Belize, Revisited

It's been chaos since returning from Belize a couple weeks ago. No joke. Packed up the house. Loaded and unloaded a 26-foot U-Haul. Nasty weather, closed interstates, white knuckles. Work travel to Vegas, DC. Unpack, and then unpack more.

The transition between Belize and this reality on the homefront was so abrupt, so stark, that any opportunity to savor the experience was all but lost. Thankfully, there are the photos. Probably not enough, but this was a personal trip, not a shoot. This trip was about spending time with my wife in a beautiful place, and catching up with a couple of good friends.

Austin Winds Up For a Bonefish Fastball

Of course, there was fishing. Austin and I had a couple of opportunities to get out. The collective experience covered quite a spectrum: cool rain and pounding wind; classic turtlegrass flats covered with tailing bones; heart-pounding stalks of ghostly permit. Not bad for just a couple days of solid effort. In the end, it was the bonefish that proved most accommodating.

With schools like this, you'd better not miss

Cast after cast, we rarely did

Permit once again proved to be mysterious and elusive. Not that we didn't have some great shots. The image of a 30-plus pound fish turning and stopping on Austin's fly at about 20 feet is forever seared in to my memory. Same goes for the schools of 20 and 30 tailing perm, seemingly unmissable, and then disappearing completely from the flat without a splash or wake. Just another reminder from this fish that has gotten so deeply in to my head, those lessons will keep coming. Next time, it may not be Belize, but wherever it is, when I get back out on the flats, permit will be first and foremost on my mind.

For me, the fishing highlight came one beautiful afternoon on a shin-deep barrier caye flat on a very mild incoming tide. With the handicap of a very challenging offshore wind, schools of tailing bonefish were everywhere. Kel was right there with me, standing at my side as we took in the incredible scene. A pod of fish began kicking up within range, and at a wind-friendly angle from our position. One false cast, and I shot the mantis pattern where it needed to go. A couple of quick strips led to a powerful eat and next-level line burn. Rod high, whooping it up and high-fiving my wife as a big Belizean bone churned across the flat well in to my backing. That beautiful fish was the trip, and to have shared the moment with Kel made it perfect.

There are more photos on the schnitzerPHOTO Facebook page. If you're interested, check it out.

I'll be back tomorrow with more of an update, and some fun things to expect in the weeks and months ahead.