Fly Fishing

Just as Guanaja is one of the best-kept diving secrets in the Caribbean, the same can be said for its fly-fishing. Though it offers some of the most pristine and untouched permit and bonefish flats in the Caribbean, you’re not likely to be sharing the flats with any other anglers other than those fishing with experts from Fly Fish Guanaja. Fly Fish Guanaja is a catch and release operation that takes nothing from the resource.

Experience some of he most pristine and untouched permit and bonefish flats in the Caribbean with Fly Fish Guanaja

Here is a sample of what you can fish for :

Bonefish: The bone-fishing in Guanaja is phenomenal. We hunt big singles reaching 10 pounds right in front of the lodge. Guanaja has several flats surrounding the island and we see schools of 10-200 fish all day long. In general, the bonefish in Guanaja are bigger than most in Belize and Mexico. We regularly land 5-8 pound bonefish.

Permit: Guanaja is one of the few permit fisheries in the world. We see on average 10-50 permit a day and get several shots. Our permit range from juveniles to full blown giants over 30 pounds. We find permit tailing on the flats all over the South Keys (our lodge is one of these keys), and also fish them in river mouths and deeper water. We use 10 weight fly rods for permit.

Tarpon and Snook: We catch baby tarpon and snook where the rivers meet the flats. Our baby tarpon range from 5-40 pounds and we sight-cast to them on the moving tide. We also have big resident tarpon reaching over 100 pounds. We often get into large schools of snook and land over 20 in a session. We use 8-10 weight rods for the baby tarpon and 12 weights for the giants.

Trigger Fish: Every flat has a couple of trigger fish all the time in Guanaja. The trigger-fish get up to 25 pounds and are a blast to catch on a fly. They are generally more forgiving than permit and put up a wild fight.

Barracuda: Guanaja is surrounded by barracuda ranging from 1-40 pounds. We fish barracuda on slack tides or when they are molesting our bonefish. We enjoy watching them explode on flies and also use conventional tackle when necessary.

Jacks: There are several different kinds of jacks around Guanaja. We see big schools moving fast and furious and cast flies to the boiling water

Equipment Offered

Fly Fish Guanaja has a fleet of 7-12 weight rods and offer their use at no extra cost. Our fly tying table will beat any lodge in the Caribbean. Fly Fish Guanaja is run by experienced fly-fishing guides and we put a premium on our flies and fly-tying. Our table over-looks the flats, and we tie flies while watching the fish they are intended for. Some clients enjoy learning to tie, while others simply enjoy the benefit of custom flies for a unique place.

Saltwater Flies

Fly Fish Guanaja has a custom fly tying table set up in the main lodge, you can see fish in the flats you are tying flies for. Although they tie locally, it is best to show up with some flies, we recommend at least 30 flies per person.

WEED GUARDS ARE CRUCIAL ON MOST FLIES. Many flies come without weed guards, and we can install them at the lodge no problem.

Bonefish Flies

NAME SIZE COLOR
Crazy Charlie 6,8 White, olive, pink
Peterson’s Shrimp 4,6,8 White
Gotcha 4,6,8 White
Kwan 6,8 Tan
Mini Puff 6,8 Pink, Olive, Red
Bonefish Bitter 8 Olive, White
San Pedro Crab, Austins (Umqua) 6,8 Olive, Tan
Borski’s Bonefish Slider (Orvis) 6,8 Tan
Worms 4,6 Tan, Red

Permit Flies

Kung Fu Crab 4,6 Tan, Olive
Flexo Crab (Orvis) 2,4,6
Anderson’s McCrab (Umpqua) 2,4 Tan

Tarpon Flies

Any big red and black tarpon fly
Gummy Minnows 0,2,4,6 Pearl, Light green