Destination Travel
Belize
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What is a Mothership? A mothership simply put is a floating lodge that tows the skiffs behind the larger live aboard boats.
What is the advantage of a mothership trip? In Belize many of the most productive fishing spots are a good distance from the lodges. Using a mothership eliminates time spent running to and from these fishing spots by sleeping right beside them on live aboard boats. Fishing hours are also customized on these trips, we literally fish from dawn to dusk and sometimes throughout the night.
What about the food? The food on the mothership trips is some of the best food at a fishing destination we have seen in a long time. Both Mothership boats are equipped with full kitchens.
Once I am in Belize City how long until I am on the boats and moving? It takes 20 minutes until you are on the boats and moving.
Will I get seasick? All of the anchoring spots for the motherships are on the inside of the reef and protected, which means even in high winds the boats hardly move around.
What is the cost of the trip?$2400.00 is the price of the trip and that is for seven nights and six and a half days of fishing from dawn to dark.
Below is a testimonial from our 2004 trip:
Belize's Coastal Waters on a Mothership
By: David P. Prescott
April 19, 2004
"How big is that bonefish," I asked Martin as he removed the tan Crazy Charlie from its jaw. "About two pounds?"
"One and three-quarters," he replied, matter of factly. "Come on, Martin," I said, standing on the bow of his skiff, rod in hand, "can't you give me a quarter pound because I caught it on my own fly?" "One and three quarters," he affirmed. "Let's find another."
Martin is Martin McCord, owner of Belize Fishing Adventures and captain of Meca, a 45' "mothership" of his own design and construction. Meca, which sleeps four guests in two capacious air-conditioned staterooms and its 36' sister ship, Seaduction, sleeping two, and captained by Charles Westby, motor out of Belize City, Belize. I was invited to join five other fly rodders who had hired both ships through Mike Dawes of WorldCast Anglers Ltd., Wilson, Wyoming, for a week of tarpon, permit and bonefishing in late March, 2004. While my observations are limited to my experience on Meca, where I bunked, those who stayed on Seaduction would offer little that differs.
This is hard core fishing. We began each day with coffee at about 6:00 AM. By 6:15 we were in the skiffs, two anglers to a boat with one guide-Martin himself, Charles or Dean. We fished until about 9:30 AM then returned for a robust breakfast, typically fresh squeezed orange juice, fresh melon, papaya, or pineapple, scrambled eggs with onions and peppers, bacon or sausage, and pancakes, French toast or Johnny Cakes. One of our party began to call it "first lunch."
Back on the water at 10:30 AM until "second" lunch at about 2:30 PM. Another huge meal-homemade soups or stews that Meca cook Carol contrived each morning while we were chasing our piscatorial prey. Or pork chops. Or barbecued chicken. Papaya, watermelon, pineapple. And, of course, Belikin beer, the local Belize brew, which really hit the spot after several hours in the sun and fresh air. The crew ate after we finished our meal; we were back in the skiffs again by 3:30 PM, 4:00 PM at the latest.
Sometime between 6:45 PM and 7:30 PM, depending on whether we were sight fishing for permit or bonefish, or blind casting for tarpon, the fishing day ended and we returned to our respective motherships. A quick shower-both craft have ample shower spaces and plenty of hot water-followed by cocktails and dinner. As we had two boats, all of the guests gathered on Meca for cocktails and dinner while the crew (except for cook Carol) dined on Seaduction.
Carol outdid herself dinner after dinner. We had fresh snook; we had baked Caribbean lobster with garlic butter; we had Creole lobster casserole. We ate curried shrimp, conch, scalloped potatoes, baked cauliflower with cheddar cheese, Creole rice, carrot salad, green salad, Creole corn, homemade cheesecake, key lime pie and a variety of other sweets. Every meal was creatively prepared, attractively served and ravenously devoured. By 9:30 or 10:00 PM most of us were ready to begin dreaming of the next day's hook-ups.
The advantages of a mothership are, first, that you are never more than 15 or 20 minutes from your fishing site, whether it is a mangrove-covered cay where tarpon or snook are lurking, or a bonefish or permit flat. Such convenient access means more time fishing and less time traveling. Second, motherships can move to different waters to take advantage (or minimize the effects) of tides or winds.
Our first anchorage was at Long and Hick's Cays, about 90 minutes north and east of Belize City, generally protected from the northeast winds that marred the first few days of our trip. Typically, the first fishing session each day would be devoted to tarpon. During mid-day and late afternoon sessions, we poled the flats for bonefish until sunset, after which we blind cast for tarpon in deeper water with sinking lines. Later in the week, wanting to pursue permit, we moved both ships to Robinson Point, close to permit flats of extraordinary beauty and too numerous to count. The day before our departure, we anchored at Hen and Chickens, about 20 minutes by skiff from Belize City, so several of our party could make an early morning flight back to the States while the rest of us fished the nearby flats.
Martin has operated Belize Fishing Adventures since 1999 although he has been guiding since 1983. He told me that 80% of his business is repeat business, but that he is always looking for new clients. The price for the week-Saturday arrival, following Saturday departure-was a very reasonable $2400 per person (excluding airfare) plus a tip of between $250 and $300. That covered all expenses except hard liquor and wine (and those forbidden cigars).
Fly-fishing tackle is not available in Belize; so one must take everything one needs for the trip-in my case three rods: a 12 wt. for big tarpon, a 10 wt. for permit and an 8 wt. for bonefish and a variety of lines for each. No flies are available, but Belize Fishing Adventures will supply a list of recommended flies for each of the targeted species. Also, flyfishing for permit and bonefish often requires casting quickly and precisely-and sometimes fairly long distances-in the ever present wind. Unpracticed casters may encounter much frustration although the guides do their best to get as close as possible to one's quarry.
Weather is always factor when fishing in Belize. We had to deal with heavy rain and high winds during the first few days of our voyage. Consequently, we were unable to fish the east sides of the cays so our tarpon quests were severely limited. Many of the easily accessible bonefish flats were milky and unfishable causing us to have to work through shallow lagoons where wind was a constant factor. The crew did its best to find fish for us although the results were lower in number than a more typical week would provide, according to our guides.
Despite the poor weather, we did jump several tarpon, landed one snook (delicious for lunch), one permit and numerous bonefish. The last bonefish I caught was three pounds exactly. I had Dean weigh it!