Honeymoon in Belize 2 - Thanksgiving. Reeling In & Wrapping Up

After what turned out to be a great day with a pretty permit, Ash could tell right off that I wanted another day on the water. She's used to the 'fish-highs', and after a brief chat with Kachu we were set for another day on the water, including Ash, on Thanksgiving none the less. Fitting.

The weather all week had been in and out, and if there's one thing that kills you on the flats, it's clouds, then wind. Unfortunately we battled both all day, and getting back to the tarpon flats was out of the question. Good guides always know how to make the most of bad weather days, and we still had a great day going after some tricky bones in the mangroves. Ash got into a few also, making it look easy.

I had heard of some beach-accessible flats all week, and not ready to give it a rest just yet, I headed out right before dinner and found some eager ones. Two days of seeing backing ain't so bad.

Believe it or not, that night we had a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, and enjoyed our last night of what was a great and proper honeymoon. I could get really used to holidays somewhere with warm air and clear water.

Thanks to Steve, Chris, Lori-Ann, Kachu, Marlin and Antonio, and everybody at El Pescador for a great week. Thanks to Jason for all the intel. We made a lot of friends and hope to get back some day.

There's still some tarpon there I need to tangle with.

Happy Holidays, indeed.

D

Pescador Permit

I planned on having one day of guided fishing during our stay at El Pescador, targeting some of their resident tarpon. They teamed me up with a guide named Kachu, based on our mutual 'enthusiasm', and off we went, eager to see some backing.

After some morning bonefish to kick things off, we headed out to the tarpon flats, the clouds parted, and we found the tarpon. What we didn't find where tarpon that wanted to eat. All we could get were fish literally chasing and bumping the fly with their nose right at the boat. It was frustrating and exciting fishing at the same time. I was ready to jump on the next one that followed the fly in close enough and see if I could win a wet wrestling match.

It kept getting hotter and hotter and water glassier and glassier. By early afternoon it was clear that the tarpon just weren't into eating, so we cut our losses and planned to head to some bonefish flats to salvage the day with tailing bones.

You never know what surprises the ocean holds though, and the glassy water made for perfect conditions for spotting a small group of permit tailing in a flat. Permit have a reputation for being the hardest fish to catch on the fly, and you have to make the most of the opportunities you are given. The brakes went on, and before I knew it I was up on the bow, creeping slowly towards the school. Glassy water makes it easier to spot permit, but also much easier to spook what is already a very nervous and hard to fool fish.

The fishing gods felt our pain and suffering in the sun was enough though, and a couple casts later I was watching the backing scream off the reel. This was a day for seeing backing after all, and lots of it. The little shrimp clouser that Kachu said would work, did, and after some nerve racking runs under the boat, Kachu tailed it, and I could breath a sigh of relief. Some quick photos and off he went. It was a great fish.

We ended up seeing a few more tails that afternoon, but had to call it a day with a big thunderstorm rolling in.

It wasn't a Grand Slam, but just getting that close made for big smiles all evening.

If you're interested in more info on the fishing at El Pescador, get a hold of Jason at Orvis Travel, elkinsj@orvistravel.com. He used to manage the fishing operation there. Tell him Damon sent you and maybe he'll have some goodies for you, including a discount on Orvis products.

Honeymoon in Belize 2 - Back to the Beach - El Pescador

The second week of the Re-Honeymoon was back out on the islands. One of the great things about Belize is how easy it is to transfer from all the fun things to do in the jungle, out to the laid back lifestyle on the islands. After getting into the Permit and Bones last year at Turneffe, there was no way I was going back and not getting some time on a bow in the flats.

This year we settled on El Pescador, in San Pedro on Ambergris Caye, where we were greeted with friendly people and cold champagne in one of their villas overlooking the beach and barrier reef. We relaxed in style, doing a little shopping in San Pedro, getting out on the water, enjoying endless ceviche and slowing the pace - Zues has the right idea.

Cave's Branch - Caves, Crystals and Cool Showers

As our week at Cave's Branch progressed, we had time to relax at the lodge and enjoy a lot of great day trips. During the middle of our week, we had one night in the resort entirely to ourselves, and enjoyed dinner with Ian (the owner) and his wife, Ella, telling stories and learning about the history of the resort. Ella is working hard in the local communities in Belize in establishing a chess circuit for children. You can check out her efforts here at : http://chessinbelize.blogspot.com/.

The staff and guides are great, and made Ash comfortable on all of our trips. Thanks goes out to all the staff, guides, and Arnold and Pablo for keeping the Belikin and rum flowing at the bar in the evenings.

Attached here are from photos the ATM Cave, River Tubing Expedition, and enjoying the outdoor shower in the Treehouse.

If you're ever considering a stay in Belize, check out Cave's Branch. Tell them Damon sent you, and have fun.

Cave's Branch - Creatures in the Night

I've always wanted to photograph wild snakes in a tropical jungle. And knowing we were headed for a week at Cave's Branch, I knew I'd have some opportunities. The only 'rule' Ash had was that I couldn't catch and play with any of them. 'Play' is a relative term though, isn't it :)

I went out on my own in the evenings, and ended up finding five different species. I was really hoping to come across a wild boa constrictor, but alas, none were to be found.

As I said before, you are IN the jungle there, and wildlife has free roam of the grounds. Rooms are screened though, so you can sleep comfortably once you get used to it. Our first night we had a Paca, or Gibnut as they are known in Belize, come strolling by our bedroom. Other nights included hearing something rather large cross the river below us and crash up the mountain face we were on, likely a Tapir (AKA Mountain Cow). Ashley woke we up one night thinking a jaguar was breathing outside our window, but it was just the howler monkeys off in the distance. We also heard something walking around behind our treehouse on my nightly snake walk, but never saw what it was.

Attached here are photos of a Pygmy Snail Sucking Snake, a beautiful, yet-to-be-identified, yellow and black snake (Edit: Now confirmed as a Blunt-Headed Tree Snake), a hummingbird in their botanical garden, a Cat-Eyed Snake, and a Kinkajou we came across hanging out over the treehouses.

Back To Belize - Cave's Branch

Since our honeymoon last year to Belize was abbreviated and we had some credit down there, we really wanted to give it another shot. Luckily the stars aligned, and we were fortunate enough to make it happen, and on the anniversary of our first honeymoon, we headed South, leaving the clouds and cold of Vermont behind for a while.

The first stop on our journey was Ian Anderson's Cave Branch. Deep in the heart of the jungle, the resort is one of the oldest 'eco' lodges in Belize, and pioneers of exploring the various cave systems and formal guide training. The grounds are amazing, and you are blended right into the surrounding jungle and all its critters. They offer an extensive list of 'adventures' you can choose from, ranging from caving trips, to horseback riding or sightseeing the Mayan ruins in Tikal, Guatemala.

We ended up in one of their Treehouses -- complete with a deck overlooking the jungle, private outdoor shower, and all the amenities one could possibly need.

The photos here show Ash enjoying a bottle of champaign at the main lodge with swim-up swimming pool, us in the waterfall cave tour, Ash climbing a waterfall, our treehouse, and Tikal.

Lovin' Leapin' Landlocks

Landlocked Salmon are a species worth spending some time chasing on the river. Genetically the same as Atlantic Salmon, they are just separated from the ocean and 'landlocked' to various streams and lake systems in the Northeast.

Fall is one of the best times to go after them, and spending a little time at some of my favorite places in Maine chasing Brookies and Landlocks is something I look forward to every September. After the Gaspe, more time on the river was just icing on the cake. The air is crisp, leaves are changing, and there's always a good chance you'll share the river with a moose or two, and of course, there's the leaping salmon on dry flies.

Tackling the Tundra

As we've gotten older, wiser (arguably) and yes, grayer, my father, brother and I try to do a hunting or fishing trip every year together. One of the To-Do's has been a self-guided caribou hunt in the Canadian Arctic. With Quebec just an hour away and over million caribou migrating across its northern regions, it was pretty easy to line up and we pulled the trigger this September.

I've only been up there on whitewater expeditions, and the terrain is amazing. You can see forever, and water seems to defy gravity -- standing water on mountain slopes is just plain weird, but the lichen makes it happen, trust me. We had good weather on the flight in, and I even managed about 15 minutes on the controls for my first flying lesson. Camp was to be located here, right in the middle of nowhere:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=56.34223,-71.87065&ll=56.34223,-71.87065&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1.

We experienced every type of weather imaginable during the week from snow to hot and buggy, and logged a lot of miles following the maze of caribou trails across the lichen filled tundra. In the end, the caribou herd we were looking for had other travel plans, and the mass migration we were hoping for didn't happen. With some really hard work, long hours behind the binoculars, glassing from mountain ridge to mountain ridge, we made the most of it and managed some smaller bulls and cows to fill the freezer for the winter. We learned a lot, laughed a lot, argued a lot, sweated a lot and shivered a lot -- and are already ready for the next chance to repeat it all!