Grand slammin' in the flats of Belize: need a respite? Try casting flies at this idyllic Caribbean fishing hub. But don't expect the tarpon to be easy. Just ask Intel's Craig Barrett.

There's a fish at 11 o'clock. About 40 feet. Moving left. Hurry."

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From the casting platform of our narrow skiff, I whipped the rod back and forth to work out enough line to make the cast into the shallow, sparkling green water off the coast of Belize. Then I dropped the fly two feet in front of the silvery bonefish and followed the guide's next instructions.

"That's good. Now strip, strip, strip."

I lowered the rod tip and brought the fly alive, retrieving line in short stripping motions. I watched as the shadow followed and then inhaled the tan-colored fly with beaded metal eyes. Setting the hook, I lifted my rod and held tight. My Orvis 8-weight bent over. The large-arbor reel started to whir.

Within a couple of seconds, the fly line spooled off the reel and my backing followed suit. The three-and-a-half pound bonefish screamed through the water like a torpedo; there was no chance to slow it down. After two strong, long runs, the fish finally tired. I wrested control and worked the bonefish up to the boat.

In the time-honored tug of war between man and fish, I'd wrestled my way to a victory, but the ultimate fly fishing achievement, a "grand slam," is another story. The feat consists of catching a bonefish, a tarpon and a species called the "permit" on a fly--all in the same day. Naturally, many of the adventure-seeking CEOs and other top execs who travel to Belize are drawn to the challenge.

People from all walks of business and industry journey to Belize every month of the year to cast a fly. Frequent visitors include one of the top network anchors, bankers, doctors, lawyers and a contingent of chief executives. Craig Barrett of Intel once achieved the first two legs of a grand slam while spending a long weekend there. He caught a raft of bonefish and bagged his first tarpon, a "baby" 20-pounder, on a fly.

"I spent half a day chasing tarpon with my guide and we finally caught up with one late in the day," says Barrett, an avid fly fisherman and hunter. "Landing the fish was very exciting. I was really impressed with the nature of the fight." Someday, he says, he hopes to complete the slam. But that will have to wait: Next up on his fly-fishing itinerary is a trip to New Zealand to target big trout.

There may be no better place to pursue the grand slam than in the bathtub-warm flats off the coast and islands of Belize. The small country on the eastern side of Central America, wedged between Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula and Guatemala, has impressive numbers of resident and migratory fish. Belize is a convenient flight from major air hubs, and communicating with the affable local fishing guides is a snap because they all speak English. (The country was known as British Honduras before gaining its independence in 1981.)

Over the past two decades, Belize has blossomed as a destination for high-end fishing, ecotourism and adventure travel. For a tiny country about the size of Massachusetts, it offers a startling level of natural diversity. The mainland is dominated by the Maya Mountains and their rainforests and jungles. Just offshore sits a string of approximately 200 small islands called cayes (pronounced KEYs). Shallow flats of iridescent blue and green waters, mud flats and lagoons ring these cayes and provide an ideal habitat for fish. East of the islands, one of the largest barrier reefs in the world parallels the entire 175-mile-long country. In some places, the reef is less than a mile offshore; in others, more than 20 miles out.

For visitors with a thirst for adventure and culture, there's much to see and do in Belize. The nation has long been known as a top spot to dive and snorkel the crystalline waters of the barrier reef. Ecotourists also can tour wildlife preserves in the rainforest, explore Mayan ruins, paddle rivers, ride horseback through the jungle, mountain bike and enjoy outstanding tropical bird-watching.

For the driven fly fisherman, especially those with a passion for grand slam fish, Belize offers a boatload of options. The northern end of the country, around Ambergris Caye, a 30-mile-long island, is home to some of the best tarpon fishing on the planet and affords year-round opportunities to catch all three of the grand slam species. Most of the fishing in the area is done from flat-bottomed fiberglass panga boats; there are also some wadeable flats. Belize's midsection offers the most extensive wading flats. Turneffe Island, a private property 30 miles off the mainland on the east side of the barrier reef, has more than 250 square miles of hard-bottomed seagrass flats (where you don't sink up to your waist or armpits in mud). In the south, most of the fishing is done by boat, on flats and lagoons. Especially popular is a location known as Permit Alley, situated between Tobacco Caye and Gladden Cayes.

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"Belize is probably the premier spot to hook all of the grand slam fish," says Randall Kaufmann, a fly-fishing authority and the author of Bonefishing! "If you are going to target these fish, Belize and the neighboring Yucatan are hard to beat."

Catching bones, tarpon and permit can be an unforgettable experience. "These grand slam fish are really something," says Dave Parker, director of Orvis Travel. "When you hook one of them, it's like tapping an electrical line from the Grand Coulee Dam. It sure isn't anything like casting a dough ball into the Mississippi."

The roster of fly-fishing pilgrims to Belize includes Yvon Chouinard, the chairman and founder of Patagonia, the high-performance outdoor clothing and technical gear company. Chouinard has fished in Belize more than a half-dozen times. Even though he has caught all three grand slam species, he hasn't pulled off the slam in a single day. "But I've come awfully close," he's quick to say.

Both the nature of the grand slam fish and the unique fishing techniques they require make saltwater fly fishing special. Unlike fishing for bass, trout, steelhead, salmon or other North American species, saltwater fly fishing is a visual experience: You spot the fish--or, more accurately, your guide spots the fish--and then you cast to them. "Sight fishing is really a combination of hunting and fishing," says Intel's Barrett. "It's very different from fly fishing in North America, where you cast where you think the fish might be."

Will Casella, a sun-weathered enthusiast who runs the fishing program at El Pescador Fly Fishing Resort, one of the top lodges in Belize, would agree. "You get to see the whole transaction, from finding the fish, hooking them up and landing them," he says. "It just doesn't get much better."

Like the local fishing options, Belize has a range of accommodations for visiting fly fishers. You can book a trip aboard your own private 58-foot yacht, complete with a guide, crew and chef. You can stay at some of the high-end resorts and smaller properties, or you can visit the properties that cater to hard-core anglers. In November, I fished from El Pescador, on Ambergris Caye. The lodge has an impressive fishing operation, run by a stable of longtime guides. The resort has new stand-alone villas that cater to discerning guests, with private pools and verandas that overlook the Caribbean.

No matter where they fish or stay, fly-fishing purists keep returning to Belize year after year. Given the caressing, subtropical breezes, the soothingly warm waters and the bleeding, saturated colors of saltwater and sky, there may be few better places to wet a fly, twitch a line and unwind. Nearly all of the time, you're either alone with your guide or purely on your own with no other boats or anglers--much less analysts, shareholders or directors--in sight.

If You Go: Belize

Fishing Lodges

El Pescador

Fly Fishing Resort

800.242.2017

www.elepescador.com

Turneffe Flats

800.815.1304

www.tflats.com

Punta Gorda Fly

Fishing Resort

800.242.2017

www.elpescadorpg.com

Travel Resources

Orvis

800.547.4322

www.orvis.com/travel

Frontiers International

800.245.1950

www.frontierstrvl.com

Kaufmann Streamborn

800.442.4359

www.kman.com

RELATED ARTICLE: Three of a Kind

BONEFISH

Easiest of the grand slam fish to catch. Yet fierce fighters that usually make two or three impressive runs when hooked. On average, they range from 2 to 4 pounds; larger ones can run up to 8 pounds.

TARPON

Catching these brutes on a fly is addicting. The fish fly out of the water, twisting and shaking in a series of startling jumps. Belize has year-round tarpon that range from 20 to 90 pounds; migratory tarpon (June through September) can weigh more than 100 pounds.

PERMIT

As one expert puts it, "If the gods shine on you, you might be lucky enough to catch a permit." These spooky and finicky fish are the most difficult of the grand slam fish to catch. Belize has outstanding permit waters, replete with fish in the 4- to 30-pound range. Shaped like muscled-up garbage can lids, they have the strength to put up an unforgiving fight.

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RELATED ARTICLE: For the Novice

DON'T BE FOOLED by fly fishing's elite reputation. Challenging as it is, catching the trio of grand slam fish in Belize isn't limited to old salts.

Even neophytes can hook and land permit, tarpon and bonefish--as long as they get some formal instruction and practice beforehand. It's possible to catch a number of bonefish, the easier of the slam fish to land, during your first days on the water.

Because wind is often a factor when fishing in the Caribbean, beginners should practice casting a distance of 40 feet with some consistency. It's also wise to learn the "double-haul," a technique that allows you to cast even longer distances.

"Sometimes there is too much mystery surrounding fly fishing," says Randall Kaufmann, a noted fly fisherman and author. "People who learn to fish will find out that it isn't too hard. But you have to put your time in and practice. In some ways, it is similar to golf. You can't go play golf without some instruction."

For starters in Belize, set your sights on bonefish. There are lots of them and they are relatively easy to catch. Big permit also aren't out of reach. Landing a tarpon, however, especially a large fish in the 40- to 200-pound category, may be asking too much.

For fly-fishing instruction, check with a local fly shop or, for more intensive teaching, sign up from one of the multiday schools offered by equipment manufacturers. Another option is to get some tips directly from the local fishing lodges.