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El Pescador Lodge Cottages at Blue Horizon Lodge - Courtesy of Blue Horizon Lodge
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Blue Horizon Lodge - Northeast Caye, Belize
Blue Horizon Lodge in southern Belize is a spot custom-tailored for the serious flats fishermen. The location is perfect, the fish are plentiful, and this remote part of Central America is, arguably, the most prolific permit fishing grounds in the world.
"Blue Horizon Lodge" is a serious fly fisherman’s camp dedicated to the elusive hunt of permit; arguably the most difficult fish in the world to catch with a fly.
November of 1996 was our first trip to Blue Horizon Lodge. And although much has changed with the lodge in the way of amenities, lodging, and general infrastructure upgrades, one thing has never changed-the fishing. Blue Horizon Lodge represents the best opportunity in the world to catch a permit on the fly.
Location, location, location - that's the first key to Blue Horizon Lodge's success as a permit fishing destination. Facing East into the prevailing breeze, Blue Horizon Lodge is located on Northeast Cay, a small 6-acre private island - one of many in the Pelican Range. There are hundreds of wadable flats, some big, some small, all surrounded by deep-water troughs and channels. This is a naturally perfect habitat, nature-designed to flood the flats with fresh fish on every changing tide. It would take nearly a lifetime to fish all the flats in this region, and the lodge is right in the middle. There are tailing permit less than two minutes by boat from the dock! Wade down the beach a few hundred yards on a flooding tide, and you'll probably get a shot at a permit. It's not by chance that BHL is located where it is. Lincoln Westby picked the location for its instant access to the best permit flats in Central America. In comparison, the fishing lodges on the mainland of Belize around Placentia have no less than a one hour boat ride across open water, and in most cases this ride is typically two hours, just to get to some decent water.
Typical Permit - Photo courtesy of Blue Horizon Lodge There are no typical days at BHL because the fishing schedule does not center around convenient times to wake-up. Anglers are roused out of bed at 6:00 a.m. or earlier, if tides warrant. After a quick and satisfying breakfast with a few cups of coffee, they board one of the lodge boats for a day of skinny water permit hunting. In most cases, lunches are taken 'on the fly' to maximize time on the water. However, if it is an especially early morning wake-up - 5:00 a.m. or earlier - anglers may return to the lodge mid-day for lunch and a siesta, then return to the flats until sunset. Normally, anglers return to the lodge each evening by 5:30-6:00 p.m. At Blue Horizon Lodge the daily fishing schedule is determined by the tides, and anglers should be prepared to fish non-traditional hours, taking advantage of favorable conditions. These guides are NOT clock watchers... They know where to be and at what time during a given tide cycle, which is critical to locating feeding permit. Will Bauer, who has fished these waters countless times, said that when the weather cooperates, 15 or more shots per angler, per day are the norm. It's not uncommon to see as many as 50 permit in one day, or more. Now that's permit fishing!
The typical routine has anglers poled across hard bottomed flats, covering the maximum amount of water in a thorough and efficient manner. Most flats average in depth between 12" and 36". Once a fish is spotted, anglers slip out of the boat and wade within casting distance of the fish. The majority of the permit spotted will be on the front side of flats adjacent to deep water, a permit's natural escape route. Fish tend to hang in between lapping waves as they wash up on the flat, happily wallowing and rooting for crabs and other natural crustaceans. These permit will vary in size, from giants weighing close to 40 pounds down to 12 and 15 pounds. Because of the flats' proximity to deep channels, a constant supply of new and lightly impacted fish hit the flats each tide change--key to an angler's success. Light, favorable breezes of 10 to 15 knots are the norm in Southern Belize and make permit much more approachable when stalking on foot.
After a full day on the flats hunting those sickle-tailed ghosts (10+ hours on some days), some cold Belikin beers and zesty Belizean hors d'oeuvres are welcome. Tasty and filling dinners will include lobster salad, fresh conch dishes, and the traditional Belizean Sunday supper of black beans, rice, chicken and fried plantains, pork chops, homemade breads, and desserts. All in all, there is plenty of good simple Belizean food. After dinner, it won't be long before you're thinking about hitting the sack, as 5:30 a.m. (or earlier) comes mighty early.
Other Species and Lodging: Blue Horizon Lodge has earned a reputation of being a serious permit fishing operation. The lodge does not offer a lot of variety as far as other fish species, although if you and your guide look hard enough you will find some bonefish and tarpon to mix things up. Some of the tarpon can be found on the flats, however, the majority of them will be found in deep channels and cuts in the reef. Some of these deep-water tarpon have gone well over 100 pounds. BHL is not the kind of operation you want to bring a non-fisher to unless they can entertain themselves. Accommodations are Spartan, and the sand fleas, when there's no wind, can be brutal. The bungalows are comfortable, clean and feature two beds with all the linens supplied and each has built-in bathrooms with hot and cold water. Each day, your room is cleaned, new towels provided, and your bed made. Purified drinking water is provided. Lincoln and his crew will bend over backward to make you happy. Improvements on the infrastructure of the operation are always being made. One thing is for sure; the positives of Blue Horizon Lodge well outweigh the negatives. And, if you really want to catch a permit on the fly, THIS IS THE PLACE!
Tides at Blue Horizon Lodge: Tides at Blue Horizon Lodge are important as in any flats fishing destination. The guides know where and at what time to be during any given tide cycle, critical to locating feeding permit. At Blue Horizon Lodge, fishing days are scheduled around the tide cycles instead of traditional fishing hours (8 am to 5 pm). This means that you may be up at five in the morning in order to be in the right place at the right time. Each night, Lincoln will explain the tides and your next day's fishing options, letting you decide whether you want to take advantage of an early morning wake up. In a small lodge like Blue Horizon, you get the maximum personal attention and a fishing program custom-tailored to your wants and needs. Lately, a lot has been made of the different moon phases and tidal cycles, and how they affect flats fishing. There are dozens of theories floating around. Which one is best? Who knows…perhaps a combination of them all? We have caught permit every month of the year, under every conceivable tide cycle and slight variance in conditions. Add wind strength and direction, air and water temperature, atmospheric pressures and so on, and it can get confusing. Certainly some months offer more predictable weather then others, but throw in the last couple of years of El Nino, and now La Nina, and even these theories can go in the toilet. It is best to go with your 'gut feeling', looking closely at all the historic information available, factoring in moon phases and tide cycles, then pick a date that best fits your schedule. We have all the tide charts and moon phases, and will certainly do our best to help you make the right decisions.
Species of Fish: Permit.
Lodging: The lodge/camp at present, features four private cabanas, each with its own shower and bathroom. A generator supplies electricity. The food, is a combination of traditional Belizian dishes and fresh seafood. Fresh vegetables and fruit are incorporated in meals, as Dangriga is in the heart of Belize's agricultural region. Plenty of cold Belikin beer is always available.
Travel Arrangements: Belize City, the country's capitol, is easily reached by flights from Houston, Miami, and New Orleans. The modern, new airport is serviced by daily flights on American Airlines, Continental Airlines, TACA, and SAHSA. Upon arrival into Belize City, you'll clear immigrations and customs then catch a twenty minute Tropic Air Flight into Dangriga (also known as Stann Creek.) $89.00 USD From Dangriga, a fifty minute boat ride, east to the Caye puts you at Blue Horizon Lodge, sitting right in the middle of flats country. A valid passport is mandatory for entry into the country of Belize.
Length of Stay: This will vary, depending on which of the wonderful packages you have chosen. There are no set arrival and departure days at Blue Horizon Lodge.
Season: The season at Blue Horizon is year 'round. Permit - Photo courtesy of Blue Horizon Lodge
Occupancy: Blue Horizon Lodge can host a maximum of six (06) guests.
Rates:
Inclusions: The rate includes: Meet and greet at Belize International Airport, Meet and greet in Dangriga, round trip boat transfer from Dangriga to Blue Horizon Lodge, all meals, accommodations, and daily guided fishing while at the lodge.
Non-Inclusions: The rate does not include: Airfare to and from Belize, fishing tackle, liquor, tips to guides and staff, Belize Departure Tax & Airport Security Fees - approximately US $15.00 per person. You will also be responsible for the cost of the Charter Flight to Dandriga ($105 US in cash - payable to Marjorie Perez of Margie’s Travel Service).
Reservations, Deposits and Final Payments: A 50% deposit is required within 21 days of reserving your dates to confirm the reservation. Final payment is due 60 days prior to scheduled arrival date. For reservations made 60 days or less prior to scheduled arrival date, full payment is due upon invoicing.
Cancellations and Refunds: Written cancellation up to 60 days prior to departure: refund of deposit less $400 handling charge, per person. Cancellation within 60 days: at this point, individual is responsible for total land costs and no refund will be made unless suitable replacement is provided. No refund will be made for unused land arrangements included in cost. Refunds of deposit/payments made on a credit card will be charged a 3.5% service charge to fully compensate The Fly Shop for bank charges incurred.
Receipt of deposit and/or final payment is acknowledgement that registrant has read and accepts the payment, cancellation and refund policy.
Trip Cancellation and Interruption Insurance: To protect yourself, and your investment in the event of an unexpected trip cancellation or interruption, The Fly Shop STRONGLY recommends the purchase of Trip/Travel Insurance. A brochure and application for that insurance will be included with your initial billing. Receipt of deposit and/or final payment is acknowledgement that the traveler has read, understands, and accepts the cancellation and refund policy. Prices and terms are subject to change without notice. However, no changes will be made after initial deposit. Receipt of deposit and/or final payment is acknowledgement that registrant has read and accepts the payment, cancellation and refund policy.
Returning to camp - Photo courtesy of Blue Horizon Lodge


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