Permit Fishing off the point of Joe Taylor Creek, Belize
Garbutt’s Fishing Lodge, nestled in the traditional Belizean community of Punta Gorda, offers anglers unparalleled access to some of the world’s most productive permit fishing grounds. Situated at the point of Joe Taylor Creek, just minutes from the town center, the lodge provides an ideal home base for experiencing the rich fisheries of southern Belize.
Specializes in fly fishing for permit; other species are also available.
Punta Gorda enjoys a tropical climate, with warm temperatures and a distinct dry and rainy season, offering year-round fishing opportunities.
Focus on fly fishing, particularly for permit, with access to hundreds of flats within thirty minutes of the lodge.
Recognized as the capital of permit fishing within Belize, providing anglers with a high success rate in pursuing this elusive species.
Book now, get a quote, or chat with us about Belize fly fishing trips and packages!
Garbutt’s Fishing Lodge is renowned for its exceptional permit fishing. With access to numerous permit flats within a short boat ride, anglers can expect ample opportunities to target this prized species. The lodge’s experienced guides, including the esteemed Garbutt brothers—Scully, Oliver, and Eworth—bring over fifteen years of expertise, ensuring a rewarding fishing experience.
Accommodations and Staff
The lodge features six spacious, air-conditioned guest rooms, each equipped with two beds, private baths, hot showers, cable TV, wireless internet, and decks overlooking the Caribbean Sea. The main lodge houses the restaurant and the Grand Slam Bar, serving as the social hub where guests can enjoy Belizean home-cooked meals prepared by the Garbutt family. The communal dining experience fosters a family-like atmosphere, making guests feel right at home.
Garbutt’s Fishing Lodge 2025 – 2026 Rates
2025 Package Rates
Double Occupancy (2 per boat / 2 per room)
3 Nights / 2 Days of fishing – $1,550.00
4 Nights / 3 Days of fishing – $2,025.00
5 Nights / 4 Days of fishing – $2,500.00
6 Nights / 5 Days of fishing – $2,975.00
7 Nights / 6 Days of fishing – $3,450.00
Single Occupancy (1 per boat / 1 per room)
3 Nights / 2 Days of fishing – $2,180.00
4 Nights / 3 Days of fishing – $2,870.00
5 Nights / 4 Days of fishing – $3,560.00
6 Nights / 5 Days of fishing – $4,250.00
7 Nights / 6 Days of fishing – $4,940.00
Rates are in US$, and are subject to change
2026 Package Rates
Double Occupancy (2 per boat / 2 per room)
3 Nights / 2 Days of fishing – $1,625.00
4 Nights / 3 Days of fishing – $2,125.00
5 Nights / 4 Days of fishing – $2,625.00
6 Nights / 5 Days of fishing – $3,125.00
7 Nights / 6 Days of fishing – $3,625.00
Single Occupancy (1 per boat / 1 per room)
3 Nights / 2 Days of fishing – $2,300.00
4 Nights / 3 Days of fishing – $3,025.00
5 Nights / 4 Days of fishing – $3,750.00
6 Nights / 5 Days of fishing – $4,475.00
7 Nights / 6 Days of fishing – $5,200.00
*With daily flights to and from Belize City to Punta Gorda packages of any length can be arranged. Trips can start and end on any day of the week. Lastly, for those looking to build a custom package with time off the water while at Garbutt’s please contact us for details.
Included in package rates: accommodations in our comfortable, air-conditioned guest rooms; daily guided fishing trips with experienced guides; all meals featuring Belizean home-cooked cuisine; 9% Hotel tax and 12.5% Sales Tax; Domestic beverages (Beer, alcohol, and soda); Transfer from Punta Gorda airstrip to and from the lodge; Marine Park Entry fees.
Not included in rate: Round trip international flights to Belize City; Round trip domestic flights from Belize City to Punta Gorda; Belizean Fishing License (purchased at lodge, $25.00 USD per person); Gratuities for guides and lodge staff; Flies, Leaders, Terminal Tackle, Equipment.
At Garbutt’s Fishing Lodge, our packages are designed to provide a comprehensive and enjoyable fishing experience. Included in package rates are ; and round-trip transfers between Punta Gorda Airstrip and the lodge. Not included in the package rates are international flights to and from Belize; domestic flights between Belize City and Punta Gorda; alcoholic beverages and sodas; fishing equipment and flies (though rentals are available); gratuities for guides and staff; and any additional tours or activities outside the standard fishing itinerary.
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Contact us for current availability and pricing, seasonal discounts, special offers
Embark on the ultimate fly fishing adventure at Garbutt’s Fishing Lodge. With its prime location, experienced guides, and comfortable accommodations, it’s the perfect destination for anglers seeking world-class permit fishing. Contact us today to book your stay and become part of the Garbutt’s family.
Situated on a picturesque point along Joe Taylor Creek, the lodge is conveniently located within Punta Gorda, just a short walk from the town center. Guests are treated to stunning views, with the creek at the back and the Caribbean Sea at the front. The main building houses the “Grand Slam Bar,” a charming establishment known for its excellent decor and ambiance. Culinary offerings include a combination of fresh seafood dishes and traditional Creole cuisine, such as stewed chicken, pork, rice, and beans with fresh vegetables, all prepared by the Garbutt family.
For over fifteen years, the Garbutt brothers—Scully, Oliver, and Eworth—have been guiding anglers through the rich waters of Punta Gorda, extending east to the Sapodilla Cayes and north to Placencia. After years of collaborating with various lodges in the region, they established their own venture: Garbutt’s Fishing Lodge. This family-run operation, with Dennis Garbutt serving as the Lodge Manager, offers a fishing-focused experience deeply rooted in Belizean hospitality.
Water Cay Bonefish Lodge is ideally located just east of the Horn off Grand Bahamas North Shore. The lodge is situated on the southern shore of Water Cay, a small island 3-miles north of mainland Grand Bahama. Water Cay is a remote island with only 3-full time residents and despite the glow of Freeport (the second largest city in the Bahamas), the experience at Water Cay is similar to the more remote out-island lodges in the Bahamas.
This north central habitat is rarely visited because the other lodges on Grand Bahama (all located on the southern shore) do not need to travel to Water Cay to find good fishing of their own. As a result, there are very few boats fishing these waters near Water Cay and by taking only 6 anglers at any one time, Water Cay Bonefish Lodge ensures that the north shore’s vast bonefish habitat remains virtually untouched.
Species: Bonefish (big fish and school-sized), Permit, Barracuda, Snapper, Grouper, Jacks
Location: Water Cay, 3 miles north of Grand Bahama, North Shore
Vast wilderness bonefish flats with deep cuts, perfect flats and rocky bottomed bays
Fleet: 18′ Beavertail Bonefish skiffs with 40-hp Evinrude E-tec engines
Get a custom quote for your Water Cay Bonefish Lodge fishing adventure!
Untouched Bonefish Habitat on Grand Bahama’s North Shore
Many anglers opt for more “remote” areas, like Andros or Abaco, believing Freeport is too developed. But as the second largest island in the Bahamas chain, there is more to Grand Bahama than the hustle and bustle of Freeport, and the North Shore offers countless miles of wilderness bonefish flats. In many ways, the fishery is similar to the Marls of Abaco or the west side of Andros, with deep cuts, perfect flats and rocky bottomed bays that allow for a fair mix of fishing from the skiff and wading.
It is not unusual to spend a few hours poling an area (while casting to many schools of fish) and then pop out around a corner and see the lodge! The complexity of the bays, creeks and flats that surround the lodge can be quite deceiving.
The winter months are the times for big fish, but as the water temps stabilize in late March, the school fish show up in massive numbers and the big trophy fish mix with the schools. This integration lasts until late fall when the big fish once again go out on their own as they are able to better tolerate the cooler water temps. For the angler, this means Water Cay has it all, both big fish and school-sized fish. Permit show up consistently near the northern cays as soon as the winter winds calm and the water temps climb.
Master Guide Sidney Thomas and Team
Water Cay Bonefish Lodge’s fishing program is run by master Bahamian guide Sidney Thomas. Sidney has a tremendous bonefish pedigree. At 44 years of age, he has worked for all the best lodges on Grand Bahama either as their head guide or as a key bonefish guide. Devoted and hard working, Sidney is the “real deal” when it comes to guiding.
Sydney and his team of guides (Ezra Thomas and Greg Rolle) have adapted a unique style of catching big bonefish: “Bonefish got to eat. And to eat, bonefish got to get up onto their flats and find food. It’s nice to see those big tails waving in the sunlight on the incoming water. We see them and we fish ’em directly. What I mean is that I like to have my guys go straight for the fish. No leading or putting that fly where you think them fish are gonna be. Just try to hit them on the head. The fish at Water Cay haven’t seen many flies and so when they are hungry, they ain’t shy. You might think that your cast spooked them because they take flight twenty or thirty feet. But more times than not, the fish spin in a circle looking for what made the fuss. If they think it’s a ‘cuda or shark or maybe a bird, they’ll keep moving. But if the coast is clear, those big fish will come right back to the spot. If you are there, then they are gonna eat every time. We hook a bunch of BIG bonefish this way.”
Lodge Accommodations
The lodge building consists of a common area, 3-guest rooms and 6-staff rooms. The common area contains the kitchen, dining area, lounge, bar, and fly tying area. The 3-guest rooms are located to the left of the common area, and each air-conditioned room contains two twin beds, full bathroom and shower, a closet, a chest of drawer and a ceiling fan. The rooms are decorated in traditional Bahamian colors and native décor.
All the water for the lodge is produced and filtered by an extensive reverse osmosis system allowing guests to have purified water right from their bathroom taps. The lodge also has small deck in front of the lodge, a guest favorite for swapping fishing stories and sipping a cold Kalik as the sun sets over Bahaman flats.
Fleet and Equipment
The guides at Water Cay Bonefish Lodge use 18′ Beavertail Bonefish skiffs with 40-hp Evinrude E-tec engines on jack plates. Each boat has steering console, two seats for anglers in front of this console, automatic trim & tilt engines. A cooler for lunches and cold drinks doubles as a seat for the guide behind the console. All boats are double hulled, self-bailing and each has a cell phone and a VHF radio for communication with the lodge and with one another at all times. Each boat is also equipped with 2 spinning rods for anglers to use if they choose. One rod is a med-action rod for bonefish and the other is a med-heavy action rod for barracuda or permit.
Get Your Custom Quote for Water Cay Bonefish Lodge
Angler Adventures arranges completely customizable packages at Water Cay Bonefish Lodge to meet your fishing preferences.
Our services are free! We’ll work with you to create the perfect Bahamas fishing vacation package.
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Experience untouched bonefish habitat on Grand Bahama’s North Shore. Our team will help you create the perfect custom package for your Bahamas fishing vacation.
The “Marls of Abaco” is a vast expanse of prime, wilderness bonefish habitat, situated along the western shore of Great Abaco Island in the Bahamas. This little fished area spans some 300 square miles: 30 miles north – south and about 10 miles off the west coast of Abaco. The Marls have long been known by well-traveled bonefishermen as one of the most unique and productive fisheries in the Bahamas.
Abaco Island is one of the larger and more developed Islands in the 700 mile long Bahamian chain, but its development is principally along the eastern shore with white sand beaches and easy access to deep water. Much of the land mass along the western shore drops off to swampy wetlands, referred to as “The Marls”. Comprised of hundreds of square miles of mangroves, creeks, cuts and flats, navigable only by shallow draft flats skiffs, the Marls remain an undeveloped wilderness and ideal bonefish habitat.
The greatest advantage of Abaco Lodge is its location, literally on the flats. Anglers walk a short distance from their rooms to the dock, hop in a skiff, and can be fishing prime flats within 5 – 10 minutes.
Unlike some of the less developed islands in the Bahamas, Abaco has the third largest airport in the Bahamas (Marsh Harbour). Good numbers of direct flights from the U.S. makes traveling relatively easy and the lodge is an easy 15-minute drive from the airport.
Another attractive feature is that Abaco Lodge provides single rooms for the majority of their guests at no additional cost. Each room is spacious and well appointed with a private bath. The lodge has 7 rooms to accommodate 8 anglers per week. There are 6 single rooms set up for single occupancy and 1 room set up for double occupancy. The single occupancy rooms are available on a first come first serve basis.
The lodge owns a fleet of state of the art Hells Bay Flats Skiffs that get you to the fish quickly and efficiently. They are also stealthy boats and navigate the shallow waters of the Marls beautifully. Experienced guides are not in short supply on Abaco and Abaco Lodge has developed loyalty from some of the best on the island.
There is one additional ingredient that contributes greatly to the success of Abaco Lodge … management. Nervous Waters has always taken pride in finding the right managers for each of their destinations. Marsh Harbour has a good supply chain, so if anything is needed, it’s generally there by the end of the day.
Despite all these other accolades, it is the fishing that really sets Abaco Lodge apart. The marls offers some of the most productive bonefishing in the Bahamas for 2 – 7 pound bonefish. The lodge compliments its “home” waters (the marls) with trailering options on the east side of Abaco, where the fish are larger and the wading more prevalent. With drives of 15 – 40 minutes guests can be fishing the east side of Abaco from Cherokee Sound to Treasure Cay. Here anglers will find 5 – 10 pound bonefish in good numbers, whether fishing from a skiff or wading hard sand flats a couple of hours either side of low tide.
The bonefish move into the Marls on the rising tide looking for food, and the drill is to follow them in, and when the tide starts to drop, follow them back out. Some of these interior flats are wadable, but as the term “marl” implies, many of the interior flats are too soft for comfortable wading, so are fished from the skiff. The outer edges of the Marls are typically firm, and the guides may target tailing fish on these wadable flats during the lower stages of the tide. From time to time, tarpon may be encountered on some of the deeper flats.
Abaco Lodge has been best publicized by an ESPN series entitled, Pirates of the Flats, which first aired in January 2010. Angler celebrities Lefty Kreh, Yvon Chouinard, Michael Keaton, Tom Brokaw, Thomas McGuane and Bill Kline were invited to Abaco Lodge to film the series and ESPN captured on film the beauty and productivity of this unique fishery. Viewers may recall many scenes with these celebrities seated at the outdoor dining area or sitting around the fire pit at night, recounting the events of the day. These images solidified what those in the industry already knew. Abaco Lodge is an alluring location to immerse yourself in the sport of bonefishing with a fly.
Abaco Lodge 2025-2026 Rates
Packages of any duration are available. Rates are based on single occupancy accommodations and fishing 2 anglers per boat and guide. Single fishing rates are available on request.
LOW SEASON 2025 (October – December)
Length of Stay
Shared room and boat
Single room and shared boat
7 Nights / 6 Days Fishing
$7,550
$7,550
6 Nights / 5 Days Fishing
$6,995
$6,995
5 Nights / 4 Days Fishing
$6,450
$6,450
4 Nights / 3 Days Fishing
$5,350
$5,350
3 Nights / 2 Days Fishing
$4,050
$4,050
HIGH SEASON 2026 (January – June)
Length of Stay
Shared room and boat
Single room and shared boat
7 Nights / 6 Days Fishing
$7,950
$7,950
6 Nights / 5 Days Fishing
$7,350
$7,350
5 Nights / 4 Days Fishing
$6,750
$6,750
4 Nights / 3 Days Fishing
$5,650
$5,650
3 Nights / 2 Days Fishing
$4,750
$4,750
Rates are per person in USD$ and subject to change. Contact us for seasonal promos.
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Included in the rate: Transportation from Marsh Harbour airport to the lodge, round-trip; single or double occupancy room (first come first serve); all meals; refreshments onboard the boat; beer and soft drinks and liquor at the lodge; wine with dinner and a boat and guide for each two anglers, daily; Bahamas Fishing License.
What’s Not Included
Not included and/or additional charges would include: Air travel to Marsh Harbour; Bahamas Value Added Tax (Effective January 1, 2015); tackle, lures, and flies; personal items; gratuities; single angler surcharge.
Reservations and Deposit: A 50% deposit is necessary to confirm a reservation. Final payment is due 95 days prior to arrival.
Book now, get a quote, or chat with us about Bahamas bonefishing!
NOTICE: Abaco Lodge reopened in April 2023 after sustaining severe damage during Hurricane Dorian in September 2019. We’re excited to have this wonderful property back in operation after more than 3 years! We’ll continue to update this page as we continue to get great reports.
The “Marls of Abaco” is a vast expanse of prime, wilderness bonefish habitat, situated along the western shore of Great Abaco Island in the Bahamas. This little fished area spans some 300 square miles: 30 miles north – south and about 10 miles off the west coast of Abaco. The Marls have long been known by well-traveled bonefishermen as one of the most unique and productive fisheries in the Bahamas.
Abaco Island is one of the larger and more developed Islands in the 700 mile long Bahamian chain, but its development is principally along the eastern shore with white sand beaches and easy access to deep water. Much of the land mass along the western shore drops off to swampy wetlands, referred to as the “The Marls”. Comprised of hundreds of square miles of mangroves, creeks, cuts and flats, navigable only by shallow draft flats skiffs, the Marls remain an undeveloped wilderness and ideal Bonefish habitat.
Unlike some of the less developed islands in the Bahamas, Abaco has the third largest airport in the Bahamas (Marsh Harbour). Good numbers of direct flights from the U.S. makes traveling relatively easy and the lodge is an easy 15-minute drive from the airport.
The greatest advantage of Abaco Lodge is its location, literally on the flats. Anglers walk a short distance from their rooms to the dock, hop in a skiff, and can be fishing prime flats within 5 – 10 minutes.
Another attractive feature is that Abaco Lodge provides single rooms for the majority of their guests at no additional cost. Each room is spacious and well appointed with a private bath.
The lodge has 7 rooms to accommodate 8 anglers per week. There are 6 single rooms set up for single occupancy and 1 rooms set up for double occupancy. The single occupancy rooms are available on a first come first serve basis.
The lodge owns a fleet of state of the art Hells Bay Flats Skiffs that get you to the fish quickly and efficiently. They are also stealthy boats and navigate the shallow waters of the Marls beautifully.
Experienced guides are not in short supply on Abaco and Abaco Lodge has developed loyalty from some of the best on the island.
There is one additional ingredient that contributes greatly to the success of Abaco Lodge … management. Nervous Waters has always taken pride in finding the right managers for each of their destinations.
Marsh Harbour has a good supply chain, so if anything is needed, it’s generally there by the end of the day.
Despite all these other accolades, it is the fishing that really sets Abaco Lodge apart. The marls offers some of the most productive bonefishing in the Bahamas for 2 – 7 pound bonefish. The lodge compliments its “home” waters (the marls) with trailering options on the east side of Abaco, where the fish are larger and the wading more prevalent. With drives of 15 – 40 minutes guests can be fishing the east side of Abaco from Cherokee Sound to Treasure Cay. Here anglers will find 5 – 10 pound bonefish in good numbers, whether fishing from a skiff or wading hard sand flats a couple of hours either side of low tide.
The bonefish move into the Marls on the rising tide looking for food, and the drill is to follow them in, and when the tide starts to drop, follow them back out. Some of these interior flats are wadable, but as the term “marl” implies, many of the interior flats are too soft for comfortable wading, so are fished from the skiff. The outer edges of the Marls are typically firm, and the guides may target tailing fish on these wadable flats during the lower stages of the tide. From time to time, Tarpon may be encountered on some of the deeper flats.
Abaco Lodge has been best publicized by an ESPN series entitled, Pirates of the Flats, which first aired in January 2010. Angler celebrities Lefty Kreh, Yvon Chouinard, Michael Keaton, Tom Brokaw, Thomas McGuane and Bill Kline were invited to Abaco Lodge to film the series and ESPN captured on film the beauty and productivity of this unique fishery. Viewers may recall many scenes with these celebrities seated at the outdoor dining area or sitting around the fire pit at night, recounting the events of the day. These images solidified what those in the industry already knew. Abaco Lodge is an alluring location to immerse yourself in the sport of bonefishing with a fly.
Packages of any duration are available. Below rates are based on single occupancy accommodations and fishing 2 anglers per boat and guide. Single fishing rates are available on request.
Our Services are Free! Contact us for Seasonal Discounts, Special Offers or Promotional Pricing
Abaco Lodge 2023-2024 Rates
(subject to change)
October – December 2023
January – June 2024
7 Nights / 6 Days Fishing
$7,550 per person
$7,950 per person
6 Nights / 5 Days Fishing
$6,995 per person
$7,350 per person
5 Nights / 4 Days Fishing
$6,450 per person
$6,750 per person
4 Nights / 3 Days Fishing
$5,350 per person
$5,650 per person
3 Nights / 2 Days Fishing
$4,050 per person
$4,750 per person
Included in the rate: transportation from Marsh Harbour airport to the lodge, round-trip; single or double occupancy room (first come first serve); all meals; refreshments onboard the boat; beer and soft drinks and liquor at the lodge; wine with dinner and a boat and guide for each two anglers, daily; Bahamas Fishing License.
Not included and/or additional charges would include: air travel to Marsh Harbour; Bahamas Value Added Tax (Effective January 1, 2015); tackle, lures, and flies; personal items; gratuities; single angler surcharge.
A 50% deposit is necessary to confirm a reservation. Final payment is due 95 days prior to arrival.
While eastern Canada is blessed with many great quality Atlantic salmon rivers in a number of the provinces such as Labrador / Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, strong argument can be made that the best Atlantic salmon fishing, and certainly the largest of Canada’s Atlantic salmon are to be found in “La Belle Province”, Quebec on the beautiful Gaspé Peninsula.
A trio of world-class salmon rivers flow from the Gaspé’s Chic Choc Mountains southward to the Bay of Chaleur, the Grand Caspcapédia, the Petite Caspcapédia and the Bonaventure. The Grand, while mostly private, is known as one of the world’s top producers of trophy Atlantic salmon, producing 10 or more fish over the magical 40 pound mark each season. However, the Bonaventure and the Petite Caspcapédia Rivers are also capable of producing trophy size salmon as well as impressive numbers. And compared with the arduous travel necessary to reach some other provinces, these Gaspé rivers are easily reachable by car from the northeast states, or by service into nearby airports.
All three of these rivers are no more than an hour’s drive from each other and all three may be fished from anyone of a trio of world class salmon lodges. The tremendous advantage is if one of the rivers is not fishing well, these lodges can shift to one of the other rivers, affording anglers the best possible opportunity for good sport. Moving from west to east, these lodges are:
The Salmon Lodge is situated on the Grand Caspcapédia. Built in the late 1800’s, this historic Lodge brings anglers back to the era of Atlantic salmon fishing in the “Grand Old Style”. The Salmon Lodge is the closest to the Lake and Salmon Branches of the Grand Caspcapédia, and as such, may fish these Grand more often than the other two. They also rotate fishing quality water on both the Petite Caspcapédia as well as the Bonaventure.
Formerly The Canadian Salmon Club a private camp for over 90 years, The Club on the Bonaventure is now open to the public offering access to the most productive stretch of the Bonaventure River. Guests enjoy 5-Star accommodations, gourmet cuisine and pampering attention. 6-rods have exclusive use of 7-miles of river with 26 major pools on the coveted B3 and B4 sectors of the Bonnie.
Camp Bonaventure is one of Quebec’s newer salmon lodges. Built in the early 1990’s, this elegant contemporary lodge is located on the banks of one of Canada’s premier dry fly rivers, the gin clear Bonaventure River, and offers access to trophy waters on the famed Grand Caspcapédia as well as the crystalline Petite Caspcapédia.
The Club on the Bonaventure