Blue Bonefish Lodge 2024 Trip Recap
- William O'Neal
- Jul 30, 2024
- 3 min read
Updated: May 23
This article first appeared on the Lost Coast Outfitters blog in July of 2024.
The Lost Coast Outfitters crew recently returned from our first-ever trip to Blue Bonefish Lodge on the southern tip of Ambergris Caye, Belize, and the trip did not disappoint. One of the newer lodges on Ambergris Caye, Chris and Mary from Blue Bonefish, know how to show you a good time.
Our crew of six anglers included two first-time flats anglers. While we caught all of the target species: bonefish, tarpon, and permit, we were most excited that two of our first-time flats anglers got their first permit!
We started the trip with a DIY day on the northern part of Ambergris Caye to get folks accustomed to flats fishing. We managed to land a few nice bonefish. The next day, we jumped in the golf cart and headed south to Blue Bonefish, where we were greeted by the crew there.
Blue Bonefish is a very nice lodge. Everything about it is super nice and comfortable, from the communal spaces to the rooms. To make things even better, the staff is great and does a great job of making you feel like one of the family. The meals were fantastic and reminded me of visiting family.
Our group of six anglers took turns fishing with the various guides Chris and Mary hooked us up with. They all did a great job of not only getting us on fish but were also super flexible and helpful. The more experienced anglers could focus on the fish they were most interested in, and the new folks could learn the ins and outs of flats fishing in a low-pressure environment.
Aside from the lodge and the guides, nothing makes for a good flats trip like being well prepared. While a plethora of products were used on this trip, first-timer Cat loved the Redington setups she used. She caught her first permit on an 8wt Redington Predator Fly Rod and Redington Grande Fly Reel.
For fly lines, most of us preferred the Rio Premier Bonefish Quickshooter Fly Line and the Rio Elite Flats Pro Fly Line. It’s important to note that the Flats Pro is a fairly advanced fly line, while the Bonefish Quickshooter is a bit more forgiving.
While many saltwater anglers like to build their leaders, we recommend tapered leaders like the Rio Bonefish/Saltwater Fluoroflex Tapered Leaders. I’ve seen too many blood knots fail on permit. That said, you will need tippet, so we rocked the Rio Fluoroflex Saltwater Tippet in a variety of breaking strengths, from 10lb and 12lb for bonefish to 16lb for permit. For tarpon, most of our guides liked to run straight 40lb.
Most of the time, we fished from pangas, but you’ll often find yourself jumping out to chase those ever-elusive permit. I’ve been rocking the Simms Pursuit Shoe on my flats trips, and I love them. They are durable and comfortable (when paired with a set of wet-wading socks) and can also be put on quickly.
When it comes to flies to use on Ambergris Caye, we mostly used shrimp patterns for both bonefish and permit. That said, here are some of the flies that made up the bulk of our various boxes:
Kommentare