Belize: Ambergris Caye and Turneffe Atoll Fishing Guide

Belize offers flats fishing for the 'grand slam' - bonefish, permit and tarpon - plus reef fishing just past the barrier reef. Ambergris Caye's north end has lodges and flats, while Turneffe Atoll has lagoons, creeks and mangrove flats. By law, bonefish, permit and tarpon must be released.

📍 San Pedro and northern Ambergris Caye; Hol Chan Marine Reserve; Turneffe Atoll, about 20 miles east of Belize City

Map: spots, ramps and marinas

★ Fishing hot spot · ● Boat ramp · ● Marina · ▭ Protected area (solid red = no fishing, dashed = fishing with rules)

Open the full Mexican Caribbean & Belize map →

Quick facts

Belize made bonefish, permit and tarpon catch-and-release only by law (Cabinet approval announced September 2008).
Turneffe Atoll is about 30 miles long and 10 miles wide, with more than 150 mangrove cayes, and is called the largest true atoll in the Mesoamerican Reef.
Turneffe Atoll was declared a national marine reserve on 22 November 2012; the managed area covers about 1,317 square km.
Hol Chan Marine Reserve, off southern Ambergris Caye, was set up in 1987; fishing is banned in Zone A (the Hol Chan Cut).
Turneffe has been known since the 1970s as a top Caribbean spot for bonefish, tarpon and permit.

What you can catch

Bonefish
Year-round; catch-and-release only by law.
Permit
Year-round; best March through August. Catch-and-release only.
Tarpon
Migratory fish mid-April to October, peak June-August. Catch-and-release only.
Snook
Coastal mangroves and rivers.
Barracuda
Flats and reef; a fun fish on fly or spin.
Jacks
Just past the reef and on the flats.
Snapper and grouper
Reef fishing outside the barrier reef.
Sailfish and marlin
Further offshore.

Month by month

January	Bonefish daily; highest risk of windy northern fronts.
February	Fronts drop off by mid-month; permit improve.
March	Start of the best permit period; tarpon start moving.
April	Calm, dry; good permit; migratory tarpon arrive.
May	Hot and dry; permit and tarpon both reliable.
June	Rainy season starts (short storms); prime grand slam month.
July	Among the best months; hurricane risk.
August	A favorite for grand slams; hurricane risk.
September	Migratory tarpon mostly gone by mid-month; permit still good.
October	Big tides can flood flats; resident tarpon possible.
November	Calm spells good for permit; bonefish reliable.
December	Good if weather is calm; fronts possible.

Tips

Buy your sport fishing license online from the Coastal Zone Management Authority before you go, or have your guide get it.
Keep bonefish, permit and tarpon in the water, support them level, and release them right away.
Use barbless hooks and don't drag out the fight.
Plan around fronts: mid-February to August is the most steady weather for flats fishing.
Don't fish in Hol Chan Zone A - it is a no-fishing area.

Rules and license

Belize Fisheries Department / Coastal Zone Management Authority and Institute (CZMAI) Sport Fishing Program · Official rules page ↗

Bonefish, tarpon and permit are protected under S.I. 114 and may only be caught for catch-and-release.
Catch-and-release means releasing the fish right away, in the water, in the same condition it was caught.
A sport fishing license is required; it is run by CZMAI under S.I. 115 and sold online at apps.coastalzonebelize.org. One-year licenses are only for permanent residents.
Hol Chan Marine Reserve: no fishing in Zone A; sport fishing with a license allowed in Zones B and C; parts of Zone D (Shark Ray Alley) allow licensed fishing.
CZMAI contact: (501) 223-5739, info@coastalzonebelize.org.

Rules change. Always check the official page before you fish.

Boat ramps and marinas

The map above shows 1 boat ramps and 2 marinas from OpenStreetMap. Tap any dot for directions.

Caye Chapel Marina
Radisson Fort George Marina

Sources

Checked October 2026. BigJoe does not invent facts: every number on this page comes from the sources listed above.