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Featured
Article in Sport Fishing Magazine
August
2000 Issue
Snookin'
Safari
By Doug
Kelly
Action Galore from
Snook, Snapper and More - And it Starts just
Minutes from the Belize Airport!
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My flight from Miami arrived in Belize at 12:30
in the afternoon, and five minutes after driving
away from the airport, Captain Van and I had
pulled off to the side of the road leading to
Belize City. Our guide stood waiting for us, one
foot on the bow of a skiff and the other on the
embankment of the Belize River. We clambered
into the boat as the car sped off to the hotel
with our luggage.
Our guide shoved spinning rods
into our hands, pointed the bow toward the mouth
of the river, and two minutes later shut down
just past Haulover Bridge. It took only three
casts along the edge of the river before
something hefty slam-bammed my jig. I managed a
solid hook up, and excitement enveloped us when
a snook in the 15-pound class smashed the
surface with a nasty attitude, spewing water
every which way.
Before I could bring it to the
boat, my host became locked in combat as well. We
bobbed, weaved and crashed into each other while
prancing around every portion of the boat in an
effort to keep our snook hooked up. Evidently
the luck of the Maya Indians smiled broadly upon
us, because we eventually released two beauties.
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A
marvelous mix of blue-water reefs and fertile
mangrove estuaries, Belize qualifies as one of
those "drop-a-line-anywhere"
fantasy fishing holes. |
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For the next two hours, the boat scene resembled
a WWF brawl as we fought snook after snook,
finally waving the white flag after tallying 20
snook releases, the smallest an estimated 8
pounds, the largest 25. It absolutely blew my
mind to be enjoying such spectacular snook
fishing only minutes after landing at the
airport.
But so often it goes around
Belize City, where I’ve experienced awesome
trips over the years pursuing snook in the
nearby Belize and Sibun rivers. Visiting Anglers
regularly rack up release numbers that sound
downright fictitious to even their most gullible
friends. Although (like everywhere) the action
can be off at times due to drastic weather
changes or fish pulling a disappearing act, a
few days’ wait typically sees a return to
double-digit tallies of snook catches.
If targeting snook represented
the only game in town, many would find it worth
traveling to Belize City. But the wondrous shots
at tarpon and especially cubera snapper near the
river mouths make Belize a special destination.
And if for some strange reason you get bored
catching those three stars, you can also joust
with bonefish and permit on flats around nearby
islands, pull on huge black grouper and wahoo
along steep drop-offs or chase blue and white
marlin in the Honduran Current just a few miles
off the coastline.
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For all these reasons, Belize sits at the top of
my list as the best all-around fishing
destination in the world, both for great variety
of game fish and because odds may be higher here
than anywhere else in the world for catching
large numbers of big snook.
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Snook, Snook and More Snook
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Snook
embody the quintessential game fish, with a sleek
yet powerful physique punctuated by a distinctive
black lateral line on each side of its slivery
body. These "linesiders" possess a
penchant for slamming top-water or deep-running
lures with sheer malice, delighting anglers with
their jumps, head shakes and refusal to act in any
way docile. Those characteristics have earned
snook a diehard legion of followers who enjoy
nothing more in this world than engaging them in
combat. |
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Accordingly, fishing around Belize City represents
to snook anglers a Valhalla, Mecca, Solomon’s
Mine, Promised land - call it what you will. Just
ask Bob Smith of Sault St. Marie, Michigan, who
often travels to Belize City just to fish snook.
On the first day of fishing during a trip last
November, he and a buddy visited the Belize River
bordering the city to the north, and released a
respectable 18 snook – all 15 pounds and up.
But that pales compared to day
two, when they ran south 7 miles to the Sibun
River. About half a mile from the mouth, they saw
lots of water-busting activity. At first assuming
it was a swarm of jack crevalle, they quietly
chugged closer and then witnessed an amazing
scene: The entire mouth of the river boiled with
huge snook. "It was unbelievable, and it
stayed that way for four days, with the mass of
snook moving farther up the river about half a
mile each day," says Smith. "You could
sight fish them like bonefish of just blind cast.
No matter what lure you tossed out, it got hit
immediately. And almost all the fish ran big –
15 to 20 pounds and larger – with the smallest a
6-pounder."
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When the catching doesn’t come
that easily, common strategies involve trolling
lures like Bombers and Cisco Kids along mangrove
edges of rivers or casting ¼ - ½ ounce jigs to
points, branch shadows or near the bank. When
trolling and plugging proves slow, live baits
provoke
a response. |
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Fresh water forms a layer atop denser salt water
as the river becomes more brackish above the
mouth. Accordingly, baitfish such as mullet
swimming into rivers from the sea like to stay
close to the saltier bottom – a fact not missed
by feeding snook. Therefore, Young generally
fishes deeper above the river mouth, in brackish
conditions; when working river mouths, surface or
shallow-diving lures do well, particularly along
eddies on both sides of the mouth.
Brown, dirty water represents
optimum snook conditions, especially when present
the last two hours of outgoing tide during a
last-quarter moon phase. But perhaps the best
opportunity occurs after a strong rain on outgoing
tide: Drainage from the mangrove jungle pulls
small fish and brown shrimp into the river. Known
locally as "river lobster," these shrimp
resemble crawdads, and snook gobble them with the
delicacy of a bulldog licking a bowl of pudding.
When it’s pouring down (especially if it
hasn’t rained for a few days) and you know the
tide’s going out, don a rain jacket and head to
the river.
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Preferred tackle involves medium spin gear with
12-pound line and 3 feet of 30-pound leader;
however, in narrower creeks with less fish-playing
room, go heavier. If fishing mouths or wider
portions of rivers, lighten up a little.
Although guides carry tackle, take
along a complement of your own gear. Ask your
Belize contact which lures to bring since fish
preferences can vary throughout the year. Best
times for snook are May through July during the
summer spawn, and October to January for the fall
spawn.
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River Rhinos
If snook might be considered
jaguars of this watery world, then cubera snapper
would be rhinos. Cubera sport teeth like
barracuda, exhibit the tenacity of a divorce
lawyer and fight like a junkyard dog. Reaching
over 100 pounds, these tropical reef bruisers
normally are sought off south Florida at night
during summer months on a full-moon phase using
live lobster as bait. That tricky, deepwater
fishery has produced world records. But it’s all
different in Belize, where trolling plugs by day
during the winter months is the
game plan.
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Robin van den Broek of
Punta Gorda, Florida, experienced fishing for
Belize cubera in style, catching a world record
last November, fishing with Capt. Sommers
in a Belize River tributary. The cubera grabbed a
live mullet fished on bottom.
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An IGFA-certified scale registered the weight at
32.3 pounds – the new women’s 16-pound-class
world record. Tasting success, she’s already
planning a return trip for another shot at vacant
women’s line-class records on cubera snapper.
Robin used a Calcutta 400 reel, an
All Star rod, 16-pound Sufix line and a 9/0 Eagle
Claw Circle hook to set her record. But heavier
spin or conventional gear should be used to handle
fish that can run close to 100 pounds.
Fortunately, river cubera usually stay near bottom
when hooked rather than running into mangrove
roots, so about 6 feet of 50- to 80-pound leader
is enough to deter break-offs from snags and
ledges. Although live baits do well, trolling
deep-diving plugs gets almost as many hits and
more solid hookups due to the boat’s forward
motion at the strike. Sommers and Young usually
troll 9 ½-inch Cisco Kids in blue/silver or a
fire-tiger pattern in green.
Cuberas feed best in Belize at
daybreak when the water’s cool, lying in deep
holes that dot middle portions of rivers.
"Troll with the current so lures swim over
holes like baitfish," says Young. "Cubera
sit in ambush, facing the current near the top and
front of holes. Troll at 5 or 6 knots or fast
enough so the fish has to quickly decide whether
or not to attack the lure."
Cubera also sometimes sit at river
bends, letting current do the fin work by sweeping
groceries to them. A live bait fished near bottom
stands a big chance of getting smacked by a cubera
or perhaps a cruising tarpon or snook. The best
action for these mega-snapper occurs within a
couple miles of the river mouths, and a mile or so
up the mouth of the Belize River within sight of
Haulover Bridge. Cubera fishing diminishes as
rivers become shallower and current weakens.
Cooler months from October through March produce
the largest numbers of cubera in rivers, when they
apparently migrate from deeper reefs during this
time to spawn.
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Tarpon and More to the East
| As if river fishing for snook and
cubera isn’t enough, expect plenty of tarpon
action year-round, although larger fish in the 100
pound class abound in summer. It’s seldom tough
to get strikes with streamer flies, lures, live or
dead mullet, grunts, crabs or shrimp. Lots of
silver kings in the 20- to 40-pound range fill
rivers, canals, and shorelines, with bigger fish
often encountered closer to mouths along the
coastline. Catching a "jungle slam" of a
tarpon, snook and cubera in the same day is a
distinct possibility– I’ve managed the feat
twice. |
Tarpon in the Air!!
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Your horn of plenty will be enriched with
almost-certain catches of bonefish 15 to 20 miles
east of Belize City around the atolls. On the way
back to the dock, troll edges of the atolls for
black grouper – I once caught a 60-pounder when
it came up to gobble a marlin lure that was slowly
sinking in the water after we’d stop to bring
aboard a wahoo!
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Permit sometimes roam flats (right) around
theTurneffe Islands about 25 miles southeast
of Belize City, although greater catches take
place farther south off Placencia. Mutton
snapper can be caught year-round along
edges of the reefs, as well as yellowtail
snapper and many other reef dwellers.
During a five-day visit in the early ‘90s, my
party easily caught all the species mentioned
above plus a 61-pound white marlin that took top
honors for me in that division in the Belize
Billfish Championship. Nearly 10 years later,
fishing’s still stupendous, thanks in large part
to the realization that resources are indeed
exhaustible:
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Several species of jacks - including
tough horse-eyes like these - gang up
along reef drop offs.
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Local guides and booking agencies such as Action
Belize stress conservation and catch-and-release
after dinner’s in the fish box.
Will I be going back to Belize
City again soon, just as Bob Smith, Robin van den
Broek and nearly every other angler does after
fishing this wild snook and cubera paradise? You
better Belize it!
**Doug Kelly, former editor
of Sport Fishing and now publisher,
based in Tampa, Florida, has fished all over the
world,
every species from billfish to bonefish.**
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Featured
Article in Florida
Sportsman Magazine
January 1996
Issue
"Catch
a snook, tarpon and cubera snapper in one day? Head to
Belize."
Jungle
Slam
By The Managing Editor
I could feel us being spied on: Watching from the
riverbank were a variety of monkeys, tapirs,
anteaters, ocelots, sloths, otters, iguanas, wild
hogs and scads of other native creatures. At times
the bushes shook as animals scurried about,
usually hidden by the lush, green foliage. The
ride on the Belize River pushed us deeper into the
interior, shaded at times by thick canopies of red
mangrove trees, spiny bamboo, cashew trees and
coconut palms. An orchestra of chirping parrots,
toucans and macaws created an aerial riot of color
and sound, and a fresh, clean scent of the
tropical jungle filled our lungs. |
Capt.
Van shows how it's done by landing this cubera
snapper in less than 10 mins! |
The tranquility
ended in a blurring explosion as a massive snook
bolted from its ambush site to strike a trolled
lure, and the water-spewing headshake got
everyone's heart pumping double-time.
The Belize River. Exotic, beautiful-and brimming
with aggressive fish.
The week before, Capt. Ed Van Everyone calls him
Capt. Van or simply Van-was on the phone with a
trip update: "The fishing has been super, and
I promise a good shot at getting a Jungle Slam,
which means catching a snook, tarpon and cubera
snapper on the same day."
Although boat slams occur now and then when two or
more anglers in a boat contribute to the tally,
Van said that the same angler catching all three
is extremely rare. Given the knack of tarpon and
cuberas to throw or pull hooks, I could understand
why.
Capt. Van was our good-humored host. Rousted out
of bed by Van the first morning at 4 a.m., Van's
son Rick and I were too groggy to visualize the
excitement that lay ahead. We shoved off in two
22-foot wooden boats at Haulover Creek after being
greeted at the dock by captains Martin Merrit and
Sommers .
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Fish
in the air! A snook goes airborne, while at left,
Rick Van Every holds on after an eruption. |
Haulover
Creek bisects Belize City and was dug by the
British in 1928 to drain the eastern end of the
city, which is below sea level. Belize, formerly
known as British Honduras, is a Central American
country that is short on territory but long in
natural resources. Sandwiched by Mexico to the
north and Guatemala to the west, the Caribbean Sea
borders the entire eastern coastline. Belize is
dotted with Mayan ruins, cascading waterfalls,
deep caves and mountains that support an amazing
variety of animal and plant life and the fishing
is usually sensational.
A series of three atolls lies offshore, and the
brisk Honduran current flows along both sides of
the 185-mile barrier reef-the second largest in
the world. |
The
off-shore fishing for wahoo as well as blue and
white marlin is excellent, and it's also supreme
for snapper and grouper-especially senior-size
black grouper weighing 50 pounds and more.
The flats around Turneffe Islands and the numerous
cays -- all nourished by the sealife-enriched
currents-are great poling grounds for bonefish,
permit and tarpon. The bonefishing can be
stupendous, with schools often containing hundreds
of fish in the 2- to 7-pound range. Years ago I
stood in a small, wooden skiff near a Turneffe
flat with Rick Berry and Robert Knecht of Key
Largo, all of us transfixed at the startling sight
of at least 300 tails twitching and glistening in
the setting sun.
Now we were headed for an entirely different
setting. Just as the dawn's light
began sculpting distinct images out of the fuzzy
gloom, we came upon a huge tree that had fallen
across the river. Sommers and Martin hacked away
with machetes until the boats could slip under the
main trunk, much as explorers probably maneuvered
through this wilderness for centuries. We soon
broke out of the shaded hammock of the creek and
joined the Belize River.
The Belize and Sibun rivers meet the sea north and
south of Belize City, respectively, with the
Belize River bordering the northern end of the
capital city and the Sibun about seven miles
south. They cut westward, deep into the forests
and jungles where the water turns brackish and
then fresh after several miles. As we crossed
under the Haulover Bridge that connects the only
north-south highway in Belize, Van shouted over
the engine noise to tell us the game plan.
"First we'll go after cuberas," he said.
"The water is still cool at daybreak and
offers the best shot at them. We'll be trolling
deep-running plugs a little ways beyond the bridge
and around the first series of bends in the
river."
The prospect was quite bewildering. I had always
fished for cubera snapper at night, with full moon
phases in late summer usually being prime. South
Florida anglers normally target the big ones by
dropping a rigged lobster to the bottom while
anchored or drifting near deep markers or reef
hotspots. Going after cuberas during the day --
with trolled lures -- seemed unconventional, but
intriguing.
Minutes later, two 9 1/2 inch Cisco Kid lures --
one blue with a silver belly and the other fire
tiger -- were dropped back about 150 feet on
20-pound spin and conventional outfits. The lipped
plugs soon dug toward the bottom as we trolled the
middle of the river, not near the edges. |
| Noting
my knotted brow, Van filled me in. "We've
charted the river bottom with our depthfinder over
the years, and found several deep holes in the
middle. The bottom averages about 20 feet in
depth, but these holes are around 70 feet deep and
are 40 or so feet across. The cuberas sit in the
holes facing the current, waiting for something to
sweep by. When one of our plugs starts dancing
over its head, they grab it quickly. Since the
fight is out in the open rather than near the
mangroves, you have a better chance of landing it.
Trouble is, the catch-to-hookup ratio is low with
cuberas, because the big ones are bulls and the
hooks usually pull." |
Trolling
for snook is most productive by keeping the lure
close to the edge of the river. |
Lines
went into the water at 6:15 a.m. Less than 15
minutes later, the first hit arrived with all the
subtlety of a bazooka. One of the rods twanged
like a tuning fork and bent nearly to the point of
breaking. I grabbed it and went to work, pumping
and winding, bobbing and weaving, grunting and
groaning. My prize seemed to have the upper hand
more often than not, but finally the cubera threw
in the towel. Seconds later, Sommers lip-gaffed a
chunky 30-pounder and it was in the boat. Part one
of the slam was in the bag.
"That was the toughest one-getting the cubera,"
beamed Van. "Next we'll try for a tarpon and
leave the snook for last, because they're almost a
sure thing.'
As we headed toward another stretch of the river,
Sommers provided more details about cubera fishing
in the Belize River. The new and full moon phases
are best, he related, and the cooler the water,
the longer the cubera seem to remain in the middle
of the river; as the tropical sun warms the water,
the cubera move to the shade and protection of the
red mangrove trees at the edges of the river. The
best cubera fishing is from October to about
March.
Sommers and Martin shut down in an area where the
current was still brisk and the tide rising.
"1 like a high tide for tarpon," advised
Van, "particularly around the strong tides of
the new and full moons."
While Rick started casting a shadtail lure, Van
suggested I serve up a small, live snapper, fished
under a popping cork near the bottom. We had
anchored near a bend in the river, and Van said to
toss the wriggling snapper into the eddy:
"It's a deep pocket, and sometimes the tarpon
like to float there, twitching their tails just
enough to remain motionless and keep their heads
into the current."
It wasn't long before I felt my snapper getting
antsy. "He's awful scared," I said
excitedly. Just as I was silently paying homage to
the value of local knowledge, my line tightened.
Van saw it too. "Count to five to let him
take it, then set the hook," he yelled.
Who was I to argue? I did as told, driving the
hook home on Van's cue and then feeling the force
of the fleeing tarpon as the rod almost pulled
from my hands. Each time the tarpon made a run for
the mangroves, I pulled from the direction of the
mangroves-not away from them.
It worked. The tarpon, about a 65- to 70-pounder,
stayed in playable range like a good boy, then ran
out the mouth of the river into open water. After
a considerable loss of body moisture as I toiled
in the glaring sun, the silver king soon tilted on
its side and let Sommers carefully raise him by
the edge of a gill with the gaff. We wanted to
release the tarpon without lip-gaffing or injuring
it, and happily, it regained its guns and blasted
away after a short revival period.
It was still only 8:20 a.m., and Van was ready to
celebrate. "We're gonna do it," he
chanted, "we're gonna do it."
Ever the pessimist, and feeling the sudden
pressure of being within sight of the coveted
slam,
I doused the elation when I warned, "Hold the
phone, guys. We haven't caught the snook
yet." |
Capt.
Sommers studies a healthy snook -- one of many
he's helped catch for anglers in his 27 years on
the rivers. |
We
upped anchor and slid through the Burden Canal to
the Sibun River to search for snook. Although
snook can be caught in the Belize River, they're
even thicker in the Sibun, and Van didn't want to
blow our chances at the slam.
I plunked down in the bow seat and enjoyed the
ride, relishing the breeze in my face. At one
point as I ogled a gigantic termite nest that was
bunched in a tree along the waterway, out of the
corner of my eye I saw what appeared to be a
crocodile submerging next to some branches, and I
pointed frantically.
No one else saw it, but Van confirmed that they
are sometimes seen in the river. Nonetheless, I
removed my sunglasses and gave them a thorough
cleaning as Van exclaimed, "See, this is our
lucky day." |
A
huge smile brightened his wind-blown face as
Sommers and Martin idled the skiffs as we entered
the Sibun River. The mouth of the Sibun is much
deeper than the Belize River, I was told, and can
be spectacular during the spring when tarpon are
entering the river to spawn.
I asked about the best conditions for snook
fishing, and Sommers, normally reserved and quiet,
sprang to life like a windup toy-I had obviously
touched
upon his favorite subject. "The last hour or
two of the outgoing tide during the last-quarter
moon is v-e-r-y good, especially if the water is
dirty," he said eagerly.
"Water clarity is definitely critical,' added
Van. "Brown, dirty water is good because the
snook can't see the boat as easily and the fish
has to make an instant strike decision when the
lure suddenly appears."
"And don't forget just after a rain on an
outgoing tide,' said Sommers. "The rain
drains off the jungle and flows into the river and
then out the mouth. Small fish and little brown
shrimp, known locally as river lobster, are in the
mix. The river lobsters are about four inches long
and have pinchers, sort of like a crawdad but with
smaller pinchers-the snook go absolutely nuts over
them.
"I once took out a customer who caught and
released 41 snook between two and four in the
afternoon when the water was draining from the
jungle,' added Sommers, who has been fishing and
guiding for 27 years.
"I remember that," laughed Van.
"The guy actually kept count of the snook he
was releasing and finally cried out 'I've had
enough,' so we brought him in.'
"What a problem," exclaimed Rick,
shaking his head. "Too many snook! Can you
imagine that?'
Even so, my prophecy was starting to become
worrisome. After nearly an hour of trolling the
mangrove edges in the snake-like Sibun River, nary
a snook had been caught. Van and Sommers weren't a
bit discouraged.
"If we keep at it, we'll catch some snook
sooner or later," said Van. "The
resident fish find a home on one side of the river
or the other, despite where the sun or shade might
be during the day." |
It's
easy to see the exotic appeal and natural beauty
that makes jungle fishing so popular. |
We
were now trolling fire-tiger 8AFT Bomber Striper A
lures with molded-in lips. They wiggled
tantalizingly, and the BBs could be rattled by
pumping the rod a bit. The technique was to hold
the rod that was closest to the mangroves so the
rodtip would troll just above the surface and as
close to the edge as possible, while dodging
branches. |
| The
other rod was left in the rod holder. Although
there were no barracuda or catfish to worry about
in the river, schools of big jacks would sometimes
arrive on the scene and blast the plugs.
It was going on
lunchtime when Martin's boat scored a snook. Van
had since transferred to it and we watched him
busily work a small linesider away from the
mangroves. Minutes later, Rick had a tarpon in the
air before losing it, then caught a small one. Had
the bite turned on?
Absolutely. Though my arms were weary from
pulling, shaking and manipulating the rod as we
trolled the mangrove edges, a hard hit got my
blood rushing anew. Although the snook made a
couple of frisky jumps and runs, it was
surprisingly tame, coming to the net in less than
five minutes. The scale showed it weighed 18
pounds.
Now we could celebrate for real. After some
backslaps, fishy handshakes and high-fives, we
decided to go in. A nice shower, cool drink and a
nap sure sounded enticing, especially since we had
another day of fishing ahead of us.
Indeed, day two was a photocopy of the first in
terms of weather. We caught some cuberas early in
the morning, but lost many more. "If you have
a big fish on, don't pump and wind too
furiously," advised Van. "The trebles on
all but the biggest plugs usually pull out if you
do. Pull up gently on the rod with a steady,
smooth stroke, not fast and jerky. Also, don't use
too much drag or a big one will straighten out the
trebles."
We also did the trick on snook, although several
made it into the roots. We put slack in the line
or moved in to try and untangle it, but most of
the time it was futile. No tarpon were caught, but
we ended up tallying 17 snook and four cuberas,
along with a couple of jacks.
Although there are no fishing regulations in
Belize, Van and many other sportsmen keep no more
than three snook and cubera daily per person.
Tarpon, bonefish and permit are all released.
Actually," says Van, "a lot of our
anglers release all of the fish they catch. There
are huge numbers of snook still in our waters, and
we don't want to wipe them out."
That night at the Biltmore Hotel where we were
staying in Belize City, the cook prepared a
mixture of fried snook and cubera, along with
French fries and other accompaniments. It was a
memorable feast, and I must say that cubera--which
I'd never eaten before--is especially flavorful.
Belize City is becoming modernized, and some of
the newer technologies are starting to take hold.
Several months before our trip, Van had given
Sommers a fax machine as a present.
"How's your fax working? asked Van as we
idled to the dock after the first day.
"Don't know,' replied Sommers, "no one's
ever sent me a fax.'
More and more anglers are discovering the
outstanding offshore, reef and flats fishing of
Belize. Even so, the upriver prospects for snook,
tarpon and cubera snapper are still lesser known
than many other Latin American retreats, but if a
Jungle Slam sounds like your cup of tea, Belize
can provide it.
Florida
Sportsman Magazine -- January 1996
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Since 1979
Action Belize, Ltd.
