Roatan Honduras - Anyone fished there?

[muzz flaco]

Long story short. After a couple months of fishing around Colorado and Wyoming I'm ready relax on a beach and try out some saltwater fly fishing. I was thinking about flying out end of Aug early Sept and staying someplace for a month or two.

Based on the following parameters:

Low cost of living

Access to walkable flats without a boat

Preferably Not a HOT LZs

Roatan Honduras seems like the best fit that I've found so far and the clock is ticking on cheap airfare. Has anyone fished Roatan? Fishing, living, or any other tips would be greatly appreciated.

If you have a better location idea, please feel free to comment. Abaco Island Bahamas came in 2nd due to cost of living. I also considered Cuba, Placencia Belize, Florida Keys, East coast of Nicaragua, and Puerto Rico.

~Muzzy

 

[mtaag3]

I'm in Roatan twice a year. Although I don't go to fish specifically (I never have fly fished there), I have caught a ton of fish. October is the best time to the closer you can get to October the better. If memory serves they have a big wahoo tournament there around that time.

If you scuba the island has some of the best diving in the world. I can give you great direction with this too.

The west end is the best although that is not only good part of the island. What is your parameters as far as lodging, etc.?

 

[chechem]

Never fished there, but fished Belize many times.

Search "Belize" on this forum for lots of ideas on what to try there.

 

[stl_geoff]

Never fished there, but I have been there. Its a nice place, I wouldn't mind going back. We snorkeled there and saw lots of fish, so I'd imagine that you can catch all kinds of stuff.

 

[holywaters_ca]

I've fished there a few times for sure. It's got some great flats for bones. The flats are mostly grass flats, which can be hard to spot the bones on, and while they are abundant (schools of 100+ fish are common), the bonefish tend to be on the smaller side. Definitely a great place to fish for Permit as well.

There are a couple of spots where you could DIY it, but most spots are only accessible by boat. There aren't many guides down there, but if you PM me, I can set you up.

 

[flyminded]

If the purpose of your 2 month vacation is to do DIY flats fishing ...I'd go to Abaco over Roatan. I've fished both ...there are a lot more accessible flats on Abaco than Roatan.

A lot of rental houses in Abaco will also include a kayak and some a small boat.

 

[mcnerney]

I hope you guys realize you are replying to a post from 8/2014. Since then Muzzy has been there two different times, but he decided not to go back last fall.

 

[corn fed fins]

I hope you guys realize you are replying to a post from 8/2014. Since then Muzzy has been there two different times, but he decided not to go back last fall.

LOL. I wondered if I was the only one that noticed this.

 

[diy]

Hey Muzzy, sound like a great trip you have planned. I just got back from a month on Roatan, so have a pretty good feel for it. I've fished all over the world, so hopefully my comments are useful. Roatan has two principle shoreline, the north shore and south shore (the island run east to west). The north shore is where most of the tourist activity takes place and where most people stay. The fishing there tends to be much better from a boat. The walking is okay, but limited shots at permit and very few bones on that shoreline. You might get a few shots a day for instance. The south shore flats have far more bones and are significantly different. These are not the grass flats of the north, rather interior coral/rock flats, just inside the reef. Great for permit and far more bones on these smaller flats. However in almost every instance you require a kayak to cross a deeper channel to get to the flats. They start around Barefoot Caye and go east to the end of the island. Miles of pocket flats. This is the none touristy area, just so you know. We stayed in Oakridge, a small community east of the airport maybe 45 minutes. One of the fun things to do was flag down one of the many water taxis and had him drag the kayak with us in his boat to a flat maybe two miles away and fished and paddled our way back. So we only had to paddle one way, was great.

So in a nut shell West End, Sandy Bay, etc on the north shore, way more non-fishy things to do, and you can wade the grass flats right from the beach. But your shots per day will be limited. Let's say 6 - 8. South shore, interior reef rocky flats, way more bones, lots of permit, but need a kayak, transportation and very little in the way of "tourist" stuff. Hope that helps