Belize | Bonefish on the Brain

Locations — 2 Comments
12
Sep 16

An Adventure, maybe

So, I’m looking at maybe having an adventure with my 10 year old this coming Spring. Sure, it is hardly even Fall at this point, but I’m trying to be a long term planner.

This would be a trip with just she and I. I’d do Yellowstone, but most of it would be under snow at that point, or could be, which would make planning hard.

I’d do the Keys except those are American prices and can be high.

I’m aiming low, in terms of price.

So, I’m thinking about maybe doing Belize. Belize can be expensive, but it doesn’t need to be, and Southwest flies to Belize. Planned out far enough, it isn’t so bad.

Thoughts? Ideas? Inspiration?

Locations — No Comments
05
Aug 16

Yellow Dog gives Hurricane Earl Update

This link from Yellow Dog Fly Fishing gives a rundown of fishing operations in Belize and the impact Earl had.

Some operations were impacted more than others, but no one lost their life and no one was totally leveled, so that’s good news.

Belize is a special place for me. I got a Grand Slam fishing out of El Pescador in 2010 with my friend Shane and I honeymooned here in 2012.

Glad to hear operations have mostly made it through the hurricane.

Honeymoon Bonefish

Uncategorized — No Comments
03
Aug 16

Dammit Earl!

Some bad news for Belize, Mexico and Honduras… Earl is coming and he likely will become a hurricane some time tomorrow.

Earl

Not good.

Thoughts are with those in the path of Earl.

All the other stuff / Locations — No Comments
18
Mar 16

Getting schooled on photography

Here’s a pretty cool opportunity. Yellow Dog is putting on a photography school… IN BELIZE. How awesome would that be?!?!

Instructors include Jim Klug, Bryan Gregson and Jess McGlothlin.

I’ve had the privilege to be on a boat with Jim and to see his approach to photography (which is the kind of focus the Cookie Monster has toward cookies, and by that, I mean intense and singular).

I know a lot of you want to take better pictures of your time out there and these instructors, and that place (El Pescador, one of my favorite places on earth)… I mean… how could you NOT count that as one of your all-time highlight experiences???

Sounds like an awesome opportunity.

October 22-28, 2016, El Pescador.

Awesome shot by Jim Klug.

Conservation / Locations — 1 Comment
12
Feb 16

Emerging Disasters

There are two things happening in the world of flats fishing right now that are just major bummers.

First is Florida. Billions of gallons of nutrient rich polluted water are pouring out of Lake Okeechobee and the impact to inland fishing in Florida is likely to be fairly disastrous. The Indian River Lagoon and St. Lucie River are taking the main brunt of this and their estuaries are going to have a hard time surviving. A sad situation with deep roots.

Next is Belize. Leonardo DiCaprio (DeCrapio??) is getting attention for his environmental actions and not the positive kind. Blackadore Cay, bought by DiCaprio a few years back, is the site he plans to build some real BS eco-resort that disregards local laws and the importance of the area to the people who live there now and make their living from the waters just off the shore of Blackadore.

Now, just because you’ve had to mentally go through those two total BS stories… here’s some eye candy in the form of some pretty bad-ass looking fish.

I kind of always thought Milkfish looked ugly… but I’m changing my mind on that.

Conservation / Locations — No Comments
21
Jan 16

Blackadore Disaster

Raise a hand if you’ve been to Belize.

A not-small Jack.

Wonderful place. I love it there and really hope to hold my wife to her PROMISE that we could return for our 5th anniversary (we honeymooned there), if not sooner.

If you’ve fished there, you know one of the reasons why it is special… the diversity and quality of the fishing. The Belizians have gone further than most in putting in place protections for their game fish, which is to be applauded.

So, leave it up to some Hollywood nitwit to ruin it (or at least some of it).

Blackadore Caye is a located within view of Savannah Caye, one of the prime spots to go hunting for tarpon. It was at Savannah that I hooked (and lost) my first tarpon. It was where I landed my largest jack (maybe 20 pounds?). It is not a great place for a resort, but that is what Leonardo DiCaprio is doing.

This is the disaster of a resort.

This is supposed to be eco-everything. No fossil fuel use. Composted waste. All solar/wind. They make it sound like a godsend.

I can’t imagine it will be anything short of a disaster. You just can’t build something like that in a place like that and have it be zero impact. The thing that will be impacted first will likely be the fishing at Savannah Caye. More boat traffic isn’t going to do anyone any favors. It also seems the resort will make the island off-limits to the locals because the clientele for a place like this get uncomfortable when there are un-uniformed/non-drink-serving brown people around.

This map would seem to suggest that the Belizian people know what they want to do with Blackadore Caye:

Seems like the people of Belize want Blackadore to not become a resort, but seems like Belize isn’t going to get what they want from Leo.

Funny thing. Leo accepted a Golden Globe recently and dedicated his award to native people.

That’s some grade A hypocrisy right there. Leo should listen to Leo on this one.

There is a Facebook page for Defend Blackadore Caye. Join it. I just did.

Blackadore Caye, as a resort, is a lessening of everything Belize really is. It doesn’t need improving on, not like this, not by Leonardo.

Conservation / Locations — No Comments
20
May 15

The Fieldworkers Club goes to Belize

Right? I mean… who wouldn’t want to?

I like this concept.

[vimeo clip_id=”127843786″]

Conservation — 1 Comment
23
Feb 15

A victory for Belize and for us

This is what a victory looks like:

The Government of Belize through the Cabinet has approved the proposed expansion of Hol Chan Marine Reserve. The decision taken to approve the expansion of the reserve was made on February 17th following the completion of minor adjustments made to the original draft proposal. The decision brings the project one step closer to fruition following years of lobbying by marine environmentalists on Ambergris Caye.

In this day and age of zero-sum politics where your victory is my loss, it is unusual to see something where everyone wins. The expansion of the Hol Chan Marine Reserve is the rare win-win. Maybe there are some developers out there who lose, but I really don’t mind that, not one bit.

Expanding protections around Ambergris is fantastic. It is a special place and deserves not to be exploited to death and then left to rot.

The people of Belize win by ensuring that their natural heritage stands a better shot at survival, of thriving. With that natural gift come the tourists and the jobs and livelihoods. And we, we the tourists, the anglers, we get a better shot at that grand slam and the peace and quiet and serenity that comes from the flats when it is just you, your guide and the wind.

Fantastic and congratulations to Belize!

Belize Bonefish

Locations — No Comments
17
Nov 14

The Post-Game Plan

Let’s be clear, I’m not going anywhere any time soon. This is not an announcement of any kind.

I saw a Facebook post from a friend about a biodegradable urn that would convert your physical form into a tree. Pretty cool idea, really.

I have a different plan for what I want done.

I want to both share some of my special places with my kids/wife and to be a part of those same places. I envision a tour of my most beloved waters with a little bit of my ashes deposited in each place.

The Upper Sacramento River – My home water, where I learned to fly fish. Specifically, the riffle just below the Prospect Ave access point. That has been one of the best spots to me and for me through the years.

From April

The McCloud River – Beauty and solitude and emerald green waters. Love this place. I think I’d hope to be deposited in the camp waters behind the Ah Di Nah campground.

The McCloud… Upstate California, from a trip in 2011.

The Babine River – There is a hole on the Babine named Strom’s Pool, named after my grandfather. I only fished it once and I didn’t land a fish there, but it would be fitting to leave part of myself there.

My daughter’s middle name is Babine… for a reason.

Grand Bahama – This is where I caught my first bonefish, right behind Deep Water Cay with an independant guide from Mclean’s town.

Bone in GBI

Belize, El Pescador – My grand slam and my honeymoon. Some fantastic memories.

bks and renee with bonefish Belize

I think if my children got to go on that pilgrimage they should find something they love along the way.

Here’s to hoping they make that trip in 40 years.

Locations — No Comments
14
Oct 14

Belize, the Book

I got a wonderful gift in the mail late last week, a beautiful book about a beautiful place.

The book is simply called “Fly Fishing Belize” and it is written and photographed by Jim Klug.

Solid work, Jim.

Belize has a special place in my heart. My first trip, in 2010, got me a grand slam.

The permit. Not a big permit, but a permit.

My second trip, in 2012, was my honeymoon.

Honeymoon Bonefish

My wife has agreed we can go back for our 5th anniversary. Just three more years to wait!

I’ve only been to Ambergris, but the book covers the whole of the fishable country. The book is complete with Jim’s fantastic pictures, the rich history of the fly fishing personalities who have worked and played on the waters of Belize.

It is a great book. If you love Belize, and I know many of you do, you should check it out. It will become a treasured possession.

Bonefish on the Brain Bonefish and all that relates (maybe a bit about tarpon too).

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