What is Cay Caulker like? Well… here’s an idea of what it is like.
Now, I won’t be doing a ton of fishing on this trip (April), but I’ll have my 10 year old with me for some primo daddy-daughter time, so it will be a good/important trip. Not too expensive to get to and not too expensive when you are there. Hard to beat.
Sea Dreams, which they show in this short video, is where we’ll be staying. You can book this through Yellow Dog.
Belize… smallest fish of my 2010 trip.
Belize, 88 days away, means I need to get back at the vice and it means different flies than I’d have in my box otherwise.
On the bonefish front, it means small flies. #6’s and #8’s… yes… #8’s. Not only smaller flies than you are likely to fish in the Bahamas, but also adding a weed-guard is a good idea.
For tarpon… well… I do dig on the bunny flies and I could stand a few more lighter colored tarpon bunnies. I’ll likely ties some #1’s for any tarpon I might come across.
Now… this is a trip with my daughter and while our goal is for her to catch a bonefish on a fly (if we end up at a mud, don’t judge me), it is possible we need to throw some gear for fish as well. I’m never really too sure what spinning gear to bring along for maybe catching a bonefish. That isn’t what I’ve been doing. So, might need to seek out some consultation on that front.
How much fly fishing I get to do is really a great unknown. The #1 priority is to keep the girl happy and have a good vacation. That certainly means I’ll fish less than I would like to fish, but there WILL be some fishing.
From Abaco last year.
It is happening. In April I’m going to head to Caye Caulker with my (at that point) 10 year old daughter, just the two of us.
I’ve never been to Caye Caulker, but I’m pretty sure I flew over it when last in Belize in 2012. It seems to offer a lot of what I’m looking for. Laid back. Snorkeling. Fishing close at hand.
We’ll be staying at Sea Dreams, which you can book through Yellow Dog Fly Fishing. They know this place and can give you great advice about who to fish with, how to get there and all the details.
The plan, for the four days, is maybe a couple half days of fishing and a couple of snorkel outings and some hanging out in what still seems to be mostly a fishing village.
My daughter is a casualty of divorce and she is always asking for more time with me. This is some dedicated dad time and I hope a memory she holds for a lifetime.
I know, at 10, she is not going to be a hard-core angler. She’ll need breaks and diversions and, most likely, a spinning rod, and I’m OK with all of that. You have to be, going in, or it won’t work.
I am hoping to put the stick to a tarpon… a tarpon of any size. I also hope to not cast at a permit at all, as those are just not fodder for a 10 year old (or, maybe just not fodder for my 10 year old) as they require a lot of standing around, from what little I know of permit fishing.
I’m determined to have a great trip, come rains or winds or dodgy ceviche. This. Will. Happen.
