Belize Fishing Clothing Gear

[Guest Sundancefisher]

I am thinking of wading pants...good hat...bandana...flats wading boots...

 

Anyone know where to get these and what is the preferred brand/style?

 

Thanks.

 

Sun

[Guest bigbadbrent]

Simms and Patagonia are undoubtably (in my mind anyway, and every guy that i've ever talked to that fishes belize..) the best for down there.

 

swing by troutfitters, mike is leaving for belize at the end of the month, for an entire month, he's been going every year for over a decade..no one knows the place better up here then him

[Nick0Danger]

don't forget really good sunscreen, and moisturizer lots of it. Your hands will get caked really quickly. Oh and a camera.

[reevesr1]

Not to unsell any top of the line gear, but there are much more affordable options. I have some columbia knockoffs called Magellan (bought in Houston at a place called Academey) that have survived several seasons wading the Texas gulf coast. About as tough as it gets. I don't know how prices compare, but Columbia is BY FAR the most popular brand on the gulf coast. In the states, pants and a long sleeve shirt (which I highly recommend) will set you back 80 dollars or so. Ebay will have columbia for sure if you can't find it here.

[JMasson]

Pretty much any quick drying zip-off pant will do you just fine. I've spent many days fishing in the saltwater, both wading and from a boat, and I didn't wear Simms or Patagonia and I was just fine. Caught lots of fish and stayed cool and dry. The same goes for shirts, quick drying and breathable and you'll be set. A good hat and some REALLY good sunscreen. I don't know if you can find it up here but I used to get spf 75 when I fished in Florida. If you can find a good pair of wading shoes you'll be sitting pretty. Having said that most of my wading in Florida was done with an old pair of Nike sneakers and they worked just fine for me. If you're fishing from a boat a pair of sandals or the same old sneakers will be just fine. If you're fair skinned I would recommend picking up a pair of Glacier Sungloves to keep your hands from roasting.

 

Have a good time....oh and I used to live in Belize, my dad's family is from there and he just got back from visiting so I'm EXTREMELY jealous right now. Wish I was going. There's always next year though.

 

 

James

[Hawgstoppah]

Oh come on, save yourself a ton of dough and just get yourself a thong

[Hawgstoppah]

Oh and a LOT of sunscreen

[Nick0Danger]

Under armour, makes fishing apperal now. Never tried the fishing stuff, but its great under goalie gear, and the best baseball pants ever.

[reevesr1]

Having said that most of my wading in Florida was done with an old pair of Nike sneakers and they worked just fine for me. If you're fishing from a boat a pair of sandals or the same old sneakers will be just fine. If you're fair skinned I would recommend picking up a pair of Glacier Sungloves to keep your hands from roasting.

 

 

James

 

I fished in sneakers until well into my 30s, when I finally switched to neoprene booties (sneakers wear out too fast). I always just got the cheapest ones. Doesn't seem to matter. If I was fishing in Sting Ray country, I would wear ray guards, but they are heavy and a PITA.

 

My bet is the under armor stuff will be sweet. My other bet is it will be pricey!!

[monger]

I pity any sting ray that ends up under the great bulktitude that is Sundancefisher. Hopefully the substrate is soft enough for the shark to escape.

[headscan]

My bet is the under armor stuff will be sweet. My other bet is it will be pricey!!

 

If it's just the lightweight moisture wicking stuff you're after MEC carries some that is dirt cheap. Most of that stuff (UnderArmour, Nike Dri-fit, etc) is pretty much the same and a lot of it is probably all made at the same factory just like Polar Fleece. I bought some from MEC last year and it works as well as the Nike Dri-fit at almost half the price.

[kipper]

I am thinking of wading pants...good hat...bandana...flats wading boots...

 

Anyone know where to get these and what is the preferred brand/style?

 

Thanks.

 

Sun

Why are you going to Belize?( I mean besides the warm weather ). Is there not good bone fishing off the Florida coasts? Is our dollar worth more in Belize? Just wunderin why a person would want to go there...umm mayhaps the fishin' is better on the udder side?

[annapolis]

When I was fishing in Honduras in the summer, I had a pair of board shorts, sunglasses, sunscreen and a smile, that's all you need. I found the humidity extremely overwhelming, it was so hot. The fishing will be amazing and you won't need lots of clothes. I ended up taking a small duffle bag for 8 days and I didn't wear half of the stuff.

 

As to why a person would go further south than Florida, I like to experience different cultures when on vacation so the extra money is well spent in my opinion.

 

Cheers

[megalops]

I like the ex-offico contvertible pants - generally wear them as shorts in the morning or for wading and then as pants in the afternoon or in the boat. I like to have my very white legs covered in the afternoon sun.

 

If you are going to be doing alot of wading the Patagonia Marle Walkers are great, and I think that Simms has a pair out this year that look pretty good. For light wading I wear the Orvis flats booties - they are slip on neoprene boots with a hard sole. I keep them in my boat bag and slip them on when needed as they tend to get really hot if you are going to wear them for an extended period out of the water. In the boat and for really quick wading trips I wear the Simms deck sandals, which are great. Whatever you use, wear a pair of socks underneath as they will help keep some of the sand from rubbing too much. Don't plan on keeping the socks after a week of wading.

 

For hats, use something lightweight, not any of the heavier cotton baseball hats you might wear here. Bring an extra hat and keep it in your boat bag. I don't like the extra large brimmed hats or the hats with the neck covering. It is a lot harder to hear your guide with one of the hats with the neck/ear coverings. I don't bother with bandanas/buffs or sun-gloves but I am aware of people who swear by them.

[JMasson]

Why are you going to Belize?( I mean besides the warm weather ). Is there not good bone fishing off the Florida coasts? Is our dollar worth more in Belize? Just wunderin why a person would want to go there...umm mayhaps the fishin' is better on the udder side?

 

The bones in Florida don't compare to the bones in Belize. Other than Islamorada you won't find bonefishing nearly as good as Belize in Florida. Also, Islamorada is EXPENSIVE to fish, unless you have your own boat and know the waters very well. The guides in Islamorada make a killing off tourists. And yes, the Canadian dollar is worth waaaay more than the Belize dollar making it an ideal place to travel.

[Guest Sundancefisher]

The bones in Florida don't compare to the bones in Belize. Other than Islamorada you won't find bonefishing nearly as good as Belize in Florida. Also, Islamorada is EXPENSIVE to fish, unless you have your own boat and know the waters very well. The guides in Islamorada make a killing off tourists. And yes, the Canadian dollar is worth waaaay more than the Belize dollar making it an ideal place to travel.

 

Cool tips all.

 

Thanks.

[flyangler]

Along with keeping the sun off your bod, don't forget the high spf lip balm. Remember though, Consumer Reports says that any product that states spf over 30 is pretty much hype. I prefer clothing to sunscreens anyway.

 

Also, if you wear a ball cap instead of a hat that shades your neck, ears and lower face, remember to put sunscreen on those areas. Rit, the dye company, makes a sunblocking product that you can wash into any fabric, increasing it's spf. You can order it online. You can get burnt through clothing, like a white t-shirt, especially if it's wet. The treatment lasts through quite a few washings, according to the package. So you just wash the favorite fishing shirts and pants that you already have in this stuff and hit the flats.

 

Even shade is relative. I recently got burnt after 90 minutes in the "full" shade of palm trees. Now I have the outline of a book on my belly. Nice!

[Guest Sundancefisher]

Along with keeping the sun off your bod, don't forget the high spf lip balm. Remember though, Consumer Reports says that any product that states spf over 30 is pretty much hype. I prefer clothing to sunscreens anyway.

 

Also, if you wear a ball cap instead of a hat that shades your neck, ears and lower face, remember to put sunscreen on those areas. Rit, the dye company, makes a sunblocking product that you can wash into any fabric, increasing it's spf. You can order it online. You can get burnt through clothing, like a white t-shirt, especially if it's wet. The treatment lasts through quite a few washings, according to the package. So you just wash the favorite fishing shirts and pants that you already have in this stuff and hit the flats.

 

Even shade is relative. I recently got burnt after 90 minutes in the "full" shade of palm trees. Now I have the outline of a book on my belly. Nice!

 

Very good points. Lips are horrible to burn.

 

I was body surfing off Huntington Beach in Califoria in mid August. I picked up some boards for my kids and when I got to the water they were already in getting smashed by the waves. I quickly went out and forgot to get sunscreen on. Needless to say 2 HOURS later. I was in very bad shape. Worst burn ever. I will NOT be doing that again :-)

 

I will always put sunscreen on before leaving the room and reapply liberally while fishing.

 

Cheers.

 

Sun