FISHING 1.9

I still haven’t gone fishing, but I’m going tomorrow, and the events so far are a little story.

I told you about Mr. Bruce.  We figured that Bruce’s boat would be good for some exploration, and then it never came to pass.  Bruce did a little exploration on his own, and we have some hints that there may be BONEFISH and certainly tarpon and permit, and snook, etc., but Sr. Ric has no confirmed sightings yet.

Mr. Ed (Ed Van Riper), who I have referred to before as “Trooper Ed” because he is a retired Cal. Highway Patrol officer, came to me and said “wouldn’t it be nice to have a boat to explore the river?”  I agreed, of course.  He had found a boat, and would I examine it.  We went and looked, and it was about as close to a flats boat as I could hope for in a readymade boat. 

It is a “mini-bass” boat, 14 feet long, with a 30 hp Yamaha that will get it to planing if you only have a couple of people.  It is really a two person boat, but we could get three or four in it for river trips.  It has a big flat deck on the front which is perfect for fly-fishing.  (The chair, which would have been there for bass fishing, is disconnected and sitting in the passenger compartment where it could be hooked up at a lower level for a passenger.)  Anyway, I was ecstatic, and we agreed that we would split the cost.  (He is asking $4500 Belize, which is $2250, and we figure we might be able to get it for 2 grand US.  So, now, we need to try it out.  (would you buy a car without driving it??)

Mark, the owner, disappears.  I leave four or five messages on his answering machine and he doesn’t answer.  We go over there.  The boat is there, and he is not.  Eventually, after about THREE WEEKS,  I catch him at the market down town.

“I got all your messages and I was going to call you.  I’ve been very busy, with a business partner here in town, and we’ve been to Cancun, and Belize city, and Belmopan, and…etc. etc. etc.”  

“Ok,” says I.  “Do you still want to sell the boat?”

“Oh, yeah!”  Why don’t you come over tomorrow, and we’ll put it in the water.”

The next morning, early, Ed and I are over there.  He is not.  He went to the “Free Zone” where his business is, and will back in 20 minutes.  (this translates to an hour in Belize time.)

We are back in an hour.  He is looking under the hood of his truck.  (I.e. he is not working on the boat.)    The boat is in his back yard, on a trailer, facing a gate.  When we open the gate, we can hook up the trailer and take it to WATER. 

Unfortunately, there are two vehicles parked in front of the gate.  A 1983 Chrysler New Yorker, and a 1988 Chevrolet 2500 Pickup.  He doesn’t have the keys to either of these.  According to reliable sources, neither of them run. 

Of course, I can move them out from in front of the gate with the scout (which will probably move a Belizean house off of its foundation) but that might break the parking pin, etc, so I won’t do that.   So, anyway, we have a boat, immobilized inside the seller’s yard, and we are waiting while he gets the owners of the vehicles to send us keys.

Ed is looking for another boat.

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In the mean time, we are going fishing, tomorrow morning, at Bocalar Chico.  This is the big fishing destination for local fisherman.  Bocalar Chico is a channel which was dug by the Mayans to connect Chetumal Bay with the Caribbean.  (No kidding.) It is very narrow.  The south side of it is Belize, and the north side is Mexico.  It is full of fish, and the south side of it is Ambergris Caye (remember pronounced Key) and a great place to snorkel and dive.  So we are going out, armed with hand lines for fishing, masks for snorkeling, and food in case we don’t catch any fish.  (fat chance.)   Mr. Ed, Charlotte and I, Lester (our dive/fishing master) his son, and daughter in law, and a couple of boatmen.

So, finally, we are REALLY going to get to fish.  Belizean style.  We will take all the fish we catch and divide the up and live on them for weeks or months (according to Lester.)    We are going to camp out on the Caye for a night, so we are taking our Hamacas and a camp stove, and some canned goods.  It is really an adventure, and I’m really surprised that Mees Charlotte is willing to go.  But she is, and we will see how it turns out.  !!!!

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For all of you fishing fans, I have a treat (or a treatment, if you choose.)

Webshots is a website which has great photos for use as screensavers and background for your computer.  A couple of months ago, they tempted me with a set of free flyfishing views, and I bit.  I have not been sorry, but there is some food for thought in the views.  As I watch them I realize that they were selected for scenic beauty, and not because the fisherman had a prayer of catching a fish in the particular place he/she was fishing from. 

Never the less, the scenery is spectacular, and I invite you to share it with me.  The sampler is free, and the full resources of the website are available for $19.95.  There are lots of different sets of views, other than the fishing, but I’ve stuck with them sofar, partly because I’ve actually been to a number of the sites that are shown. (Like Yellowstone, or the “Secret Spot” which is on the South Platte below Cheeseman Dam.)

If you’re interested, the site is www.webshots.com and the shots I’m using are at www.webshots.com/photos/fieldstream.

You can choose to download a free Flyfishing sample at this location.  I’ve had a lot of fun looking at the shots, and figuring out where they really ought to be to catch fish (since they’re usually in the wrong place.)

There are lots of other breathtaking photos if you like.  Let me know if you have fun with the site.

Best,

Sr. ric