The world's second largest corral reef is found just off the flats from Caye Caulke. This provides excellent opportunities for tarpon, permit and bonefish.
SPECIES
Permit are the most popular quarry for Belizean anglers, with tarpon coming in a close second. Permit are plentiful and found in a variety of locations, from piers and docks, to corral reefs, muddy marls to pristine sand flats.
Tarpon are found year-round, with "resident" tarpon reaching huge sizes. Migratory tarpon start coming in the spring and run through the summer. There are numerous spots around Caye Caulker to keep an angler busy for a week.
Bonefish are very plentiful, but do not reach the larger sizes you will see in Hawaii or the Bahamas. They make a nice consolation prize if it's too windy to go hunting for larger prey. Even a small bonefish is still more fun than no bonefish, and you can easily catch those without a boat of guide on Caye Caulker.
The caveat is that you probably can't do a lot more than catch a couple of bonefish without a guide. It's definitely required in order to access the vast territory throughout the "Cayes". If you want to do a total unguided bonefish, permit trip, consider Long Island or Abaco, Bahamas... The guide costs in Belize along with the low cost of food and lodging make it easy to pop down for a quick 3 or 4 day trip....
GEAR
Permit: 9wt rod is preferred, but an 8wt or 10wt will work if you have one. Reel with strong drag and a floating tropical line.
Tarpon: 10wt-12wt rods are preferred. Bring two rods. a 10wt to fish in the mangroves with a floating line. You will find more juvenile tarpon there.
An 11wt or 12 will be helpful if you battle larger tarpon. Also, along with your floating lines, bring a heavy sinktip fly line for dredging the deep channels where the big tarpon sit.
Bonefish: A 7wt or 8wt with floating line will work just fine.
Leaders/Tippet: Saltwater Fluorocarbon leaders are highly preferred. Bring a 20# leader for permit and bonefish. Add 8-10# tippet if you are chasing bonefish. Add 16# if you are chasing permit. You can use straight chunks of 80# fluoro for tarpon, sharks are not an issue.
FLIES:
Permit eat crabs and shrimp. Bring crabs in light and heavy varieties. Bring size 2 and 4 shrimp patterns with loads of rubber legs. White is a popular color. Tan and olive are also important. Bring the classic Bonefish Bitters fly. It goes a long ways in Belize...
Tarpon: The Black Death, chartreuse Tarpon Toad, or chartreuse/white Clouser Minnow are what the guides have chosen out of my box almost every time. Bring flies from a 2/0 to 4/0 size. The guides prefer the short black/nickel hooks like Gamakatsu SC17, but bring what you can...
