Clothing & Gear
The answer is “good boots.”
Sorry. Jumping ahead here, answering the inevitable question of “What do I need to bring?”
So we could talk endlessly about the nuances of fly patterns… the best/brightest/shiniest of this year’s new gear… the attributes of the techiest in tech clothing… But let’s talk nuts and bolts stuff for a minute first.
The item you will be MOST grateful that you brought for your week at RPPC is a pair of good wading boots! You will be doing a LOT of walking/wading. Much on uneven surfaces and varied bottoms (some rock, some sand, some soft.) Neoprene booties WILL NOT SUFFICE. Perhaps for a day or two, but you REALLY want something with a solid sole and a bit of ankle support. You will also want a pair of neoprene wading socks to wear under your boots to keep sand, silt and small shells out. Nothing puts more of a damper on a week of wade fishing than beating up your feet on day one.
Our second bit of advice is do not overpack. And by that we mean DO NOT OVERPACK!!!!! Please limit your luggage to ONE duffel bag (or small suitcase) and your rod case/tubes and any backpack/sling bag you might have. We do not have room on our transfer skiff/vehicles for endless luggage. Nor do you need it.
What you WILL need at the camp are lightweight, quick drying clothes… Long sleeve shirts to protect you from the sun - sun shirts and sun hoodies are perfect… Hats, buffs and polarized glasses are a must. You will also be VERY glad to have a packable rain jacket (bring everywhere.) And having one warmer piece of clothing (zip up, hoodie, etc) for cooler nights (in the winter months) is smart.
If you’ve gotten this far in reading this site, chances are you’re already pretty far down the slippery slope of fly fishing and we don’t need to outline for you what appropriate rod/reel/line set ups are for bonefish, permit and tarpon. That said, we DID have some guests roll into Cayo Frances a year ago armed with Skagit lines and salmon flies. “You DO know you’re in Belize, right?” we queried.
In short, nine foot rods in 8, 9 and 10 weights will cover most everything you’ll be throwing at. Have a solid reel with a SEALED DRAG and line it with a weight forward floating line and a couple hundred yards of backing.
12lb and 16lb leaders and tippet will cover the bases for bonefish and permit. For tarpon, some folks run 9-10 feet of straight 40, 50 or 60lb fluoro… Some folks have complex algorithms for how they step down intricate hand tied amalgamations. However you roll. Having a set up for ‘cuda (wire leader) is smart. Having a set up to keep tight on a 20 lb permit as it wraps around coral heads racing back to the open ocean is also smart… if only such existed.
