maneuvered his skiff through overhanging Mangroves to secluded lagoons where the Tarpon were supposed to be hanging out.
Tarpon are known as the fish of a thousand casts. While we saw a few fish roll, we really never got a decent shot on the first day. Day two Cesar decided to head south. Again, we saw fish rolling, and this time I even got a take. But my trout instincts kicked in and I lost it. That's the other issue with Tarpon fishing. A thousand casts means about ten thousand strips. If you're not sight fishing, then the monotony of fishing can kick in, particularly with the inexperienced angler. So it's not surprising that when the monotony kicks in, the fish decides to eat.
Fortunately, Cesar had great spots lines up for us to get the skunk off with some Bonefish. Most of the time we were blind casting shrimp patterns with 8 weight rods and 16 lb leaders. Key to catching Bonefish (and Permit and Tarpon for that matter) is keeping the rod tip down (even to the point of being in the water) for the retrieve. When the fish takes the fly (it feels like you've snagged on something, except there's nothing out there except a fish to snag your fly), keep the tip down and strip set, followed by slowly lifting the rod. Then you hold on while the fish starts stripping line off the reel. Even a 12 inch fish will make line scream off the reel and put a nice bend in an 8 wt.
We managed about 5-10 fish on each of the first two days, including a nice Jack that Mary landed, and a big Jack that took me nearly to the end of the backing ... before spitting the fly right near the boat!
Our last day on the water was by far the best of the three. We decided to just make it a catching day, and asked Cesar to just put us on fish. And he did not disappoint! Weather was partly cloudy with winds around 5-10 mph, but no rain in the vicinity. We started out fishing some channels south of the lodge, and picked up a variety of fish; Bonefish, Jacks, Snapper, and a Barracuda. Two of the Snapper were big enough to throw in the cooler and take back to the lodge, where the staff fried them up as a tasty appetizer.
After a couple of hours, Cesar decided a change of venue was in order and took us to the mainland. There the sun was out, the winds were calm, and the water flat, making it possible to spot Bonefish cruising along the beach. My victory for the trip was a successful stalk from the boat, landing a 2-3 lb fish, my best for the trip. Cesar then beached the boat, and worked with Mary on her casting (and catching), while I waded around and picked up a number of small fish, which seemed to be everywhere that my fly hit the water.
We made one final stop to Savannah Flats, north of the lodge. We only boated one fish, but the sight of dozens of Bonefish tailing in the shallows more than made of for the lack of hookups.
Eight hours under the sun makes for a long day. Fortunately, by the time the boat pulls back into the lodge, the bar is open, and the stories begin. There were only seven anglers on the outing; another indicator that the economy is far from getting back to normal. But the lodge is doing its best to get things moving in the right direction, and from my perspective, even in tough times El Pescador more than lived up to its reputation!
Tight Lines,
Mikey D Fishing
