World Class Saltwater Spin and Fly Fishing at Turneffe Flats

Turneffe Flats has long been recognized as a premier saltwater fly fishing, scuba diving and marine ecotourism destination. Located on Belize's Turneffe Atoll, the largest and most biologically diverse atoll in the Caribbean. At Turneffe they specialize in a superior service for a limited number of guests.

There Has Never Been a Better Time to Visit Belize

With a good dollar exchange rate, there has never been a better time to visit Turneffe Flats in Belize, a small Central American country with some of the world's most pristine marine habitat. Belize is a leader in environmental protection with nearly one third of the country under a National Park or some other protected status. Its home to three of the four coral atolls in the Western Hemisphere, Turneffe being the largest and most diverse. The atolls provide a unique and remarkably diverse marine eco-system with an extensive coral system.

Belize is very British, many people have a picture of the Queen in their home. When you talk to the locals they give you the impression they are very proud to be part of the Commonwealth. The British Army also have a jungle training camp in the country.

David Jones and I booked our flights through Clitheroe travel flying with Delta airlines from Manchester to Atlanta where we stopped over night, taking a flight from there to Belize the following day.

Arriving in Belize City airport we quickly cleared immigration and customs, I must say the staff were most friendly. It was a lot quicker than clearing an American airport. As we cleared customs a representative from Turneffe Flats was on hand to take our bags then lead us to a large station wagon for the trip to the docks; Fifteen minutes later we were aboard a forty five foot jet boat heading for Turneffe Island some thirty miles offshore. I suppose it was about a one and a half hour boat trip. Most interesting was the journey through the mangroves, often the channel was just wide enough to get through.

Within minutes of docking I stood on the islands white-sandy beach in the shade of the coconut palms, the scene could have come from the film Blue Lagoon or a Bounty Bar advertisement. Of course there was no Jean Simmons, but there were a few Bounty Bar girls. I had arrived in a tropical paradise.

Accommodation and Dining

The social centre for Turneffe Flats is the air-conditioned ’Lodge’. A pre-dinner gathering for hors d'oeuvres and refreshments is customary; the screened veranda is a wonderful place to enjoy the tropical evening with new and old friends. A breathtaking view from the upper and lower decks makes the 'Lodge' a favourite spot with everyone. Meals are a tasty combination of Belizean and American dishes served family-style. Fresh seafood, local produce and home-baked pastries are standard fare. Three delicious meals are part of your package.

Every person at Turneffe Flats from the owners Craig and Karen Hayes, the cooks who ensured we were well fed. The maids who looked after our rooms. Gardeners, guides, fishing manager Pete Wood, Michael and Fenke, the manager and secretary were all committed to make our stay one of enjoyment and fun. David and I couldn’t have wished for a better crew. They were wonderful. I must not forget delightful Cassi Johnson from Dallas who helps out in the lodge. Cassi caught her first permit from the flat in front of the lodge. An incredible achievement.

Depending upon your plans and your preference, you will have the option to take a packed lunch or return to the lodge for lunch. Following hors d'oeuvres and refreshments, dinner is the big meal of the day comprised of soup or salad, entree and homemade dessert. Entrees vary among seafood, chicken, pork and beef. If you have special dietary needs, they will do their best to accommodate you.

The bar is well stocked with Scotch, Bourbon, Gin, Rum, Vodka, Tequila and several liqueurs. In addition, they offer a variety of wines as well as local Belikin beer. Cuban and Dominican cigars are also available. The bar is located in the 'Lodge' just off of the dining area with plenty of open space to gather around after a day of adventure.

You will stay in one of eight spacious, air-conditioned cabanas located on the beach with panoramic views of Turneffe's coral reef. All rooms are furnished with a queen size bed and an extra-long single bed, ample closet space, chest of drawers and a sitting area. Each room has a large private bath with two sinks and a shower.
Imagine awakening in your air-conditioned beachfront cabin with an incredible tropical seascape of white sand beach, tranquil bonefish flats, lush mangroves and the surf breaking over the reef for miles in either direction. Many mornings I would stand on the veranda watching a few tailing bones and hear the great long tailed grackles.
Get up early and watch a spectacular sunrise from your veranda then when night falls, the stars look close enough to touch.

Fish of the Reefs and Flats

The island has been popular with British anglers for many years; the guides are all experienced; knowing the waters extremely well. Bonefish, permit and tarpon are what most anglers’ target, Visit in June, July August and you have the chance of a grand slam. Tarpon permit and bone. The permit grow very big chance of 40lb fish (see picture) Don't forget the snook in the mangrove channels.

The area also offers world class fishing for jacks and snappers, with an excellent chance of big mutton snappers. In my book its one of the prize fish in tropical water. This fish grows big and they can often be difficult to catch at times. The world record is 28lbs 5 ounces. A good fish is one of five pounds plus. They are a tough fighter and will savage a surface fished popper either on fly tackle or spin gear. Let’s not forget the schoolmaster another member of the snapper family. I had those pushing four pounds. You have the lane snapper,yellow tail snapper, red snapper, rainbow runner, trigger fish,skip-jack, big eye jack,and if your lucky a jack crevale. The street fighter of the aquatic world. Last but not least the barracuda with its mouthful of razor sharp teeth. It can weigh 60lbs but the average is probably 12lbs.

Tackle Choice

For all my fly fishing I use Wulff Bermuda Triangle taper fly lines, which are built for use in the tropics. I use Abel and Tibor reels while David uses Loop reels. Being on the Pro-Staff of Thomas and Thomas I get to use what are the best fly rods for fresh and saltwater fishing, David also uses these rods. They are an all American built rod even down to the reel fittings. I carried Helix and Horizon 11 models in weights from seven through to twelve. Choosing the right leader is most important, I put my trust in Deep blue leaders from Gamma, and they haven’t let me down. I see no reason to change.

“The Silver King”

Tarpon are an incredible fish often weighing couple of hundred pounds, after you’ve got a hundred pound fish to the boat; every muscle in your body will ache. Your back will feel its been on the rack. Tarpon resemble a giant size herring, with saucer size silver scales, a mouth like a dustbin. Seeing a fish close by, inhaling or expelling air is an exciting experience. Tackle - choose nothing lighter than a ten weight, a twelve is better. An Abel super 12 reel with three hundred yards of thirty pound backing with a weight forward Wulff Bermuda triangle sinking or sink tip line is what you need. Many anglers make their own tarpon leaders; I take the commercial option using, tarpon leaders from Gamma. They haven’t let me down. Flies, Size 3/0 to 4/0 Apte style tarpon flies in various colour combinations. Dark colours tend to be better in the early morning and brighter colours work best when the sun is bright. Abel’s Anchovy is a good pattern. Ask advice of your guide.

The Grey Ghost

The ultimate quarry is the bonefish, known as the “grey ghost” of the flats; it will take a hundred plus yards of line on its first rush. There were days at Turneffe when I would see a hundred or more bones close to my cabana. I use an eight weight rod, a reel holding two hundred yards of twenty pound backing with a floating line designed for the tropics with a twelve foot bonefish leader. Some flies in my box are Pop's Bonefish Bitters, (Olive and Amber) Pop's Egghead Bitters (Olive and Amber) Crazy Charlie’s, Gotcha, Baited Breath, in various colours size 6 and 8’s Also a selection of crab and shrimp patterns. I can offer no better advice than recommend you read Bonefishing by Randall Kaufmann. In fifty years time anglers will say to one another “Have you read bonefishing by Randall Kaufmann” It’s that good.
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Permit - The Difficult One

“Landing a permit on a fly is one of angling’s greatest challenges”. Quoted Jack Samson I recommend his book Permit on a Fly Stackpole Books ISBN 0-8117-1244-3 it’s the bible for permit anglers. At Turneffe you have some of the best permits flats in the world. A ten weight rod, An Abel super 10 reel, two hundred yards of thirty pound backing with a Wulff Bermuda triangle taper floating line, you need a leader with a fifteen pound tippet. A selection of crab patterns from the lodge including Del Brown's Permit Fly (Merkin) Turneffe crab and various other crab patterns. If you want all three for a grand slam, then as mentioned previously visit in June, July or August.

Extensive Bird Life

Out on the flats, you will see frigate birds diving from a great height, watch brown pelican’s dive and never miss getting their fish. Alongside my cabana in a palm tree were a family of Smokey-brown woodpeckers. Never far away are the chattering great tailed grackles. Along the shoreline are groups of Wilson’s plover, spotted sandpiper, red knots, occasionally and a great blue or little heron also laughing gulls. Perching in the mangroves you will see snowy egrets; sometimes you will see cranes and spoonbills on the flats.

Great Fun on the Reef

On this trip I caught some bones, but most of my time was spent fishing on the reefs for snappers and jacks, many being very colourful averaging 2 - 3lbs but on a 7 weight rod they gave great sport. Fishing an afternoon session on a reef at Grass Cay I had sixty or more fish, including some big schoolmasters one estimated at about three and a half pounds, the description of these fish is best described as silver to copper body with bright yellow fins yellow - olive bars down the side with a blue line under the eye. On one occasion using an eight weight rod with a popper I hooked a mutton snapper, which several times took me well into my backing. It weighed an estimated 5lbs. A most magnificent fish. Red snapper, yellow tail snapper, dog snapper and lane snapper would savagely hit poppers, Clousers and Deceivers. I tried hard to find the cubera snapper which grow to thirty pound plus, without success. I caught jacks to five pounds, rainbow runners, blue runners and bar jack you can of course catch all these fish on a light spinning rod, you don't have to fly fish. I do get annoyed when some American anglers think it’s written in stone that you have to fly fish for tropical saltwater fish. You don’t I use both fly and spin gear.

Belize's best SCUBA Diving

The offshore atolls of Belize are consistently rated amongst the world's ‘best dive destinations'. With pristine coral reefs, abundant marine life and warm Caribbean seas, it's easy to see why.
Turneffe Flats is ideally located to take advantage of Belize's best diving, and three dives per day plus a weekly night dive are standard. Our dive vacations also include a day trip to Lighthouse Reef to dive the famous Blue Hole, Half Moon Wall and Long Cay.
Small dive groups are our norm (4 to 8 divers) with excellent Instructors and Dive Masters emphasizing personalized service and maximum flexibility. PADI & SDI Instruction is available on-site. They offer a range of courses including Discover Scuba Diving, Open Water Referral and Advanced Scuba Diver Certification.

Atoll Adventure (Marine Eco tours)

Because there are so many wonderful things to see and do at Turneffe, they have developed a snorkelling and adventure package. This has now evolved into a diversified marine ecotourism vacation with multiple activities from which to choose.
World-class snorkelling is a mainstay of this package with a number of different snorkelling opportunities available including night snorkelling. There have been over 60 bird species identified on the Turneffe atoll and looking for West Indian Manatees or Bottlenose Dolphins is exciting and fun. Learn about the fascinating history of the Turneffe Atoll from the Maya who fished and traded on the Turneffe Atoll as far back as 400 A.D. to the Pirates of the Caribbean who used Turneffe as a favoured hideout. Sign up for a Belizean cooking class or just relax in a hammock under the coconut palms.

Our Atoll Adventure Guides are informative and fun, and our 25 ft., twin engine, boat is at your guides disposal allowing you access to all of this wonderful marine ecosystem. This is a very flexible package that is adapted to the desires of our guests on a day-to-day basis.

Inland/Island Package

One consideration when planning a vacation in Belize is how to see the most of this wonderfully diverse country. The offshore atolls and the inland rainforests offer very different opportunities. For the fullest possible experience, we have joined with Chaa Creek, the top-rated inland/rainforest ecotourism resort in Belize.

This vacation allows you to enjoy the Atoll Adventure activities at Turneffe Flats such as exploring for dolphins & manatees, world-class snorkelling, kayaking, and relaxing on the Caribbean shore. You will then transfer to Chaa Creek for jungle walks, river canoeing, birding and visiting the Maya ruins.
You can choose to spend four nights at Turneffe Flats and three nights at Chaa Creek, or the other way around. See selection of pictures
Further information e-mail [email protected] or.www.tflats.com