GHOSTS OF BELIZE

GHOSTS OF BELIZE

KATKA TAKES US ON AN EXCITING JOURNEY INTO THE HEART OF BELIZE IN SEARCH OF GRANDSLAM GLORY

Words & photos by Katka Švagrová

Belize has some of the most variable wildlife in Central America. The species variety of plants, birds, reptiles, and marine flora and fauna will constantly amaze you. Actually, more than one third of Belize is set aside as a protected nature reserve. It doesn’t matter if you are looking for a hardcore fishing experience or a family vacation with some fly fishing added on, Belize will offer you something special. I would even recommend Belize as a first-time saltwater trip because of the variety of different fishing conditions and fish species. Belizean coastline offers you white-sand flats, skinny-water lagoons, Tarpon mangroves and some blue-water action if you are able to go out with a boat. The main target species is definitely

Bonefish. If you are lucky and skilled enough you can achieve the fabled Grand Slam and catch a Bonefish, Permit, and Tarpon on the same day. When you check IGFA statistics, Belize is one of the top Grand Slam destinations in the whole world!

When I visited Belize early in 2018, I was lucky enough to come very close to completing the famous Grand Slam. I had never visited the Caribbean before and as soon as I stepped out of the plane I was totally amazed by the place. I stayed at Isla Marisol Resort located on Southwest Caye of Glover’s Reef Atoll which is just 35 miles southeast of Dangriga. This little island is sur-

rounded by palm trees where you can enjoy your stay in cosy beachside cabanas, rest in tree-strung hammocks, and above all enjoy fishing the miles of flats around the island.

We reached Isla Marisol Resort quite late that day, so I decided to take a quick look around island to get my bearings. I had never seen Bonefish before, so I was not familiar with where to look or how to spot them. As I was watching little Snapper swimming around our wooden dock, I suddenly registered a faint movement of a shadow… Bonefish! There was one nice Bone cruising the grassy bottom around the dock. How silly was I not to

bring my fly rod with me? I didn’t wait a second more and went running like a crazy woman through the island to grab my rod and a bunch of flies. When I returned with weapons my first Bone was gone and night was slowly falling over the island.

NEW DAY - NEW EXPERIENCE

There is nothing better than walking along the palmfringed beaches of a Caribbean island treading lightly on powder-soft sand and spotting shadows of Belizean ghosts. On the first morning I had already discovered a local beach where the biggest Bonefish were constantly

then just turned and swam away in the other direction. But wait a minute, he suddenly turned back around again and without any hesitation, after a few meters of following intently, he elegantly ate my fly. What happened next was utter confusion! Before I realized what was going on, the Permit was running at warp five speed across sharp coral flats and my backing was screaming off the reel spool at an alarming rate. Because I had been stalking Bonefish with my lightweight #7WT rod and did not expect fish bigger than 2-3 lbs I was under-gunned and suddenly felt like the game was already lost. My fears proved correct and sadly after running a few more meters my leader snapped on the sharp coral and my big beautiful Permit disappeared forever. Sad yes, but it was a really cool experience that I will always remember.

During the delicious dinner accompanied with a few cold glasses of Belikin beer (the most famous Belizean beer), we were talking with local guides and other clients about the area. During that evening another highlight of Isla Marisol came up in our conversations – Tarpon! The third and last fish of the famous triplet Grand Slam. This island is well known for a resident school of large Tarpon that spend their days cruising around a coral patch approximately 400 feet off the main beach.

The next morning I rented a small kayak and went on a Tarpon journey. Except a few Barracuda and a couple of Needlefish I didn’t see another fish the entire day. It seemed the Tarpon story from last night was just an island fairy tale as I had looked hard but came away with nothing. I was quite disappointed in my adventure and ordered a few cocktails at the beach bar in the afternoon while preparing my Bonefish rod for the next day. The local guide Alex met me on the way to my cabin with high expectations about stories from my morning Tarpon trip. I told him the whole story but honestly there wasn’t much to say. He advised me to make a few casts at the small beach around a deep channel where he said big Barracuda sometimes cruise. I didn’t wait long and grabbed my #10WT rod and moved back to the beach near the main channel. I love the moment of the “magic show” when the glorious sunset covers the entire sky. Just to make a few casts and watch how the sky burns in a thousand

colours right in front you centres me like nothing else. I was casting my Mullet pattern fly on a 4/0 hook for maybe an hour when suddenly I felt one of the strongest strikes ever. In the first seconds I thought I’d hooked one of the big Barracuda Alex had told me about, but almost immediately after I set the hook the big Silver King gave me a spectacular jumping show. My reel was screaming (but not louder than I!), my #10WT finally got the right angle of bend on it and people from all around were hurrying to help. It took quite a long time before I managed to hold this bucket list fish – a mighty silver Tarpon - in my hand because I was fighting him way too carefully with the fear of possibly losing him. A big thanks goes to Alex who was readily there to help me to land my first Tarpon ever! What a beast! From that evening forward I was casting in that exact spot every evening and was lucky enough to connect with some other nice fish and managed to land one more beautiful Tarpon approximately the same size as the first one!

On my third day of fishing that beautiful island, I met my friend Ola from Norway. We decided to fish around the island all day and try to persuade the local big Bonefish to give us some fun. Ola was constantly walking the sandy beaches trying to spot some ghost shadows. It did not take long before he managed to land his first fish of the morning, followed by another one in just a few minutes. Now the challenge was on my back. In general, these local Bonefish were really tricky to spot and hook.

Before you managed to see them and cast your fly, they disappeared – just like a ghost. For that reason, I chose another tactical approach. I was standing dead still hiding behind a palm tree, waiting for the big ones to make their usual trek on the sand bank where the visibility was better. When I finally saw a couple of cruising fish and my fly hit the water surface the miracle happened! Without hesitation, after a few strips one of them pulled my fly line with a mighty tug and boom - STRIP-SET - and the grey ghost was running across the beach. Bonefish will always reward you with incredible power and acceleration during the fight, that is one of the main reasons Bonefish are so commonly targeted in the world of fly fishing.

My first experience with the famous Grand Slam had been quite successful during the trip to Isla Marisol. Even though I lost my first and only Permit I had been rewarded with a couple of nice Bonefish and two Tarpon in excess of 20 lb’s. I’d met some cool people and experienced another awesome part of our wonderful, outdoor world.

For my Boney set up the killer rig was a Rio QUICKSHOOTER BONEFISH fly line paired with a Rio BONEFISH 10FT 8lb leader. The best performing pattern was my Cuban Shrimp size 4 from Fulling Mill. For Tarpon gear I used a #10WT rod rigged with a Rio TARPON QUICKSHOOTER fly line paired with Rio 50LB FLUOROFLEX SALTWATER tippet and a 4/0 Mullet pattern fly.