Trip Report: El Pescador Lodge Belize March 2017
This was the second year we hosted a trip to Belize and the fabulous El Pescador lodge in March. Again we were joined on this adventure by a group of friends and anglers. The experience level of the group was all over the map. A few anglers had extensive experience and a few anglers this was there first trip to the salt to chase fish.
Lodge:
Very few lodges in the world can compare to the hospitality that El Pescador provides. The entire group stayed in the lodge rooms. These are typical lodge style rooms with either two queen beds or a king bed. The rooms all had air conditioning, a large bathroom and ample room. These rooms were remodeled in the last few years and they did a wonderful job. Rod racks keep your gear organized and tile floors are cool to the touch and brighten up the room. The beds were extremely comfortable.
El Pescador also has villas. These are more like houses with lock offs for each room. If we were traveling with a family this would be the best option as the communal living rooms make a great meeting and relaxing space.
The lodge has three pools that are just perfect. They worked great for a quick swim after a long day in the sun. The pools are not heated but the constant near 90 degrees keep them plenty warm. There are also a kayaks, canoes, bikes and snorkel gear that is yours to use in the back lagoon or in the ocean. The lodge also provides gear for all your fishing needs. Orvis Helios 2 rods and Hatch reels make really good loaner gear if you do not want to bring your own.
Food:
Like the lodging the food is where El Pescador really excels. If you are on the fishing package all your meals are included. This is breakfast and dinner in the main restaurant and a packed lunch for the boat. In fact we were leaving early to fish so the lodge provided breakfast burritos before the standard breakfast time.
Lunches on the boat are done by your choosing. A menu is filled out the night prior with all sorts of options. Everything from PB&J to standard cold cuts sandwiches to my favorite the tropical shrimp and rice bowl are available. I would also suggest getting either the fresh chips and salsa or chips and ceviche as a boat snack. You can also get soft drinks, beer or other refreshments. We really like a gallon of the fresh lime aide. The perfect on the boat refreshment.
Dinners were a work of art. Each night they have a fresh fish local dish as well as an option for more traditional fare. Dinners are served family style in the open air outside dining pavilion. In the two years we have been going we have yet to have a bad meal. Being family style you are welcome to as much as you want. This is important for a hungry guy. The deserts are all made on location and as good as you can find.
Alcohol:
If you are on the fishing package like we were all of your drinks made from Belize domestic alcohol are included. This includes beer and mixed drinks. The local Belize rum is quite tasty and the drinks that Mariano mixes up in the bar are both unique to Belize and refreshing. Our favorites are the Pain Killer. Not sure how this is made except it has three types of rum and fruit juice, but it kept me coming back for more. The Belize beer Belkin is made on the mainland in Belize City and comes in both light and dark variety. We had some beers in the boat for the ride back to the lodge each day. If you want more traditional cocktails or wine the lodge has quite the selection for sale. 
Staff:
The staff is where El Pescador really shines. I am not sure if all the Belizean people are of this quality or if the lodge really hires well but the entire staff is outstanding. After the first day everyone knows you by name. This includes not just the servers who you interact with frequently but the landscapers, housekeepers and security. No request is too big or small and is taken care of with a smile. I think the greatest asset to El Pescador is the staff. They must really treat their staff well as we recognized almost everyone from the previous year. In a high turn over field like hospitality this is unheard of.
Getting There:
Direct flights to Belize City come from all major airports like Dallas, Houston, L.A., Atlanta and even Denver. Once in Belize City you take a small plane operated by Tropic Air to the island. This flight is always and highlight of the trip. You can even sit shotgun with the pilot if your lucky enough. Once in San Pedro you are greeted by a person from the El Pescador for a quick boat ride to the lodge. Returns are just as quick and easy and you can be back home the same day.
Fishing:
The fishing this year was quite a bit different than last year because of the weather. Last year we were hit with a week of strong winds. Winds and sight fishing do not mix. This year we had calm winds and partly cloudy skies each day. We were also in a new moon so we were faced with really low tides. This is both good and bad. Good that the fish are forced out of the mangrove lagoons and makes finding tarpon easier. Bad in that many of the flats and backcountry lagoons were too low to take a boat and fish. According to my guide Junior low tides are good for Tarpon and Permit fishing but bad for bone fishing. 
Last year it was tough to find tarpon and this year they were everywhere. We had many shots each day. But Tarpon being tarpon means even though you get the shot might not mean you get the fish. In fact on one day I had over 60 legitimate shots. The tarpon as a whole the entire week were not eating. We would put the fly in front of them, they would follow but not commit. We did manage to get three tarpon as a group to the boat all about 60 pounds. We had shots at fish that were double that size.
Those who had salt-water experience did the best. Those who were new to the sport did manage to catch a bunch of bonefish each day and learn the ropes to salt water fishing. In fact if you wanted to focus on bonefish a person could catch upward of 15 each day.
We only managed to land one permit for the group but spent very little time targeting this species. One guy in camp caught 9 permit in one day. While this is unusual it is possible. On the next trip I need to focus more on getting a permit. This year the tarpon made me crazy and obsessed.
Overall the fishing was darn good with lots of opportunity each day. Salt-water flats fishing is extremely challenging and seeing the fish does not necessarily mean catching the fish. We all had lots of opportunities each day and that is all a person can ask for.
Guides:
As a whole the guides were great. The guide I fish with Junior is always fantastic and works really hard. One of our guests fished with Alex again for a second year and rebooked for the third trip. The lodge tries to keep you with the same guide each day so that a relationship is formed. If you didn’t get along with your guide just let Isa the fishing director know and changes can be made. On my last day of fishing my guide became sick and we needed a replacement. We were assigned Michael. He is young and just got done apprenticing with his father who is a guide. Standing just over 5’5†barely 130 pounds and a youthful look he is not the iconic salt-water guide a person would expect. With that being said he worked harder than any other guide I have been with to get us into fish. I would be happy to fish with him again and look forward to seeing him develop over coming years.
Overall the El Pescador trip was a huge success. The lodge takes care of everything they can with perfection. Fishing is fishing and some days are good and some are so so but the things that can be controlled are. This is the perfect place for your first salt water trip or your 20th. This year’s groups meshed really well and were encouraging to each other especially to those with little or no salt water fishing experience. In fact we are working on dates for next years trips. We will have secure dates shortly and will be taking reservations for the 2018 trips to paradise.
