Fished with Eloy Gonzales (https://www.facebook.com/eloyinbelize/) for three half days on the lagoon side of Ambergris Caye, Belize – home base San Pedro. Used two TFO rods with Orvis Hydros SL reels – 8 wt for bonefish and 10 wt for tarpon. All bonefish caught on Crazy Charlie style fly. Tarpon and cuda caught on hackle/marabou flies (size 3/0 purple or orange seemed to be preferred). Stayed at the Phoenix Belize (https://thephoenixbelize.com/), which is a perfect location for combined fishing and family trip. Close to restaurants and activities, and the food and staff at the Phoenix are top notch! Check out street view here.

Monday March 9th (Morning / 7-11:30)

Fished for bonefish only this morning – caught 10+ mostly 12-15″ long. Caught big Amberjack that took all of the fly line and ~50ft of backing (fun!) Added the Amberjack to the snapper caught with spin gear during the last hour of the morning to have enough for dinner for four. I do this once per week to satisfy the “catch and keep” folks in the family :).

Wednesday March 11th (Morning / 7-11:30)

Picked up at 7AM at the Paradise Villas dock (https://www.paradisevillasinbelize.com/) walking distance from our hotel, and five minutes later started pouring. The only thing I didn’t bring on the trip was a rain jacket and got soaked all the way through. Thankfully modern fishing clothing dried quickly once the sun came out. Was a productive day. Tried for tarpon for the first couple hours – saw fish but could not get them to eat. Switched to bonefish for last ~2 hours. Caught 10+ bonefish.

Friday March 13th (Morning / 7-11:30)

Fished for tarpon first ~2 hours using 10 weight rigged with 50lb bite tippet on saltwater leader. Hooked big barracuda on second cast after arriving to first spot. Good fight, didn’t break off – first barracuda caught. After many casts at rolling tarpon, finally caught one after several outings trying! One 5+ occasions, tarpon missed the fly and Amberjack took it instead. Could have caught more if not for the pesky opportunistic Amberjack!

https://youtu.be/9lZ9fiyFye0

If you have a chance to be in San Pedro, Eloy is a great guide – you will not be disappointed!