Fishing in San Pedro

San Pedro sits halfway down the island of Ambergris Caye on the edge of the Caribbean’s second-largest barrier reef. It’s a laid-back island town with a serious fishing engine behind the smiles: the reef runs parallel to the beach just offshore, the back-side lagoons are laced with mangroves and turtle-grass, and blue water drops off to oceanic depths a short boat ride away. Compared to other Caribbean hubs, the distances here are tiny—long runs aren’t required—so you can sneak in a flats session at sunrise, jump the reef for snapper at lunch, and still be back in time for a sunset stroll down Barrier Reef Drive. Fishing and tourism are two most important industries in San Pedro, and one doesn’t come very far from the other. There are many reasons to visit San Pedro - the carnival, the beaches, snorkeling and scuba diving, but fishing comes first. It is said that one who doesn’t know how to fish can't be a true “San Pedrano”, so if fishing is your passion, come over - you'll feel at home, if not in paradise!

Inside the reef, the water is gin-clear and mostly skinny. Sand and turtle-grass flats stretch for miles in one to four feet of water, broken by mangrove channels six to twelve feet deep that tarpon and snook use like highways. On calm mornings you’ll see wakes and tailing fish along the lee-side lagoons north toward Bacalar Chico and south beyond Boca Ciega; these protected shallows are tailor-made for poling skiffs and sight-casting. Right on the reef line, the bottom steps from patchy coral gardens into ledges and spur-and-groove structure. Patch reefs and coral heads sit in roughly ten to forty feet of water, holding a buffet of reef species. Natural “cuts” through the barrier—like the Hol Chan cut—flush tide and bait between the lagoon and the open sea; those current seams stack fish and make for lively light-tackle action. From the town docks the reef is typically less than a mile away, so the run is measured in minutes. Outside the reef, the color shifts to cobalt and the wall begins to fall. Within a few miles the bottom drops hundreds to thousands of feet, and the same current lines that carry flyingfish and ballyhoo also carry big predators. On the right day you can troll along color changes and weedlines or run farther to offshore banks; ambitious crews may stretch day-trip range to atolls like Turneffe when conditions allow, but you don’t need to leave Ambergris to taste blue-water.

The flats are famous for bonefish —plentiful and eager year-round—along with moody, magnificent permitand seasonal tarpon that slide into the mangrove creeks and deeper flats in late spring through fall. Barracuda prowl every flat and channel, and snook appear in the backcountry, especially around mangrove points and shaded cuts. On the reef you’ll tangle with mangrove and mutton snapper, yellowtail, grouper, hogfish, jacks, cero mackerel, and toothy cudas. Outside the reef, mahi-mahi, wahoo, blackfin and yellowfin tuna, sailfish and the occasional marlin roam blue water when currents and seasons line up.

Flats fishing days are all about stealth and accuracy. Guides pole skiffs across shin-deep sand and turtle-grass, setting up short, quick casts. Fly anglers lean on small shrimp and crab patterns for bonefish and permit, with longer leaders and quiet presentations on breezy days; tarpon invite 9–11-weight rods and black-and-purple or tan streamers swung through channels on moving tide. Light-tackle anglers do just as well with jigheads and shrimp imitations for bones, small crabs for permit, and soft-plastic swimbaits for tarpon and snook. Over the reef, anchoring or slow-drifting cut bait and live pilchards produces steady snapper and grouper, while vertical jigs and bucktails pick off jacks and mackerel around coral heads and edges. Outside the reef, spread trolling with ballyhoo and skirted lures along rips and weedlines is the classic play; when tuna show, switching to live bait or run-and-gun casting turns the day electric.