First of all, I need to introduce you to the other writers who were my fishing
partners and co-conspirators on this trip. Since we fished together, ate
together, took pictures of each other fishing, and shared equipment, it will
be helpful for you to know who I'm talking about when I mention them.
From left to right:
- Me - representing Fly Anglers OnLine magazine. I'm also the only
person in this bunch who isn't an editor or publisher of a magazine.
- Kathryn (Kate) Fox - Publisher/vice president, Abenaki Publishing
(American Angler, Fly Tyer, Saltwater Fly Fishing magazines).
- Philip (Phil) Monahan - Editor, American Angler magazine.
- Mark Easton - Editor/publisher, Outdoor Florida magazine.
- Harry Canterbury - Editor/publisher/host, Adventure Sports Outdoors
magazine, radio talk show and TV video productions.
- Jason Wood - Editor, Saltwater Sportsman magazine
They were all fun to fish with and all had a great sense of humor. Jason
Wood had more one-liners than most comedians and you never knew
what Mark would do next to get a laugh. We had fun, but we also had
a mission, so we put all our efforts into catching fish and helping each other
do the same. It was refreshing to see six writers from different magazines
working together without even a hint of territorial rivalry.
Like I said last time, when I learned I was going to Belize on a fishing adventure
I panicked. I had two months to collect all my gear; practice casting at distances
I don't normally cast, and tie up the flies I needed for the trip. I also had to
research much of what I needed to take with me. Here are some of the things
I learned that you'll want to know if you venture that direction (or anywhere
else) on a fishing trip.
Rods
Belize is known as the "grand slam" capitol of the world. That means you
need to be prepared to fish for the big three - tarpon, permit and bonefish.
You'll also have a chance at barracuda, jacks, snook and red snapper.
These fish can be handled on the rods used for the big three, so you don't
need to be species specific while selecting rods for these "other" fish.
Bonefish require 8wt rods for the most part, but the smaller fish can be
handled on a 6 or 7wt rod just fine. If I go again, I'll take a 7wt and 8wt
rod for these fish. Always take a spare rod since there are many things that
can eat a rod; like ceiling fans, feet, fish, boats, etc. Your bonefish rod is
the rod you'll use if you chase snapper or jacks. The 7wt would be my
backup for the 8wt rod I'd probably use the most. You'll be casting a
lot, so a quality rod that is light in the hand and responsive to the casting
stroke is a must. I used a 9ft 8wt Gatti I borrowed from James Castwell
as my primary bonefish rod. It did an excellent job.
Permit are a lot bigger than bonefish and are usually fished with a 9wt or
10wt rod. For smaller permit, an 8wt rod will do fine, but there is a chance
to hook a big one and a light rod might not handle a big fish very well. I took
two 8wt rods and a 10wt, so the permit were fished on an 8wt with plenty of
prayers that I'd be able to handle a big fish if I hooked one. My back-up 8wt
rod was a Lamiglas 4pc-travel rod (borrowed from Ladyfisher), but it wasn't
required (this time). If I go again, I'll probably take along a 9wt for permit.
Tarpon are the big beasts of the Belize flats. They should be fished with a
10wt to 12wt rod with the 12wt being the preferred rod of the guides there.
I used a 10wt for this task and for barracuda also. I didn't hook a tarpon,
but barracuda averaging about 10 pounds bent the rod all morning the
second day of fishing. Big flies and big fish need big rods. This is also
a good size for snook. I borrowed a 4pc 10wt titanium rocket from
Todd Vivian (the rod design guru for Lamiglas). That rod can deliver
a heavy tarpon fly 105 feet with my (lacking) casting skills. I wonder
how far a good saltwater fly caster could launch one of those flies with
that rod? I'd definitely take that rod again if I had the chance.
You must be able to cast at least 60ft fairly accurately, in all kinds of wind
up to 30 mph, at all kinds of angles, if you hope to catch many bonefish.
Permit require the same distance and more accuracy than bonefish, and
tarpon require a lot more distance than either permit or bonefish. If you
can't achieve these basic saltwater casting distances, you need to practice,
take a class or whatever else it takes to get at least that good. It didn't
look pretty, but after two months of practice I was able to meet the casting
demands of the sport.
If I get to go again, I'll have four rods in 7, 8, 9 and 10 weights. I would
definitely want to have the titanium Lamiglas and the Gatti rod along on any
adventure of this nature. That Sage XP Phil was using would be a nice
touch too, but they didn't offer and I (unfortunately) didn't ask.
Reels and fly lines
Your reels need to be big enough to hold a weight forward saltwater fly line
in a size to match the rod; plus at least 200 yards of 20 to 30lb test dacron
or micron backing. They must have a good, smooth disk drag that will handle
lightning fast runs. That means you need to forget click drag reels. They just
won't work for these fish. It also means forget cheap reels with small drag
surfaces. The low cost side of suitable reels would be Redington or Teton.
I borrowed all the reels I used from James Castwell and Todd Vivian. Personally,
I don't own a good saltwater reel yet, but I think I'll own one before long.
Large arbor reels are helpful to take up all that line a bonefish will strip
off your reel before he changes direction and starts back toward the boat
just as fast as he departed. I think I fell in love with Phil Monahan's
Charlton reel (distributed by Scientific Anglers). It took up line faster
than any reel I've ever seen. Smooth drag too. Some guys have all
the nice toys.
You might get away with a standard weight-forward line or even a bass
line for practice, but you'll need a saltwater fly line for fishing. Standard
lines won't last half a day in the coral and mangrove environment of Belize
flats fishing. I used Scientific Anglers Mastery bonefish and tarpon lines
on one 8wt and the 10wt rod. They cast like rockets, and the saltwater
makes them almost too slick to grab. I also used a Cortland bonefish line
on one of the 8wt rods. It would be hard to choose between the SA and
Cortland lines for casting qualities. They were all excellent casting lines.
Clothing
Suitable clothing is a must for this kind of fishing. Shirts must be lightweight,
vented and breathable to allow your body to cool. Pants must be lightweight,
fast drying and breathable. Zip-off pants legs are preferable. Headwear
should be breathable and protect your face, ears and neck from the sun.
Footwear should be comfortable, easy to put on and take off, and protect
your feet and ankles from sharp coral and shells.
I wear vented fishing shirts all summer long. They are the most comfortable
shirts I own, and my wife says they seem to be the only shirts I own. The
shirts I took to Belize were the best ones I've seen to protect your body
from UV damage while providing adequate ventilation to prevent overheating.
They also dry real fast.
First, I wore Sea Harbour Ultra-Tech shirts (supplied by Cortland). This shirt
dries fast, has vented under-arms and back, has roll-up sleeves, and resists wrinkles.
It's a great travel shirt with long pockets (great for airline tickets, etc.) behind the
bellows pockets. The collar can be raised to protect the neck from harmful sun
rays. The shirt is designed to provide the ultimate UV protection in a harsh climate.
Its design shouts fly-fishing with a d-ring at one bellows pocket and enough space
in the pockets to hold a reasonable-sized fly box. The square bottom is designed
to allow the shirt to be worn outside the pants for increased ventilation.
Next, I wore Ex Officio airstrip shirts. These are the lightest and most breathable
shirts I own. They have full side vents that stretch from the underarm to the pants,
and a fully vented back that can be pinned up for increased ventilation. Square
bottom for increased ventilation.
I also wore Ex Officio Baja Plus shirts. These shirts have side vents and arm vents.
A little warmer than the other shirts in the tropical sun, but they dry fast and are very
comfortable. I've had several of these shirts for 7 years and they look fairly new,
especially considering that I wear them almost all the time in the summer.
Any of the above-mentioned shirts will provide the best UV protection you can
find, are cool and comfortable in tropical climates, resist wrinkles, and last many
years under hard use. One guy I fish with occasionally has a Baja Plus shirt he
has worn for 15 years; and the only visible signs of wear are the faded fabric.
Good clothing is worth the money spent to buy it.
My fishing pants were the type with zip-off legs. They were from Sea Harbour,
Ex Officio and Columbia. The fact that they were designed for flats wading was
critical for comfort. They dry fast and breath very well. Anything heavier would
have been a sweatbox in the heat. They are also great for summer fishing in the
freshwater environment where I live.
Headwear should be lightweight and protect your face, ears and neck from the sun.
We all wore different types of headwear, but they all had those features. Sunscreen
on any exposed skin is still critical because the reflection of the sun off the water
can burn you in minutes.
Flats boots are a must any time you leave the boat to wade the flats. Coral
and seashells can destroy bare feet and soft soled shoes in minutes. The flats
boots I wore were supplied by Chota (a sponsor here). I also noticed that
the guides at the lodges wore Chota boots. When I asked them why they
chose Chota boots, they said they chose them for comfort and because they
were more durable than the others they had tried. They also mentioned that
the zippers don't fail on Chota flats boots, but they had experienced problems
with zipper failure on other brands. That's a better product review than I
could ever provide.
Polarized sunglasses are critical if you want to see any fish. The lenses must
be brown or amber to see anything in a saltwater environment. This is where
I failed in my preparation. I always wear Action Optics sunglasses while fishing.
At one time I had two pair of Action Optics sunglasses; one with brown and the
other with gray lenses, but the pair with brown lenses was stolen out of my car
several years ago and I never replaced them since I had a good pair with gray
lenses. I just couldn't see the fish with those gray sunglasses, so I missed a lot
of opportunities. Fortunately, I was able to borrow a pair with brown lenses
for several days, and those were my best fishing days.
Don't short yourself with cheap sunglasses. There are several good brands of
sunglasses, but Action Optics seem to be favorites in the fishing crowd (with
the exception of Mark Easton's Costa Del Mar glasses). Cheap lenses don't
filter the sun's rays the way good lenses do. Before I learned the value of
quality sunglasses I suffered with headaches and sore eyes. My cheap
sunglasses didn't penetrate the water as well as my Action Optics lenses do.
Next time I'll have Action Optics sunglasses with brown lenses. The gray
glasses I currently wear are 6 years old and work well in freshwater, but
they aren't the right glasses for saltwater flats.
Other Tackle
Scientific Anglers supplied all of the leaders and tippets our group used.
Bonefish leaders should be 9 to 10ft long and have a tippet strength of 8
to 14 pound test. Bonefish leaders work for permit, but the heavier test
versions are preferred. Jacks and snapper can also be caught on bonefish
leaders. I have long been a skeptic of fluorocarbon leaders and tippet for
general fishing, but for presenting flies to fish feeding underwater,
fluorocarbon is a definite advantage. I noticed the difference in
hook-ups right away.
If you want to learn how to create knots with names like bimini and hufnagle,
be my guest; they give me a headache. If you think other things interest you
more, Scientific Anglers has tarpon leaders already tied with those knots, so
all you need to do is provide the heavy back part of the leaders complete with
loops to attach the class-rated leaders SA makes. I even used a tarpon leader
with 50lb shock tippet for barracuda without any cut-off problems, but steel
leaders are preferred for this task. If you get a chance to chase snook, your
tarpon leader will work for them too.
To round off the tackle selection, you'll need a bag of some kind to hold all
your gear like fly boxes, leaders, cameras and suntan lotion. I purchased a
BW Sports Boatsider bag for this task. It carried all my gear and more.
Any soft tackle box will do the task just fine, but the layout of the Boatsider
is designed for fly fishing and excels in that area. A fanny pack designed for
fishing that holds your gear and a water bottle is a good idea if you're going
to wade the flats. I bought one from BW Sports that I used there and will
use often on hot days here at home too.
Other Important Gear and Information
Don't forget to carry plenty of water. You can dehydrate quickly in tropical
climates, so water is critical. You might want to pack a bottle of aspirin or
Tylenol in case you get a headache. That saved the day twice for me. A
bottle of Imodium AD and/or Pepto Bismol is a good idea in many places too.
Sunscreen is a must. Take the SPF 30 to 40 strength and make sure it's
the kind that doesn't wash off. Apply it often and liberally, especially on
nose, ears, chin, neck and that little triangle of skin where the shirt collar
is open in the front. Lip balm with a sun block is a necessity too. Your
body only has a limited amount of skin, and you can't afford to loose all
the layers in any area.
I carry hand lotion in my gear bag. It's a great way to prevent and/or treat
chapped hands. I can't remember any day when I handled multiple fish
when that bottle of hand lotion wasn't a handy item. A small flashlight
is a good idea too.
For anyone carrying cameras, check your cameras when you get to your
destination. Those of us who went through the security check at the Dallas
airport had a problem we didn't discover until it was too late. The ISO
settings on our cameras were moved from the DX setting to another setting.
One of my cameras (the one I used the most) was moved to ISO 400
(a speed I never use), and I had it loaded with ISO 50 film. Eleven rolls
of slide film and some priceless images were lost to that oversight on my
part. The other camera was set to ISO 80; but that didn't hurt much since
I had it loaded with ISO 100 film. I set all the settings on my cameras
before I left home, and I made sure the ISO settings were on DX so
the camera would sense film speed automatically. I knew I had pre-set
everything, so I didn't think to re-check the settings when I got to Belize.
It cost me dearly, but it'll never happen to me again. I'm not the only
one who learned that lesson. If the security guys at the airport handle
your cameras, check all the settings before you use them at your destination.
Actually, it's a good idea to check everything again just to be safe. You
never know what may have been bumped enough to change something
critical to good photography.
Another thing to think about if you're carrying film; get some film bags designed
for airport security machines. These lead-lined bags can be purchased at any
good camera shop, and they protect your film from the x-rays they use at airport
security checks. They also help protect the film from moisture, a common
problem in a boat.
We asked the lodges to place a second (dry) cooler in each boat for camera
and film storage. Those extra coolers were gear-savers in the rain and spray
from high waves. They also protected the gear from heat (heat can ruin film
fast, and it doesn't do your camera any good either). Any lodge worth visiting
should be willing to provide coolers for your cameras without any questions
or objections. All you need to do is ask.
Circular polarizing filters are a must on the water. They reduce the glare of
the sun reflecting off the water and intensify the colors a little. They also make
it much easier to see into the water with your camera. You'll never capture
the turquoise color of tropical water without a polarizing filter. An added bonus
a filter provides is protection of that costly lens from water spray. Be sure to
remove your polarized glasses before you use a camera with a polarizing filter.
You'll never see the effect of the filter with polarized glasses on, and your
pictures won't be glare-free if you can't see the effect and adjust the filter
properly.
I hope these hints help you prepare for your next trip to a tropical fishing
paradise. If you learn from my mistakes and successes, you'll have a
much better trip.
Next time we'll discuss flies. See you then. ~ Al Campbell
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