Fishing Report: May 24-31

 

Weather Conditions:  Sunny with scattered clouds: Some spread out big lumpy clouds that gave us 2-3 short rain showers early in the week, but great sun in between.  Rain all day Friday.

Winds:  5-15 mph

Air Temp.:  Mid-80s all week.

Water Temp.:  80s and good visibility all week until rain on Friday.

Tides: Quality fishing tides this week with high tides being mid-day pushing later every day throughout the week. 

Moon Phase:  Tues. 27^th Last Quarter

 

We had an “almost Grand Slam” by Dan B. from Nevada with a permit and bonefish caught one day and a tarpon by 1:00 the next afternoon; and a “for real” Grand Slam. Chuck S. from Kansas, landing a permit, tarpon, and bonefish with his guide Dion.  The bite seemed to be turned on right before the rain came through on Friday and John B from Nevada took advantage of this by hooking and landing his first permit on a fly.

Bob O. from Calif. asked his son where he wanted a fishing trip this year and Eddie said “flats fishing.”  Both Bob and Eddie, new to saltwater fly-fishing, but accomplished at fishing the technical tailwaters of the American west, had a smooth transition into angling for tailing bonefish.   They both had their share of spooked and broken-off bonefish; but they landed enough to get them hooked on the sport of flats fishing. 

Another father son combo, Todd and Don from Florida were with us, but this time it was the son asking the father where he wanted to go.  Todd and Don fished for permit most of the week with Don hooking three and Todd one, but neither getting a fish to the boat.  They both caught bones every day and even landed seven on Friday in the rain … on the flat in front of the lodge.  Every night Todd could be found casting off the dock with TF’s general manager Kevin Bonasera and guest Chris L. judging who could cast further and tell bigger fish lies then the other.  Chris, from Virginia also targeted permit all week with Dubs and had numerous good “shots,” but never didn’t get one to the boat.  Ah, the agony and ecstasy of permit fishing!

“I didn’t strip-set hard enough,” “the fly just came unbuttoned on his third jump,” “he was too big to land” are typical reasons for not getting a tarpon all the way to the boat. Joe U. and David V. from New York targeted all species and ended up jumping several tarpon; with David landing two.  They both caught bonefish and hooked a couple permit, two big snapper, and a big jack crevalle on their last day.   Mark, their guide, told us that they jumped a tarpon as big as he had ever seen, “close to 200 pounds” on their last day. 

There are not many other angler challenges that can compare to hooking and fighting a tarpon.  We are starting to see more of them around the atoll.  Most anglers that did not land a tarpon still hooked at least one.  Hank B from Nevada just walked into the office and said he hooked a tarpon again this morning; and walked out to fish the flat in front of the main lodge to look for bonefish or maybe a cruising permit.  

John M had “excellent bonefishing” and some “exiting shots at permit, but no cigar until now” as he puffed on his Cuban rolled stogie.  John also jumped a couple tarpon. 

All in all, it was a good week of fishing and great camaraderie.  

We are offering a Fall Special you might want to consider for yourself and, well, someone special.  Our Fishing Package is a 2-for-1 at the Single Supplement Package price of $2,444.21 per angler.

 

 

Both Fall Specials are valid August 30 to December 20. 

 

Phone Turneffe Flats direct toll-free at 888 512 8812

Fishing Report: May 10-17

 

Weather Conditions:  Nice sunny conditions all week. 

Winds:  Sat-Thurs: light winds out of the east southeast at 2-8 mph.  Friday, the breeze picked up to 15-18 mph, but remained from the southeast

Air Temp.:  Mid to high 80s all week.

Water Temp.:  Low 80s and good visibility.

Tides:  Morning low tides and high tides after lunch.  Low tides not very low.

Moon Phase:  70% to 90% full moon (called the “Waxing Gibbous” Moon)

 

The Deschutes Angler fly shop, owned and operated by John and Amy Hazel, hosted a group of anglers mostly from Oregon this week.  John had the tough job of hosting the trip while Amy held down the fort at home.  John had a 100-pound tarpon almost to the boat after a long fight; and Gordon N., one of Deschutes River Anglers’ veteran guides, had a fantastic week landing many bonefish, hooking a couple of tarpon, and landing a great permit, estimated at 30 pounds!  Andrew, the fly shop manager, enjoyed his first saltwater experience guided by Willie and learned much about fishing the fishing the flats. 

 

Others in the group had shots at big tarpon and caught many bonefish.  For Ian, the week’s highlight was landing a permit on the flats with a small olive Velcro crab with fishing partner Lynn and guide Capt.  Ian told the story of casting to the tailing permit in the low light of the evening in the surf and seeing it dart across waves and into the deep when he hooked it.  Bill L. is quoted at saying, “These bones run better then anything I've ever seen,” describing his 7-pounder.  Wes, his fishing partner the first day, told a story about one large school of 30-40 bonefish that kept circling around the flat and allowing him to catch a couple out of the same school.  Thanks to all the Deschutes Anglers for a great week!

 

Alex, from England, fished by himself with Pops all week.  He spent the fist part of each day permit fishing and the last part of each day bonefishing.  Alex had shots at permit each day but unfortunately didn’t land one. He landed a few bonefish each day,.

 

John and Ted fished with Michael all week and had good luck catching bonefish. Both John and Ted also spent some time permit fishing with both getting the shots that they deserved throughout the week.  Congratulations to John for joining the many others who caught their first permit-on-the-fly at Turneffe Flats. 

  

We are offering a Fall Special you might want to consider for yourself and, well, someone special.  Our Fishing Package is a 2-for-1 at the Single Supplement Package price of $2,444.21 per angler.

 

There is also a 2-for-1 Dive Instruction Special during which two new divers can do their Open Water Referral for the price of one.

 

Both Fall Specials are valid August 30 to December 20. 

 

Phone Turneffe Flats direct toll-free at 888 512 8812

Fishing Report: May 3-10

 

Weather Conditions:  Sunny and light winds for most of the week.

Winds:  Light southeast trade winds

Air Temp.:  Mid to high 80s all week.

Water Temp.:  Low 80s and good visibility.

Tides:  First part of week had high tides in the morning and progressing to mid-day by the end of the week.  Good late day low tides all week. 

Moon Phase:  New Moon May 5th.

 

Cynthia and Ingrid from Texas put together a Turneffe Flats fishing trip with and for their husbands, John and Jay.   It was to be their introduction to the joys of saltwater fishing in Belize.  Both Cynthia and Ingrid caught their first bonefish on the flats with spinning rods plus a couple of extremely toothy barracuda during their three day outing.  Both John and Jay caught a handful of bonefish every day and look forward to coming back for a full week of fly-fishing next time. 

Sandy G. from New York returned for the second time this year to make this his 5^th trip to Turneffe Flats.  He fished with Mark and spent the majority of his time in the bow of his boat targeting permit, tarpon, and snook.  In the early part of the week Sandy hooked into a couple of tarpon and caught a snook on a Deceiver. 

Ian B. from Ohio had the advantage of having many years of saltwater fly-fishing under his belt and it showed in everything he did.  Guided by Capt. and paired with fishing partner Harry, they both found luck fishing to mudding bonefish from the bow of their boat, as well as targeting schools of permit in the inner lagoon mangroves.  Ian landed two permit and Harry nailed one.

Brian Y. from Alaska fished with Dubs all week and focused on permit.  Brian spent most of his time targeting the permit along the mangroves of the inner lagoon and had great success.  Brian caught his first permit at Turneffe Flats four years ago and says that he remembers every one after that.        

David and Dawn from Texas, having fished for bonefish in the Bahamas, soon realized that fishing the flats on Turneffe was a lot different.  David is a fine fly-fisher and soon adapted his knowledge of the game and found success, landing bonefish every day.  The change of latitude gave Dawn a change of attitude and she found time between spin fishing to bonefish and taking it easy back at the resort under a palm tree.      

Jim W. and Bob K. from Texas fished with Dion all week. With his help, they soon both landed several bones and learned a lot along the way.  Bob’s son Dan from Calif. is what we consider a true permit fishing enthusiast.  He spent most of his time on the bow of the boat with Pops polling the skiff, stalking/hunting for small groups of feeding or cruising permit.  Dan hooked two permit on the flats and landed one.  Dan got creative the last three days and had a total blast with ’cuda on the spinning rod.   He bagged some really cool mutton snapper out of the mangroves with big lead-eyed size 2/0 chartreuse and white half n' halfs that he tied.  He turned a tarpon with a red and black toad fly, but the tarpon missed the fly!  Dan also had lots of success every time he went to the flats bonefishing.   The #8 chartreuse body with olive rabbit fur wing and micro rubber legs was his go-to-fly.

 

Phone Turneffe Flats direct toll-free at 888 512 8812

Fishing Report: April 19-April 26

 

Weather Conditions:  Beautiful sunny weather all week.

Winds:  Light winds out of the east at 2-8 mph.

Air Temp.:  Mid 80s all week.

Water Temp.:  Low 80s and good visibility.

Tides:  Good high tides in the middle of the day.

Moon Phase:  Full moon on the 19th

 

Many returning guests joined us on the island this week and they were very familiar with the fishing around the atoll.  Skip G. from Montana brought a group of friends that have fished together at Turneffe Flats for many years.  Bonefish made a good showing on the flats and the group landed several larger fish while wade fishing the outer flats.  The overall fly of choice was the Pops Bonefish Bitter in a #8 amber color.

 

There were several permit landed this week with Rick M. from California starting it off with a nice permit that ate his #2 olive EP Merkin pattern while he was fishing around the cayes that dot the west side of the atoll.  Laura S. from California followed up with a great permit of her own while fishing with Capt.  Even the aforementioned group leader Skip was able to bring a permit to the boat while fishing with Pops.  Several others were hooked for a short time before releasing themselves.

 

Others in the group chose to target tarpon as our migratory tarpon are just now starting to show up.  Mike O. from Oregon coaxed a tarpon into eating a ‘cuda fly that he had tied.  Although it was in the 20-pound class, it put on a spectacular aerial show for the anglers and added some more memories for this group of repeat guests.

 

John D. from Canada and his fishing companion Tasha L. from Texas went out for their first-ever flats fishing trip.  With the help of Michael they were soon both landed several bones and learning about the whole flats fishing experience.  “I had no idea how strong these bonefish are,” said John after his first day on the flats.  Another first-time flats angler, Chuck B. from California, was fishing his Dion when he was welcomed into the bonefish-on-a-fly crowd.  Being an avid freshwater angler, he learned about the strip-set and how to play a bonefish.

 

Wayne and Colleen M., from Florida, joined us mid week and on their first day flats fishing with Pops they both landed bonefish and Wayne hooked into a nice permit while wading the east-side flats.  Unfortunately, the permit knew right where the reef was and within moments after being hooked, found a big coral head to break the line.  Technically, that’s known in flats fishing as a “Zing-Pow” moment.  The permit might have to wait until next trip, Wayne.

 

The week ended with hermit crab races in the lodge that put smiles on everyone’s faces    . . . even those with sore thumbs.  Yes, hermit crabs do have claws.  Thanks, gang for a fun week.

 

Phone Turneffe Flats direct toll-free at 888 512 8812

Fishing Report: April 12-April 19

 

Weather Conditions:  We had a cold front this week which is very unusual for April. Skies were, however, sunny for most of the week with some overcast skies Wednesday and Thursday.

Winds:  Winds shifted from the east early in the week to the north throughout the rest of the week.

Air Temp.:  High 80s early in the week and high 70s as the cold front developed.

Water Temp.:  Low 80s and good visibility.

Tides:  Low tides mid day early in the week but by Thursday we had a nice incoming tide in the morning.

Moon Phase:  First quarter moon on the 12th.

 

We had a group from Alberta, Canada, as well as anglers from Michigan and Alaska this week.  No one seemed to mind the cooler weather and they stuck with shorts, T-shirts and flip-flops in spite of the weather.

 

The week started with lots of sun, light breeze from the east and generally great conditions.  This added up to excellent bonefishing on the flats; and many of the anglers were excited to walk and stalk.  Bill and Marlene M. from Michigan loved the hard bottom flats to wade.  “These are some of the best wading flats I have been on and have never seen so many bonefish feeding on the flats,” said Bill.  With their guide Eddie, our Michigan couple landed many bonefish during their visit . . . Marlene landing her first ever while casting a #8 Pops Bonefish Bitter.

 

Fred from Florida was one of our dedicated permit anglers this week and although he had many shots with Dion, he wasn’t able to land one.  Fred has vowed to return for another try.  Paula B. spent afternoons wading the flats and did very well with the bonefish.

 

Matt and Cindy H. from Alaska were more than happy to trade the weather in Alaska for the tropical sun at Turneffe Flats.  With plenty of freshwater fishing experience, they had a great time with guide Michael learning the different challenges of saltwater fishing.  “Learning to set the hook using the line instead of the rod was a big step in our educational experience,” said Matt. 

 

Several of the Alberta group primarily targeted permit and though they had some quality shots, the permit weren’t feeding well, presumably due to the weather.  Some of the contingent fished for tarpon and several boats were able to find rolling fish.  Dennis H. and his partner John B. both hooked tarpon with a Black Death pattern, generally an excellent choice for these waters.  Throughout the week there were several additional groups of tarpon sighted and it looks like the migratory fish will be plentiful when the weather settles down.

 

Phone Turneffe Flats direct toll-free at 888 512 8812

Fishing Report: April 5-April 12

 

Weather Conditions:  Sunny and warm with some breeze late in the week. 

Winds:  Winds 2-8 mph early in the week picking up to 12-18 by the end of the week.

Air Temp.:  Mid 80s all week.

Water Temp.:  Low 80s and good visibility.

Tides:  Incoming tides mid day.  Very low tides in late afternoon.

Moon Phase:  New moon on the 5th.

 

We had a big group of returning anglers this week.  Jon S. and Rich & Millie P. from the TroutHunter in Idaho were back with a fun group of friends, as usual.  Many of this year’s group was interested in permit and particularly the early part of the week provided some good opportunities.

 

While poling the Westside cayes, Rich and his guide Dion landed a nice permit on their first day.  Rich used a #2 Kung Fu crab in the olive/brown color and a hungry permit heard the dinner bell.  Jon S. and others in their group landed several more. Charlie H., from Massachusetts, landed one of the first tarpon of our season.

 

Bruce M. and Bob W., from Michigan, were back to hunt permit with Dubs.  They had multiple good shots nearly every day.  Both anglers hooked permit and Bruce landed two.

 

Several anglers wanted to hone their casting skills including Betsy R. from New York. Betsy and guide Michael worked the first half of the week on her single haul and with Michael’s patient instructions, she was double hauling by Wednesday and comfortably casting 50-60 feet. This was more than she needed to land many nice bonefish.  “I wanted to take some skills away from this trip and landing as many nice fish as I did was just an extra,” she said.  Betsy was such a determined angler that she claimed she was practicing the double haul in her sleep.

 

Dirk R. from New York developed an affection for the barracuda that sometimes patrol the flats.  He brought some Surf Candy flies that his friends back home had tied on a #1 Owner hook and sight-cast to some large fish. He found the ’cuda liked these flies as much as he did.

 

Gene R. from Colorado had a great chance at a Grand Slam.  Fishing with Mark, Gene was able to land several bonefish in the 4- to 6-pound class early in the day.  Around mid-day, they saw two permit making their way onto the flat.  With an accurate cast, Gene’s olive EP Merkin enticed one to eat.  This left them the rest of the day to cast for tarpon.  “It is still a little early for our migratory tarpon, but I saw some rolling fish last week,” said Mark.  They were able to find tarpon, but in spite of several follows they weren’t able to hook one.  Ah, next time. 

 

Phone Turneffe Flats direct toll-free at 888 512 8812

Fishing Report: March 29-April 5

 

Weather Conditions:  Sunny all week. 

Winds:  Winds 5-15 mph out of the east most of the week. 

Air Temp.:  Low to mid 80s all week.

Water Temp.:  Low 80s and good visibility.

Tides:  Incoming tides in the early mornings.

Moon Phase:  A new moon on the 5th.

 

This was a great week with 2008 with rolling tarpon, permit and enough bonefish to satisfy everyone’s cravings for bent rods. 

 

Weather conditions were favorable on the atoll with sunny skies and light winds making wading and poling the flats very enjoyable.  Tides were right and with bonefish waiting for the anglers, the guides headed out the first day.  They were able to land fish on the flats and in some deep water feeding areas.

 

Monday, the winds were calm and several anglers went looking for permit.  Pete C. from California, and his guide Capt. were blessed with hooking five and landing two beauties on his 10-weight Sage rod and a #1 Olive rag head crab pattern.  Pete had landed his permit and bonefish so he decided to chase the tarpon to complete the “Slam.”  He got two tarpon to roll on his fly, but the hook didn’t bite into anything.  His rag head crab that worked so well on the permit was showing signs of wear, so he used some super glue to repair it for the next day’s fishing.  The quick fix must have worked and Pete was able to land two more permit later in the week.  All on the same fly!

 

John M. and Les H. from Utah both landed permit.  While fishing with Michael they both had shots and Les landed two with a well-presented #1 tan EP Merkin.  Four additional permit were landed during the week.

 

Sam D. and his son Spence from Florida, fished with Mark, had what he called “my most epic saltwater day ever.”   Casting an 8-weight rod and wading for bonefish, he landed a nice 7-pound fish.  Shortly after releasing this bonefish, feeding permit came onto the flat behind him.  Quickly switching to an EP Merkin, he cast, got an immediate take, and after a 25 minute battle he was one step away from his “Slam.”  Spence got his shot at the tarpon but was perhaps a little bit too excited. His over-aggressive hook-set sent him staggering off the casting platform and to his seat.  Oh, so close! 

 

Maybe next trip, Spence.

 

The guides are excited to see some tarpon showing around the atoll.  The next few months should be great for anglers looking for a Grand Slam . . . which means just about everyone.

 

Phone Turneffe Flats direct toll-free at 888 512 8812

Fishing Report: March 22-29

 

Weather Conditions:  Mostly sunny with some overcast skies mid-week.  A very late “cold front” passed through the first half of the week.

Winds:  Winds 5-15 mph out of the N/NE through Thursday switching to the East on Friday.

Air Temp.:  A cool upper 70’s for the first part of the week reaching low 80’s by Friday.

Water Temp.:  Upper 70’s with visibility improving through the week.

Tides:  High tides in the middle of the day.

Moon Phase:  Just coming off of a full moon this week.

 

This week our guests included a group of anglers from Montana that regularly fish together.  They’ve visited Turneffe Flats previously as a group and this time brought a few new anglers.  The first evenings we had a knot tying session in the lodge during cocktail hour to help everyone hone their skills.  Some of the guides sat in on the sessions, offering suggestions on why certain knots are preferred over others. 

 

Bill and Carol F. from Washington were two new anglers who fell right into the groove on day one, landing 15 bonefish while fishing with the Sage Xi2 8-weight rods and Abel reels from our lodge rental program.   Their success continued through the week, each day coming back to the dock with great reports .

 

Tom and Sue U. from Massachusetts were also newcomers to the flats.  They noted, “We both learned a lot from our guide, Mark.  He is very patient and informative.  We feel we have improved our skills this week, which is the main reason we came.”  While fishing a #6 Amber Pop’s Bonefish Bitter, the two landed in excess of 25 bonefish each .

 

One of our more familiar anglers to Turneffe Atoll is Jim K. from Texas has been visiting for well over a decade.  Jim brought with him a custom-made 10-weight Sage RPLXI that is affectionately called “Big Jim’s other rod.”  He used that wand to deliver his Del Brown Merkin pattern to multiple permit and was our one angler dedicated to permit this week.  With two hook-ups and one nice permit - an18-pound fish, his 10-weight was put to the test and did exactly what it was supposed to do.

 

Tim and Joanne L. from Montana hosted most of the anglers this week. This was their  third trip to TF.  Both Tim and Joanne fished with several guides this week and enjoyed being with them all, noting, “The guides are one of the biggest strengths here at Turneffe Flats.  They are all very knowledgeable and friendly.” 

 

Phone Turneffe Flats direct toll-free at 888 512 8812

Fishing Report: March 15-22

 

Weather Conditions:  Sunny weather most of the week with some overcast skies late in the week. 

Winds:  Early in the week, winds were from the SE with some gusts to 30 mph.  Winds shifted to the North late in the week.

Air Temp.:  Mid-80s through Wednesday cooling to the 70s late in the week when the wind shifting to the North.

Water Temp.:  Upper 70s.

Tides:  Early AM high tides.

Moon Phase:  Full moon on the 21st.

 

In spite of some brisk winds early in the week – and overcast skies late in the week – all  anglers were able to land fish and have an enjoyable week of fishing.  Everyone had successful bonefishing and several had opportunities at permit primarily in Turneffe’s Central Lagoon during the week.  However, tough fishing conditions made their attempts unsuccessful. A few anglers had shots at tarpon but, again, none were hooked.

 

We had several returning guests this week.  Mike G. and John R., from New York, returned with their families for their third visit and enjoyed success from the first day.  While fishing with their guide “Captain” on Sunday, they landed several 3 to 5-pound bonefish on #6 Amber Pop’s Bonefish Bitters.

 

Bernie Jr. and Bernie III, from New York, also past guests, spent most of the week wading the Atoll’s expansive flats.  On day one, young Bernie returned to the dock with a big smile after landing his first of many bonefish.  On his best day, he caught several bonefish including one fish near 5-pounds on a tan #8 Crazy Charlie.

 

Cindy D. and Jodi S., both from Colorado, were excited to land their first bonefish.  With casting help from their guides Michael and Dubs and well-placed flies, they were both rewarded with several bonefish.

 

Phone Turneffe Flats direct toll-free at 888 512 8812

Fishing Report: March 15-22

 

Weather Conditions:  Sunny weather most of the week with some overcast skies late in the week. 

Winds:  Early in the week, winds were from the SE with some gusts to 30 mph.  Winds shifted to the North late in the week.

Air Temp.:  Mid-80s through Wednesday cooling to the 70s late in the week when the wind shifting to the North.

Water Temp.:  Upper 70s.

Tides:  Early AM high tides.

Moon Phase:  Full moon on the 21st.

 

In spite of some brisk winds early in the week – and overcast skies late in the week – all  anglers were able to land fish and have an enjoyable week of fishing.  Everyone had successful bonefishing and several had opportunities at permit primarily in Turneffe’s Central Lagoon during the week.  However, tough fishing conditions made their attempts unsuccessful. A few anglers had shots at tarpon but, again, none were hooked.

 

We had several returning guests this week.  Mike G. and John R., from New York, returned with their families for their third visit and enjoyed success from the first day.  While fishing with their guide “Captain” on Sunday, they landed several 3 to 5-pound bonefish on #6 Amber Pop’s Bonefish Bitters.

 

Bernie Jr. and Bernie III, from New York, also past guests, spent most of the week wading the Atoll’s expansive flats.  On day one, young Bernie returned to the dock with a big smile after landing his first of many bonefish.  On his best day, he caught several bonefish including one fish near 5-pounds on a tan #8 Crazy Charlie.

 

Cindy D. and Jodi S., both from Colorado, were excited to land their first bonefish.  With casting help from their guides Michael and Dubs and well-placed flies, they were both rewarded with several bonefish.

 

Phone Turneffe Flats direct toll-free at 888 512 8812

Fishing Report: March 8-15

 

As a matter of policy to ensure privacy, Turneffe Flats does not use last names of guests in our fishing reports. 

 

Weather Conditions:  Cloudy at the beginning of the week, but beautiful clear skies from mid-week on.

Winds:  Light winds from the North early and switching to a nice E-SE breeze later in the week.

Air Temp.:  High 70s Sunday and Monday, 80-85 degrees from Wednesday on.

Water Temp.:  Lower 80s and clear.

Tides:  Incoming tides in the mornings with afternoon high tides.

Moon Phase:  Half moon was on the 14th.

 

We had a good week of fishing even though a mild cold front moved through early in the week bringing some rain and a Northerly wind.  Even with these conditions, the fishing for bonefish on the flats was good.  Most of our anglers targeted bonefish early in the week with some nice 5-pound-plus fish landed.

 

For the first couple of days, permit fishing was tough due to the cold front, but by mid-week permit fishing had turned on. Victor B. from California had a nice day on Thursday when he landed a 10-pound permit while fishing the west side cayes.  Later in the afternoon he landed several nice bonefish, which had him looking for the third leg of his Grand Slam.  He and guide Fabian spent the rest of the afternoon searching for a tarpon but had no luck.  However, he was able to finish the day with a two large mutton snappers, fish that can tug with the best of them. 

 

Frank S. and Thatcher B., both from Washington, were on their first saltwater flats fishing trip and found success right off the bat.  With several bonefish landed their first couple of days, they decided to focus on permit.  Two were hooked with a #1 tan EP Merkin, but hooking is only half of the formula, and the rest will have to wait until next time.

  

The weather improved throughout the week and we are expecting even better fishing as the fair Spring and Summer weather settles in. 

 

Phone Turneffe Flats direct toll-free at 888 512 8812

Fishing Report: March 1-8

As a matter of policy to ensure privacy, Turneffe Flats does not use last names of guests in our fishing reports. 

 

Weather Conditions:  Sunny all week. 

Winds:  Winds E and SE, generally 5-10 MPH

Air Temp.:  80-85 degrees.

Water Temp.:  Lower 80s and clear.

Tides:  High tides in the AM and outgoing tide in the afternoon.

Moon Phase:  A new moon on the 7th.

 

With several of this week’s anglers new to salt water fishing, we had a good first day with everyone breaking the ice with bonefish.  For five of the anglers, this was their first taste of sighting, casting and landing bonefish.

 

On Monday, a nice breeze from the E-SE gave everyone a good chance to fish for the permit in the inner lagoon.  Jim M. and Mike B. from Washington each landed their first-ever permit while fishing with Pops.  Another angler who entered the permit-on-the-fly ranks was Robert G. from Arizona.  He was casting a #2 tan EP Merkin, which a permit inhaled.  The tan EP Merkin was a favorite fly around here this week.

 

Tuesday was another good permit day.  Jimmy G. and Hans A. from Washington had a day of a life time.  They hooked with an olive EP Merkin.  Five permit were landed, gently photographed and released to fight another day.  “It was very impressive to see the number of permit here at Turneffe Flats.  I have never seen that many in one spot,” said Jimmy G.

 

On Wednesday, Tom C. from Washington was able to cast to a grand slam.  He had the permit on for a while but lost it. Subsequently, he and his guide Mark found some big tarpon (perhaps the first of our migratory tarpon), but could not get them to eat. 

    

Towards the end of the week the winds picked up a little and the anglers focused primarily on bonefish on the backreef flats.  Paul T. from Washington landed one of Turneffe’s famed Golden Bonefish.  This 5-pound Golden Bonefish ate one of Paul’s personally tied #4 epoxy minnows.  “This was just as exciting as my first permit,” he said returning to the dock after the day on the flats with his guide, Michael.

 

This was a real bouillabaisse of a week.  In addition to bones, permit and tarpon, barracuda, many snapper, jacks were landed.  Also, a large snook was chased through the mangroves before parting ways with the angler.   Oh, well, you can’t land ’em all. 

 

Phone Turneffe Flats direct toll-free at 888 512 8812

Fishing Report: February 16-22

 

Weather Conditions:  Sunny weather all week. 

Winds:  Winds out of the S/SE 12-22 mph.

Air Temp.:  Comfortable 80-85 degrees.

Water Temp.:  80-85 degress.

Tides:  High tides in the AM and outgoing tide in the afternoon.

Moon Phase:  A full moon on the 20^th with a full lunar eclipse.

 

Although some brisk winds made for challenging casting this week, we had some great bonefishing, permit fishing and even a huge barracuda. 

 

On Tuesday, Frank T. and Anthony T. from Nevada caught numerous bonefish while fishing to the ghosts of the flats with a #6 Pearl Gotcha at the northernmost tip of the atoll. 

 

Gordon K., from Kentucky, with his guide Capt., was able to land 12 bonefish one day with the largest being a nice 5-pounder.

 

Two first-time Canadian bonefishing clients, Dino W. and Nat W., from British Columbia, were fishing with Michael when they each landed several bonefish on their second day on the flats.  On their third day, Nat decided to do some trolling on the way back to the lodge and was fortunate enough land a 50-inch monster barracuda that definitely put a bend in her rod and smile on her face with an acrobatic display. 

 

Ron M., from Connecticut, and his fishing partner Kevin P., from Vermont, spent most of the week fishing for permit.  Ron landed a double digit fish with a Kung Fu crab pattern, size #1.  His permit took about 35 minutes to land and was well over 20-pounds.  Steve C., from Louisiana, was very happy when he landed his second permit of the day on Wednesday.  “I would have been happy with just one; the second was pure icing on the cake,” he said. Steve went on to land another permit on Thursday to add to his count.

 

On Friday, Walter S., and fishing buddies, Steve C., Richard T., and Walter W. were all able to land permit.  A great finish to a great week!

 

Phone Turneffe Flats direct toll-free at 888 512 8812

Fishing Report: February 9 - 16

 

Weather Conditions:  Sunny conditions all week. 

Winds:  Light winds all week (2-8mph).

Air Temp.:  Comfortable 80-85 degrees.

Water Temp.:  81 degrees with good clarity.

Tides:  Incoming tides in the morning and high tides in the afternoons.

Moon Phase:  Quarter moon on the 13th.

 

Chuck, from Ohio, his sons Tom and Bill, and friend, Mark, were here to fish for Permit and all landed at least one Permit during the week.  “It’s just so rewarding to know that I could place a fly and present it well enough to these difficult fish in order for them to eat the fly” commented Tom after landing his first Permit on the fly.  Midweek Chuck was had an excellent chance at a Grand Slam with a Bonefish and a Permit early in the day.  He then had a good chance at school of Tarpon but couldn’t hook one.  It was actually his Bonefish that excited him most as it approached the 10lb. mark.  

A group of anglers from Florida who were primarily spin fishing boated three Permit their first day.  Tiger, from Florida, was our senior angler at age 87 and he landed Permit nearly every day with he two on Thursday.  Some large schools of Permit, with up to 50-70 fish, were spotted and some anglers, particularly our spin fishermen, took advantage of these large groups while others preferred to stalk Permit out on the flats. Throughout the course of the week over 25 Permit were landed .

Lolo and Marjorie, from California, enjoyed chasing the Bonefish with their guide “Capt.”.  They landed leverl 4 - 6lb. Bonefish using 8 weight rods and some carefully selected Bonefish Bitter flies tied in #6 and #8.

 

Phone Turneffe Flats direct toll-free at 888 512 8812

 

Fishing Report: February 2 - 9

 

Weather Conditionsb  Nice sunny conditions all week. 

Winds:  Light winds most of the week with some strong winds on Tuesday and Wednesday

Air Temp.:  80-85 degrees.

Water Temp.:  81 degrees with good clarity.

Tides:  Incoming tides in the mornings.

Moon Phase:  A new moon on the 6th and will be a quarter moon on the 13th.

It sometimes takes a day or two for the anglers to get a feel for the fishery but not this group.  Don W., and his guide Pops found some feeding Permit and were able to hook two fish and land one. His Permit took a Tan, # 1 EP Merkin.  This was not the only Permit landed on day one.  Mark R., a return guest from Alaska, and his guide Dion boated a Permit while fishing in the lagoon with a similar fly pattern.  Several anglers came back to the lodge multipe Bonefish each.  It was squaring up to be a great week.

The next day Nate G., from Maine, and his guide Dubs were poling a flat along the western side of the atoll when they found a pair of “happy” Permit.  A well placed first cast resulted in the larger of the two slamming Nate’s fly and 35 minutes later they had photos .

On Tuesday, the wind picked up but it didn’t hamper the fishing much.  Don M. and guide Mark fished for Bones on the backreef flats and ended up with 8 nice Bones, the largest was around 6lb.  The fly of choice for the Bonefish was a size 8 Pearl Gotcha with small bead chain eyes.  The Permit were also eating and Chris L., from Utah, was able to hook three hook Permit but landed only one of the three.

After two breezy days, the winds laid down and Dubs spotted a group of small Tarpon crashing bait along the mangroves.  Nate G. hooked several Tarpon but landed only one.  “My eyes widened when the fish erupted from the water after he felt the hook” commented Nate.

Saving the best for the last day Dave M., from Pennsylvani,a landed 15 Bones. Our anglers hooked six more Permit on Friday and landed three of them.  Those who focused on the Permit were rewarded this week.

Fishing Report: January 19 - January 26

 

Weather Conditions:  Overcast skies the first half of the week and clear late in the week. 

Winds:  10-15 mph in the early week subsiding as the week went on.

Air Temp.:  A cold front came through early with temperatures around 70-80 degrees.

Water Temp.:  upper 70s with good clarity.

Tides:  Low tides in the beginning of the day.

Moon Phase:  A full moon on the 22nd.

 

The week started with not-so-favorable conditions.  Winds were up and the skies were overcast.  With a northerly wind, the water was pushed off of the flats creating an exceptionally low tide.  The anglers did get opportunities to cast to bonefish and Jeff G., from California, landed a very nice 5-½ pounder while fishing with an olive Pop’s Bitter in a size #8.

 

As the week went on, the bonefishing picked up.  Some of the guides chose to look in unusual locations for  fish and found nice-sized bones feeding in the surf line.  Faye M., from Montana, had numerous bones over the 5-pound mark eat a fly that her husband had tied for her.  It was a variation of a tan Gotcha in a #6 that he had created and that fished well for her.  Faye also had great success with barracuda on the flats.  She really wanted to get a big ‘cuda on the fly and didn’t stop at just one.  “I never thought the ‘cuda was as an aggressive fish as they turned out to be,” laughed Faye.

 

The permit were on the grab for Pete B., from Texas, and his guide, Capt.  In the latter part of the week, when they were able to fish for permit and Pete hooked three. He hooked his fish with a Del Brown Merkin, size #1/0.

 

We had a pair of anglers that were writing a magazine article on the “alternative species” of Turneffe.  Throughout the week they returned with stories of different fish such as the yellow tail snapper, box fish, and horse eyed jacks that kept everyone’s attention during social hour. 

 

The weather took a turn for the better the last few days allowing our anglers to really enjoy the sight fishing for all species.   

 

Phone Turneffe Flats direct toll-free at 888 512 8812

 

Fishing Report: January 12 - January 19

 

Weather Conditions:  Lights winds and clear skies all week.

Winds:  Light 5-10 MPH winds out of the E/SE.

Air Temp.:  A very comfortabel 80-85 degrees.

Water Temp.:  Low 80's with good clarity.

Tides:  Incoming tides in the afternoons.

Moon Phase:  From new to half full.

 

We had nice weather this week and the fishing was very good.  On day-one, several guests landed their first Bonefish ever on the fly and on Monday evening, Jeff G., of Sacramento, CA, spotted a nice pair of Bonefish feeding in front of the Main Lode Building, made a beautiful cast with a #8 Pearl Gotcha and eventually landed a 4 pound Boneifsh with other guests looking on from the Lodge Deck and applauding.  "Probably my most rewarding fish of the day" said Jeff.  Jeff spent his days working the flats and his evenings wading the flats in front of the lodge.

Faye M, from Billings, Montana, a multiple-time guest and good friend, had her goal of landing a big Barracuda on the fly answered landing a nice 4 1/2 footer.  Her late husband, also a prior fishing client, had tied her fly making her catch particularly rewarding.

Lots of Permit were seen this week and Garret B., from Texas, landed his first-ever Permit, a nice fish weighing in at around 25 pounds.  The 40 minute battle ended with some great photos.  This fish was hooked with a #1 Olive EP Merkin and it was only one of three permit over 20 pounds landed this week.

Incoming tides in the afternoons were helpful and sunny days led to good visibility for anglers learning to see flats fish on their first flats fishing trip.  All-in-all it was a great week for first-time anglers.  The guides are great at instructing and I learned a lot throughout our stay.  We will be back" said Chris A., from New York. 

Phone Turneffe Flats direct toll-free at 888 512 8812

 

Fishing Report: January 5 - January 12

 

Weather Conditions:  Intermittent overcast and windy early in the week but improved by mid week. 

Winds:  15-25 mph Sunday-Tuesday.  2-10 mph Wednesday-Friday.  Mostly from E/SE.

Air Temp.:  High 70s early and finishing the week with 86 degrees.

Water Temp.:  The flats were cool from last week’s severe cold front.  Deep water temps still in the low 80s.

Tides:  Incoming tides in the morning.

Moon Phase:  New moon on the 8th.

 

The week started with overcast skies with winds gusting to 25 mph.  Conditions were not very conducive for flats fishing, but our anglers were determined to make a go of it.  Our guides didn’t have any problems finding bonefish and plenty were landed.  Several anglers opted to search for alternative species accessible in some of the more protected areas.  On day one, Henry A., a returning angler from Connecticut, hooked and landed a nice 4-foot barracuda on the fly.  By Monday, the winds were starting to lie down and a few tarpon were spotted and some followed a well-presented Deceiver pattern, but failed to eat. 

 

By Tuesday, conditions were much improved and Jeff P. and Jack H., from Northern California, spent the day permit hunting.  They hooked five and Jeff landed his first on a fly.  The permit took a lodge favorite, the Olive EP Merkin in a size #1.  That day, they went on to land several bonefish in the afternoon, but just could not find the tarpon, leaving him one fish shy of a Grand Slam.  Back at the lodge that night, Jack H. commented “I have never hooked this many bones in one day!”

 

This was not our only shot at a Slam this week.  On Wednesday, Henry A. was fortunate to land a 45-pound tarpon by mid-morning and followed that up with several nice bonefish up to 5-pounds.  He cast to permit in the afternoon, but was unable to hook one.  “That is why our family keeps coming back to Turneffe Flats, the chance at landing the big three in the same day.”  We hope to see you again soon Henry!

 

Bob and Gwen P. fished with their good friend and hunting guide Andy P., from Tanzania.  They spent most of the week bonefishing, but also had chances at permit.

The week ended with clear skies and light winds.  All the boats enjoyed a strong finish to a great week

Phone Turneffe Flats direct toll-free at 888 512 8812

 

Fishing Report: December 29 - January 5

 

Weather Conditions: We had wonderful weather for the first half of the week and terrible conditions the last half.

Winds: Light winds from the East/Southeast Sunday through Tuesday.  On Wednesday, the worst cold front in 20 years hit with gusts from the North approaching 50 MPH.

Air Temp.: Mid 80s early and low 70s late.

Water Conditions: Water temperature in the low 80s.

Tides: We had a mid-day rising tide early in the week and it didn’t really matter for the last half.

Moon: End of last quarter.

We had only three skiffs out this week and all had good fishing the first three days.  Bonefishing was good off and on; Ricky K. from Andrews, Tex., landed two permit on Monday – his first two – one in the 25-pound range. 

On Tuesday, Kevin G., from Ontario, Canada landed his first ever permit, also a nice-sized fish. 

Wednesday we awoke to 35 MPH winds with gusts to 45-50 MPH, so everyone spent the day hunkered down reading, watching movies and playing cards.

Thursday wasn’t much better, but all anglers did some wade fishing to the south of the lodge which was a bit protected from the wind.  Kevin got a nice shot at a tailing permit and others fished to schools of bones.

Friday was a bit improved, although conditions were still marginal.  All skiffs went bonefishing and had some success. 

All in all, it was a tough week of fishing with a nasty cold front.  Next week (Jan. 5-12) is looking better.

A couple of our prime weeks have not completely filled and time is getting short so we are offering a 2 for 1 Special for the following three weeks – January 12-19, February 2-9 and February 16-23.  If you are interested, please call for details.

Phone Turneffe Flats direct toll-free at 888 512 881

 

Fishing Report: December 22 - Decemeber 29

 

Weather Conditions: Great weather aside from shifting winds.  Mostly sunny days made for good visibility for fishing permit and bonefish.

Winds: 5-10 mph mostly from the East/Southeast, but occasionally switching to the West and Northwest throughout the week.

Air Temp.: Low to mid 80s throughout the week.

Water Conditions: Water temperature in the low 80s and clear.

Tides: Late AM rising tide early in the week and a rising tide early afternoon toward week end.

Moon: Full on 23rd

It was a fun week with several friends and return guests spending the Christmas holiday week with us.  Most families had a combination of anglers, divers and Atoll Adventurers and all shared stories of their daily adventures each evening.

Sunday was a beautiful, sunny day. All the anglers caught bonefish with the highlight being Connor L., from California, catching his first saltwater fish ever – a nice bone.  Ernie G., from Tucson, had many permit shots; he had made them his primary focus for the week. 

Monday was another beautiful day and several skiffs saw, but didn’t convert, Grand Slams.  More tarpon that usual for this time of year were around the atoll. Bill and Annie, from Sanibel, Fla., had multiple tarpon opportunities as well as chances for permit.  While they didn’t convert any of those opportunities, they did land bonefish. 

Wednesday was a good permit day with Ernie landing two – one small fish and one in the 20# range.  Connor landed a big barracuda – nearly has long as he is tall.  Connor’s father, Andy, really enjoyed stalking bonefish on the flats and spent the majority of his time doing so.

Ernie landed his third permit on Thursday and everyone else had good bonefishing.  On Friday, Ernie’s daughter Anna joined her father for her first flats fishing experience.  She landed one bonefish and I think Ernie has a new fishing buddy.

Steve M., from Sevierville, Tenn., fished with Capt., as usual, and had a good time with a variety of species.

Kellie O, from Alberta, Canada, experienced his first flats fishing trip and we are pretty sure it won’t be his last.  Kellie caught several bonefish and made a valiant effort to catch a permit.  He had several good chances, but didn’t convert this time.

Our Best Wishes for a Healthy and Happy New Year.

Phone Turneffe Flats direct toll-free at 888 512 881

 

Fishing Report: December 15 - Decemeber 22

 

Weather Conditions: Through mid-week we had northerly winds, cool temps. and rain. Thursday improved and Friday was beautiful.

Winds: 10-18mph from the North and West through Wednesday. Mild winds Thursday and Friday, mostly from East/Southeast.

Air Temp.: Low 80s early in the week and mid 80s Thursday and Friday

Water Temp: Low 80s and clear.

Tides: We had an AM rising tide early in the week and a rising tide early afternoon toward week end

Moon Phase: First Quarter Moon on Monday.

 

Conditions for the first half of the week were difficult due to wind and rain. In spite of that, everyone managed to land bonefish most every day. The fishing highlight of the week was provided by Caleb M., a Red Sox fan from Boston, who landed three permit on Friday. His father Brian also did well bonefishing.

Mike W., from Eagle, Colorado, had a great time bonefishing with Mark and managed to land a rare Turneffe snook. Mike is making plans to return for some tarpon fishing with Mark in May.

Bill and Donna W., from Casper, Wyoming, caught bonefish with Dion each day, and being from Casper, they didn’t seem to notice the wind.

Paul P. had fun fishing for bones while his lovely wife, Sharon, impressed us all with her drawing.

Well known marine biologist Tony Fedler, Ph.D., was here to begin a study demonstrating the contribution to Belize’s economy related to bonefish, permit and tarpon. Originally, we had considered limiting the study to permit only, but after a very productive meeting with other lodge owners we elected to expand the study to all three species. Our feeling is that this will be a very useful tool for convincing the government in Belize to protect these species and their sensitive habits. The study is primarily being funded by Friends of Turneffe Atoll.

Our Best Wishes for a Healthy and Happy New Year to you and your familes. 

Phone Turneffe Flats direct toll-free at 888 512 881

 

Fishing Report: December 8 - Decemeber 15

 

Weather Conditions:  It was somewhat windy early in the week, subsiding later in the week.  Mostly sunny throughout.

Winds:  10-18mph Sunday-Tuesday.  2-10mph Wednesday-Friday.  Mostly blowing from SE/E.

Air Temp.:  Low 80s all week, cooling off on Friday to upper 70s

Water Temp.:  Low 80s and clear.

Tides:  Incoming tides in the morning with late afternoon lows.

Moon Phase:  New moon on the 9th and growing as the week went on.

 

Mark V. and Whitney D., return guests and good friends from the Black Hills of S.D., had numerous excellent shots at their primary target, permit.  In fact, Mark estimated that he had nearly 100 permit chances during the week fishing with Fabian (or Capt. Fabulous, as they dubbed him.)  Whitney hooked and nearly landed a nice permit, but was the unfortunate victim of “knot failure.” 

Matt C. and Dave S. joined Mark and Whit for their first flats trip.  They caught bonefish and had some permit opportunities while “learning the ropes.”

Although bonefishing was generally tough, we did see some nice sized bones on the flats.  Frank S. from California landed a 25½-inch 8-pound grey ghost.  Anglers who did well were throwing light (unweighted) Pearl Gotchas and Pop’s Bitters, size #8.  Long leaders and smaller tippets helped.

Larry and Linda M. from St. Louis reunited with Dubs, one of their favorite guides, after a hiatus of several years and had a good time chasing bonefish and permit.

Frank and Barbara S. spent the week fishing with Mark and have made plans for a return trip next spring.

Alan and Cheryl Y., from Alberta, Canada, did well on a variety of species from snappers to barracuda. 

And last, but far from least, Margaret N. landed her first permit on a #1/0 olive EP Merkin.  Back at the lodge that night she was welcomed into happy hour with a round of applause.

Phone Turneffe Flats direct toll-free at 888 512 8812

 

Fishing Report: December 1-Decemeber 8

 

Weather Conditions: Mostly sunny during the week with a few rain showers.

Winds: 3-15 mph winds mostly from the East-Southeast

Air Temp.: Low to mid 80s with one cool (76 degree) day on Tuesday

Water Temp.: Low 80s

Tides: Low tides in the AM and late week had early AM high tide.

Moon Phase: Half moon closing with a new moon on the 9^th

 

This week provided some very nice fishing conditions and the expected good permit fishing.  Several permit were hooked throughout the week, but as often happens, hooking them is only half the battle.  Ed C. from Florida broke into the “exclusive” permit-landed-on-the-fly-club with a nice fish.  Ed’s permit was hooked with an E. P. three-tone Merkin patterns, size #1.  There were multiple permit opportunities from the large schools along the mangroves in the lagoon as well as several fish hooked on the outer flats along the reef.

 

The bonefish were just as responsive.  Jim K., also from Florida, started his days by fishing the flat directly in front of the lodge.  The #8 pearl Gotcha was his fly of choice.  One morning, Jim landed a nice bonefish in front of the lodge before everyone else was up and wanted a photo. So, he ran up to his cabana door, with fish still on the line, to get his partner out of bed to snap the photo at the steps of the front porch.  How nice is that! 

David, from the UK, had a great day fishing bones in the lagoon and was fortunate enough to land a nice (7-8 pound) bonefish.  “The bones were so big back there, that the water they were pushing made the group look like a school of permit,” he said.    

Fishing Report: November 24-December 1

 

Weather conditions:  Overcast skies for the first few days, then mostly sunny to finish the week.

Winds:  5 to 15mph shifting throughout the week from Northeast to East-Southeast

Air Temp.:  80-86 degrees.

Water Temp.:  low 80s

Tides:  Extreme lows in the mornings to rising tides in the afternoons.

Moon Phase:  Full moon on the 24th.

 

We had a mixed bag of weather this week with winds still changing directions fequently. Several boats had great days fishing for bonefish, landing up to 15 bones per day while using “Blind Gotchas” and small lightly-weighted Christmas Island Specials in pearl and white.  For the uninitiated, “Blind” Gotchas are tied without eyes.  Mike D., from Idaho, commented, “We must have landed a dozen bonefish today, and nothing under 4 pounds!”

Mid-week, the sun broke through allowing some good visibility for permit fishing.  We had a half dozen hook-ups and one lucky angler, Mike W. from Brewster, Wash., landing his second lifetime permit while casting a tan E.P. Merkin pattern to a pod of tailing fish.

A couple of our spin fishermen did real well on the barracuda that patrol the reef and landed several in the 2 to 4-foot range.  “Boy, those fish sure put on a show after they get hooked,” said James S. from California. 

Fishing Report: November 17-November 24

Unfortunately, the week started with overcast skies and northerly winds – not the best conditions, to be sure.  Tuesday and Wednesday were, however, clear and sunny before some clouds returned.  During the week the wind shifted back and forth between the Northeast and the Northwest with temperatures from the mid-70s to mid-80s and the water temperature holding at around 80. 

 In spite of the weather, we had schools of aggressive permit, both on the flats and in the lagoon.  John and Phillip both landed their first-ever permit while fishing with longtime Turneffe Flats’ guide, Pops.  Phillip landed his in the early part of the week with a  #1/0 tan E.P. Merkin.  This permit was feeding with another fish and they both raced to eat his crab pattern.  The larger of the two fish ate his fly and then, on the ensuing 80 yard run, it was near disaster: one of Phillip’s gloves got hung up on the reel.  His quick reaction to tear the glove free saved his 13-pound permit.  Two days later, his fishing partner, John, landed his first permit using the same pattern.  Not to be one-upped, Phillip caught one more that day.  Most all of our skiffs hooked permit during the week.

 Fergus and his wife Kate fished for bonefish most of the week and had some great success.  Kate landed a 5-1/2 pound bonefish, her first on the fly!  She didn’t stop there also landing a nice 7-pounder on the ocean-side flats with a #6 Pearl Gotcha.  “Now I think she is hooked and return trips to Turneffe Flats will have to be more frequent,” said Fergus as they waved good bye on their last day.

 Thanksgiving Dinner was a great feed and everyone had much to be thankful for . . . turkey, good cheer, good friends, permit, bonefish and enough memories to last a lifetime. 

 

Fishing Report: November 10-November 17

Bonefish were on the top of the menu this week, with most anglers targeting bones.  With the winds still coming from the north, the ocean-side flats had large schools of feeding bonefish, offering anglers ample opportunities at these Caribbean rockets.  Many bonefish were hooked by a well-presented “Pop’s Bonefish Bitters” pattern, named for one of our senior guides, Pops. Several fish were in the 3 to 5 pound range with Richard, from Massachusetts, landing a nice 6-pounder.

Permit showed up on the flats in good numbers.  However, “showing up” and “hooking” and two separate issues.  Although no permit were landed, Vivian and Pat, from England, had several good “shots” at permit.

This week, the dock became an after-dinner meeting place for anglers wanting a chance at some of the jacks that cruise in close at night.  Each evening the fish got larger.  The last night of the week (11/16), Peter from Colorado landed a nice 12 pounder jack crevalle.  The jack that was photographed and released back into the dark water. 

Spin fishers looking for barracuda found some large 4 to 5-foot fish holding just outside of the reef.  When hooked on popping plugs, the ’cuda put on quite a surface show.

 

Fishing Report: November 3-November 10

Fishing Report: October 27-November 3

Fishing Report: October 20-27

Our fishing experience varied from anglers new to salt all the way to return guests who have visited Turneffe Flats numerous times.  The week started with quite a bit of rain and the permit fishing was difficult.   Perhaps it was related to some off-colored wate