One of our favorite things to do on the island is to call up our friend and fishing guide Jerry for a day out on the water. Jerry just happened to have an opening, so Darren, Bonnie, Kelley and I were all set up for another memorable day. Jerry has a panga, which is a nice boat and usually runs great, but on this day, his boat was out of the water for repairs. Not a problem, Jerry shows up with his brother on his brothers brand new boat. A Belizean made center console panga with twin 140 hp outboards. This was only the third trip out for this beautiful boat, I sure hope this did not spoil us for next time.

Anyway, after we were all set up in the boat it was time for a beautiful ride up the coast to a spot to catch some bait. The bait was plentiful this time so just about everytime Jerry would throw the cast net out it came back full of minnows. In the past we have had trouble finding bait but not this time, it was starting out to be a great day.

In no time at all we were off to the fishing grounds. Today we were doing some inshore reef fishing about a mile or so from the beach where the water is no more than ten feet deep. We stopped right where the waves were breaking  on the reef just before it dropped off to hundreds of feet deep. As we were setting up the fishing rods Jerry’s brother grabbed his snorkel gear and spear and jumped into clear Caribbean waters and took off. We fished for a couple hours catching Jacks, Snappers, Barracudas and a bunch of other colorful fish.

After we had enough fun catching fish it was off to find Jerry’s brother who had been in the water for a couple hours now (the guy is a real fish). It didn’t take too long to spot him, and when we got over to him he had quite the haul. He had got eight lobsters, a stone crab and a couple conch.

We now had all the making for an epic beach meal. So it was off to the beach to set up a fire and get this party started. Jerry and his brother worked hard cleaning and preparing the days catch while we all cooled off with some cold  beers in the refreshing waters of the Caribbean. In no time at all Jerry had an appetizer of conch ceviche with tomatoes, peppers and cilantro all ready for us to enjoy.

The  ceviche was absolutely delicious, but we knew it would be because Jerry had made it before for us.  A little while later out came the grilled lobsters and fish. The lobsters were cooked to perfection along with the different types of fish and sliced potatoes all served up under swaying palms on a beautiful beach. What more could one want? It sure beats the hell out of packing up some cold sandwiches to take out fishing for the day.

After eating more than we should have we enjoyed a few more beers and another dip in the water. Since Jerry and his brother and all of us were drinking the beers, you guessed it, we ran out. But in Belize that is never a problem, just a short walk down the beach and out of nowhere there appeared a bar. So we gathered up a few more Belikins and headed back towards the boat for another dip in the water.

As we get back towards the boat Jerry has his bluetooth speaker playing  some good ole music. Turns out Jerry really likes old country music such as Waylon, Johnny and Merle.  So of course Kelley and I could not resist a little dancing on the dock to one of our favorite Waylon songs.

It was a great day that I’m sure we will always remember. Even the Iguanas were enjoying themselves.