We are heading to Turneffe Flats Lodge again this season and have reserved space for up to 16 friends to join us for a week in saltwater paradise. Whether you are an experienced angler or a budding enthusiast, Turneffe has something to offer for all skill levels. If you have a friend, partner, or spouse who is not an angler – no problem! Turneffe Flats Lodge has fantastic packages for non-anglers such as snorkeling, scuba diving, eco-adventures, bird watching, and even Belizean cooking classes. If your better half simply wants to lie on the beach and do nothing but soak up some rays, this is the tropical paradise in which to do just that.

For those of you who have already been to Turneffe Flats Lodge, you know that owners Craig and Karen Hayes run a first class operation. For those of you considering your next saltwater adventure or perhaps a first saltwater trip – this Belizean destination is second to none.

Location

Turneffe Flats Lodge is located approximately 30 miles east (a 90 minute boat ride) of Belize City – which is the location of the International Airport. Getting to Belize City is a piece of cake as there are direct flights available from several US cities.

Turneffe Island is the largest atoll in the western hemisphere, with over 250 square miles of white sand flats, reefs, lagoons, and rich aquatic habitats for fish, marine birds, sea turtles, saltwater crocodiles, and other wildlife. Nestled in the palm trees on the edge of a white sand beach, the main lodge and cabanas look out over the barrier reef. In between your cabana and the barrier reef is a shallow productive saltwater flat that guests can wade and fish during their free time. A favorite morning pastime is to sip coffee while watching tailing permit and bonefish on the flats in front of the lodge.

Accommodations

Eight spacious beach front cabanas offer two beds, air-conditioning, a private bath with shower and two sinks, and a view of the reef from the front porch. Two large three bedroom villas offer a private bath for each bedroom, a common area and kitchenette, satellite television and air-conditioning. The villas are great for a group of friends, yet private enough to share with new fishing buddies. The villas are well decorated and offer spectacular views of the Caribbean.

Main Lodge and Meals

The main lodge is the social center of Turneffe Flats. Everyone gathers in the main dining room for breakfasts and dinners, which are served family style. Belizean cuisine features fresh daily seafood, locally raised chicken, beef, and pork, wonderfully fresh produce, and a great variety of fresh baked goods. Guests gather in the main lodge in the evening to watch the sun set and share stories of the day over cocktails and evening hors d’oeuvres. The main lodge offers a fully stocked bar as well as an endless supply of ice cold Belikin Beer – the beer of Belize!

The Fishing

Turneffe Island is renowned for having some of the most beautiful saltwater flats in the world. With 250 square miles of protected habitat, bonefish and permit thrive along the barrier reefs, white sand flats, and interior mangrove lagoons. With so much great habitat and endless places to fish, Turneffe is the perfect destination for both a first time flats angler and seasoned veteran alike.

Any experienced saltwater angler will tell you that the only way to take advantage of great habitat and an abundance of fish is to have an experienced and capable guide at the helm of your flats boat. A good guide will spot fish for you and give you clear and concise directions as to how far to cast and in which direction. All the guides at Turneffe have been guiding the flats for decades, and they know these waters as well as you and I know our own living rooms. These English speaking guides have great eyes and can spot fish from their platforms long before you could ever see them. When you hear him say, “One O’Clock, Mon, 40 feet moving left!” get ready to make that cast!

Bonefish are the most popular species to target, and they provide bountiful opportunities throughout the day. Sometimes you will be sight casting to nervous water and small pods of fish moving through the flats, while other times you will be casting to obvious muddy spots with schools of hundreds of bonefish on the prowl ready to grab your fly. These ghostly fish really rip when you hook them, so be prepared with a good reel and ample backing. The majority of the time that you are fishing for bones you will be wading the flats, so both anglers sharing a boat can be fishing at the same time. Often while wading a flat for bonefish, permit will appear out of the blue. It is best to arm your guide (fly rod caddy) with your permit rod ready to go so that you can quickly switch over to a bigger weapon if needed. Occasionally you will fish from the boat, which means that one angler at a time is literally “on deck” while the other sits back and cheers or heckles. Schools of bonefish keep most anglers busy all week, yet there are other challenges on the horizon should they choose to branch out.

Small resident tarpon are found throughout the mangrove lagoons of Turneffe, and these 10-20 lb silver slabs of jumping fun can be an added treat to an already great day of catching bonefish. The one thing that sets tarpon apart is their unbelievable aerial acrobatic display when hooked – you will not soon forget the rattle of the gill plates and diamond-like droplets of water spraying from the mirrored scales as the fish jumps twice its body length out of the water. Big tarpon are mainly found in the deeper channels that divide the mangrove lagoons and these fish can easily exceed 150 lbs. Opportunities are best when the pelagic migration is in full swing from June through August.

Sight casting on the flats to tailing permit is perhaps the most challenging pursuit one can undertake with a fly rod, but the reward when you hook one is well worth the effort. John likes to describe the fight of a permit as: “A 40 horse two-stroke Merc mounted on a garbage lid running flat out – attached to your fly line!” Turneffe has a well-earned reputation as one of the most productive permit fisheries in the world with permit ranging from 6 lbs to 40 lbs. When the film crew of the recent fly fishing movie DRIFT had to choose a permit locale – they chose Turneffe Flats Lodge. This great fly fishing documentary captures the feel and excitement of permit fishing at Turneffe and is well worth watching.

The confounding thing about permit is that there is no rhyme nor reason as to why they decide to eat a fly – and often they decide NOT to eat that fly, no matter how perfectly presented. If the thought of this edges you into a state of frustration, you may be better suited to chase more predictable fish like bonefish or even tarpon. However, if you are ready to step up to the plate and chase permit, it helps to be lucky - and you damn well better be able to cast! We’ve seen the most skilled and confident casters in the world rendered completely spastic when a 30 lb. permit presents itself merely 30 feet from the boat! If you can hold it together and deliver the fly to the target on the first attempt, Turneffe will provide you with perhaps some of the best permit fishing opportunities in the world. But being as these are permit, one of the most difficult fish to catch on a fly, you've got to ask yourself one question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?- Dirty Harry (revised)

There are plenty of other saltwater species ready to grab a fly, including barracuda, jacks, and all kinds of snapper. Targeting different species in between the main three is a fun way to mix up your day. There is never a bad day of flats fishing at Turneffe! There are plenty of opportunities to keep your heart beating at a quicker pace – and that’s the name of the saltwater game! Come join us for some fun in the sun – we promise that it will be a trip you will not soon forget. Bring your spouse or a buddy, there are plenty of great activities to entertain non-anglers. Check out the Turneffe Flats Lodge website for great photographs and lots more information on their operation.

What, plane tickets are included too?? Well, nearly…Turneffe Flats Lodge owners, Craig and Karen Hayes had planned for a very expensive year in 2009, what with the state of gasoline prices in the fall of 2008. As it turns out, those fuel prices fell and Turneffe Flats wants to pass the savings on to their guests. So, for this April trip, all anglers will receive a kick back of $500 to help cover their plane fare. Anyone purchasing a dive package will receive $300 back and $200 is the kick back for non-anglers and non-divers. Now that’s what we call customer appreciation!

Price includes six days of guided fishing (or other adventure activity in your package), seven nights accomodations, three meals per day, transportation from Belize City to the Turneffe Atoll via luxury private yacht, and all Belizean tourist taxes. Does not include gratuities for the guides and staff, does not include bar/alcoholic beverage expenses.

Click here to see the Turneffe Flats Website: