# Belize Gear Tips?



## tkag18 (Dec 9, 2015)

Me and my dad are making our way down to Belize in September to fish for 3 days with El Pescador lodge. This is our first time fishing for bones, tarpon, permit. Asking around to see if we can get any tips on what kind of reels and line we should get. My dad is a novice caster and since we will be sharing rods we will need to get line suited best for beginners. We are taking Helios 3, 8 and 10wt and a 9wt Orvis Clearwater. We do not have reels for the 8 or 10. Any tips are appreciated.


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## Bruce J (Mar 4, 2018)

I wouldn't bother taking the 3wt as it will be way too light for any bones, permit, or tarpon. The 8, 9, and 10wt rods will be fine. I would recommend bringing another 8 wt, or a 7wt if you and your dad plan to fish bonefish together, as you'll likely be wading and can each fish. You could use the 8 and 9 for the bones instead, but then you won't have a back-up if you (inevitably) break one of them.

Lots of choices for reels depending on your budget, but any name brand large arbor reel with proper backing loaded will do you well. Scientific Anglers, Rio, and Orvis all make good saltwater lines specifically for bonefish (for the 7/8/9 wt reels) or tarpon for the 10wt.

You'll need leaders, and since you're beginners it will be better to go with the pre-made tapered saltwater leaders available at any decent fly shop. If you're good with your knots you can tie your own, but as a beginner you might not want to mess with it.

Then you'll also need a good selection of bonefish flies, a few permit and tarpon flies. Others can chime in with their favorites, but you'll want a a selection of primarily size 4 and 6 crazy charlies for the bones in different flavors with a few different eye weights - no eyes, bean chain, and barbell type.


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## Dave Nickles (Feb 3, 2018)

I'm guessing you were talking about Helios3 model rods in 8 and 10 weights - those would be great. I am wait-listed for the Orvis school at El Pescador in Oct. and I believe they offer pretty good rental outfits. You may want to give them a call to find out for sure and get their advice on rigs and flies.


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## RileyH203 (Jun 28, 2017)

I am doing a few days at El Pescador in October. Did my first fly fishing trip to Belize last year and I absolutely over packed with the gear. I took wading booties, however the areas you could really get out of the boat were nice sand bottoms so the boots were unnecessary, and the areas that were not sand, the guide advised us not to get out because it was mud bottoms that you would sink to your waist in. Used the same shrimp pattern with rubber legs and beadchain eyes for bones, they seem much more interested in a well presented fly that a specific pattern.


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## 994 (Apr 14, 2008)

I’m also planning a trip to Belize in October for our honeymoon. Trying to decide between El Pescador and Victoria House. Need a place that the wife can relax comfortably when she doesn’t want to fish.


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## backbone (Jan 4, 2016)

I would do a honeymoon at Victoria House. I have been to both and they have their strengths. You can wade around VH for bones. I would book George Bradley as a guide if doing the VH trip.
Victory House has a great restaurant that has a honeymoon vibe, while the pescador has family style dining where you eat with the whole lodge every meal. The food is great at both places though. 
El pescador has brackish water showers as well.

As far as reels go, any reel with appropriate backing and smooth drag will work.
Seems you like Orvis, so their Mirage line is really nice.
Bonefish run in the 2lb range so the 3wt may be a blast, who knows. It is an island so there is always wind. A 6 or 7wt would be better, or just the 8 you have.
Most of the flats are deep mud bottom so wading is not usually an option.

Baur crab in olive is a go to for perms.
Bones will probably eat about anything with some flash in it. Brown/white clouser in size 4,6 or gotchas/charlies.
Tarpon, I would throw black/purp or black/red, as well as orange/orange bunny flies.

Good luck and let us know how it goes!


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## AgAngler2370 (May 5, 2017)

mosquitolaGOON said:


> I’m also planning a trip to Belize in October for our honeymoon. Trying to decide between El Pescador and Victoria House. Need a place that the wife can relax comfortably when she doesn’t want to fish.


You should look into Turneffe Island Resort. Nice for the wife and in the middle of the zone for fishing. It's a nice experience since it's on an island that you have to access by boat.


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## Crazy Larry (Nov 8, 2017)

I'll chime in. I was at Pescador last Spring for 3 days of fishing. It's was a great experience. You'll have a good time no matter what. 

Your Orvis rods will serve you well there. The 3 you have will cover all the bases except for the biggest tarpon. I've got 8 and 10 wt Galvan Torques and am happy with both. The 8 handled belize bones with no problems. I used the rio bonefish line and it was good but has a long head. Sometimes a shorter head is easier for beginning casters and fast rods. I'm sure H3 users will be able to make specific line recommendations.

The best advice I got before I went (also with a friend who was new to fly casting) was to ask the guide to find a mud on the first day. The fish are schooled up and feeding so casts can be shorter, accuracy is not as critical and you'll catch lots of fish. For a beginner this can be a good confidence booster compared to missing quick shots at singles and doubles that require accurate and light presentations. We had challenging weather conditions so things may be different for you, but I only saw a few permit out of casting range and a tarpon that someone else hooked. We saw some fast moving big jacks that would have been fun but didn't get a fly in front of them.

Spend as much time as you can practice casting your rods before the trip. Build up that muscle memory so you can make quick casts with only a couple false casts. Also take advantage of Ken's casting lessons at the lodge each afternoon.

Have fun.


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## tkag18 (Dec 9, 2015)

Just for clarification. I’m taking an 8wt, 9wt, and 10wt, I am not taking a 3wt. I was referring to the model of the Helios 3 rod.


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## BM_Barrelcooker (May 4, 2011)

I’ve never been to Belize.

However I can imagine waking to the sound of gentle waves breaking on the beach as the tide rolls in by my thatch roofed villa. After fresh dark coffee and some granola while reading a hand delivered copy of the days Wall Street journal I’m startled by a knock on the door .
It’s Jose de jesumadre my guide for the day. He hands me a hand rolled cigar and lights it so I can savor the indigenous tobacco while he assembles and lines my rod. 
After choosing just the right fly and attaching it to the fresh leader , he helps me mount the donkey that will carry me not only to but out on to the flat. 
This donkey comes equipped with everything you need for an enjoyable day on a belizian flat : beach chair , folding table, picnic basket full of dried fruits meats and a variety of cheeses and a cooler full of beer , water and mixers for the light ,dark , and spiced rum that are in the saddle bag. 
Upon reaching the middle of the flat 
Jose helps me dismount and hands me the rod while pointing to the First school of tailing Fish not 60 yards away . The sun is hot and the water is clear.....,........

To be continued.


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## AgAngler2370 (May 5, 2017)

BM_Barrelcooker said:


> I’ve never been to Belize.
> 
> However I can imagine waking to the sound of gentle waves breaking on the beach as the tide rolls in by my thatch roofed villa. After fresh dark coffee and some granola while reading a hand delivered copy of the days Wall Street journal I’m startled by a knock on the door .
> It’s Jose de jesumadre my guide for the day. He hands me a hand rolled cigar and lights it so I can savor the indigenous tobacco while he assembles and lines my rod.
> ...


Don’t forget about the trained monkey on a homemade paddle board to run back to the donkey and mix up your beverage of choice.


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## Bonecracker (Mar 29, 2007)

BM_Barrelcooker said:


> I’ve never been to Belize.
> 
> However I can imagine waking to the sound of gentle waves breaking on the beach as the tide rolls in by my thatch roofed villa. After fresh dark coffee and some granola while reading a hand delivered copy of the days Wall Street journal I’m startled by a knock on the door .
> It’s Jose de jesumadre my guide for the day. He hands me a hand rolled cigar and lights it so I can savor the indigenous tobacco while he assembles and lines my rod.
> ...


BM you are killing me!!


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## 7WT (Feb 12, 2016)

I have fished Xcalak Mexico on the Belize border a number of times. While I have with me a number of reels including mirage, ross, sci angler, some danish ATH models, I actually for bones used an old original basic lamson like an early 1980 reel that while basic worked fine- caught a number of 4 lb up to 9 lb with it- I used it because it had a line I liked for my 7 wt which works great if no wind. If wind then the 9 wt. Tarpon, permit 10 and 9. FYI I found the larger bones keyed better on crab patterns. Practice with your line and rod to find the line match you like- quick medium length casts. Good luck!


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## Guest (Mar 21, 2018)

tkag18 said:


> Me and my dad are making our way down to Belize in September to fish for 3 days with El Pescador lodge. This is our first time fishing for bones, tarpon, permit. Asking around to see if we can get any tips on what kind of reels and line we should get. My dad is a novice caster and since we will be sharing rods we will need to get line suited best for beginners. We are taking Helios 3, 8 and 10wt and a 9wt Orvis Clearwater. We do not have reels for the 8 or 10. Any tips are appreciated.


I fished El Pescador before they remodeled the rooms and it was a bit run down. We didn't care for the "grand central" feel of the grounds as the path into town runs across the property. The staff is great and they do offer rental gear [I wouldn't buy reels unless you know it's something you'll get plenty of use out of]. Practice, practice, practice and also attend the free casting sessions on the dock every evening. I fished with Ketchu, great guide, good teacher, a bit intense.


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## Canebrake51 (Feb 15, 2018)

I took 7, 8, 10 and 11 to El Pescador. Ended up fishing mostly the 7 wt for bonefish which were generally small. I did catch a few larger bonefish and the 7 was fine for that. Never really had any permit shots, but had the 10 wt for tarpon. As for lines I had Cortland Liquid Crystal Guide on the 7 and RIO Quickshooter on the 10. It didn’t seem that the lodge had a lot of equipment for rental so call ahead to reserve any rods and reels you might need. It’s a great place for a novice because there are lots and lots of bonefish. Have a great trip!


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## permitchaser (Aug 26, 2013)

BM_Barrelcooker said:


> I’ve never been to Belize.
> 
> However I can imagine waking to the sound of gentle waves breaking on the beach as the tide rolls in by my thatch roofed villa. After fresh dark coffee and some granola while reading a hand delivered copy of the days Wall Street journal I’m startled by a knock on the door .
> It’s Jose de jesumadre my guide for the day. He hands me a hand rolled cigar and lights it so I can savor the indigenous tobacco while he assembles and lines my rod.
> ...


You been smoking wacky weed man!
Or dreaming


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## BM_Barrelcooker (May 4, 2011)

dreaming.....I'm straight edge man.......drug and alcohol free. Even quit copenhagen after a long and difficult addiction.


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## texasag07 (Nov 11, 2014)

Just came back from Ambergris yesterday did one guide day and 3 diy days. I would make sure a 6 or 7wt was on that list alot of the bones there are small so an 8wt is a bit over gunned. This is my second trip to the island and the only time I use my 7 or 8wt for bones is if I am wading.

Flies you bones will be on the small side. Size 6's are pretty much the standard but size 8's work really good as well even or the bigger fish. You could have a few size 4's, but I would pack more 6's and 8's in various colors and a couple different weights. 

Largest bone of the trip was prolly close to 4 lbs and the smallest was prolly 12".

As far as lines I would probably just put bonefish or permit taper lines by whichever manufacturer that you currently like.


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## 7WT (Feb 12, 2016)

OK here is a tip for anyone interested. Check out Casa Paraiso in Xcalak Mexico: http://casaparaisoxcalak.com/ Four of us went there last spring and had excellent fishing at incredibly reasonable prices. the lodge is on the beach and you can catch permit and bones off the dock- literally. A week of fishing: 7 nights, 5 guide days with breakfast and lunch lodging and guide for two cost us each under $1500. Bones ranged typically from 3lb to 5lb. If you are willing to walk deep, 3 miles,into back area estuaries, well worth it, you can find the big girls which I did and caught 4 over 7lb two 10 lb bones. Hooked a large (25lb) permit and caught a 10 lb. Saw some tarpon and jumped two. Lodging is superb. About 5 different places for a dinner- very reasonable. Beautiful and relatively few fish it. 15 years ago it would be just you today there are others but still excellent and beats the other places big time. Same area as Coco de Cocos but much better in facility and price. I share this selfishly as I will probably not be back there otherwise I would stay quiet about it. check it out- the owner is Ben Sutton and Esther- great couple.


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## AgAngler2370 (May 5, 2017)

7WT said:


> OK here is a tip for anyone interested. Check out Casa Paraiso in Xcalak Mexico: http://casaparaisoxcalak.com/ Four of us went there last spring and had excellent fishing at incredibly reasonable prices. the lodge is on the beach and you can catch permit and bones off the dock- literally. A week of fishing: 7 nights, 5 guide days with breakfast and lunch lodging and guide for two cost us each under $1500. Bones ranged typically from 3lb to 5lb. If you are willing to walk deep, 3 miles,into back area estuaries, well worth it, you can find the big girls which I did and caught 4 over 7lb two 10 lb bones. Hooked a large (25lb) permit and caught a 10 lb. Saw some tarpon and jumped two. Lodging is superb. About 5 different places for a dinner- very reasonable. Beautiful and relatively few fish it. 15 years ago it would be just you today there are others but still excellent and beats the other places big time. Same area as Coco de Cocos but much better in facility and price. I share this selfishly as I will probably not be back there otherwise I would stay quiet about it. check it out- the owner is Ben Sutton and Esther- great couple.


That looks like a bargain compared to other places. How did you get there?


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## 7WT (Feb 12, 2016)

Southwest flies direct to Cancun (sw visa miles fly free). Rented a car in Cancun, they will pick you up at the airport, with no problems, although you want to be careful- you must buy the Mexican car insurance- used a credit card which protects. Drove 4 1/2 to 5 hours to Xcalak , stopping on the way to pick up food beer etc at store and also exchange US for pesos as great exchange rate and Xcalak works on pesos not US dollars for most places and no credit cards are accepted there. Highways and roads are excellent but go the speed limit- police will pull over rental cars even though other Mexicans are speeding. If you email and talk with Ben Sutton at Casa Paraiso he will provide all details some of which are listed on their web site in Q&A. By the way that $1500 included dinner and drinks etc. It's a steal- but you organize it yourself. Ben's son will organize all of the guides for you and they are good, accommodating, we always tipped them of course! Typical guide day is 8 am leave docks after excellent breakfast, lunch on the water, and back about 4 to 4:30. If you want to do something special- go to a lagoon, hike in for big fish, go after Permit or tarpon tell them. Fantastic margaritas at the lodge and then after a relax off to one of the dinner places a mile away. You won't be disappointed.


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## VB Fly Fisher (Mar 23, 2018)

I fished El Pescador Lodge last November and had a pretty good time. We mainly fished 8's,9's & 10's. The 9 weight was strictly for targeting larger barracuda with needle fish flies...pretty fun. We caught plenty of decent bones around the Savannah Flats areas, but could not get any Jacks as they were moving fast. We did spend a day fishing for Snook in the National Park and caught some decent fish upwards of 30". Also missed a couple of Tarpon that jumped off; we were using the 10's for them. The one gripe we did have was the policy of letting the guides decide to cancel the trip due to weather. There could 35mph winds and 3' waves and those guys will not cancel; policy is that once you leave the dock you are on the hook for the full price. If you cancel, you are still on the hook for the full price. The lodge staff truly make the lodge what it is; they are very accommodating and will know your name the second you step foot on the dock. Enjoy your trip!


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## permitchaser (Aug 26, 2013)

BM_Barrelcooker said:


> dreaming.....I'm straight edge man.......drug and alcohol free. Even quit copenhagen after a long and difficult addiction.


Me too man no drink or tobacco or meat but dream about Tarpon a lot

Waiting for you to change your avatar again


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## Ryan in LA (Jan 30, 2018)

Allen makes a great case you can carry on the plane with 3 rods and some essential clothes. Its nearly same as the nicer brands like Orvis and Simms, but about $100 less.

I carried on my rods and reels into Belize but packed the reels on way back (some say they won't let u on with line, but from the US not a problem).

Call the lodge and ask how easy it is to aquire flies there or nearby (if nearby flyshop call them too) and what works good. Carry some but don't get crazy as the guide probably won't like most. I threw at most 4 patterns in 6 days...pink/greenish crazy Charlie for bones, brown and green merkin for permit and Enrique Puglesi Peanut Butter for Tarpon (purple/black baitfish). I may have gone through 10 flies maybe.


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

BM_Barrelcooker said:


> I’ve never been to Belize.
> 
> However I can imagine waking to the sound of gentle waves breaking on the beach as the tide rolls in by my thatch roofed villa. After fresh dark coffee and some granola while reading a hand delivered copy of the days Wall Street journal I’m startled by a knock on the door .
> It’s Jose de jesumadre my guide for the day. He hands me a hand rolled cigar and lights it so I can savor the indigenous tobacco while he assembles and lines my rod.
> ...


What if the donkey craps in the water next to you, as you are sitting in your lawn chair and sipping on some fresh pineapple juice and dark spiced rum?  

However, I think you may have something there. I think it'd be interesting, staking and sight casting to bones while still on the donkey. It's got to be the next new trend in fly fishing!


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## bonehead (Dec 9, 2016)

I think it's pretty cool that you're going on this trip with your dad to Belize. I am about to head to Chile with mine and there is no one I'd rather go with.

I have made the mistake of "underestimating" fly casting a couple times. You mentioned that your dad has never fly casted... I would definitely try to show him the ropes (if you live close) or maybe get him set up with a casting lesson at a fly shop. Few things are more frustrating than seeing 30" trout all day and not being able to cast. I'll borrow one of Capt Bob's usual sayings here - "another one of those ask me how I know moments"...

Good luck with the trip! Make sure to share with us how it went.


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## mtgreenheads (May 20, 2014)

We are getting ready for a week @ El Pescador over Thanksgiving. Busy filling boxes with recommended patterns. Anybody have recent experience there, patterns they'd like to share?

Thanks!


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## backbone (Jan 4, 2016)

Green Bauer Crab and Brown Avalon for Permit.
The Poon like bunny toads in black/red, orange, and white.
The bones will take most any small bonefish flies.


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## VB Fly Fisher (Mar 23, 2018)

Crazy Charlie & Christmas Islands for Bones. Black Death and Cockroach flies for Tarpon. Let us know how you do.
Tight lines!


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## 7WT (Feb 12, 2016)

If you find any large bones- way back walking thru the lagoons like a couple miles I find they take crab flies typically light olive good size nickel to quarter size over shrimp type flies.


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## TheAdamsProject (Oct 29, 2007)

All above are good suggestions and if you happen to have some yellow kiptail, tie some yellow crazy charlies. I never go anywhere with out them and still cant place why they work but fished Belize for the first time in '07 where our guide handed me one...and have toted them around the Caribbean ever since. 

Also, remember its like any other bonefish/permit/tarpon trip. You will buy/tie 4 dozen flies and probably use 3 the whole time you are there


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## BM_Barrelcooker (May 4, 2011)

I’m headed there in Dec. gonna have to round up some of them yella Charlie’s and a good mule whip.


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## mtgreenheads (May 20, 2014)

nativejax said:


> All above are good suggestions and if you happen to have some yellow kiptail, tie some yellow crazy charlies. I never go anywhere with out them and still cant place why they work but fished Belize for the first time in '07 where our guide handed me one...and have toted them around the Caribbean ever since.
> 
> Also, remember its like any other bonefish/permit/tarpon trip. You will buy/tie 4 dozen flies and probably use 3 the whole time you are there


Only 4 dozen, eh?


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## coconutgroves (Sep 23, 2013)

mtgreenheads said:


> We are getting ready for a week @ El Pescador over Thanksgiving. Busy filling boxes with recommended patterns. Anybody have recent experience there, patterns they'd like to share?
> 
> Thanks!


Use what the guides have.... 

Been in that area many of times. Gotchas, charlies for the bones. Poons - deceivers. Permit... good luck! Bauer and avalons are go to's there. Personally, throw a 6 wt for the bones if the wind allows. 8 wt for the permit if you come across them - most are smaller, but bigger ones can show up. Poons - 9 wt, especially if they take you to the lagoon, which should be the case that time of year.


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