I'm Marlon Leslie, a second-generation fly fishing guide working out of Placencia, Belize. I've been poling the flats between Placencia and Hopkins for 25 years.
I put you on fish. Multiple shots, every day.
That's the deal.
Permit
to hand
Years
experience
100+
Grand Slams
guided
How I learned
My father is Charlie Leslie Sr. He guided at Belize River Lodge in the 1960s. Built Tarpon Caye Fly Fishing Lodge in the 80s. Earned the title "Father of Belize Fly Fishing" because he was one of the first.
I grew up on his skiff. Started at the bottom: pulling the skiff, cleaning the deck, bringing drinks. Watched him pole. Learned to read water before I learned algebra.
He showed me where permit feed during incoming tides. Where tarpon stage in channels. How bonefish move across turtle grass. Which flats go off during spring tides and which ones stay dead.
By 2000 I was running tarpon trips out of Tarpon Caye Lodge. In 2002, I found permit feeding on a coral head that Hurricane Iris had rolled onto a flat. Landed one. Went back the next morning. Another. Third morning, another. After that third fish, my father handed me a boat and told me to start working.
Most guides spend years figuring this out. I started with a 25-year head start. These flats have given me a lot. I work hard to keep them that way.
What you get
When you book with me, you fish with me. Not a team of guides. Not whoever's available. I run one boat. I take one group at a time.
I check tides and moon phases before your trip. I watch weather forecasts and plan where we fish. Sometimes we wade. Sometimes I pole the boat. Depends on conditions.
I'll be calling shots when I see the fish, and we'll move carefully into position. I'll help with casting and targeting if you want it. I keep things relaxed on the water. Fishing's supposed to be fun.
The fish
Permit: My favorite species to chase. We fish Permit Alley off Placencia. April through June is prime, but we find them year-round. They're hard. When you hook one, you earned it.
Tarpon: Residents in the 20-40 lb range hold in mangroves all year. Big migrants over 60 lbs push through May to September. We fish channels, river mouths, and along the reef edge.
Bonefish: Always around. Most reliable species we have. Good for beginners. Fun for everyone. If permit aren't cooperating and tarpon aren't rolling, we'll find bones.
Grand Slams: Possible. I've guided plenty. Never guaranteed. That's what makes them worth it.
Straight talk
If permit are being difficult, I'll say so. If weather looks questionable, I'll let you know before we launch. If you need help casting or targeting, I'll be happy to help.
Some days are epic. 50 permit shots, three hookups, fish on all day. Some days are tough. Wind picks up, water gets pushed off the flat, fish don't show where they should.
I can't control weather or fish behavior. I can control where we go, when we launch, and how hard we work to find them.
Why Placencia
Placencia sits in the middle of what we call Permit Alley. A 30-mile stretch of flats running from Dangriga south through the South Water Caye Marine Reserve.
These are shallow water flats with deep edges. Ankle to knee-deep on top, dropping to 50-100 feet just off the edge. Permit love this as they can feed in skinny water with deep water close for safety.
Hundreds of flats and cayes spread across 300 square miles. Channels cut between them. Turtle grass beds, coral patches, sand flats.
Most Permit Alley flats are wadable. I often pole to the spot, anchor, and walk. Quieter, better angles, and more shots.
You can fish permit, tarpon, and bonefish in a single day without running 40 miles. Tarpon in the lagoons at dawn. Permit on the flats mid-morning. Bonefish on sand flats in the afternoon.
Multiple shots guaranteed — 400+ permit landed —
