Planning a Family Fly Fishing Vacation to Belize

Belize is a great destination for a family vacation. The beaches, pools, jungle adventures, Mayan ruins and of course all the ocean activities like fishing. And as a plus, the travel to Belize can be quite simple from most North American cities with direct flights from many international destinations (Houston, Newark, Atlanta, LAX to name a few).

So instead of getting your Caribbean beach fix in at destinations in Mexico like Cabo or Cancun, Belize may be a good fit for your next family vacation. And the best part is that the fly fishing in Belize is plentiful. Below you will find a few pointers when planning your family fly fishing vacation to Belize.

Choose Your Resort Wisely:

The most important aspect of planning your family fly fishing vacation to Belize is to choose the right resort for your family. For the typical family with kids under the age of 10, a beach resort like Hopkins Bay Beach Resort or The Placencia Resort is a good fit. These resorts have a lot of different amenities and onsite services like a pool, beachfront access, beach toys like kayaks, paddleboards, and bikes. They even offer babysitting services in case you wanted to leave the kids behind while you hit the flats with your Belizean Fly Fishing Guide. Another plus to these resorts is the dining experience, with multiple bars/restaurants onsite, order off of a menu can be a simple solution to picky eaters. The one negative about staying on the mainland is you do typically sacrifice some of the fishing as the fishing flats are located off of the mainland on the reef and in the cayes. So you do end up losing some time making boat runs to get out there and the DIY Fly Fishing from the beach isn’t the same as wading a flat. So ask yourself, where would your family be happy?

If your family is a little more adventurous and say maybe are young adults or grown adults, staying out at an island resort may be a better fit. Island resorts capture the true beauty of Belize, but you do sacrifice some of the amenities like the full food menu, pool, cultural tours in the town, and other amenities. The resort called Thatch Caye Island Resort is a good fit for fly fishing families as there is plenty of amenities including Wifi, air conditioning, a rotating menu, and flats to fish right on the island.

Plan Non-Fishing Activities:

This tip comes directly from an angler to another angler. Make sure your family has other things to do other than fly fishing during their vacation. While you may spend every day of the vacation out on the flats with a Belizean Fly Fishing Guide your family might not. So make sure to plan some non-fishing activities for your family. Some popular activities include snorkeling, SCUBA diving, lobster or conch diving, jungle tours, Mayan ruin tours, and even some spa time. If your kids are seasoned with a fly rod then no worries the traditional spin or reef fishing is a must for every family. Trolling live bait along the Belizean Reef catching jacks, barracuda, snapper, mackerel, and other species. The best part is you get to keep and eat the catch for dinner!

Planning Your Travel:

Once you land in Belize at the international airport in Belize City most likely you will be transferred to another area of the country for your vacation. The easiest way to get around the country is by utilizing the commuter flights out of Belize City. These commuter flights run very frequently throughout the country and are most definitely the fastest way to travel the country. So if you have booked your family vacation in Placencia, then a quick 35-minute commuter flight from Belize International Airport to Placencia and you will be one step closer to the beach. The flights are also very scenic and enjoyable for many families. Instead of dreading more travel to your final destination, embracing the flight as an attraction can make the last leg of travel much more enjoyable.

Few things to keep in mind when booking:

What is your budget?

How many days of fishing do you want to do?

Do you prefer to have more services and amenities like a pool? Or do you prefer more of an adventure?

How many people are in your family? How many beds and rooms do you need?

At Blue Horizon Belize, we can customize and create a memorable family vacation with a heavy dose of quality fly fishing. So shoot us an email today to start booking your vacation of a lifetime. info@bluehorizonbelize.com.

Belize Fly Fishing Guides

Belize Fly Fishing Guides

In the country of Belize, qualified and experienced fly fishing guides can be hard to come by especially during the busy tourist season from December to May if you don’t book ahead. Many renowned fly fishing guides book out quite early, some as far as a year out. While sometimes you can get lucky when a guide has a gap in his schedule but often the top caliber guides are booked and usually booked around the quality tides.

Do note that English is the primary language in Belize. So all fly fishing guides in Belize are English speaking. Some of the guides will speak in the local creole at times.

What to look for in a Belize Fly Fishing Guide?

A quality fly fishing guide is what makes the international fly fishing travel experience so enjoyable. So what is that makes a great guide? First and foremost, knowledge of the local fishery and fly fishing expertise. But attitude is also an essential trait to a quality fly fishing guide. Is it a job for the guide? Or it is a passion and way of life? Successful guides will effectively translate their passion of the fishery to you.

The guides at Blue Horizon Belize are held to the highest standard. They enjoy what they do and are good at what they do. They are professionally trained, held accountable by the other guides and staff, and have an established client base. They are also all insured and have up to date Captain’s Licenses and Tour Guide Licenses. Two credentials that are mandatory for any Belize fishing guides but often overlooked. These credentials are often a good indicator if your guide runs a “tight” program.

How to Become a Fly Fishing Guide in Belize?

In the country of Belize in order to be a fly fishing guide you need to be a Belizean citizen. This regulation has protected the local citizens of this livelihood and has prevented many international fly fishing guides from flocking to the area to open up operations and guide as we have seen in other Caribbean countries like Mexico. If you are a Belizean citizen and want to become a fly fishing guide you will need to retain your tour guide license as well as your captain’s license.

It’s a Family Tradition

Like many other Caribbean fly fishing destinations, guiding is a family business that is passed on generation to generation. Our fly fishing guides were taught by their fathers, who were taught by their fathers and now our guides are teaching their children.

Many family names are very renowned in the Belize fly fishing guide business. Westby, Leslie, Cabral, and Garbutt are just a few of the fly fishing families that work with Blue Horizon and Muy’Ono Resorts.

Of course, Lincoln Westby, the founder of Blue Horizon Lodge and our lead guide, is one family name to mention. Lincoln’s roots are in Hopkins and Dangriga. You can learn more about Westby family fishing HERE.

To the South in Placencia, the Leslie family is known for their fly fishing expertise. Charlie Leslie, the founder of Tarpon Caye Lodge, is a popular guide in Southern Belize. His son Marlon Leslie is one of the most renowned guides in the region and lead guide for Blue Horizon. Ivan Leslie, Blake Leslie, and Bruce Leslie also operate in Placencia with Blue Horizon

Another common family name of fishing guides in southern Belize is Cabral. At Blue Horizon, Steve Cabral is a lead guide and his son, Kevon Cabral, is an aspiring guide in his early 20’s that will be a permit master for years to come.

Down south all the way in Punta Gorda, there’s only one guide name that comes to the mind: Garbutt. The Garbutts are a family of commercial fishermen that have branched into guiding fly fishing. Scully, Oliver, and Eworth are the three brothers who guide out of the Garbutts Fishing Lodge in Punta Gorda and service Copal Tree Lodge.

A quality fly fishing guide is hard to come by, a top-caliber guide can be expected when you book with Blue Horizon, at the Lodge or at any of our partner hotels.