belize

[jeff]

First, thanks for the best fishing program on the air!(and this forum as well)

So i(along with my wife) will be headed to belize this july...you know the drill im sure fishing river systems and flats(obviously weather permitting): hopefully we will see tarpon,bonefish,permit,snook,jacks etc...

i do a fair amount of saltwater light tackle and flyfishing as i live on the central coast of NC. I also have a fair amount of tackle for my endeavors(friends that see my junk who DONT fish think i have a lot of stuff...but i have seen larry dahlberg's shop/basement in your lure making episode...YOU HAVE A LOT OF STUFF!!:)

can you give me some recomendations on:

fly tackle: rod sizes, lines:specifically do i need one of those high dollar invisible tips or will a good ole WF-Floater work just fine?

flies: gimme a few that you wouldnt go without...size and color

spin/conventional tackle: reel sizes and line lb test

lures: i am a topwater freak and have a jillion that i use for redfish in NC where i live-assume some of them will work...?
-again what jigs, plugs, spoons would you have to take...color, size?

rod tubes: should i put all my rods in one big tube and check it or one for me one for my wife in case something is lost? what is the maximum length for rod tubes? i have a 2 piece 9wt and some one piece 7ft rods i would like to take unless you think it is foolish?

also your recomendations on how to get this stuff there? air travel snafoos that i can hopefully bypass...

[Anglermanagment]

Hey I know I'm not king Dahlberg but have been down there a few times and may be able to help you out a little. Every time was an amazing trip and im jealous.

Where are you going down there?

There are many different species and its almost impossible to be prepaired for all of them unless you have a bus to follow your plane down. For the fly I'd try and bring a nine and twelve weight and if you can a seven weight.

You do not need a clear tip line from my experience. Depending on where you are but the fish don't normally get a lot of pressure but the flats fish are still pretty wise and difficult to catch. Bring your standard crab flies for the permit that have a good sink rate. Belize is one of the best places to catch a 40lb permit in the world.

The tarpon fishing I experienced isn't the typical fishing you do on the FLA flats. You cast towards rolling fish in muddy water.

The bonefish in the south isn't as strong as most think. In the south they mainly target large schools of small fish. The bonefishing in northern Belize is much better and you can catch some nice fish sightcasting.

Hope this helps

Outside of the glamour species you have countless species but IMO the funnest are the giant snooks in the rivers. They can be caught on fly but its much more effective you throw plugs. Most plastics, jigs, subsurface twitchbaits, and one big spooks work very well in particular. I would suggest a 7' 15-30 lb rd for these fish. This can be used for a good amount of the other fish down there but you'd probably want to bring a lighter rod.

[jeff]

hey man...thanks for the info. i should have(and will now) made it clear that i would like advise from anyone who has it not just mr. larry!!

we are going to the belize river lodge and will be there end of july barring no hurricanes(fingers crossed!!) a friend has a deal i cant pass up.

i dont own a 12wt and was wondering if a 10wt would be sufficient? i can probably borrow a 12 but from what my friend told me the real big tarpon most likely wont be around as much as the small 10-40lbers...

any specific lures or jigs? sizes?

im all about the topwater snook thing if its happening when im there. that and the baby tarpon would make the trip for me.

thanks for your help!

jeff

[Anglermanagment]

Hey sorry for the delayed reply.
It appears that, that camp is located out of Belize city. I haven't fished to much around there and don't want to lead you in the wrong direction. The few times I have fished down around the city was very good, mainly targeting permit.

A 10 weight should suffice. You can catch 100+lb tarpon on a 9 weight, it's just not ideal.

As for snook, I could only get them up on one particular musky spook, they wouldn't come up for anything else, although I'm sure they would. The bigger fish mainly came off jigs. Shape and size should vary depending on the depth, current, and bottom type. Yo-zuri and X-rap both make great twitch baits which will also catch.

I'm sorry I couldn't be more of a help but the best advice I could give you is email your guide!

[jeff]

thanks man...Senor Larry you out there?

[dahlberg]

Hi Jeff
Belize has a good deal of variety and the days are short!
For fly rods I'd bring a seven and a ten, with bones, permit, tarpon and snook in mind.
No need for invisible tips, but if you blind cast in a channel for tarpon a sinking line is sometimes nice.
Standard bone, permit and tarpon flies that work everywhere work here as well. I'd add a few popping bugs in size 1/0-3/0 for laid up tarpon or snook under the mangroves. You might even entice a small cubera.

A curado 300 or 3-400 sized calcutta loaded with 65# power pro and a 130# hard mono(or wire) would be my main rig, on a 7-7 1/2 foot med heavy to heavy rod. I like the teremar series for travel because they are super tough.
zara spooks are great. also minnow lures in various sizes. Plus a few jigs from 3/8-3/4 oz.

spinning gear might include a medium set up with 8-12# line, and a bunch of tube jigs for bones.

A box of hooks for catching and fishing live bait is always a good idea.

I pack my rods in a tube, and often bring one piece seven footers. make sure to lay the rods so every other one is the opposite direction, leaving the butts extend about a quarter inch past the tips. Wrap tape tightly around the bundle of rods in three places, wrap with an old towel and pack a cushioning material on each end. don't lock the tube, but tape a few extra zip ties to the exterior for the TSA to lock it after it's inspected.
good luck,
L

[jeff]

Thanks man...if ever you are in the Morehead City, NC area...you got an open invite-topwater redfishing is spectacular in may-oct...lotsa beeeg sharkies in shallow water too that cant wait to eat a popper!