[Shallow Expectations]

I am new to this form but though I would share a fishing trip I did to Turneffe Flats in Belize. I won the trip then paid some extra to stay longer since 3 days wasn't long enough for me. The places is filled with tons of bonefish ( mostly smaller fish), and plenty of shorts at permit and tarpon each day. Due to some user error I only landed 1 permit during the trip. It was also very hard to want to leave the tarpon to go look for permit. I would recommend this lodge to anyone looking for a great fishing trip to a tropical destination. ]

 

[Shallow Expectations]

 

[Smackdaddy53]

Beautiful trip!

 

[Tailwaters]

Nice pic's!

 

[7WT]

Very nice. !

 

[bd_Florida89]

Awesome post and great photos! Belize is definitely on my radar.

 

[Whiskey Angler]

Awesome shots! I've been wanting to do Turneffe...AC is fun, but its not exactly top-notch fishing in my opinion.

 

[bd_Florida89]

Awesome shots! I've been wanting to do Turneffe...AC is fun, but its not exactly top-notch fishing in my opinion.

Who'd you fish with in AC? I've looking into Belize Fly there... would like to hear more about your trip.

 

[Shallow Expectations]

I have not been to AC but some of the guys I was at Turneffe Flats with had some pretty bad experiences with other operations in Belize. I won't name names because I wasn't there but they said Turneffe was much much better. I would 100% recommend if you go to Belize to go to Turneffe. The only complaint I could think of is snappers eating my fly before the permit did (happened 3 times). Amazing fishing, diving, food, hospitality, guides they nail it all. If my bank account would allow I would go back every year.

 

[Whiskey Angler]

Who'd you fish with in AC? I've looking into Belize Fly there... would like to hear more about your trip.

I've been a handfull of times and done a lot of DIY fishing along the beachfront, and though the bones are super spooky, and not very big, its a lot of fun because i can, walk right out the front door to the water, carry a backpack full of beer with me and fish at my own pace. But, the few times I've hired some guides, they were not very prominent in the guide game down there, and ended up trying find mudding bones to blind cast to all day - not cool.

I think I would have had a much better experience if I booked through Tres Pescados or El Pescador.

AC is a lot of fun, and there's lots of things to do beside fish, but its not what I would consider a hardcore/premier fishery.

 

[RaspberryPatch]

AC is ?

 

[7WT]

Ambergris Caye I believe. What excellent photos, I like the enhancements. That looks like an abandoned lodge behind you in the permit picture. Have not fished there but I have fished Xcalak Mexico and Chetumal Bay. Of course it was better 18 years ago when we never saw another boat and bones were all 5lbs and up over 10. Still last year big bones can be had if you are willing to walk back in to rarely fished lagoons and we saw plenty of large permit over 25lb and schools of the medium and small. We stayed this last time at Casa Paraiso which was excellent and did a full week on a song compared to a full lodge expense thing. the guides were excellent. Not sure I like the idea anymore of driving down 5 hours from Cancun though. First time we took a 45 min boat from San Pedro- a better way to go if you can circumvent customs.

 

[Shallow Expectations]

The building behind me in that pictures is where my guide use to work. Said it was a old weather station of some kind. There was a lodge right north of there that is abandoned during the off season but they come back during peak season.
On most days I was there we didn't see another boat. Only on the last day when one of the guys who had been trying to get a permit for 15year we told him and his guide to run up ahead of us and fish so he could get one and he did.
Turneffe is great. Fly into Belize city then like a 1hr boat ride out to Turneffe island. Maybe a little longer.

 

[MRichardson]

I can attest to Turneffe Flats Lodge. Beautiful place. Occasionally bones right in front of the bungalow in the evening when the tide was right; one day I stuffed a beer in the pockets of my baggy shorts and after catching a bone out back, noticed that one had floated away. Very sad. The only disappointment during that trip.

 

[Shallow Expectations]

YOU LOST A BEER!!! Everyone boo this man. Just kidding.

We had bonefish every morning right out front of the bungalows. Spooky fish but did manage to get 1 before breakfast each morning. We did see a few permit outfront too on 2 of the mornings but never got close enough to them to make a cast.

 

[MRichardson]

Was that crazy old man with his sh*t-eatin dog still out on the nearby island making coconut oil? I'd assume he's dead, he seemed 80 in the 90s but he might've only been 40.

 

[Shallow Expectations]

We passed a few local lobster fisherman and their huts on neighboring islands but I do not recall a old man. We did feed a dog at one hut some cookies because he looked pretty thin. If you need to get the skunk off the dumbest bonefish in the world hangout right in front of these huts/camps.

 

[MRichardson]

This old guy, think he had a homemade windmill setup to grind the coconuts/get the oil out. He had this fat little mutt, one of my buddy's was playing with it. Real friendly dog, licking and whatnot. We asked teh old man what he ate out there, etc. then someone asked does the dog just eat the same food as you? And the old guy said, yah, exactly the same food but about a day later. Lol. No one played with the dog any more after that.

 

[TheAdamsProject]

The reason I like Ambergris is we can do a number of things during the week. For the last 8 or so years we fished in Ascension Bay, MX and was more geared to fishing and if the girls wanted to get away they just spent some time in Tulum. We are going back to Ambergris this year to rent a house with friends as we went for our honeymoon 10yrs ago and kind of doing the 10yr anniversary deal with the house and also fishing. Im sure plenty has changed in 10yrs but looking forward to being able to fish some with a guide, do a little DIY, explore with the golf cart and enjoy plenty of cold beverages. Every place has their pluses and minuses, you just have to make a list of goals, there is a place for everyone.

 

[bd_Florida89]

This old guy, think he had a homemade windmill setup to grind the coconuts/get the oil out. He had this fat little mutt, one of my buddy's was playing with it. Real friendly dog, licking and whatnot. We asked teh old man what he ate out there, etc. then someone asked does the dog just eat the same food as you? And the old guy said, yah, exactly the same food but about a day later. Lol. No one played with the dog any more after that.

HAHAHA!!!!!