TRAVEL ANGLER’S DREAM

BELIZE, CENTRAL America, isn’t exactly the tourism capital of the world. And with all the turmoil in that part of the world, it may never be. Even so, if you’re serious about fishing, it’s perfect. Flights from Houston Intercontinental Airport (on Taca Airlines) to Belize are scheduled only twice a week -on Sundays and Thursdays. Two friends and I flew down on a Thursday. Our itinerary was simple: spend our first night at Kellers Caribbean Sports, the second night at Manatee Lodge and the final two nights at San Pedro Holiday Hotel.

At the Belize airport, we were met by “Rocking Bob” JoHnson, a refugee of Atlantic City, New Jersey, and the current proprietor of Kellers Caribbean Sports Limited. After a 10- to 15-minute journey from the airport, we were ushered into 14-foot yachts in which we slipped across the Belize River to the lodge.

Once we reached the lodge, we were greeted by Rocking Bob’s wife, an exquisitely beautiful woman referred to only as Mrs. Johnson. She escorted us into the fishing lodge, which turned out to be entirely of mahogany-the floors, the ceiling, the walls, the furniture. There isn’t a law office on Wall Street that could touch this place for warmth and taste.

During the cocktail hour, the three of us listened as Rocking Bob bestowed his wisdom upon us. For example, “The way to make $1 million in Belize is to bring in $2 million and leave the country after six months.” In seriousness, we learned that this is a poor country; 60 to 70 percent of it is under water, and the total population is only 185,000. The capital, which used to be Belize City, had to be moved inland because of the constant hurricane problem, which fortunately didn’t trouble us.

The next morning, after a delightful breakfast, we boarded 14-foot wooden boats in a light, sprinkling rain and headed 27 miles south to Manatee Lodge. The skiffs were sturdy flat-bottomed boats; soon we found ourselves scooting through mangrove swamps, with palmetto palms and other exotic-looking vegetation overhead. I discovered that these overhanging vines pose a great danger to fishermen when I tried to rig one of my favorite spinning poles; four mangrove roots dropped down upon it and devoured the tip. A word of warning: There is always time to rig your tackle once you get out of the mangroves.

Manatee Lodge is owned by Big Jim Cleburne, who says he built the Manatee Lodge and Fishing Camp because he didn’t like traveling the 27 miles from Kellers Caribbean Sports (which he used to patronize religiously). Our boat ride through the mangroves and lagoons was studded with glimpses of all types of birds – egret, greater blue herons, blue wing teal, terns, bitterns, brown pelicans and coots were everywhere. Most of them jumped out of the trees just as we whisked by them. We stopped at Three Rivers on our way to Manatee, fished a little and caught some snook and tarpon. The best lures seemed to be yellow or white jigs, but green and gold mirror lures also worked well.

About 20 miles south of Belize City is an hourglass-shaped stretch of water called The Northern and Southern Lagoon. On the southern end of Southern Lagoon is Gayle’s Point, a small peninsula of land that’s a little more than one mile wide. Manatee Lodge is at its tip.

Manatee Lodge is a two-story affair, and the first floor is strictly creosote post. The view from the hotel is arresting: The Mayan Mountains rise directly to the southwest.

But understand this: Manatee Lodge is strictly a fishing lodge; there’s no television, no beaches, no snorkeling, no shelling and the only tennis court is always booked (the locals use it for drying fish). The roofs of the lodge are made of corrugated tin, which makes sense because this is the only way to catch rainwater.



BREAKFAST comes early at the Manatee Lodge, unlike at Kellers Caribbean Sports, where you enjoy a leisurely breakfast and then fish. Manatee’s staff dedicates itself to arriving at the mouth of the river by the crack of dawn. This is accomplished by a hair-raising boat race across the Southern Lagoon for the best position at snooks and tarpon.

That morning we fished until about 9:30, then went back to the lodge for a breakfast of bacon, eggs and pancakes. This was followed by a short nap and then a great lunch of fresh lobster, rice with black beans and fresh orange juice.

The next day we traveled to the isle of Ambergris Caye and the small village of San Pedro (a town of about 1,000 people), which is about 15 minutes north by air and slightly east of Belize City. When we arrived by a small chartered plane (which was very inexpensive), we were met by the Holiday Hotel limousine -a Ford pickup – and were asked whether we would rather walk or ride from the airport to the hotel. Riding is by far the least comfortable method of transportation because the roads are slightly pitted.

San Pedro doesn’t have a single paved street, sidewalk or gutter, and the majority of the houses are set on stilts because of the annual hurricane high tide. But the sand is exceedingly white and the entire village is immaculate. The city consists of three streets that run parallel to the beach: a front, a middle and a back street.

We arrived at the Holiday Hotel at about 4 o’clock that afternoon and found the hotel to be quite comfortable. When you walk in, there’s a small reception area and a bar off to the right. Just outside the hotel is about 50 feet of sand and then you hit water. A small pier stretches across the water to the boats that will take you out the next morning for fishing, scuba diving or snorkeling. The reef is about 300 to 400 yards beyond that. If you venture more than about 300 yards in either direction on land, you’re out of the city.



That night we were introduced to our guides and were asked what types of fish we wanted to catch. The next morning, we had a leisurely breakfast of Belgian waffles, eggs, bacon, fresh orange juice and papaya before going after the bonefish. Later that day we caught hound fish, soap-fish, snappers, groupers, angelfish, trig-gerfish and barracuda. It was one of those afternoons when we caught just about every fish we wanted to catch. We finally told the guide to go in early.

Once we returned to the hotel, we had a few wonderful rum and tonics, a short nap and yet another excellent meal: fresh fish stuffed with cheese plus coleslaw. Then we tried to tour the 27 nightspots in San Pedro. The best thing to do is to limit yourself to about seven. There are a couple of nightclubs: One has a piano bar; the other is situated over the water and has an aquarium with big tarpon, barracuda, bonefish and a giant turtle.



ALL IN ALL, our trip to Belize was asuccess. We found a country with extremely friendly people and we encountered ample opportunities to hook a lot offish. As for how I’d rank the lodges: Forthe serious fisherman, I’d choose Manatee; for the intermediate fisherman, Kellers; and for the family plan, HolidayHotel. Prices run about $120 a day (expect to spend between $800 and $1,000 perperson for one week, depending on whatyou do).