Iguana Reef Inn - Caye Caulker, Belize

Deep-Sea Fishing Charter

The 52-foot "Sea Boots" fishing boat (pictured left) was chartered by Mark Holcombe, Nick Whitcombe and Chris Witmer, guests staying at the Iguana Reef Inn. Our host for the trip, Captain Tom, and his right-hand man Dwayne helped us aboard and we headed out for a day of deep-sea fishing. Update: The boat is now owned and operated by "Hustler Tours" with a new captain and crew.

About a mile or so beyond the barrier reef we decided to try trolling the ledge, a drop-off from the barrier reef to the deep blue. Larger fish are often found feeding in these waters, especially during tidal changes. We caught a number of barracudas in the 10-15 pound range. A good warm-up, but bigger fish is what we were seeking. After 30 minutes or so we decided to head to the Turneffe Atoll, a small reef system with a handful of islands about 20 miles east of Caye Caulker. We trolled along the way, just catching a few more barracudas.

The ride out was very comfortable - "Hustler Tours" deep-sea fishing boat is spacious with plenty of padded seats and well-supplied with beverages. Pictured right are Chris and Nick hanging out on the flying bridge. Below left is a shot of the 4-chair deck area with six lines in the water at all times. Captain Tom definitely runs a class act. He and Dwayne (a tireless worker) cater to your every need, all you have to worry about is sitting in one of the four chairs when a fish hits and reeling in the fish. If you're a novice, like our group, Tom and Dwayne provide basic instruction on the proper technique. This proved to be very important later when we had to wrestle some bigger fish.

It was about 10:30 or so when we arrived at Tom's hot spot at Turneffe for catching Wahoo. Tom was dead on, in a matter of moments we had one on the line, of course we didn't know that at the time. At that point in time we had three fish on the lines at the same time. We suspected something was up when we reeled in two barracudas within 5 minutes and the other fish wasn't even close. It was clearly a better fighter than the barracudas. This is where the technique paid off, because this fish fought to the bitter end. Finally, after about 20-25 minutes of reeling and letting the fish run and reeling in some more, we landed about a 35 pound (4-plus foot long) Wahoo. It was a rush, albeit a tiring one.

If that was the only big fish we caught we probably would have been happy. But Tom had a good feeling about the area so he continued trolling the waters. In a matter of minutes there was another "fish on" as they say. Chris took the pole and landed the next Wahoo and in record time (for our group). He clearly had the technique down. It was the largest Wahoo we caught (39 pounds) and it was on board in less than 20 minutes. We kept trolling and, shortly thereafter, another "fish on". This time Mark was in the hot seat because he was the only one down on the deck. I have to add that Mark was seasick all day so the last thing he needed was to fight a Wahoo. Sure enough, just his luck, another Wahoo. After another 20-25 minute struggle he did manage to haul the fish in. I've never seen anyone more determined and when he was finished his biceps were history.

We caught one more Wahoo (the photo to the right is a great shot of Nick in action) and had to take a break for lunch. We anchored just off the reef at Turneffe. Everyone jumped in the water for a dip and a little snorkeling while Tom and Dwayne prepared lunch. They laid out a good spread of sandwiches, salad, chips and pineapple. Just enough to re-energize. After eating, everyone posed with their prizes. From left to right is Mark (the upside down fish is appropriate considering how Mark felt all day), Chris, Captain Tom and Nick. These fish are almost as difficult to hold for photo ops as they are to catch.

After about an hour break we headed back to Caye Caulker, trolling the deep waters along the way. The afternoon was uneventful, just landing a couple more barracudas. By no means were we disappointed, though. The late morning action was plenty for three guys for one day. The lack of activity provided Dwayne enough time to clean, filet and steak the Wahoos. Another one of the quality services offered by Captain Tom. About 4:00 we reached the north Caye Caulker cut, thanked Tom and Dwayne, grabbed about 70 pounds of Wahoo steaks and headed back to the Iguana Reef Inn. Wahoo steaks were the special of the night at the Sand Box restaurant, thanks to Mark, Chris and Nick. Our thanks to Captain Tom and Dwayne for a great day of fishing. If fishing is on your Belize itinerary you can't go wrong with this charter.