(Hilary Hutcheson photo)
December 16, 2025
By Hilary Hutcheson
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This article originally appeared in Fly Fisherman's 2025 Destinations special publication.
One of the joys of destination fly fishing is that each trip has its own unique rhythm. Sometimes, it’s syncopated due to inclement weather, illness, airline delays, or gear malfunctions. The tempo of a well-organized itinerary can quickly become irregular, marked by pauses in the plan, hurried scrambles, and unanticipated emotions. Travel hiccups can cause tension, making it challenging to get back into a more relaxed cadence. I believe those feelings can make us less accepting of off beats, including those that give the trip a richer tone.
Maybe that’s why I feel that fly-fishing travel can be overly orchestrated. We commonly design a methodical vacation rhythm. Perhaps we see fly fishing like that in general—cue Norman Maclean learning to cast with the perfect tick-tock of his father’s strict metronome.
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But, unlike metronomic rhythms, uneven ones can feel more real, like our natural movements, speech, and emotions. A symphony of complex layers rather than a precise pattern can unearth a truly enriching fly-fishing travel experience. Let’s not forget that “adventure” is defined as an undertaking involving the unknown.
When I recently combined a Belize fly-fishing excursion with nonfishing recreation, I found that adding a staccato of spearfishing, paddleboarding, snorkeling, free diving, tide pooling, and kayaking deepened my appreciation for diverse outdoor adventures and Belize’s rich culture.
Belize Adventures at Long Caye gives anglers a wider view than the tunnel vision sometimes triggered by pursuing bonefish , tarpon , and permit .
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Garifuna Settlement Day (Hilary Hutcheson photos) Our trip began with an international flight to Belize City, then a 20-minute domestic flight south to Dangriga, formerly called Stann Creek Town. Our arrival coincided with the Garifuna Settlement Day festivities. Each year, the weeklong festival marks the arrival of the Garifuna people on the shores of Belize on November 19, 1802, after the British exiled them from the Grenadines. The storytelling, food, music, art, dancing, and cultural reenactment ceremonies honor the resiliency of the Garifuna, the descendants of Indigenous Arawak and Afro-Caribbean people.
While people throughout Belize commemorate and pay tribute to the indomitable spirit of the Garifuna people, the bulk of the party centers in Dangriga. On the morning of our arrival, we walked from our hotel room at Pelican Beach Resort to a small market, where we picked up mosquito spray and a bottle of rum.
“Both may save you,” said the cashier, who winked and added, “or maybe you’ll need more,” as he handed us our change in Belize dollars. (The exchange rate is approximately BZD $2 to USD $1; currency can be exchanged at most banks and hotels. U.S. dollars are often accepted, but change is typically given in Belize dollars.) Four men sitting outside the market reminded us to attend the settlement reenactment the next day at dawn.
That afternoon, we used the kayaks provided by Pelican Beach Resort and paddled not too far from the resort’s long dock, where we witnessed a porpoise teaching her offspring to hunt. Casting from the kayaks, we caught grunts and mackerel. A local fisherman paddled by in a large wooden boat he had expertly handmade. He’d caught various fish, which he said he’d be cooking for a Garifuna Settlement Day party at his house. We jokingly invited ourselves, and he laughed, saying, “Aarite!”
(Hilary Hutcheson photo) That evening, we gathered for dinner with the other Belize Adventures visitors at the hotel. We met our host and Belize Adventures Manager Alben David, who offered a casual orientation and overview of the week ahead. We were thrilled to learn that our boat to Long Caye—in the heart of the famed Glover’s Reef Atoll—would not leave until late the next morning, so we would have time to attend the Garifuna Settlement Day reenactment.
The following morning, at sunrise, we hiked to the town center, drawn by drum music. Oh, the fantastic drumming! Rarely have I been so captivated by rhythm as during our time in Dangriga. With the bass drum as the foundation, grounding the primero drum’s rapid fire and the segunda drum’s complexity, the syncopation felt like the beat of a newly unlocked heart.
I learned that Garifuna drumming serves as a communal bond, connecting participants to their ancestors and each other. Whether uniting people in celebration, mourning, or the rhythm of everyday life, Garifuna drumming is clearly a steady pulse throughout the community.
Surrounded by revelers dressed in the yellow, black, and white colors of the Garifuna flag, I felt frustrated that I had not learned about Garifuna Settlement Day in school, yet grateful that I did not miss this cultural growth entirely. The drumbeat enticed me to ask about traditional dances like punta and wanaragua and delicious local dishes such as hudut (comprised of green, ripe mashed plantains called fu-fu), a coconut fish stew, and cassava bread.
Glover’s Reef (Hilary Hutcheson photo) After the reenactment, we boarded the water shuttle for a comfortable 1.5-hour ride in a windowed cabin boat to Long Caye. Arriving at the private island was surreal, as if a postcard came alive with swaying palm trees, mellow waves, and breezy, thatched-roofed cabanas.
Long Caye is 36 miles southeast of Dangriga at Glover’s Reef Atoll, which forms the outermost boundary of the Belize Barrier Reef. The reef’s other two atolls are Turneffe Atoll and Lighthouse Reef. Glover’s is 20 miles long and 7.5 miles wide, sporting about 850 patch reefs and pinnacles. Anglers may have heard of Glover’s other significant islands: Amouname Point Caye, Northeast Caye, Middle Caye, and Southwest Caye.
Glover’s Reef, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is named after 18th century pirate John Glover. The Belize National Fisheries Department recognizes Glover’s for harboring one of the greatest diversities of reef types in the western Caribbean, and some of the healthiest fish populations in Belize.
“Our geographical positioning invites coveted fish species from all directions,” says Belize Adventures owner Philip Dowsett. “Bonefish and tarpon are consistently found in what we call ‘the usual places.’ The area houses a natural nursery and feeding ground for various marine species. It’s a strategic place for wildlife that rely on ocean currents for their bounty of nutrients. The main reef prevents species from venturing too far from the current lines for food.”
But it’s not just the luck of location keeping Belize Adventures at Long Caye robust. The marine area of the atoll, including more than 86,600 acres, is a national protected area. Established in 1993 under the Fisheries Act and managed by the national government’s Fisheries Department, the Glover’s Reef Marine Reserve is considered one of the highest-priority areas in the Mesoamerican reef system, according to the World Wildlife Fund.
Each of the four management zones within the marine reserve has strict regulations on allowed and disallowed activities, including where and when certain fish species can be targeted and harvested. For example, special attention is given to protecting the Nassau grouper, an endangered species known to spawn at the northeast end of Glover’s Reef Atoll. The spawning site is one of only two remaining for the species on Earth.
Within moments of arriving at Long Caye, Ebon and I recognized that hard-to-explain feeling that we’ve felt at only a few fly-fishing lodges. We instantly felt in sync, comfortable, and balanced. How was that possible, since we’d never before visited?
(Hilary Hutcheson photo) “That’s not uncommon,” Alben David told us. “Many people feel at home here, no matter how far away or different it is from their actual residence. They connect with the environment, the culture, the food, and the staff, and we genuinely welcome them into the Belize Adventures family.”
The heart of the Belize Adventures family is its multicultural Belizean staff. Its leadership is driven by the Indigenous community, with authenticity at its core and woven throughout the operation by local naturalist guides, chefs, mechanics, and hosts who offer guests historical, cultural, and ecological education. With backgrounds in environmental science, biology, hospitality, outdoor recreation, culinary arts, and more, the team maintains top-shelf certifications and training standards. Their vast knowledge is rooted in centuries of their families’ histories on the land and water, ranging from farming to fishing, mechanics to renewable energy, wildlife, and recreation, all driven by a sincere passion for sustainability.
Anatomy Of an Ecolodge Environmental responsibility towers over financial expediency as the island hums without relying on the burning of fossil fuels. The resort showcases the benefits of solar and wind power, composting toilets, rainwater storage, and nonmotorized sports. Local food ingredients elevate flavors and efficiency in the kitchen. You’ll find no single-use plastic bottles or AC units on the island.
Dowsett says Belize Adventures guests, often having sought out an ecolodge, typically state that science, culture, and conservation are important to them. “That’s why we’re a good fit for them. We demonstrate how to coexist with our lives and the environment. We try to understand and work with things naturally, resulting in balance among wildlife, guests, locals, and staff.”
Belize Adventures personnel also monitor the coral reefs and report environmental threats or hazards to the Fisheries Department. “And we collaborate to research our green and hawksbill turtle nests on a yearly basis,” says Dowsett. As luck would have it, hundreds of turtle hatchlings emerged from their nests beneath two of the resort’s cabins during our stay, and staff and scientists assisted them to the ocean, since a decades-old manmade seawall inhibited their safe passage.
At midweek, we kayaked to Middle Caye, home of the Glover’s Reef Research Station, operated by the Wildlife Conservation Society. The station manages and promotes the conservation of the greater Belize Barrier Reef complex and has hosted more than 200 research projects and scientific expeditions since opening in 1997.
(Hilary Hutcheson photo) Dowsett says, “Each of our guests automatically contributes to conservation, since the Fisheries Department collects a park fee for each visitor on the island. This fee helps fisheries managers patrol alongside the Belize Coast Guard, preventing illegal fishing within the marine reserve.”
At Belize Adventures, the daily rhythm is displayed on a whiteboard before breakfast each morning. It includes a weather report and several activity blocks, with guide assignments depending on the weather and ocean conditions. If it’s calm, there may be a swim-to-snorkel excursion. If the waves are right, surfers might head out to the home surf break, which also happens to be the only natural surf break in Belize. If it’s cloudy or raining, tide pooling might be the ticket. And of course fly fishing is always an option.
While the resort does not operate in a traditional fly-fishing-lodge fashion with dedicated guides, all the naturalist guides at the company are experts in marine ecology. They will eagerly assist anglers in making the most of a safe and fun do-it-yourself fly-fishing experience at Belize Adventures. Anglers are encouraged to explore the waters around the island, which offer a wide variety.
Near the surf break, we caught barracudas and multiple species of jacks. We found tailing bonefish less than a football field’s distance from the main beach, and they eagerly ate nearly every shrimp pattern we showed them. We had a blast sight casting to tailing Bermuda chubs on the rocky beach at the island’s south end. During a kayak fishing excursion, we saw another guest casting to a juvenile tarpon. But the biggest fly-fishing highlight for Ebon and me during our time at Long Caye was targeting tailing permit on the turtle grass flat near the island.
With multiple sporting opportunities, we fished surprisingly less than we’d initially planned. We had so much fun snorkeling, kayaking, tide pooling, and paddleboarding that fishing played second fiddle most days, for the first time in our adventure lives. Successful permit anglers know that seeking out and connecting with this coveted species takes dedication and focus. Squeezing in short permit missions is not wildly effective. Still, given that we fished for permit for only a handful of hours during our entire stay, we felt impressed by their presence.
(Hilary Hutcheson photo) As the tide shifted and water moved onto the flats, the permit would slide in to feed. At slack tide, we paddled the fishing kayaks along the island and out several hundred yards, anchored in shallow water, and exited the boats. (Belize Adventures guides provided us with tide charts and explained that high tide would not exceed a foot.) As the tide came in, various fish species arrived as if responding to a dinner bell.
The first time we noticed permit on the flat, we’d been cracking up at how schools of jacks parted to race around our bodies. It was easy to see fish on the tan sand before they moved up onto the turtle grass. So the behavior and black fins of the permit proved unmistakable as they approached.
“Heeeeyyyy!” I hissed at Ebon. “They’re permit!” The trio of 12- to 15-pounders passed in front of me at about 20 feet. I don’t know why I didn’t attempt a cast. I think I either wanted to observe them or confirm their identity. Ebon got a shot. The lead fish turned and motored at his shrimp pattern so quickly that Ebon was visibly startled. He kept the strips coming, but when the line-to-leader knot clicked in the rod tip, the fish spooked, darting away as quickly as it had come. Ebon and I mirrored each other’s “oh my goodness” faces.
We then looked toward the sand flat, hoping another group would push in. That’s when a huge black tail shot up in the turtle grass, no more than 25 feet to Ebon’s left. It started slowly bumping toward him, feeding in a circular motion with that tell-tale tail stirring the air above the surface. His rod tip had already been pointing in the fish’s direction, but the fly had drifted behind him, and when he tried to move it slowly to the right to attempt a short roll cast, the movement gave him up, and the tail disappeared.
“That was a 20-pound fish,” Ebon lamented, staring at the last place he’d seen it. Before the disappointment thickened, a school of cruising bonefish blew up right before us, chased by a barracuda. The school split up, with half settling down within our range. We both cast simultaneously and doubled up, a fair consolation prize for the missed permit.
(Hilary Hutcheson photo) Fish Tacos The stoke increased as we paddled back to the beach to find Alben and several other guides waiting with sling spears, ready to take us on a lionfish spearing expedition. Lionfish are invasive in Belize and are among the world’s most venomous species. While lionfish are small, they have no natural predators and can dislocate their jaws to engulf prey up to two-thirds of their own body size. That would be like a person eating a goat in one bite. The venomous lionfish sting is not deadly to humans but it does hurt, so we set out with mild apprehension. We aimed to harvest enough for tacos—lionfish are delicious apart from the tricky spines.
Spearing lionfish with Belize Adventures is an excellent entry into spearfishing and free diving, as anglers need not dive more than a handful of feet to get a shot at these troublesome but beautiful fish that nestle in the rocks and corals. While I had difficulty keeping the lionfish on the spear tips after shooting them, they didn’t spook as I dove down toward them, so I got several tries at each fish and loved every moment of the outing.
Relaxing on the deck of our seaside open-air cabana after a delicious and colorful dinner of fish tacos, fry jacks, coconut rice, steamed vegetables, and bittersweet chocolate cake, Ebon and I marveled at how a trip with many dynamic rhythmic elements could feel so balanced.
“It’s like everything here is . . .” he paused, looking for the word.
“In harmony?” I suggested.
“Yeah.” He nodded. ”In harmony.”
Recommended Gear (Hilary Hutcheson photo) Because this is a multi-sport island adventure, the fly fishing is mainly DIY, or at least without the assistance of professional fly-fishing guides. You’ll need all your own terminal tackle and flies to handle bonefish, permit, and barracudas. Flies should include Gotchas , Bonefish Scampis , Contraband Crabs , Perminators, and Mantis Shrimps .
Book Your Destination Book your own flights to Belize City and then connect to a 20-minute domestic flight to Dangriga that is included with your trip package. The boat ride the next morning to Long Caye at Glover’s Reef takes about 90 minutes.
belizeadventures.com
Hilary Hutcheson started guiding as a teenager in West Glacier, Montana. Today she guides on the Flathead River system, and owns and operates her fly shop, Lary’s Fly & Supply in Columbia Falls, Montana.
