Saltwater Fishing in Belize

Hello, I had a few questions regarding this topic. I am going on vacation to a resort in Belize which I have been before. The fishing is phenomenal and the diversity is amazing. Most of the larger predatory fish all will take live sardines it seems through experience. I've been to this resort several times in the past and always use sardines that either resort workers or natives have caught for me. The problem with this year is that I might not be able to get sardines from others getting them for me. Has anyone ever gone down there fishing? Are there any lures or setups I could use to possibly catch my own sardines? Are there any substitute lures or setups that would replace sardines I could use to catch the large predators? The fish down there I have seen and caught in the past included barracuda, bull shark, tarpon, stingray, snapper, grouper, and the list goes on. Anybody have any suggestions? Thanks.


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Wailua Boy said:

Depending on the species of sardine and if the bait piles are close to shore, I would actually snag sardines with a damashi rig(sabiki rig, shrimp fly rig). Use very light line 4 to 6lbs preferably fluorocarbon. Also you could bring a throw net(.5" holes or smaller). Be sure to check local regulations regarding snagging and thrownetting.

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I actually bring a throw net with me but I never have had much luck as the schools are very fast. They are near shore in schools of about 200-250 and I probably could snag them but i wouldn't want to do that because the large fish only take them if they are live. If I were to snag them then by the time most of the larger fish came out at night the sardines would definitely be dead. Would you recommend anything else? Would they possibly go for some fake worms or small lures? Also what size hooks would you buy to accommodate all of the tropical fish there? Thanks again.


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Wailua Boy said:

Believe it or not, most snagged sardines will survive at least a few hours. I bring a baby pool, filled up with seawater and aerator; as fish die I remove them and toss in freezer(even a fresh dead bait is worthwhile) and have stored snagged living sardines for days(although I do daily water changes). Be sure to use very tiny hooks to snag them. You could attract them at night with lantern and then throw net. Fishing artificial lures can work especially sun rise/set, and try to fishing raising tides. Try to find out from locals what moon phases fish bite best in that area.(very important, but that info is hard to come by) If no live bait is around chunk baits should work(squid, octopus, shrimp, any reef fish). Hook sizing varies so much(bring a lot of sizes), for night time; I fish larger circle hooks(up to 18/0) for chunking baits for some of the larger Jacks(that will tilt the scale at over a hundred pounds). Live baits of course lighter, smaller J hooks or even octopus hooks.

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That sounds very accurate from what you describe and what I've kind of done in the past. I wasn't very smart about fishing there until about the last time I went there. I started to realize (along with resort help) that sardine are key in order to catch the large tarpon that circle the docks at night as well as smaller barracuda during the day. As for larger barracuda I found with help (as you said) that bigger reef fish work. Really all I need the sardines for are tarpon and small cudas but those are the most fun to catch in my opinion. I put the sardines that the locals caught for me in one of those collapsible accordion traps and it worked very well so i wouldn't need to worry about changing the water. I don't live around any saltwater specialty sporting goods stores so what rigs do you think I should include in my tackle for the trip? So far I have two large penn reels and rods, a large spinning reel and rod, and maybe a mid size spinning rod. What do you think I would need to completely outfit my trip and make the fishing the best as possible? Thanks again.


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I forgot to mention fish sizes
Tarpon- 3-4 ft
Snapper- 1-1/2 ft
Barracuda- 1-5ft
Shark- 4-8 ft
Bonefish- 1ft
And fish that coexist with these are all around average-larger size. The resort I go to barely has anyone fishing and it is a very small place so the place is pretty well stocked with fish. Has anyone ever heard of what I believe to be called Bermuda chub? They are also all over the place and are huge for being "garbage" fish. Can they be used in any way in my advantage? If so what size hooks should I buy in order to catch them? Thanks.


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Wailua Boy said:

Oh yaah, Chubs actually a very hard fighting fish. They are primarily algae eaters(I've hooked them on seaweed strips, in white water areas) but can be trained onto other baits fairly easily(even dough balls). They do have a smaller mouth, try maybe 3/0 or 4/0 livebait hook, I would stay away from circle hooks, as these fish are kind of nibblers. I've also used small chubs as live bait with success. I fish very basic rigs( 3 way swivels or sliding sinker AKA Carolina rig) for baiting. If you are dealing with calm seas, see if you can rent a kayak, your strike rate will go thru the roof.

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Okay that sounds great! What exactly do you mean by renting a kayak? The resort has kayaks there all the time and you can use them whenever you want so I have full access. The only time I've ever used kayaks for fishing was to paddle large uncastable baits out. Do you mean to paddle out to structures such as reefs and fish? There is a large reef about 400-500 yards out where the waves break so there are basically no waves where I go but there is a mild current. And as for the chub they will bite anything and they are all at one place on the dock where the cooks sometimes throw leftover food. Can they be filleted and used for bait? Even if I got a pretty small one do you think a tarpon might possibly go for it? By the way the place I'm going to is called tranquility bay, have you ever heard of it or been there?


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