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 is a mecca for those interested in fishing. An kinds of fishing spin, fly,
trolling - can be experienced all year long, and the abundance of game fish
guarantees excellent sport.The estuaries, inlets and mouths to the many rivers are known for their tarpon, snook and jacks. The lagoons and grass flats are known for the bonefish, permit and barracuda. The coral reefs support grouper, snapper, jacks and barracuda while the deeper waters off the drop off are home to sailfish, marlin, bonito and pompano.  Fishing is great all along the coast of Belize, from the Port Honduras and Punta Icacos lagoon of Toledo to Rocky Point on Ambergris Caye. Any of the many rivers which empty into the Caribbean along Belize's coasts can guarantee a daily catch. Most of your guides and boatmen speak English so learning where and what to fish will be no problem. The waters surrounding Ambergris Caye abound with a great variety of saltwater fishing and the island boasts some of the best fishing guides in the country. Most types of fish, including bone fish and tarpon, can be caught year-round. Within 15 minutes of leaving the dock, you can be fishing in tidal flats or in blue water hundreds of feet deep. 
Cost for charters depends on the type of fishing (reef, deep sea, or
bone and tarpon), the size of the boat, number of anglers, time of year
and current bank balance of the captain, but expect to pay around US$100
to $175 per person for a full day's reef and deep sea fishing trip, including
bait and tackle, beer, soft drinks and lunch. The International Billfish Tournament is hosted by the Barrier Reef Hotel and Hustler Tours each spring.
FISHING ON AMBERGRIS CAYE has remained one of the Caribbeans best-kept secrets until recently. The extensive flats, a twenty minute boat ride from the lodge, are picture perfect. Shallow (2-6 feet) and with a whiter than normal sand bottom, these tarpon feeding grounds stretch for over fifty miles and provide the dining room for almost unbelievable numbers of tarpon. Peak periods on the local flats are the months of May through November, though there are fish around 355 days a year, and Winter/Spring months (February, March and April) provide excellent opportunities when the weather cooperates. More importantly, it is uncommon to encounter other anglers once you have left the harbor area. The immense size of these flats, and the lack of fishing pressure has left these tarpon with an very aggressive nature, and they move readily to almost any properly presented fly.
FISHING FROM THE SHORE-
You can fish for bonefish from the flats at the cut just north of San Pedro, from the beaches north of the cut and from the docks and beaches in town and south of town. Caught bonefish just about anytime water conditions were right, any time of day...Water must be calm. Wade fishing with a 7-weight fly-rod, or a light spinning rod is a kick. You can catch more fish off a boat, but wade fishing, or off the end of a pier is relaxing. The area near the cut is pretty good. The various species of fish is pretty good: black snappers, red snappers, bonefish, barracudas, french grunts, and permit. Mr. twister's jigs are awesome. You can use sardines available from at a bait shop immediately side of the airport, there is also a fly shop at El Pescador Resort.... You can fish from the beach and docks in town and on the south side of town beginning about 4:00 PM. We often cooked in the condo and found restaurants very willing to clean and serve my fish for about $5.00 per person. They were especially willing if I had a little extra fish that they could serve to others at full price.
There are many good guides and fishing from a boat is an option. I did it and enjoyed it. You can fish for an hour or more anytime you feel like it with your own gear. By all means, do it!
Looking at my watch and reminiscing on past adventures I turn my attention towards the waters edge a few feet from my beachside breakfast nook. Six thirty two, taking not that my guide and I will be off for an amazing day of fishing on the flats around Ambergris Caye. I've come to Belize once again to embark upon a familiar journey in pursuit of those most worthy of adversaries, the permit, the tarpon, and the bonefish. Drawing me back year after year I once again await yet another day of exploring this plentiful fishery fly rod in hand. For those whom never experienced the fishing in Belize there are a few things I should make clear. While the fishing is generally rated to be excellent all year long. The months of June through early September usher in a few special events that make fishing in Belize and AMAZING EXPERIENCE. The first event is as old as time its self, the spawning season comes around for the bonefish and permit. Both of these favorite flats species are in record numbers and in greater competition for food in such large schools. And my personal favorite, the gargantuos migrating Tarpon whom decide to linger about in the waters around Ambergris Caye in schools at times numbering over a hundred.
Note from a long-time dive operator on the island: While I am stating it is legal with snorkel equipment I would certainly never take a tourist spearfishing and would hope nobody else would. It would not take long to deplete the fishlife it we marketed spearfishing therefore I think it should be left for the locals who have fed their families for generations using this one of many fishing methods. Tarpon remain the primary attraction at in the area, although there all the reef species, barracuda, snook, snapper, grouper, and of course the ever-present bonefish and occasional permit. These are really a sidelight, though, because this is tarpon fishing the way everyone dreams that it should be! The flats are situated only a mile or so from the blue water and they are constantly being replenished with fish from the deep. White sand bottoms with occasional patches of turtle grass provide an unbelievable background to make these fish very visible in the shallow water. Schools of dozens of fish can be seen pushing water like bonefish from hundreds of yards distance.
The common denominator for success at Ambergris Cay is the weather. Generally speaking, the dry season in Belize extends from March through May. Morning breezes are usually from the southeast during these months and directly from the east during the rest of the year. Since the vast tarpon flats that the flyfishermen are concerned with lie on the western shores of the Yucatan, this affords a protected "leeward" side much of the time.
Although the months of May through November are considered the prime time for flats fishing, the fish are present during the entire year and any days that are calm are considered ideal times to be on the water in search for tarpon. When the wind does raise havoc with the tarpon fishing the protected and always sheltered coves and lagoons offer a safe and almost guaranteed shot at bonefish. Though the bonefish don't often run large here, there are lots of them and they provide plenty of entertainment.
Permit are frequently spotted in these lagoons also, as well as cruising along the inside coast of the Yucatan and on the tarpon flats themselves. It is a good idea for flyrodders to have a spare rod always set up with their favorite permit pattern and an intermediate line in case they get a shot at one of fly fishing's most elusive gamefish! Fishing Licenses for BelizeIf you’re going fishing, you need a license. Even if you’re going to be in a boat with someone who is fishing, but you’re not fishing yourself, you still need a license. Even if you’ll be fishing from shore, you need a license. You need a license to catch a fish. Period. The law is supposed to be in the process of being re-written to eliminate from the licensing requirements fishing from shore, children under a certain age or senior citizens over a certain age, and the requirement that everybody in a boat on which fishing gear is located needs a license. (Right now, the way the law is written if 6 snorkelers go out on a boat and the guide brings along fishing gear to catch fish for lunch, all 6 snorkelers should have a fishing license.) Even if they eliminate some silly things in the law, you’ll still always need a license for sportfishing, particularly for catch and release. Get your sport fishing license online at CoastalZoneBelize.org, or call the CZMA at 223-0719/ 5739. Belize Fishing RegulationsYou can make a difference. Supply and Demand. If the consumer knows the proper seasons for seafood in Belize they are better equipped to make decisions at the restaurant or on their fishing trip. BY ensuring your local guides and restaurants comply with Belize’s Fishery Laws you are helping to protect commercial seafood species for generations to come. While we are making strides in mariculture options they can never replace natural stocks which still need more protection now and forever. Complete Ban – Coral – All Parrotfish – Blue Tang – Surgeon Fish – Permit – Tarpon – Bone Fish – Marine Turtle (all species) -Whale Shark – All Marine Mamals – Diced Conch – Diced Lobster Closed Seasons – Conch July 1st to Sept 30th – Lobster February 15th to June 14th – Nassau Grouper – December 1st to March 31 Wild Shrimp (trawler sources; farm shrimp is legal all year around) July 14 – March 14th – Hickatee May 1st to May 31st Catch & size limits – Conch Shell Length > 7 inches Market Clean > 2.5oz – Lobster Cape Length > 3 inches Tail Weight 2.75 oz – Nassau Grouper Must be 20 – 30 inches only. Must be landed whole (no fillet) Special Laws and Permits – All fishermen must have a valid license. You must be a Belizean Citizen or permanent resident in order to obtain a fisheries permit. Sea Cucumber requires a special permit. Fish Fillet must have skin patch left on 2 inch by 1 inch. No fishing while using artificial breathing devices (scuba gear or hookah) In Marine Protected areas several restrictions on fishing gear apply: no nets, no longlines, no traps. Belizelaw.org Chapter 2105 Click here for a poster covering Belize Fishing Regulations
Catch and release is not nonsense, it’s essential to protect a very lucrative sport fishing industry that provides a very good living to many Belizeans – and not just guides, but also people in the hotel, restaurant, transportation, agriculture, communications and other industries.
The complicated ecosystem of the reef supplies food and shelter to a huge variety of baitfish and small crustaceans that, in turn, attract larger predators. The reef also protects the shore-side protects the shore-sidefishery from the unmerciful wrath of the ocean. The-coral heads absorb the brunt of the pounding waves, which creates a tranquil setting in the flats even if the outside ocean is being pummeled by a storm. Belize's second virtue is its series of fresh-water rivers and brackish estuaries. Tarpon, snook, snapper, jacks and other species utilize these fertile waters for feeding and spawning purposes. The nutrient-rich rivers also dump a wealth of biomass into the ocean which is utilized by zooplankton, crustaceans and baitfish, providing a veritable smorgasbord for game fish. The reef and river/estuary system make an unbeatable combination. CLICK HERE for more information on fishing in Belize and San Pedro, including a list of local guides.CLICK HERE for a list of articles on fishing in Belize and off Ambergris Caye from magazines and sent in by our readers. They are full of excellent information, photographs, and tips.
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The Environmental Conditions which make Belize an
Angler's Paradise: Belize has a unique combination of environmental factors which create the ideal habitat for a myriad of
saltwater game fish. Its most outstanding attribute is the Belizean
Barrier Reef, which is second in size only to the Great Barrier
Reef in northeastern Australia. Ten to forty miles off the coast,
an intricate chain of submerged islands and little cays provide the
ideal habitat for a shallow-water coral -ecosystem. Shallow-
water coral species demand a strict set of environmental criteria
in order to flourish. If undeviating variables- including precise
water temperature and specific water depth- are not present, the
formation of a reef is impossible. This is why large barrier reefs
are fairly uncommon.
From the air, you can see the reef as an unbroken chain of white surf that stretches north along the eastern shore. Inside the reef the water is shallow with a blue tinge; outside the reef the water is deep and from the air is a dark royal blue. On very clear days, the reef appears as a narrow strip of yellow dividing the two shades of blue. Only near Ambergris Caye does the reef run anywhere near a populated coast. Offshore it is almost a solid wall of magnificent coral formations broken only by narrow channels called "quebradas". The reef is more than just decoration. Without it the island would not exist; as it serves as a breakwater protecting the beach from erosion and shelters the caye and its inhabitants. On the eastern side depths drop off rapidly to thousands of feet.
