Fishing· Port Honduras· Other Caribbean

Port Honduras Marine Reserve

16° 15.2′ N · 88° 37.3′ W

160 square miles of coastal water and 138 mangrove cayes just north of Punta Gorda, co-managed by TIDE: a goliath grouper nursery, manatee and hawksbill habitat and a classic flats-fishing ground for permit, bonefish and tarpon.

Belize Barrier Reef

Practical

Established 2000 (Ventura Yacht Agency). Zoning: Preservation Zone (1 percent) research only; Conservation Zone (4 percent) non-extractive recreation; General Use Zone (95 percent) fishing under regulations; long-lines, gill nets and beach traps banned throughout; managed-access licensing since 2011 (TIDE). TIDE rangers are based at Abalone Caye. A cruiser paid US$10 per person per day here (Soundings, about 2005 - verify locally). Sport fishing needs a CZMAI licence; bonefish, permit and tarpon are catch-and-release. Shallow, mangrove-studded water: eyeball navigation.

Best for

Flats fishing and mangrove wildlife

Nearby