Fishing Reports – Belize River Lodge – Belize’s best saltwater fly fishing and spin fishing lodge, belize fishing, belize fishing vacation

FISHING FORECAST FOR: JANUARY, FEBRUARY, MARCH 2008
Belize River Lodge
FISHING FORECAST FOR:
                 JANUARY, FEBRUARY, MARCH 2008

BIG TARPON, 80-150 POUNDS: Some resident big tarpon are here all year round. About the middle of February the big migratory tarpon arrive in our area. We can expect to see them feeding anywhere from the barrier reef to the bay just outside the mouth of the Belize River. They will be here through March. Sight fishing with 11 and 12 weight fly rods with floating or intermediate lines or 20-25 pound spinning gear is essential if you want to keep them on.

BABY TARPON, 5-30 POUNDS are resident all year and can be sight fished on the flats, along the mangroves, channels, creeks, lagoons and in the rivers. When tired of fishing for the big ones these acrobats can produce very exciting action, using 8, 9 or 10 weight floating fly lines or 10-15 pound spinning; 30-75 pound tarpon are mixed in at almost all locations.

SNOOK also are resident in this area and are caught all year round generally in the same places you find the small tarpon and with the same gear. So if you’re fishing for small tarpon be prepared for snook sneaking out and taking flies or plugs away from your targeted fish, but unlike tarpon, snook will head for the roots. Your guide may recommend a few variations of flies/lures/leader/action if you wish to target the normally elusive snook.

PERMIT AND BONEFISH are also resident in our area during this period.   Permit are generally fished for with 9 or 10 weight floating fly lines with crab or shrimp patterns and bonefish with 7 or 8 weight floating lines with a great variety of smaller flies.   Fifteen pound spinning lines for permit and 10 pound for bonefish is the usual size, with very effective small customized jigs we have in stock at BRL.

OTHER SPECIES to be caught during this period include, barracuda, jacks, Cubera and many other species of snappers. We stock very effective tube lures for barracudas.

WEATHER in January and February may include a couple of “cold fronts” each month that may last two to three days with temperatures during the fronts in the 60s and low 70s, winds will vary from 5-20 mph.   Most January and February days will be sunny and warm with temperatures in the 80s and winds easterly at 5-15 mph. March will be mostly sunny and clear, perfect weather for all species at BRL on the flats and in the rivers.

BOOKING: There are still a few choice spaces available for groups or individuals during the rest of January, February and March.

Call your favorite fishing agent or Belize River Lodge at: 1-888-275-4843
or email: info@belizeriverlodge.com to check for space available.

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Belize River Lodge Fishing Report
January 13, 2008

In early January a “severe cold front” which extended across most of the USA and Mexico also passed through Belize. Howling winds and rain from the North with 62 degree temperatures was the most severe cold front to hit Belize in about ten years and the local population thought we were “freezing”.

George L arrived from NY and wondered what the fuss was all about, but his guide was ready and in just about an hour after touching down at the Belize international airport George was heading up the Belize River, BRL’s answer to bad weather on the flats. Instead of howling winds he found howler monkeys, baby tarpon and snook. George jumped a dozen or more small tarpon and landed six or seven. He also jumped two forty pounders; one broke the leader and the other just left the fly behind to round off his day and a half on the river. The weather was now clearing with temperatures in the high 70s and on his last half day before flying out he fished the flats and caught bonefish and snook.

Other anglers also landed tarpon and snook, one angler taking 15 bonefish on the flats.

“Climate is what you expect, weather is what you get” and if it’s stormy on the flats, we still have the rivers to fish.

Belize River Lodge is easier than ever to get to with these:

NON STOP FLIGHTS
American Airlines from Miami and Dallas
Continental from Houston and Saturdays from Newark
US Air from Charlotte
TACA from Houston and Los Angeles
Delta from Atlanta and Los Angeles

Just 15 minutes from Belize airport to the Lodge.

Call your favorite fishing agent
or Belize River Lodge at: 1-888-275-4843
or email: info@belizeriverlodge.com

Please visit our new website:
><(((((((((*> www.belizeriverlodge.com ><(((((((((*>

2007 Fishing Summary

Dear Friends,
   As 2007 draws to a close, and we take note of the past year, we realized how much we enjoyed visiting with the guests who have fished with us before and how nice it was to meet all the new people who had looked forward to their first BRL trip and sometimes even their first saltwater experience. It was really a pleasure visiting with everyone and hearing all the great stories in the evenings. This is what really makes our job wonderful, listening to the tales, some tall (smile), about the day's experience. We get to really enjoy Belize and all it has to offer through your eyes. For this, we thank you all very much.

   For the guests who have not fished with us in the last year, we have started the BRL Program where certificates are given for different landed fish. For those of you who fished this year and made your magnificent catch or just missed it as the fly/lure got thrown in the middle of a good fight, there is always another time and another fish with your name on it. While not only being fun, these certificates have also helped us to keep track of the big catches during 2007. So below is the excerpts from past fishing reports and the "certificate book". Even though we fished every month and fish were landed, however if it was not a tarpon 80 lbs and over, any permit or a "slam", it was not recorded; though still great fun to catch!

   We hope that you enjoy our year in review and we will look forward to your next visit where we can enjoy your daily adventure stories. From our home to your home, we wish you a very happy and prosperous 2008!
Warm regards,
Mike & Marguerite

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2007 Fishing Summary at BRL

FEBRUARY 2007:

One eighty pound tarpon and two nice snook, one ten pounds were caught and released in one day by a single angler. These are resident fish, here all year round. The very big tarpon will be here in just a few days.

MARCH 2007:
The big tarpon have been here for a few weeks.
Catch of the week: The group leader, who said his biggest fish to date was a 16 pound steelhead, got into big tarpon on the first day. He jumped three and landed one. By measurement this fish calculated to be 160 pounds. The fly was a 4/0 Tarpon Glow. Not bad at all for a man’s first day in salt water!
Other action for this party included:
3 backwater grand slams, (tarpon, snook, bones);
About 40 small tarpon 10-50 lbs. were jumped with 8 landed;
one permit landed but many more opportunities, though permit were not really targeted.

Joe Rossi’s camera recorded this action on the flats: three large tarpon in the air and one 100 pounder boated, one backwater grand slam (tarpon, bone and snook, by one angler same day), more than 15 bones one day, four snook 6-10 pounds one day.
Up river 6 tarpon 10-20 pounds jumped, only one landed.
Tarpon as usual have luck on their side as “many are jumped but few are landed”.

Mike C's Grand Slam

MARCH 2007:
A week of MANY firsts for most anglers at BRL.

First GRAND SLAM for Mike C,
(3 Permit, 2 bonefish & a 70 lb. tarpon)

First GRAND SLAM for Allan C, (tarpon, permit, bonefish)

First PERMIT for Mike, Al, Art

First TARPON for Kerry, Al, Art, Barry, Marsha,

First BONEFISH for Kerry on her pink Scott rod,

First SNOOK for Barry,

First BARRACUDA and first SNAPPER for James,

First FLYING FISH in the chest.

APRIL 2007:

John from South Africa got his first Belize 90 pound tarpon and a 15 pound permit on his second day. Two days later, a 120 pounder.

“NAPs” (Non Angling Persons) accompanying their angler partners enjoyed easy day- tours from Belize River lodge to several Mayan sites, the Belize Zoo, the Museum of Belize, the barrier reef and snorkeling and the Princess Casino.

MAY 2007:
“Today was like a dream come true, I can hardly believe it” said Greg S. at the end of his very first day of fishing at Belize River Lodge.

* Greg hooked his big fish which measured out at 105 pounds.
* Mick K. hooked his fish, a 95 pounder.
* At 11:15 AM Sarah A. hooked her 120 pounder.
These three fish were all landed and successfully released after being photographed.

Other fishing highlights this week:
Greg S.: Two Grand Slams and one Super Grand Slam in 6 days.
Mick K.: Super Grand Slam, (Permit, Tarpon, Snook, Bonefish), 15 snook one day, one tarpon about 150 pounds that was lost after 15-20 minutes, with about four spectacular jumps and 3 long runs that required boat chases to recover line.

May 7 - Three Grand Slams, and three permit, one 90 lb. tarpon
May 8 - One Grand Slam and 115 & 135 lb. tarpon May 10 - 150 lb. tarpon
May 11 - 120 lb. tarpon
May 14 - Grand Slam,
May 15 - Two permit and a 135 lb. tarpon
May 18 - Grand Slam
May 21 - Grand Slam
May 22 - 100 lb. tarpon
May 23 - 130 lb. tarpon
May 24 - 90 lb. tarpon

Whether fishing from the LODGE or from the BLUE YONDER live-aboard, no long runs were necessary to find Permit, Tarpon, Bonefish or Snook. (A few days during this time frame, boats from as far away as 30 miles also showed up to fish BRL’s traditional areas – big Tarpon anyone??) Other catches included a 26 ½ lb. Tripple Tail, many bonefish, many small tarpon 8-40 lbs., snook to 15 lbs., Jack Crevalles, Barracudas, Cubera Snappers and other snappers. Variety is the name of the game, fishing in Central Belize with BRL.

JULY 2007:
DAY 1. “I’m hooked on bones”.
DAY 2. “I’m hooked on tarpon”.
DAY 3 “I’m hooked on big tarpon”.

OCTOBER 2007
Four tarpon landed in a twenty minute tarpon blitz. In one of our prime fishing areas, hundreds of small snook were seen just floating up but showing no interest in flies or plugs. This is a good sign that young fish are very abundant and will be there in the near future. Next day a fat 16 pound snook and a few small ones were landed. Two days in a row big ladyfish were landed, about ten each day. On the full moon two 70 lb. tarpon were landed. This is still “hurricane season” but the weather has been spectacular and the fishing good. Wish you were here too.

An oft repeated expression heard at BRL from new guests:
“How come we just heard about this place”?

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