Heading to San Pedro, Belize for 17 days in May. I'm going to be bringing a spin outfit for bones, tarpon, and whatever else will open it's mouth. My flyfishing skills are horrid so I will stick with the spinning outfit.


Anyway can anyone recommend some specfic lures/rigging for the spinning rod that perhaps give me a chance to hook a bonefish and some lures for tarpon as well?

Thanks for any replies.

BD

I've fished Tarpon and Permit in the key's with blue crabs. side hooked through shell with2/0 circle hook and free drift in the current. Have not tried lures or fly fishing on the flats. You can try http://www.floridasportsman.com and look in their rigging section. The also have a BB with some good ( friendly) people. have fun!!!

bring feather or rubber jigs and rapala's. i use a 12-20 9'6" rapala rod built for backbouncing and it works fine. spinning outfits are just fine for bones and can be better than fly fishing for them.. often like someone allready said , casting shrimp or crabs...
i trade steelhead marabou jigs to some fishermen in costa rica that use them for snook and wahoo and many other species both in the rivers and the open water. they say that they are the secret weapon (white for the color)

I second Lupo. The spinning gear will be fine for bones. I would go with 6 or 8-pound test line. And be sure you have a reel with a VERY smooth drag. They will take 30 to 100 yards of line in a heartbeat. On the first run go with a very lose drag and do not try to stop or turn them, just let them go and enjoy the run, it's one of the most exciting thing I have ever experienced. Bring small weights as you can easily spook bones in skinny water. Best bets for bones are shrimp, crabs and small flies. Your guide should have all the terminal gear you need, but don't count on it.

For tarpon you can go with a rod designed for 20-30 lb test line. Tarpon will take jigs in an assortment of colors and they love plugs both top water and sub surface. Be sure you have very solid hook and go with a shock tippet in the 80-pound test range. The tarpon has very sharp edges on its gill plates that can sever a 20 lb tippet in a heartbeat.

Ironhead, Lupo, & Dave:

Thanks for the great info. I have plenty of maribou steelhead jigs to try. I'll probably be adding some DOA soft plastic jigs to my arsenal. Watched a show Sunday morning and couple of guys were just slaying snooks in the Everglades with them.

Bringing some small bait/crab setups is going to be my back up plan for the bones.

I'll be bringing my Lammi Certified PRO X 96 JS, "Dave Vedder" special and combining it with a Stradic 2000 or 4000 spin reels, 30# braid.

I plan on taking some photos and hopefully I'll figure out how to edit them to compatible size for the board.

Thanks,



BD

I just spent two weeks in San Pedro chasing bones with the fly. The fish down there are not the big boys you'd find at other places around the world. 1-3 pound bones are what you'll be chasing so you can go with lighter line which will help you cast smaller offerings. 8 lb would be the heaviest I would use, 6 being a better choice for the bones. Tie some small white jigs with maybe a bit of orange in them. The fish I caught over grassy bottoms liked something greenish or a darker tan and when I was fishing over sand the patterns needed to be very light in color. White with a bit of copper. Learn how to tie on a shock tippet for the tarpon or you won't be fighting them very long.

I caught snook and tarpon also but that required the use of a boat which I did have access to.
You could email me if you've never been there before and I can give you an idea of what to expect in that wonderful little town.
The guide that I know down there fishes quite a bit with spinning gear so I could give you his contact info. It would be money well spent going with a guide early in your vaction.
Dave

Another idea is to buy a casting bubble...they are clear and you fill them with water to adjust how far you want it to sink. You could then use conventional bone flies.
Go see Jimmy at Patricks Fly Shop on Eastlake....he knows his stuff.
Dave
good luck!