Included / Not Included: –
Included: Meet and greet at Belize International airport, meet and greet in Dangriga, transfers to and from Blue Horizon, meals, accommodations, and guiding.
Not Included: Transportation to and from Dangriga, gratuities, flies, beer, alcohol, sodas and departure tax ($20.00).
Travel Logistics:
Arrival Information: To reach Blue Horizon Lodge all anglers must fly into Belize City, which is easily reached by flights from Houston, Miami, and Dallas. Upon arrival to Belize City, you will clear immigrations and customs and then be met by the lodge’s logistic coordinator Margie.
Getting to the Lodge: Margie will assist you in catching the twenty-minute Tropic Air flight to Dangriga (also known as Stann Creek). This flight is paid for on site and costs approximately $105 cash and will be in a 15 seat, single prop Cessna Caravan. Once Dangriga is reached, you will be met by James the cab driver (610.1640) and taken 35 minutes to a local dock in Hopkins for a fifty-minute boat ride east to the Lodge. In some weather dependant cases, anglers will spend the night in Hopkins (near Dangriga) and be picked up by the guides for a full day of fishing the following morning.
Departure Information: On your departure day you will transfer back to Dangriga, catch Tropic Air flight to Belize City. Pay Belize departure tax of $20.00 U.S. and catch international flight back home.
Approximate Flying Times to Belize: Houston: 2 hours • Dallas: 3 hours • Miami: 2 hours
Documentation Requirements:
You need a valid passport to enter Belize and it must be valid for six months after the last day of your trip.
Currency:
U.S. currency is easily exchanged in Belize and you do not need to exchange money before leaving the U.S. Large US bills ($50's and $100's) are difficult to break, and we recommend that you bring smaller bills. Major credit cards are accepted in Belize City.
Travel Cash:
The lodge does not accept credit cards. As a result cash will be needed to cover your tickets from Belize City to Dangriga, bar tab, flies and gratuities. We recommend traveling with $500 - $700 in cash.
Gratuities:
We recommended $200-$250 per boat per week for guides. If there are two anglers in the boat, they could each tip between $100 and $150. Guide gratuities should be given to Lincoln Westby at the end of the trip. Gratuity for staff at the lodge can be given at the angler’s discretion.
Fishing Licenses:
Fishing licenses are not needed.
Climate:
Temperatures typically range from the low 70’s to the mid 90’s. Isolated afternoon thundershowers are a possibility year round. Wind can be factor while fishing and the sun is very strong. July through November are the wet months in the region with October through November presenting the highest risk of hurricanes. Small biting flies are common in the evening hours especially when the wind dies down.
Medical Facilities:
The closest medical facility is in Belize City, approximately 1.5 hours from the lodge by sea and air. Guests have the responsibility to disclose any special medical, physical, or dietary needs to the lodge ahead of time.
In emergency situations, a charter flight may be required to reach a medical facility. Guests may want to consider medical evacuation coverage. We recommend Global Rescue.
Power and Communications:
The lodge has a generator which supplies electricity. Please check with your cell phone service provider to see if the offer cell phone coverage.
Water:
The lodge provides purified drinking water for its guests.
Clothing:
Quick dry pants and shorts, long sleeved quick dry shirts, casual cotton pants and t-shirts, shorts and shirts, sandals, bandana, “Buff” facial sun protector (www.planetbuff.com), hat with wide brim, sun gloves, light rain coat, and swimsuit are recommended. Wet wading with flats boots (Simms, Patagonia) is the norm. Supportive sturdy flats boots are best, as many flats have tough marl bottoms. Boat fishing footwear: Non- scuff - white soled deck shoes or sandals: Crocs work well and are comfortable.
Laundry:
Laundry service is not available. Please pack accordingly.
Beverages/Alcohol:
Plenty of Belikin beer (“The beer of Belize!”) is available as well as soft drinks and fruit juice. Blue Horizon Lodge has a bar available. Be prepared to pay your bar bill before departure.
Tackle/Equipment List:
Rods: 8,9,10 wt for Bonefish and Permit: 9,10,11wt for Tarpon. Will Bauer prefers to fish with an 8 wt. loaded with a nine wt line as it allows for the most delicate presentation. Once a fish is hooked, he wishes he had a 10 wt. Most shots are made in the 30-60 ft range so overloading rods by one line weight should be considered.
Lines: Floating Mastery saltwater tapers and bonefish tapers in the appropriate weights. One fast sink line for tarpon in the 300-500 grain range.
Reels: Any quality anodized, corrosion resistant, saltwater reel will work. Get the best reel you can afford such as Tibor, Bauers, and the likes. Bonefish reels should have at least 125 yards of 20 or 30 pound backing and your permit/tarpon reel should have at least 200 yards of 30 pound backing.
Leaders: Bonefish leaders should be 9-10 ft long in 1X-3X. Bring additional tippet material in the same diameters. Permit leaders should also be 9-10 ft long but it is important that they be tapered knotless florocarbon in the 15-20 pound class. Will Bauer’s favorite leader is a 10 foot 17-20 pound Umpqua Super Florocarbon Leader. Will does not recommend tying on tippet. Tarpon leaders should be pre-made in either 15 or 20-pound class with shock tippets ranging from 60-100 lb test.
Flies: - Permit: Bauer’s Flats Crab – Tan (this is the guides go to fly) and Olive in #4, Bauer’s Mantis Shrimp – light olive and orange, assorted other crab patterns both weighted and unweighted in sizes 6-2. Bonefish: Pink Puff, Chartreuse Puff, Tan Puff, Charlies, Gotchas, squimp, and Vervuka’s mantis shrimp. – Tarpon: Lefty’s deceivers or other large baitfish type flies, Stu Apte type tarpon flies like Black Death and the Cockroach or Bauer’s Tarpon.
Waders & Boots: Wet wading with flats boots (Simms, Patagonia) are the norm. Quick dry shorts and especially quick dry pants are the everyday attire.
Miscellaneous: Polarized glasses, nippers, reel covers, reel lubricant, hemostats, pliers, tape measure, tape for blisters and stripping finger, fanny pack, Aloe gel for sunburn, SPF 25 or higher waterproof sunscreen, insect repellent, sun gloves, wide brimmed hat, and a small waterproof bag. Bringing snack bars along is also recommended as the fishing days are long and the lunches are rather Spartan.
Fishing Tips:
Practice your casting! Nothing matters more in this gamer than presentation. Anglers should be able to cast 30-60 ft accurately into the wind and should work on a good side arm stroke as it keeps the line out of the fish’s vision and lands the larger crab patterns softly.
Keep your rod tip low while stalking fish.
Walk quietly when stalking fish.
Stay calm and do not hurry your shot. The best permit anglers read the fish and make their presentations either when the fish is head down and tailing or when a wave is breaking on the fish. Make your first shot count!
When re-casting to a fish strip your line in rather slowly and pick your cast up smoothly as to avoid spooking the fish.
After presenting the fly make a long slow strip to get tight to fly. If you retrieve the fly do so with very short slow strips that make the fly appear to be crawling slowly on the bottom.
