Few aspects of fly fishing compare to the experience of casting to fish you can actually see. As opposed to blind casting, sight fishing allows for an exciting and incredibly visual experience. Watching a big tarpon cruising across the flats or blue water and then delivering a fly to it and watching it eat is about as exciting as it comes. Watching a fish move to eat your fly, all while keeping your cool, and seeing the take is what makes the entire experience just so incredibly rewarding and addicting.
The small Central American country of Belize has some of the world’s most productive tarpon fisheries ranging from skinny, white sand flats, to shallow-water lagoons, to large “classic style” tarpon fisheries. However not all offer chances to sight fish to the ‘silver kings.’ For that reason, we’ve put together a short guide showcasing what we think are the best places to sight fish tarpon in Belize.
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El Pescador
El Pescador is one of our favorite operations in Belize offering a welcoming atmosphere and a team of professional guides. As far as fishing goes it sits on one of the largest tarpon flats in the world where tarpon average 20 to 80 pounds and cruise the flats year-round. And in the late spring and early summer months larger migratory tarpon in the 100 to 200-pound range begin showing up. -
Tarpon Sands
Tarpon Sands is located in one of the most productive fisheries in Belize. Tarpon found in this fishery range in size from 20 to 60 pounds in size and larger-sized migratory tarpon show up in the summer months and can range in size between 100 and 150 pounds. The lodge name comes from the fact that the tarpon here can be found moving over sand flats providing for an extremely visual fishing experience.
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Long Caye Outpost
When anglers stay with Long Caye Outpost they gain access to the expansive and productive fishery on which the lodge sits. The hosts a solid number of resident fish that range in size from 20 to over 150 pounds. Sight fish to the silver kings under the watchful eyes of the lodge’s team of professional guides.
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Belize River Lodge
Belize River Lodge offers anglers the chance to fish a unique fishery that is comprised of a system of river mouths, creeks, lagoons, flats, mangrove islands, and the Barrier Reef. For anyone looking to go tarpon fishing in Belize, they should definitely consider this destination. The fishery has everything from smaller resident tarpon to large migratory tarpon that will start showing up in March all the way through July and then again from September through November. But keep in mind that “the big ones” have been caught every month of the year.
Sight fishing for tarpon is incredibly exciting and for a lot of anglers addicting. Watching a migratory fish go after your tarpon fly is exhilarating and adrenaline-inducing. The exciting experience should be something that every angler does at least once – and there may not be many other places that offer sighting fishing for tarpon than Belize.
For more information on Belize lodges, trips, how-to articles, and more visit our Belize fly fishing page
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