September 23, 2026
On the Flats with Luis: Why Belize Is a Fly-Fishing Destination
Our Sea, Our Stories (Part 2)
The water is barely knee-deep and so clear it looks like it isn’t there at all. To most people standing on it, a Belizean flat looks empty. To Luis Acosta, fly fishing guide, it’s full of life.
Luis has been guiding for 16 years, poling skiffs across the flats of Ambergris Caye in search of what fly anglers travel across the world to chase: permit, bonefish, and tarpon… the “grand slam” that has made Belize one of the most storied fly-fishing destinations on the planet.
Belize isn’t the only country with flats. But it’s rare to find a coastline where the barrier reef, mangroves, and flats sit so close together, intertwining in a system that shelters hundreds of marine species and provides thousands of jobs for Belizeans.
But there’s a looming threat to losing all of this.
“There are a lot of flats here on the island that my father and grandfather used to fish,” Luis said. “Now I’m not able to go in there because there’s so much development, so much dredging that it blocks off the entrance to those lagoons.”
Unchecked development, mangrove clearing, and dredging continue to plague the island’s coastlines. The more this is allowed to happen, the farther fly-fishing guides must travel to find fishable water. For Luis, these hit close to home. His biggest concern is that his son won’t be able to carry on a job that has been done by his family for generations.
Watch Luis’ story in the video below.
