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| Vermilion Snapper |
For our second excursion we had planned on doing some snorkeling and more reef fishing. The day was nice and sunny but the wind made the water a bit rough for snorkeling. Our guide, Eisley suggested we try some deep sea fishing out beyond the shallow part of the barrier reef. We agreed and after a short stop to net some bait we sped off to deeper waters.
Eisley rigged up some sturdy boat rods and we began drifting with bait weighted on the bottom. Cynthia caught the first fish, an Almaco Jack. Nice fish! Pretty soon we all began catching some Vermilion Snapper, which was a new species for me. Cynthia and Dotty caught most of the Snappers. These were much bigger than the ones I caught on the previous two fishing trips.
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| My Wife Cynthia with an Almaco Jack (Jealous!) |
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| My Sister Dotty caught them three at a time! |
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| A Vermilion snapper with bite taken out of it by a shark! |
To my delight I had a great multi-species day. In the end I totaled four new species. The most awesome one was a big scary looking Green Moray Eel. Other species included a Striped Grunt and a Cottonwick Grunt.
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| Green Moray Eel |
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| Striped Grunt |
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| Cottowick Grunt |
Upon returning to our cabins we enjoyed a swim in the pool and some libations. For dinner that evening we had Snapper Francaise and Conch Ceviche. The fillets were rolled in flour, dipped in egg and fried in oil. These were served with a mango sauce for dipping. We rounded out the meal with a bottle of Cerros Beach Hibiscus Wine.
I only made one more attempt at fishing. The next day I got up at daybreak and headed out for a bit of shore fishing. I was awarded for my effort with a new species, a Yellowfin Mojarra, and a couple more Checkered Pufferfish. For these I used bits of raw shrimp on a #8 hook two feet below a bobber.
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| Yellowfin Mojarra |
We just loved Caye Cauker. The island is small and laid back. The locals were very friendly. Tours off island to other destinations are available, but we found enough to do locally. Suffice to say we are already planning our next trip to Belize!
A List Of Species Caught On My Most Recent Trip To Belize
- Schoolmaster Snapper Lutjanus apodus
- Yellowtail Snapper Ocyurus chrysurus
- Grey Snapper Lutjanus griseus
- Lane Snapper Lutjanus synagris
- Vermilion Snapper Rhomboplites aurorubens
- Green Moray Eel Gymnothorax funebris
- Checkered Puffer Sphoeroides spengleri
- Great Barracuda Sphyraena barracuda
- Striped Grunt Haemulon striatum
- Cottonwick Grunt Haemulon melanurum
- Yellowfin Mojarra Gerres cinereus
