Belize Sampler November 2007

-Bill Conlon – that’s me; the shop guy on this adventure, our first go at a mixed bag trip to Belize

-Al Carnes- has been almost everywhere we take customers, literally,  and is always a fun traveling companion.

-Eric Dennis- a dental school classmate of Al is an award winning fly tier. That’s always handy on a fishing trip!

- Tony Kalbli-was someone I was looking forward to meeting. He and Brian have been friends since Brian's early days in the business. He hails from Cincinnati and traveled with Brian on our Salt Water Sampler earlier in the year, as well as many other trips in the past. He had just been a voice on the phone to me until this trip. It turns out that he is everything I expected and a FFF certified casting instructor as well. Also handy on a trip!

-Eric DeLeon- has been a customer at Mad River Outfitters since long before my tenure here began. This was a great chance to get to know him and his keen sense of humor better.

-Mike Gorman- has fished the Wilds with us and proved to be the greatest repository of jokes I’ve ever met. Sadly, I tend only to remember jokes that I can’t repeat in polite company. I don’t think Mike has ever forgotten a joke.

-Sandy Bresler has been to the Bahamas with us, as well as other trips. He’s a fine fellow to share stories with after a day on the water.

-Hal Goodrich not only has fished Alaska and the Wilds with us, he contributed a story about his Alaska trip to our chronicles back a bit.

-Jeff Fowler prowls the flats of Andros whenever he can and is about as good a boat companion as a man could want. I have watched him land a 13# bonefish and would watch more excitement before this trip was over.

The weather when I arrived on the island was beautiful with light breezes and clear skies – perfect for the bonefishing we planned for the next few days. Richard French, our host was stoked as well. He had just returned from the Seychelles and was thrilled to see the conditions. He, Marlene and I had a nice dinner at the Sun Breeze Hotel, our base in San Pedro for the next four nights. Other than a bad case of chiggers that I came by in the jungle, all was right with the world.

As can happen anywhere in the tropics, things changed fast! On the following day, when Marlene left for home and the fishermen began arriving, so did some clouds. Low pressure crossing from the west was about to settle off the southern coast of Honduras for the duration of the trip. One other cloud settled over the start of our outing. Three guys never made it out of the Columbus airport on their scheduled departure day. A cancelled flight left Al, Eric and Eric stranded for a day, waiting to get out of Columbus. The remaining members of the party arrived and settled at the Sun Breeze for a relaxing evening. The hotel is across the main street from the island airfield and so is a one minute walk from the plane. It doesn’t get any easier than that.

The next morning in San Pedro, everyone but the delayed trio, set out to test the waters. Mixed clouds and a north wind made the fishing a challenge, but everyone adapted. The usually abundant bonefish were harder to locate and seemed to find a way to keep the wind off the caster’s right shoulder all day. With some hard work by the guides and persistence by the fishermen, everyone caught fish. Several guys had luck mixing things up and caught some barracuda and snook to complement the scarce bones. The story was much the same the next day, but at least the whole group was on hand. After their stressful start, both Erics and Al quickly settled into the tropical spirit of relaxation. It turns out that fishing, Mojitos, cigars and good stories (lies) can make even a tough travel day seem inconsequential. Life in the tropics can be quite pleasant. A new casino had just opened in San Pedro and one member of the crew taught the blackjack dealers a thing or two about defying the odds. He did this two nights in a row. Casinos don’t make money on folks like Mike!

On our third day out, the clouds lifted a bit and the wind eased, making fish spotting an easier proposition. More bones were caught and everyone was looking forward to the challenge of hunting Permit for the balance of the week. Before leaving San Pedro, everyone took advantage of the amenities. Cigars, a special bottle of hooch (or two) and basic supplies were stocked for the trip to the remote island for the remainder of the trip. With multiple doctors to consult, I even found some relief from the itch of chiggers.

After three days of fishing, everyone was ready for a break. The next morning we set out for Southwater Caye where we would chase permit on the offshore coral flats for three days. By early afternoon we had flown to Dangriga on the southern mainland and hopped onto a water taxi for the 30 minute run to the small island. The afternoon was open for wading the flat behind the caye for bonefish, organizing and tying flies and a bit of reading and relaxing. Tony conducted an impromptu casting lesson on the dock to help with rusty double hauls. Jeff chased around the flat in search of bonefish. Hal toured the island’s shores in a kayak and the honor bar proved a temptation for many of us. Sore casting arms were soothed with local Belikin and Lighthouse beers and a few cocktails. Following a restful night in the thatched cabanas, permit fishing commenced. The winds were still blowing from the north and the guides were concerned that fish would be hard to find. Given the reputation of permit as elusive and picky, this had me worried as well. As it turned out, there are lots of permit in the area, if you know where to look and when. Tidal swings are small in this part of the world, but still critical to the movement of the fish onto the flats. Although we all saw plenty of permit, none were landed that first day out. Several fish seemed to eat, but managed to avoid the sting of our hooks. I for one managed a perfect “trout set” on a fish that took within 40 feet in plain view. Aaaaargh!! Had I just missed my only chance? The good news was that my little slip got me focused and listening to my guide for the next couple of days. On day two fishing from Southwater, Sandy and I both landed permit and Jeff caught a nice tarpon in the 60-70 pound range. Winds continued to keep both guides and fishermen on their toes, but permit continued to entice us. The final day produced two more permit; one for Jeff, completing a “trip grand slam”, and one for me. Well, we called mine caught as the guide was pulling it in when it it shook free and ran over a coral head at the boat, escaping photo documentation.

While out on Southwater Caye, folks also landed bonefish, boxfish and ‘cuda. Al and Eric brought barracuda home for “ ‘cuda finger” appetizers on a couple of nights. Eric DeLeon and Tony both hooked permit, but the fish did what permit do best and spit their flies. Mike found time to create an Ohio State coconut for the resort’s collection and continued to entertain the group with an endless string of jokes. It was quite a getaway from the stresses of everyday life, but it had to come to an end.