Trip Report - Belize 2025
- Andrew O'Neill
- Nov 25
- 7 min read
After a far-too-long hiatus from saltwater fly fishing, it took a bachelor party to Louisiana in 2024 to get me back on the bow of skiff. There was a time when I spent a couple of summers in Key West as a camera man on a flats boat, where I quickly became completely enamored with flats fishing, and permit in particular.
Our trip to Louisiana was a good transition back into saltwater fishing and it served as a painful reminder that my first and only permit came nearly a decade prior. Which goes to show how insidious this permit disease is: here I was up to my eyeballs in big, aggressive redfish, and my main parting thought was "man, I haven't caught a permit in so long." After concluding my Key West internship and heading back to Wyoming, a couple of stints in big game and fly fishing guiding, my brother and I opened Freeflow Outdoors in 2023. My free time and disposable income whittling away, I made no effort to get back to the saltwater until my buddy told me we were going redfishing in April of 2024. That trip ignited something in me - redfish are an awesome fish, but I had to get back on the permit flats somehow.
My research led me to the "Permit Capital" of Punta Gorda, Belize. I quickly realized this was a permit-dominant, if not permit-exclusive fishery, which is exactly what I was looking for, but I knew this would make for a tough initial foray into saltwater fly fishing for my wife. In an effort to soften the blow of the challenging fishing to come, I looked into Copal Tree Lodge just outside of the small town of Punta Gorda. I was instantly interested and decided this was a place where the lodge and other activities available would make this trip a little more palatable for a saltwater newbie. We booked a six night stay with four days of fishing and spent the next year waiting in anticipation.
Copal Tree Lodge sits just outside of Punta Gorda, tucked away in the jungle. Far enough to feel like you are in a different world from the sleepy seaside town, but still close enough for a bike ride. The lodge and staff were beyond impressive and I pretty quickly started feeling a bit of FOMO with all of the activities offered. On day one I started scheming my trip back so I could check out the Mayan Ruins, cliff-jumping, snorkeling, and tour the local market, but for right now, I had four days of going toe-to-toe with the devil itself ahead of me.
Day One
With rain and clouds in the forecast, I was not optimistic about my odds starting out. All I've ever really known about flats fishing for permit was from the experience I gained in my time spent in the lower Keys, where if you can't see the fish, there's not a hell of a lot you can do. To quote my internship mentor, Key West guide, and all-around permit guru Will Benson: "you're done." I was pleasantly surprised to find that this part of Belize had some great fly options even in the face of adverse weather.
Permit were tough to come by on the first day, but we were able to find a few fish and get some shots in the interior lagoon system just to the north. Under a fully-clouded sky, I was able to watch a couple fish tail and wake through the shallow lagoon, and I couldn't help but be reminded of chasing redfish in Louisiana. Not even in photos have I ever really seen permit in this type of water. Despite our best efforts, permit did what permit do - swam over to inspect my fly, being utterly unimpressed by it, turned off and went about his business. Even that action is enough to put a man who hasn't cast to permit in nine years on the edge of a panic attack.
Our guide, Kenny was great with transitioning from permit fishing to targeting tarpon, and some rolling fish salvaged the first day under tough conditions.
Day Two
On Monday, Kenny asked if we wanted to make the hour-long run out to the reef, and we agreed without hesitation. Having heard of the bonefishing opportunities out here, I thought it might be a good opportunity for Jenna to get some casting in. These outer cayes did not disappoint - we were quickly into large schools of small bonefish, and Jenna was able to catch her first saltwater fish on the fly, and then five or six more! I hooked into one really good bone on another flat and was quickly broke off. Trout knots.
We found few permit feeding on the flats, and my shots got very similar reactions as the lagoon fish from Sunday. I also had a good seven or eight shots at triggerfish, which in my opinion are an even more stuck-up fish than permit.
Towards the end of the day, Kenny motored into a channel between two flats, telling us that permit liked to hang out here sometimes when they weren't feeding on the flats. Almost on cue a school of 10-15 small perms appeared, and after a few shots right into them, one little guy raced in to grab the sinking crab and tore off towards the bottom. Not your conventional permit shot, but a very cool and unique eat nonetheless. After releasing, I joked about "permit number 1.5", but Kenny reminded me that a permit is a permit - "you wouldn't tell your kids they're not human would you?"
Day two in the books, my second permit, about a dozen bonefish, and a jack to keep things interesting. We were fortunate to find consistent sunlight out away from the mainland and halfway through our trip we had completed the slam (a "baby slam" perhaps, but hey, a slam is a slam).
Day Three
Tuesday pounded us with rain and made for the toughest conditions yet. We looked for rolling tarpon in the rivers and prowled the lagoons for permit, but the fish seemed to be taking the day off. The sun broke towards the end of the day and Kenny found us a group of three permit that snuck close to the boat. Casting into the sun, I could not see the fish, but I gave my best backcast into the wind and landed just outside the zone. Developing backcast accuracy is now my main priority for fly fishing in 2026.
Even on a slow day, shooting the breeze with Kenny and drinking Copali lime juice reminded me there's much worse places to be than on the flats of southern Belize getting your ass handed to you by a fish.
Day Four
Wednesday's weather looked the most promising by far, but day four proved to be the toughest yet. Knowing absolutely nothing about this fishery, it just seemed like the fish were off in the wake of the recent cold front and heavy rains. The sun was out most of the day, and we were able to spot some fish, but between a few less-than-accurate shots and the always-finicky nature of these animals, I could not get an eat. No worries though, as I had already decided the day before that I was coming back.
While we did not get a hook up on the last day, it was probably the best look at the Punta Gorda permit fishery. We saw tailing fish in the morning, and I was happy to find that I could still spot fish in the water, certainly not as quickly as Kenny, but generally with enough time to make a cast. The fish we saw on day four were all good fish in the 10-20 lb range. Reports back at Garbutt's Lodge were much of the same - a few tricky shots on good fish offered, but no one was able to seal the deal.
Feeding The Addiction
Prior to this trip, I hadn't thought much about permit other than in a distant-nostalgic type of way. Watching that first fish wake towards me on day one reminded me that I am still completely obsessed with these things, and I think I've found an amazing location to feed my addiction.
Copal Tree Lodge utilizes Garbutt's Fishing Lodge for guided fly fishing and every guide there is highly-touted, if not legendary in the permit fishing world. Waking up to the sounds of howler monkeys outside of our bedroom window, enjoying an amazing breakfast overlooking the Belizean rainforest, and loading up and making the 10-minute commute to world-renowned permit flats was a unique and incredible experience, and there was no question we would be returning.
I knew there would be some finances, time off of work, and travel logistics to figure out, so I wasn't 100% sure this was a trip we would swing in 2026, but nevertheless, I shook hands with Kenny on Wednesday afternoon and told him "see you next year."
With my first trip to Belize under my belt, I am far from an expert on the area - but if you are thinking about a trip to this part of the world, I am always happy to talk fishing!
This trip has also resulted in the Freeflow Outdoors fly shop suddenly becoming stocked with a selection of saltwater flies, fluorocarbon leaders and tippet, fly boxes and more. If you are planning a saltwater trip in 2026, stop by and check out our selection! I anticipate our saltwater fly fishing inventory will only continue to grow as I pursue my evolving permit problem.
Andrew O'Neill
Freeflow Outdoors
516 S 3rd St, Laramie, Wyoming
(307) 460-2221