Honeymoon - Fishing

Not only does Belize have great snorkeling, it is one of the best salt water fly fishing destinations in the world.  This is exactly the reason why I did NOT want to go to Belize for our honeymoon.  I was pretty sure with temptation like that, if we went to Belize, I'd never see my husband.  However, the more we looked into Belize, the more we realized there were really great deals to be had and lots of things to do other than fish.  Plus, it was basically the only place we could find that worked exactly within our frequent flier miles limit.  So Belize it was! 

No matter where we went, I knew that I was not going to be able to keep Ryan from fishing (nor would I want to) while we were honeymooning.  He loves it and it makes him happy, and that makes me happy.  Am I not the best wife ever?  When he discussed getting a guide and spending a day or two fishing, I was less than thrilled, but agreed to one day.  ONE day.  Somehow he got two days.  TWO.  How did that happen?  But I didn't throw a fit.  Again.  Best. Wife. Eva!  Plus, he was really excited to be able to use his new tarpon reel - the Tibor Pacific QC.  This bad boy was my gift to him on our wedding day - I surprised him with the reel that he'd been coveting for years, engraved with his name and a tarpon.  Isn't it pretty?  I'm telling you... Best.  Wife.  Ever.

I didn't want to spend two full days on the boat (I tend to get sea sick) and I didn't really care to fish myself.  So Ryan spent one whole day with the guide chasing (and catching) bonefish, tarpon and permit by himself, while I spent the day getting a massage and snorkeling.  That's a fair trade.  Here are the 3 pictures he took on his day...

I joined Ryan and the guide Kachu on his second day of fishing.  We met Kachu out on the dock bright and early to get a jump start on all the good spots.

 

The first few places we fished were in the mangroves for tarpon.  We saw about 20 tarpon and jumped a few, but didn't land any. 

As the day wore on and the sun got brighter, it was easier to spot bonefish and permit.  However, the wind was NOT on our side this day.  Strong winds were coming in from the North, which meant that neither the beach side (East) nor the lagoon side (West) of the island were very fishable.  Bonefish were around, it just took some extra time and effort to get them.  And then the sun kept hiding behind the clouds.  But since Ryan is the most awesome fly-fisherman in the whole wide world, he didn't have a problem landing some bonefish.

During the slow fishing times, we spotted and caught a couple of other interesting things...

Like huge spiny lobsters...

And a US Coast Guard practice torpedo?

Because the reef breaks all the waves, I didn't get sea sick at all!  I actually had a lovely time laying out on the little cushioned loveseat, reading a juicy book and sipping limeade all day.  Definitely not a bad way to spend the day.

Lunch was provided by El Pescador and really delicious.  We had limeade, wraps and fresh conch ceviche. 

Ryan caught quite a few bonefish.  He really really wanted a permit, but it just wasn't meant to be this time.

At the end of the day, we were exhausted!

And thirsty!

When we returned to our dock, Kachu cleaned our lobsters for us, so they were be ready for cooking that evening. 

We went home happy.  Thank you Kachu!

Of course, that wasn't the only fishing Ryan did.  Most days he'd get up early in the morning and sneak out to fish while I was still sleeping.   And sometimes he'd spend an hour or two fishing in the afternoon off the beach while I read.  This is a picture of him fishing that I took from the balcony of our casita.

And here's what he caught!