Belize, San Pedro/Placencia

[steveid]

Heading to Belize with a buddy in late February and was hoping to get some advice from some forum members who have been there. We won’t be doing a lodge/fishing package, but will instead pay a daily fishing rate. It seems like the most cost effective option.

Has anybody spent a couple of days in San Pedro, and then made their way down to Placencia? We are thinking of doing this if we can make it work. Also, any recommended guides or accommodations in either area would be super helpful.

Thanks!

 

[denver1911]

I've been to El Pescador twice and stayed at a non-fishing resort once on Ambergris. Definitely more cost effective to stay somewhere else. I used a guide, Rojo, booked through Tres Pescados fly shop in San Pedro. $450/day and no less effective and the same quality as I experienced at EP.

 

[chechem]

I've been to Belize 30+ times. Usually I stayed out on the smaller islands, not at San Pedro or Placencia. But I've visited both numerous times.

In my opinion, San Pedro has diminished because of the cruise ships. It's become crowded and pricey. Fishing has diminished too.

Placencia can be fun. There are nice restaurants and the design welcomes pedestrian shopping and bar hopping. Of course, there are many options for guided fishing. You'll have to keep in mind that weather can be an issue when you stay well away from the best fishing, as you would at SP or Placencia. Long boat rides can be limiting, and small-craft warnings keep the boats ashore.

Bottom line, I'd take Placencia over SP. Another option is Caye Caulker, next to SP. It's still crowded by cruise-ship tourists, but less so. Plenty of guides there too.

 

[denver1911]

Do the cruise-ship tourist take the water-taxi to Ambergris for the day? Same for CC?

 

[tomilg]

I live in Playa Del Carmen, MX, 4 hours north of Ambergris. I have toured all of Belize on my motorcycle. What I can say is focus on one area, unless you have the time. Travel time from Ambergris to Placencia is a full day, unles you're flying (MayaAir) then consider it 1/2 day. Placencia is located at the end of a 26 mile long peninsula and offers some good fishing opportunities. Hiring a boat shouldn't cost you much, it just depends on where you want to go..in the Lagoon toward Guatamala, or out toward the reef...between the city of Placencia and reef, you've got 26 miles of shallow water......unfortunately, I'm fairly new to the sport, so I don't have any fishing referrals.

 

[chechem]

Do the cruise-ship tourist take the water-taxi to Ambergris for the day? Same for CC?

I've taken the water taxi several times. It's cheap, but can be crowded and uncomfortable. Kind of like riding a Greyhound bus these days; it's often the travel option for those who cannot afford to fly.

Most tourists take the hop flights from the airport. The prices keep increasing, but they're easy and quick.

Not sure what the cruise-ship tourists do.

 

[steveid]

Well, I think we have settled on fishing with Omar Arceo of Omar's Freelance Fishing for a couple of days, and possibly getting with Blue Bonefish for a couple of days. If anybody has experience with either, I'd love to hear it. I'll also post in the Belize forum. Cheers!

 

[markg52]

I fished Jorge from Blue Bonefish one day this past December. The weather was super crappy, so bad in fact that he tried calling the resort my wife and I were at to see if I wanted to cancel. Communication with them was a little difficult after we got to Ambergris but I'm pretty certain the have fixed that problem. He did a great job of putting me on fish in spite of the weather. There is a group of us from NW Arkansas that have booked a trip to stay at their lodge the first week of June in 2018. The resort we stayed at in December was less than a half mile north of El Pescador, so I bopped in there a few times to fish from their dock or get out of the rain when I was fishing from the beach. I thought December was supposed to be the "dry" season. I also stopped in Tres Pescadors shop in San Pedro town and bought a hat. Everyone at all the places I mentioned were super nice. Can't hardly wait to get back down to Belize in June. That salt fishing got into my blood and I'm now hooked.

 

[jjc155]

I fished Jorge from Blue Bonefish one day this past December. The weather was super crappy, so bad in fact that he tried calling the resort my wife and I were at to see if I wanted to cancel. Communication with them was a little difficult after we got to Ambergris but I'm pretty certain the have fixed that problem. He did a great job of putting me on fish in spite of the weather. There is a group of us from NW Arkansas that have booked a trip to stay at their lodge the first week of June in 2018. The resort we stayed at in December was less than a half mile north of El Pescador, so I bopped in there a few times to fish from their dock or get out of the rain when I was fishing from the beach. I thought December was supposed to be the "dry" season. I also stopped in Tres Pescadors shop in San Pedro town and bought a hat. Everyone at all the places I mentioned were super nice. Can't hardly wait to get back down to Belize in June. That salt fishing got into my blood and I'm now hooked.

Jorge and the Blue Bone Fish crew are great people. Heading back down in March.

J-

 

[flyminded]

I fished with Daniel from Tres Pescados in San Pedro for a day earlier this month. Was very impressed with his knowledge of the areas we fished .... young, very pleasant, just the right amount of chat ...I tend to be fairly focused on the pointy end of the boat. Showed up 10-15 minutes before the agreed to pick up time at the dock outside the place we stayed. Caught a good number of fish before the tide got very low.....have no reservations about recommending him.

 

[chechem]

General info for Belize from a regular visitor:

June is wonderful on the Belize islands (light winds; warm but not hot). March can be VERY windy. January is great as soon as the Christmas visitors leave.