I've never gone fishing in my life, but after reading some of CaptJeff's posts here, I would really like to learn how. Can anyone recommend a "starter course" for an inexperienced fisherperson? Would Capt. Bicho be too far advanced for a beginner? Would bone fishing be a better start than fishing out on the high seas (I'm afraid I might get seasick if out too long on a boat).
I'll be in AC the third week of April....can't wait!! If I charter a boat, would they pick me up at the resort (Portofino), or would I have to travel into town to meet them?
Thanks for any suggestions. Sounds like there must be something really fun about fishing...
Susan (from Pittsburgh....no fishing here)
Susan, I do not fish much, but live with a family of fishermen. One thing I know, any true fisherman, is more than thrilled to teach a new person to fish, so they can talk and talk fishing.
snoopycat, i went fishing with capt. bicho and his fishingsanpedro.com group four times just last week.he brings the fishing gear, baits your hook and takes the fish off. if you snag a rig he puts one on right away. they are perfect for you and will make you feel like an expert. i was lucky enough to get some tips from capt. bicho as well as capt.jeff on a few trips. we caught so much fish we gave some away! my friend kevin likes to bring his own poles and rigs and do his own thing and he thought the fishing was fantastic. they have a large twin engine boat that is very fast and safe. skip the lessons at home and go with capt. bicho and you will be sure to have a beach b.b.q like we had ,eating your own fish! good luck- sean from n.j
Thanks, Chloe and Sean. Maybe I will look up Capt. Bicho if I won't be embarassed by my lack of fishing experience. Hope I won't ask him too many stupid questions.
The beach BBQ sounds fantastic. Even if I don't enjoy fishing, I know I'll enjoy eating fresh fish (yum).
Thanks again,
Susan
snoopycat .capt bicho fishingsanpedro.com is a expert at teaching fishing ,when you go with him he will show you all you need to know ,and catch fish after fish ,,fish the calm water inside of the reef. bone fishing is a little to fast to learn quick in a day but can be done .but try the reef.it is a charm ,you will get some skill in five min,as they are in vast numbers and the crew will do it all for you .... they bait your hook for you .take off your fish the hook , pamper you with service as the mate works for tips he will treat you like royality and at the end of the day clean the fish for super filet dinner that eve.or the next five eve..if you make snorkel stops he will go in the water with you showing you the sights and fish feeding he is a your snorkel buddy and guide this is a great day on the water ..with no stress ..plus if you take there famous all you can eat beach bbq feast you will have home made food ,cooked that day and bbq cooked on the beach right infront of you .as bicho is a true chef as well as capt and guide ..this is the best value in sanpedro first class for a lot less like 60% less then it would cost in the states . do this trip and you too will rave about bicho and his team as others have posted on this board.. and most never fished in there lives ,,and now they are hooked !!no pun ment .do not miss the boat ,try this but book quick as they are very busy go to fishingsanpedro.com and you will see the photos of the happy people faces ..there memories they have are priceless .. and yes they pick you and bring you back !!!!!!!! go live the dream and enjoy ..
Thanks, Capt Jeff. I'm going to fishingsanpedro.com right now. It's good to get this recommendation from the "expert" on this board.
Just think, a month from now and I'll be telling fish stories with the best of them!!
Thanks again,
Susan
snoppy great go e mail him to get a date for your special day I will call him when you book to give you very/very special fishing instruction he will show you a great time .... you can buy some fish stories from pedro 1 from pedro backpacker hotel in town he has some to sell or his twin brother paisano ask the board about him!!!! he is famous .. and he is always living the dream one way or the other let me know the date you have booked ..... you go enjoy ..
Capt. Jeff/Snoopycat...Great info. We are already booked with Capt. Bicho for 4/12 & 4/15(he originally was going to book us on Good Friday & Easter Sunday...that is until his wife reminded him about his family duties) I do not fish either (hubby does) and feel if anyone is going to make a fisherman out of me it would certainly be Capt. Bicho
Our two daughters will be going and trying to fish as well....I'm sure we'll be keeping Capt. Bicho busy.
Capt. Jeff...since you are so familiar with Capt. Bicho's boats...will four of us be able to fish with him and his mates? I'm afraid I may snag someone with one of my casts
What do you think? And of course we are going to enjoy his beach BBQ both times...can't wait
hey goody2shoes, 4 people will be no problem. we went out with four good sized adults and had plenty of room for us and capt.bicho and his mate!
have fun. bring a camera and don't eat too much so you have plenty of room for lunch on the beach!
ditto on what sean had to say about 4 people being just fine on the boat with bicho & son...no problem....and also about saving "room" for the bbq! (and be prepared to take home leftovers...bring a ziplock bag or two!)
snoopycat...
i wondered the same thing about being an inexperienced fisher...but you should have no worries on that score...i'm sure the "real" fishers love his charter ....but believe me...you won't feel any kind of pressure to perform...they make it REALLY simple for you...be prepared to catch your first fish...and second and third and fourth....
i love fishing (pretty much a newcomer to it) but the day we spent with him, i was just content to mostly take pictures and enjoy the non-stop action of the rest of them...i did manage to take a bit of time to throw a line or two and caught a few fish myself without any effort...
i just couldn't wait to go and EAT them all!!
have a great time...guaranteed!
Fish School... that is just toooo cute!
All above responses are correct Susan, you are gonna have a BLAST fishing and me thinks a life altering experience on Ambergris Caye ta boot!
Are ya ready???
I am totally jealous cause I can't go.
Have a great trip!
goody no sweat ,you get ,bicho jr his mate and snorkel/dive buddy if you make a stop for that .. plus the famous capt bicho ,so thats six in total two crew for 4 people you get wonderful service ..pretty cool .they will do it all for you .bait your hook take your fish off ,cook for you ..clean all your fish to take to your hotel ,or what have you to eat at night. most times on the reef no casting is needed .or they wiil cast it out for youy, if needed you just have fun !!!!! sun .walm waters to snorkel in .relax ,and take it all in this is your special day or days .life is to short .live the dream as much as you can for as long as you can ..enjoy
Thanks everyone for the helpful responses and words of encouragement to a beginner.
I just sent an email to Captain Bicho to arrange a half-day fishing and BBQ lunch on my husband's birthday! Sounds like the perfect gift. And maybe I'll buy him a few fish stories if I can hook up with Pedro1
Thanks again....Hope to see you in AC!
susan great ,you will have a great time ..as for pedro #1 make sure you buy him a beer that keeps him mellow ,will speak to capt bicho for you ..
Hi Capt. Jeff. I just received an email from Capt. Bicho. How nice of him to respond so quickly!
Unfortuately, Capt. Bicho does not do half-day fishing combined with the BBQ lunch.
The lunch comes only with the full-day, which starts at 8:00 a.m. (too early for vacation....my hubby and I get up at 5:00 a.m. every day for work and will want to use this week to sleep in)
Maybe once we get to Portofino, they will be able to arrange a half-day fishing and beach lunch for us? I know we won't be getting the best fishing experience, but, being beginners, I don't think we would even know the difference!
I am so looking forward to a week of much-needed rest and relaxation on AC...and catching up on ZZZZ's is a big part of my agenda.
Thanks for your help. Hope to see you on AC!!
Susan
I could be wrong, but I've never known anyone to offer 1/2 day trip combined with BBQ....the time it takes to prepare & cleanup just does not lend itself, IMHO, to doing this. I know if I were a guide, I'd only do the full day thing too....you can;t do it right in 1/2 day.
Time is $$.
snoopycat...
i think klcman is probably right on that issue...by the time lunch is done, there's really only a couple of hours left to do a bit of snorkeling before the trip home. i really recommend that you re-consider and do the full day...if price is an object...maybe you could share the cost by finding another couple to come along...that's what we did...it was perfect and it seems that lots of people are looking to hook up to share charters.
regarding sleeping in and getting enough rest on vacations...unless you are into late nights, bar hopping & partying...you just might find, as we did, that getting up with the sun (or earlier) is the best part of each day. we are very early risers...so we naturally go to bed pretty early too. it wasn't hard to get out of bed each morning to greet the sun and take advantage of every precious sunlit hour we could.
the day with bicho was very full...and our most memorable day of the trip...we made up for the activity by turning in early that night...and we also found many opportunities to take short "cat naps" between other plans...nothing like catching a few winks in the shade of a palm tree with the wind and surf to lull you to sleep for a time...
despite all we managed to see and do in 10 days, we never felt exhausted and returned home feeling very refreshed.
i guess i'd just hate to see you miss out on one of the best adventures of a trip to AC because you think sleeping in past 8 one day would be more fun!!
Thanks, Mikell. I also enjoy cat-napping under a palm tree after the rum-punch lunch. It's hubby that likes to sleep in late when we visit the islands. I usually have a 1-mile walk and few dips in the ocean before he even wakes up!!
I was hoping to do the fishing trip as a birthday present for him. When I told him he would have to get up and out by 8:00 a.m., he just grumbled
. I might try to schedule another day, and try to think of another birthday gift.
The cost is a concern, too. If there is another couple out there that wants to share a full-day fishing charter the week of April 19, please let me know. We're staying North (Portofino)...and I promise hubby will stop grumbling by 10:00 a.m. If not, we toss him overboard
Susan
Snoopycat...that's what I was going to suggest. If you were to pair up with another couple...the other going in the am and you going in the pm and then all partaking in his wonderful BBQ it may work out for you. I've corresponded with Capt. Bicho and he is the most accommodating man I know...of course he's due his $$$ and very much worth it.Throw in a bigger tip and it should be a go
How about those like Mikell who have been with Capt. Bicho, would this work out...he could drop the first crew and take the other half...it all adds up to a day and everyone wins
not sure that idea would work too well...at least not if the fishing is anywhere near where the beach bbq is...at the south end of AC...having to travel up to portofino to pick up another couple could take some time before lunch...and the fish caught in the morning is what you'll be having for lunch...takes time to catch, clean and cook...seems like you'd pretty much have to be involved in the morning fishing to take part in the lunch.
a better idea might be to see if bicho is willing to start a bit later in the morning...maybe at 9? don't know if this is something he'd consider...but you could ask.
from the sounds of it...your husband isn't too thrilled with the whole idea...and since it's HIS birthday present...maybe you better go with an idea that excites him...don't think i'd want to be dragged along on a trip i wasn't keen on for my birthday, even tho we ALL think he'll love it! you still have time to have him read all the trip reports on this board about a day with bicho!!
too bad it isn't YOUR birthday...then he'd have to grin and bear it!!
if you are still keen to do it sometime during your trip...keep posting and asking...i'll bet you'll find a taker here!
Snoopycat...I'm one that really enjoys sleeping in while hubby gets up 5am
However, whenever we go away somewhere tropical...somehow I always seem to wake up with the sun and go to bed much earlier than usual. It must be the salt air...or just wanting to, as Mikell says, wake up with the sun in order to enjoy every last beautiful minute of it
So...perhaps you'll find that hubby will wake up in time to experience the fishing and infamous BBQ that Capt. Bicho is so well known for.
bicho will do anything you want . just let him know in advance ..
Captain Jeff is so right...
I just received great news from Captain Bicho! He is going to arrange a custom-tailored half-day fishing, beach BBQ, snorkling birthday tour. We will be going on Captain Bicho's second boat with Captain Charlie, and are able to arrange our own times. What a nice person Captain Bicho is to accommodate us.
Even hubby is happy with this :p He gets to sleep in and learn to fish all in the same day!!
I am so excited. I haven't even arrived and already starting to love the people of AC. Thanks to everyone here who helped me get this together.
sounds wonderful...
he's the best...you'll have a great time no doubt! hope you'll take notes/pictures and post a report later.
The epitomy of customer service.........perhaps he could start a NEW career in training
I can't find a big enough smiley-face icon to show how happy I am.
Multipy this
times 100.
Only 21 days away from paradise!!!
Thanks all,
Susan
how about this........
Yes, KLC...that's it exactly!! Just got to get me some pink glasses now.