turneffe atoll
Coral atoll off Belize City, with isolated flats, lodges on the atoll itself and one of the country's most important marine reserves.
Turneffe is a coral atoll with many mangrove islands, inner lagoons and sand and grass flats, east of Belize City. Isolation is the draw: little fishing pressure, and flats fished on foot or from a boat. Bonefish are abundant, permit appears on the edges and in the channels, and tarpon roam the lagoons and channel mouths. Barracuda and jacks provide action on the reef. Operations are run by lodges set up on the atoll, with multi-day packages, guides and boats. Fly fishing is the main method.
best season
Bonefish and permit year-round. From March to June there is steadier weather and migratory tarpon arrive; from June to November is hurricane season in the Caribbean.
Local rules: The entire atoll is the Turneffe Atoll Marine Reserve, created on Nov 22, 2012 and co-managed by the Fisheries Department and TASA (Turneffe Atoll Sustainability Association): respect conservation zones. CZMAI sport fishing license required. Bonefish, permit and tarpon are catch and release only in Belize. Gillnets, spearguns and scuba spearfishing are prohibited in the reserves. Confirm the local rules.
- getting there
- Launch from Belize City, usually with a lodge transfer. Philip Goldson International Airport is in Belize City.
- facilities
- Fishing and diving lodges on the atoll itself, with guides, flats boats and full packages. There is no village or shops: everything depends on the lodge.
- country
- Distrito de Belize, Belize
tip
Bring 8-weight lines for bonefish and 10-weight for permit, already rigged. Permit appears without warning and there is no time to change rods.
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Each card shows the day's index (0 to 100) and, below it, a strip with the index for each hour, from 0h to 23h. from poor to excellent.
what you can catch here
before you fish in Belize
The sport fishing license is issued by CZMAI (Coastal Zone Management Authority and Institute), under the 2009 sport fishing regulations. It can be bought online on the CZMAI website, at the office in Belize City or from authorized agents (shops and operators). There are daily and weekly licenses; the annual one is only for permanent residents. In the official CZMAI brochure from 2019, the fees were BZ$20 per day, BZ$50 per week and BZ$100 per year: confirm the current price. In marine reserves there may be a separate use fee.
- Bonefish (Albula vulpes), tarpon (Megalops atlanticus) and permit (Trachinotus falcatus) are protected: catch and release only, and it is prohibited for anyone in the country to possess any specimen.
- Lobster closed season from March 1 to June 30; queen conch from July 1 to September 30 (or until the quota is filled); Nassau grouper from December 1 to March 31.
- In marine reserves, it is prohibited to use gillnets, speargun, and scuba gear for fishing; reserves have no-take zones and catch-and-release-only zones (such as Hol Chan, near San Pedro).
The rules and closed seasons in the rest of the app are Brazilian. Outside Brazil, the regulations of the country and province apply: confirm with the official agency.
sources and references
Access, facilities and season information changes: check with the lodge, a local guide or the city hall before you travel.
- official Belize Fisheries Department — Turneffe Atoll Marine ReserveCreated Nov 22, 2012; co-management with TASA
- official Belize Fisheries Department — Fisheries RegulationsBonefish, tarpon and permit catch and release only; possession prohibited
- official CZMAI — Sport Fishing Program Unit (licença de pesca esportiva)