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On your own, Belize it!
Nada, Nada! The tarpon win
again...
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Getting around
Most things in town are within
walking distance - even the airport, Still I will recommend hiring a golf
cart, which is one of the most common ways of getting around on the island
for both locals and tourists. The cart makes travelling to a from town for
dining and shopping a breeze, and also facilitates getting to more remote
areas for some coastal fishing.
The prices do not vary much, and expect
the prices to wind up in the vicinity of 200 US$ for a week for a cart
that takes four persons. You can also get two and six seaters.
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Almost off road
Birgitte Claussen
photo
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| You return the cart for a
recharge every day and pick up a new one. The system works quite well and
the carts will basically take you as far as you can go on Ambergris Caye.
At the car rental they said three hours of continuous running, but we had
cars that did better - and some that did considerably worse! More than
once a few of the party were stuck with a car that decided not to run any
further.
On you own
Do not cheat yourself of the pleasure of
fishing on your own along the beaches and coasts. Walking along in knee
deep water scouting for movement is great fun, and even though it is not
as productive as boating over the muddy bonefish flats, it can be just as
exiting.
Spotting and hooking a fish on you own is a rewarding
experience. On top of that the chances of picking up all kinds of species
makes it even more fun. Expect jacks, snappers, shad, pompano and even an
odd small permit apart from the bonefish that seem present in small
numbers over most of the suitable spots.
Wading
Martin Joergensen photo
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Channel
Birgitte Claussen
photo
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Backside of town
Jan Jonassen photo
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Fishing the barracks
Martin Joergensen
photo
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Jan's 'cuda, the fight
Martin Joergensen
photo
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Jan's 'cuda, the pride
Martin Joergensen
photo
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Jan's 'cuda, the release
Martin Joergensen
photo
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| Do not fish anything over a 7
weight on these trips, and bring a variation of flies. Most need to be
smallish and light. Sizes smaller that 6 is fine, and simple, lightweight
flies seemed to work best. But do not forget a couple of larger ones with
wire attached in case of barracuda appearing.
Look for shallow areas
with coral sand, mud and turtle grass. Places with just 15 centimeters or
6 inches of water can hold bonefish, especially if there are deeper
channels nearby. You need keen eyes and polarized glasses to see them if
they do not break the surface. On the other hand you will often see
nervous water as a result of the activity of almost any fish in the
shallow water. This fishing is particularly attractive in the mornings and
evenings when the sun is more merciful and the fish seem less
anxious.
If you want to go to more remote parts of the island, you can
arrange to be set off and picked up by a water taxi. This will cost you
considerably less than a guided trip, but can be almost as rewarding.
Strolling along undisturbed beaches is balsam for the soul. An occasional
bent rod does not make the balsam less delightful.
The backstreets of San Pedro
We made several
ventures to less advertised parts of the island, scooting both up and down
the east coast and probing the back channels and mangroves with our flies.
This was an important and fun part of the trip, and brought many memorable
moments.
The general conclusion is: where there is water, there are
fish!
We fished semi-intensivley on the beach north and south of San
Pedro. This is easily accessible water, much of it withing walking
distance, and we caught both snappers, shad, barracuda and bonefish here.
Walk along and scout for movement. Cast to what you see and be prepated
for pleasant surprises. Notice that fishing is prohibited from most of the
piers - especially in the town itself. The Amigos del Mar pier in front of
Lilly's Restaurant is particularly tempting. A snorkel trip will reveal a
wealth of fish including large barracudas, hundreds of snappers and a huge
school of about 50-100 bonefish in a size, which is found few other places
on the island. These bonefish gross up to 4 kilos or 8 lbs. and swim
around in a very limited area waiting for goodies to be thrown from the
piers.
A cast from this pier is certain to bring more attention than
you will like, and I strongly recommend not to try. Probe the many piers
outside town in stead. You are allowed to fish from most of them, and even
though the probability of running into fish like under Amigos del Mar, the
piers still seem to attract fish like no other structures on the beach.
The ferry
The ferry across the narrow channel
between the sounthern part of the island and the northern part deserves a
chapter all for itself. This is an amazing vessel that at first sight will
seem doomed for a tough fate. It is basically a large steel box, floating
what seems all too hing on the water, flat on the top except for some
rusty railing. It is open in both ends and ramps are lowly, hinged steel
plates helped by some plywood waiting on the dock in each end of the
journey.
Docking
Kristian Ehlern
photo
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Ferry
Martin Joergensen
photo
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The trip is about 40-50 meters or 150 feet and is overcome by hand
power. Yes, the ferry is simply pulled over with the aid of a rope hanging
across the channel. There are no guiding wires or other means of steering.
During tide and eb the current will be stron and the ferry will swing
around at the mercy of the elements and the muscles of a couple of deck
hands.
It easily loads three golf carts and a large number of
pedestrians and bikes. We did the trip several times, and nothing out of
the ordinary occurred. The trip is an experience in itself, and you should
definitely try it - not least to get to the northern part of the island
and see that. The fee is 5.- BZ$ each way for a cart and free for
pedestrians.
Casting for barracuda
Jan Jonassen
photo
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Flat by channel
Birgitte Claussen photo
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Lagune
Birgitte Claussen
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Venturing off
Birgitte Claussen
photo
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