Fishing Specials, cont.

Suggested Gear and Tackle
 

Permit:  Recommended Fly Fishing Gear

• Rod:   9/10 weight

• Line:   9 foot, 20# leader, clear slow-sinking line (we prefer Ultra 3 MonoCore), extra spool weight-forward floating line, 20-30# backing (min.   250 yards)

• Flies:   #4 Bauer's Fur Crab, #4 McCrab, 1/0 Mangrove Critter, #2 and #3 Bonefish Bitters (brown and greenish purple), #2 Del Brown's Merkin, #4 Palmetto Crab (tan), #4 Secret Crab,  #2 White Sand Fleeing Crab, #4 Puglisi Crab (olive) and #2 Palometa Crab (olive)

Permit:  Recommended Light Tackle Gear

• Rod/Reed:   6 to 7 foot rod;

• Line:   Minimum 300 yards of 10-15 lb. line

• Lures:  McCrab and epoxy flies,  small silver Krocodile spoons

Tarpon and Snook: 
Recommended Fly Fishing Gear

• Rod:   9/10 weight

• Line:   9 foot, 20# leader; 50-80# shock leader (for tarpon), clear slow-sinking line (also clear intermediate line for tarpon) (we prefer Ultra 3 MonoCore), extra spool weight-forward floating line, 20-30# backing (min. 150 yards for snook, 250 yards for tarpon)

• Flies:   Chartreuse and white Clouser Minnows with red throat (4/0 for snook, 4/0 and 6/0 for tarpon), white, pink and chartreuse, red and black tarpon flies (4/0 and 6/0), blue and green Marabou Minnows (4/0-6/0), Poppers (orange/yellow, chartreuse/blue, red head/white body, blue/green back, clear/black, Cockroaches (yellow/brown, yellow/orange, black/red), Lefty's Deceivers (blue/white, black mix, orange/yellow, Whistlers, Dahlberg Divers, small crab flies, Gummy Minnows (all colors)

Tarpon and Snook: 
Recommended Light Tackle Gear

• Rod:   6-7 foot rod with a 10-20 pound line rating

• Reel:   5500SS Penn (or equivalent)

• Line:   12 - 15# test (for tarpon and snook, 15# and 25# test)

• Lures: 

  • Tails and Bodies Kit: 200 piece assortment of jerkbaits, shad bones, grubs, beatles and tubes, plus assortment of heads and hooks (around $30 US at Off-Shore Anglers - anglers on a budget can bring just this kit)

  • Big Game MirrOlure: 65M (3 1/4") and 85M (5"): 2 of each color: green back, white belly, silver scales; green back, yellow belly, gold scales; green back, white belly, gold scales; blue back, white belly, silver scales; black back, fluorescent orange belly, fluorescent flame, chartreuse sides; green back, white belly, pink scales (also good for  jacks, barracuda, King mackerel, Spanish mackerel, Mangrove Snapper.  (King Mackerel and barracuda may puncture these lures, so bringing a few more than one each might be a good idea -- these are excellent lures that can be left for tips, or can be sold to the guides because they're hard to get in any part of Belize.)

  • Heddon Excalibur Super Pop-R: 3 1/8" - 1 each of bar fish, blue striper, redfish, red head, speckled trout

  • Glass Minnow Kit (43-piece) Cabelas: NN11-5626 - soft plastic baits - bring with MirroLures and Excaliburs

Bonefish:  Recommended Fly Fishing Gear

• Rod:   7-9 weight

• Line:   7-9 weight floating line (depending on size of rod), 9-12' bonefish leaders, 10-12# tippet

• Flies:  Clouser Minnows (#'s 6 and 8 - chartreuse, brown/white with flash and yellow and red eyes), Crazy Charlies (#'s 6 and 8, no weight or only slightly weighted - white, pink/yellow, brown and chartreuse), Bonefish Bitters (same as for permit, only hook sizes #4-#8), Gotchas (#'s 6 and 8), small crabs and streamers, Surf Candies (#2 and #4 - assorted blues, silvers and greens)

Bonefish:  Recommended Light Tackle Gear

• Rod:   6-7 foot rod with a 6-15 pound line rating

• Reel:  4500SS Penn or equivalent (should hold at least 250 yards of line)

• Line:  6-10# test

• Lures:

  • Small jigs (1/16-1/8 ounce) - something like the Gaines Phillips Wiggle Jigs - assortment of 12 - Offshore Anglers (1/8 ounce) (yellow, pink, white, blue, brown if buying separately)

  • Small hook (#1 and #2 hooks) baited with plastic jig tail - the 42-piece DOA Shrimp Kit from Offshore Anglers (3") will work well

Tuna, Barracuda, Jacks: 
Recommended Fly Fishing Gear

• Rods:  minimum one 9/10 weight and one 11/12 weight per angler (9 foot)

• Reel:   Good-quality saltwater reel holding a minimum of 250 yards of 20-30 lb. backing (300 yards preferable)

• Line:   Intermediate and fast sinking line; floating line (for poppers); 20# leaders (8-9' for Kings, 15-20' for tuna); 27# and 87# single wire leaders (nylon covered braided wire); 50# - 80# shock tippets

• Flies: 

  • Needlefish (2/0 to 3/0 long shank hooks. The best colors are blue or green over white using synthetic materials such as fishhail.  Other productive colors are chartreuse, pink, yellow and orange. Long red and orange flies tied on 2/0-3/0 hooks are good choice. Bright green and yellow flies are a good choice for bright days in clear water.

  • Tube Flies 12" long. red. Two hooks 5/0 connected tandem with wire.

  • Top water poppers

  • Abel's Anchovy

  • Streamer patterns falling in the 2-4" range (silvers, blues, chartreuses, greens)

  • Weighted Clouser Minnows

Tuna, Barracuda, Jacks, Grouper, Wahoo, Kings:  Recommended Light Tackle

• Rod:   6-7 foot medium/heavy rod with a butt long enough to fit into a fighting belt

• Reel:   6500SS-9500SS Penn (or equivalent)

• Line:   15-30# test

• Lures:   Rattlin' Rapalas (2 3/4" gold/black, back red, hot chartreuse red, white/red head, pot bellied jigs (assorted colors, 1/2- 1 1/2 oz.) tarpon poppers, 3" MirrOlures, 5" YoZuri Crystal Minnows (purple green - #60, blue/chartreuse laser - #58, blue mackerel - #24 and green Mackerel/gold - #27, blue/chartreuse laser - #58), 5" Rapalas; Super Zara Spook (silver mullet, redfish and speckled trout); poppers (blue/green back, clear/black, clear blue, chartreuse colors)

Other good lures to bring
along for 4-6 days of fishing

• L&S MirrOlure

  • Classic 52M - 3 5/8" - 1/2 oz. - Blue back w/chartreuse belly and silver scale (CHBL), Green back w/white belly and silver scale (#18), Black back w/white belly and silver scale (#21 or Mullet), Blue back w/white belly and silver scale (#24). - 1 each

  • Rock 'N' Rattlr - 33MR 3" - Green back w/white belly and silver scale (#18), Black back w/yellow belly and gold scale (#23), Black back w/white belly and silver scale (#21 or Mullet). - 1 each
     

• Yo-Zuri

  • TX Minnow - 4 1/8" - 5/8 oz - Green Mackerel, Silver, Black Sardine. - 1 each

  • Mag Popper - 4 1/8" - 5/8 oz. - Green Mackerel, Pink Head, Blue Mackerel. - 1 each

  • Crystal Minnow - Sinking - 5 1/4" - Purple/green, Blue/yellow, Blue Mackerel, Green Mackerel. - 1 each

• Heddon

  • Super Zara Spook - 5 1/4" - Silver Mullet, Redfish, Speckled Trout. 1 each
     

• Rapala

  • Saltwater Rattlin' Rapala - 2 3/4" and 3 1/8" - Mullet, Silver Green Mullet, Redhead. 1 each

  • Saltwater Husky Jerk - 5 1/4" - 1/2 oz. - Redhead, Croaker, Silver Green Mackerel, Mullet. 1 each

  • Rapala Magnum - 5 1/4" Floating - 3/4 oz., and 5 1/4 " Sinking - 1 1/4 oz. - Mullet, Dorado, Green Mackerel, Silver Mackerel, Fire Tiger. 2 of each color, 1 floating and 1 sinking

  • Saltwater Rapala Sliver - 5 1/4" - 9/16 oz. - Silver, Redhead, Needlefish, Green. 1 each.

 Notes on Gear and Tackle

1.  Fly Fishing.  Bill Kiene, owner of Kiene's Fly Shop in Sacramento, California, is very familiar with fly fishing in the Placencia area.  Bill is also very good about helping visitors to the area get properly outfitted, so you may want to contact him if you'd like to talk to someone in the States who has fished the area.  Bill's Website is at http://www.kiene.com or you can contact him by email at billkiene@kiene.com.  Joe Cummings, a veteran Placencia angler and Montana fishing guide and outfitter also offers very good and very complete fly boxes for Placencia fishing.  Contact Joe at jcummingst@msn.com.

2.  Light Tackle.   The primary baitfish here are silversides (sprats and fries), crab and some shrimp.   Lure colors should mimic the baitfish - - greenish/bluish/blackish on top and silver on sides.

Also, in general, plastic baits should be 3" to 5".  Both 1/4 to 1 oz. and 1/16th to 3/4" oz. jigs will work on various fish - bring an assortment of both. Jig colors should be chartreuses, whites, orange, pink/white. Lead weights should be in the 1-3 oz. range.

Krocodile spoons are good (#1-3), as are squid spoons (also #1-3). Bring wire leaders for barracuda and King Mackerel. You'll get the most "bang for the buck" with something like the barrel swivel and barrel snap swivel kits sold by Off-Shore Anglers. The barrel swivel kit is around $21 and the barrel snap swivel kit is around $18. Whatever you do, get a black finish.)

We'll provide trolling gear. However, if you happen to run into some Mann 30+ stretches at a good price, bring them down and we'll buy them from you (red heads and black/pearl). Same for Tuna Witches - Dorado, pink/blue/silver, light green/chartreuse green, pearl/silver Mylar.

Other Fishing and Related Gear

• Lightweight long-sleeved shirt and pants (at least 1 of each, quick-drying nylon is recommended)

• Wading booties (flats are sand and coral bottoms, so a harder sole is needed)

• "Broad spectrum" sunscreen containing zinc oxide, with a minimum SPF 15 rating (total sunblock is not a bad idea for the first few days on the water), and don't forget lip protection.  Please use "coral safe" sunscreens - at the very minimum, use waterproof sunscreens so that the sunscreen doesn't bleed into the water and harm corals and other marine life.

  • Lip Balms with Sunscreen:
    
    1) Lip Balm Sunstick - SPF 30 (by Kinesys Sport).
    2) Jack Black Lip Balm SPF 25.
    3) Zirh Lip Guard SPF 19. Water-resistant.
    4) Heavy Duty Lip Service Lip Balm with SPF 15. Ingredients include aloe vera and Vitamin E, and this lip balm provides UVA/UVB protection.
     

• Hat with a minimum 3" brim

• Headlamp (or waterproof flashlight)

• Polarized sunglasses, amber or copper colors are best for flats, blue or gray for deep water

  • Note:  Habervision makes good polarized sunglasses, especially their rose/copper lenses, which provide great clarity on the flats. 
     

• Snorkeling gear

• Insect repellant (Deep Woods Off works well)

• Bite stick (something with an ammonia base to stop the itching)

• Sunburn medication (Ocean Potion Ice is great and is usually available at Wal-Mart.)

• Rain gear (lightweight)

• Lightweight sweater or jacket

• Sandals

• Shoes with a decent sole and socks (for any jungle, caving or Mayan ruins trips -- I usually wear my heavier shoes on the plane and pack my sandals)

• Swim wear (minimum 2 suits per person)

• Beach towels (if not staying at a resort)

• T-shirts and shorts (quick drying nylon shorts are best - dark t-shirts offer the most sun protection)

• Toiletries

• Camera (and lots of film, camera batteries and batteries for digital cameras -- all are very expensive here, when you can find them)

• Underwater camera (the disposable ones work well in shallow conditions)

• Flashlights (one per person, plus extra batteries and bulbs - ESSENTIAL ITEMS)

• Books or magazines

• Extra pair(s) of prescription glasses/contacts if anyone wears them

• Medication (even over-the-counter medicine can be hard to find at times)

• Anything you absolutely can't do without since it's unlikely you'll easily find a replacement here)

• Passport with at least 6 months remaining before expiration (ESSENTIAL)

• Certification card (ESSENTIAL FOR DIVERS)

• Photocopy of passport photo page (laminating this copy is a good idea)

• International airline tickets

• MCI or ATT calling card or pre-paid phone card (see below for more info)

• Tropic Air voucher

• Pen (for filling out customs forms)

• *****Travel alarm clock*******
   

• Notes on money:

  • US money is freely used in Belize (and most businesses would rather receive US dollars than Belize dollars). So, no need to exchange money at the bank or elsewhere.

  • Do plan to bring some smaller denominations to avoid problems with getting change.

  • Placencia now has three banks - Atlantic Bank, Belize Bank and Scotia Bank. All have ATMs that you can use to obtain money using Visa/Mastercard debit or credit cards.

  • Belize banks will give generally NOT give you the official exchange rate of 2:1 when cashing traveler's checks -- sometimes not even for US dollars! However, you don't need to cash your traveler's checks or exchange money at the bank, because local merchants WILL give you a 2:1 exchange rate.

  • American Express Traveler's Checks are the most commonly used traveler's checks in Belize. When using a traveler's check, don't fill in the date or the name of the merchant, otherwise the merchant will have to deposit the check and the banks hold them for 40 days before making the money available. (If the date and the name of the merchant are not filled in, the traveler's checks are used pretty much as cash and somehow eventually find their way back to the States where they're cashed and deposited in someone's account, somewhere.) Also, make sure that your signature looks like the signature you used when you purchased your traveler's checks.

  • Visa is the most commonly accepted credit card, American Express and Discovery aren't accepted by very many businesses. MasterCard is now only accepted by larger businesses that have an electronic credit card processing machine. (MasterCard imposes a $0 floor limit on all Belize businesses, which means smaller merchants that have to call their bank for a credit card approval won't accept MasterCards -- especially during non-business hours.) Also, many businesses charge a service charge for the use of a credit card, so make sure to ask first (the service charge is usually 5%).
     

• Calling Home:

  • International calls from Belize are outrageously expensive - up to US$2 per minute during peak calling hours. You can avoid this highway robbery by Belize's telephone company through ATT and MCI calling cards, or by purchasing an ATT or MCI pre-paid phone card at Sam's, Wal-Mart, etc. However, the calling cards and pre-paid phone cards will only work at the largest resorts and from pay phones. Generally, you'll need to dial 115 (international operator) and ask for the ATT or MCI operator. You'll then be connected with the appropriate service and you'll follow the directions on your card for placing the call. International calls placed this way still won't be inexpensive, but your calls home won't end up costing as much as your entire vacation, either.

  • Belize Telecommunications Ltd. (BTL) the defacto monopoly phone and Internet provider in Belize blocks VOIP, so don't count on using services such as Skype or Magic Jack for international calls.  A few Internet places (such as Placencia Office Supply in Placencia) obtain Internet service through cable providers who don't block VOIP, so you can look for Internet cafes and office supply companies who can provide VOIP service, but don't expect to find too many.

  • Note: you will need a pre-paid BTL phone card to make local calls within Belize from pay phones. You can purchase a card at the international airport and from local merchants who display the BTL phone card sign.

Other Info
 

Lodging:  Southern Belize has a wide range of lodging options, from rooms with shared baths to North American style resorts with pools, tennis courts, roof-top Jacuzzis and professional chefs.  We're happy to work with clients on selecting the best lodging based on budget, interests and amenities, so let us know if you'd like rates and information on lodging different than the lodging included in our fishing specials. 

(See our Accommodations Pages for information on lodging facilities in Placencia, San Pedro, Hopkins, Belize Cayes (Islands) and Jungle Lodges.)

Other Activities:  We can also combine fishing with scuba diving, sailing, snorkeling, ruins, horseback riding and jungle trips - in all geographic locations in Belize.  Just email us by clicking on the email link given below and let us know what you want, and we'll do our best to make it happen.

Deposits, Refunds and Cancellations: 

• Deposits:  A fifty percent (50%) deposit is due within ten (10) days after booking.  The remaining fifty percent is due not less than forty-five (45) days prior to the scheduled date of arrival in Belize.

• Cancellations and Refunds for Fishing Packages:  A refund of the deposit paid, less a $100 administrative fee, will be made for all cancellations received in writing not less than forty-five (45) days prior to the scheduled date of arrival.  No refunds will be given after forty-five (45) days for any reason, including the weather (hurricanes, northers, etc.), personal issues, airline delays or other airline problems, labor strikes or slow-downs, force majeure, or acts or threatened acts of war, terrorism or civil unrest.  Therefore, we strongly suggest that clients consider travel insurance to protect against unexpected cancellations.  However, we don't sell travel insurance because we don't believe there's a "one-size-fits-all" policy (and it's less expensive to buy directly than through us).  The Quotewright Website is a good travel insurance resource that includes an instant on-line rate quote and purchase feature.

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