The fishing grounds in Belize are endless. Having the largest living barrier reef, second largest barrier reef (behind the great barrier reef), the coast of Belize is dotted with hundreds of small islands called Cayes (pronounced “Keys”). Providing miles and miles of fishable water for the avid flats angler. The question is how do you find and access the fly fishing flats in Belize?

The barrier reef in Belize does span the whole coastline of Belize but the reef can be quite far from the mainland at many parts of the country. For fishing this means that the flats are only accessible by boat, making it challenging to DIY fish from shore. While on the mainland fish do move through and there can be opportunities for gamefish like jacks busting bait in the mornings, the potential for tarpon moving through specific channels or hanging around in the dock lights at night, barracuda, and other smaller reef fish. But for the most part the fishing from the mainland can be quite unproductive.

If you wanted to do some DIY fly fishing in Belize your best option would be to stay out in the Cayes or islands off from the mainland. These cayes are located on the barrier reef, they actually make up the barrier reef. Around the islands, marine life is rich in biodiversity providing great habitat for many game fish like bonefish, permit, and tarpon.

The most pressured and popular (for a good reason) is the island of San Pedro in northern Belize. The island offers great DIY fishing right off the beaches and can be very productive at times. But it does see a good bit of pressure and the fish can be pretty keen due to this.

There are many great lodging options with productive flats either located right at the island or nearby and can be accessed by kayak or paddleboard. A few favorites for many anglers is the Ranguana Caye Island Resort and Thatch Caye Island Resort. Both have fly fishing flats with resident bonefish and often also host feeding permit and other flats species like triggerfish. Just make sure to bring your own fly fishing gear as typically most of these island resorts do not have gear on hand for guests.

Weather also plays a large factor in having good conditions for DIY fly fishing in Belize. If the wind is up and the waves are choppy is can be very challenging to fish the islands and it can also be unsafe to take out a kayak or paddleboard. So do keep this in mind.

If in fact, you wanted to book a day of guided fly fishing while you're in Belize to understand the fishery, Blue Horizon Belize does offer day trips in Hopkins, Placencia, and the surrounding Cayes. To inquire about booking a trip you can email info@bluehorizonbelize.com.