Rising Tide Mothership – Belize Permit Fly Fishing: If you boil it down, Permit fishing is a game of opportunities. The more opportunities you get, the more likely you are to hook and land fish. The world’s greatest Permit fisheries and destinations are not acclaimed because their fish are necessarily dumber or easier to catch. They are Permit and they act the way they do because of a natural behavioral evolution where the pressure of humanity as fisherman, commercial and sport, has enjoyed a very brief, marginal influence. The reason certain locations in the world have become synonymous with catching Permit on the fly is simply due to one fact – under the right conditions, they are high volume opportunity fisheries. The series of cays, flats, reef and tidal channels off the coast of central Belize where the Rising Tide Mothership strategically operates, is one of these destinations and the fishing program they have cultivated over the last 30 years is designed to take advantage and maximize any and all Permit opportunities.
Spacious and Comfortable Accommodations
The Rising Tide is a 58’ Hatteras wide-body Motoryacht. This fully air-conditioned mothership provides spacious living conditions consisting of three staterooms (including one queen and five twin beds) with three bathrooms (including three showers and a bathtub), a great room with comfortable chairs/sofa and dinner table, and a covered aft deck with bar/sink/icemaker and seating area. It is able to accommodate up to six total anglers but is most ideal for a smaller, private group of four or five. There are up to three pangas and guides available per trip which is very well suited to a group of five or less anglers with some single fishing opportunities. Captain Dean, who built the Rising Tide and has personally run the operation since its inception in 1990, oversees the whole enterprise while also guiding on a daily basis. His vast experience and knowledge is the cornerstone of why this fishing operation is so unique and successful.
Location, Location, Location
What sets the Rising Tide apart from many of its counterparts in the Permit fishing world are two items in particular – location and schedule. Belize is an infamous flats fishing destination with a particular emphasis on Permit. These notoriously finicky, shy and uncooperative fish have tremendous resident and seasonal populations up and down Belize’s varied and intimate coastline, cays and reefs. The success of a fishing excursion is immediately predicated on location and the Rising Tide has carved out a very unique and special part of this vast, storied fishery. The central coast of Belize (south of Belize City and north of Dangriga), sees very little fishing pressure as compared to other parts of the country. It lies in a perfect position just out of running distance from other operations and nestled between the ideal combination of Permit habitat: a series mangrove covered cays, turtle grass pancake flats and undisturbed reef. This expansive fishing area is where the Rising Tide calls home and operates most of its annual schedule; a strategic decision and program cultivated by Captain Dean that provides the best possible opportunity to target fresh Permit, undisturbed by pressure in an otherwise very competitive landscape. It is not uncommon to go a whole week of fishing without seeing a panga or guide from another outfit.
Fish the Best Hours & Tides
The schedule of the Rising Tide is entirely adaptable and customizable based on the angler’s interests and expectations, however; if there is interest in spending as much time on the flats as possible, this program is unrivaled in the flats fishing world. Each day begins with a quick cup of coffee on the bow while the sun rises in the east. Within a few minutes, you are in a panga, making a short run (5-10 minutes) to a flat in hopes of finding a low light, low wind push or tailing fish. Two to three hours later, everyone returns to the mothership for a hearty breakfast and within 45 minutes, you are back on the flats poling for fish. Three to four hours later, and in need of a timely break from the sun, you are back in the air conditioned mothership for a replenishing lunch and beer. Depending on the fishing and tides, there is opportunity to fit in a post lunch siesta or it’s right back out to the flats for the third and final chapter – fishing until the sun sets in the west, usually providing some of the most stunning and dramatic visual displays of sunlight, color, clouds and mountainous layering. These stunning scenes and the accompanied Belikins quickly become one the highlights of every trip. Between this extensive fishing schedule and the flexibility of a mothership based operation where daily runs to the flats max out at 20 minutes and usually average closer to 5 minutes, the time spent actually fishing is remarkable. All in all, it is not uncommon for anglers to be on the bow and guides poling for upwards of 10 to 11 hours in a single fishing day. Talk about creating opportunities!
Flexible and Adaptable
The Rising Tide is not just a Permit fishing operation. The name of the game is flexibility and adaptability based on the angler’s interests, experience and expectations. They offer a wide range of fishing opportunities that include targeting large, migratory tarpon during the season or doing a “species” program where a wide variety of fish are pursued – Bonefish, Tarpon, Snook, Barracuda, etc… Whether you are a dedicated and obsessed Permit junkie or a fishing focused angler looking to experience the breadth of Belize’s vast and flourishing fishing options – The Rising Tide provides the most flexible, efficient and private fishing program to increase opportunities and make the most out of your six days on the water.
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