Garbutt's Fishing Lodge — Attraction in Toledo District

I traveled to Punta Gorda and specifically to Garbutt's with three friends in late March/early April. Like most people who visit, we were in search of some permit and had heard that Garbutt's was the place to find them, and they were right. Everyone in our group landed at least one permit during the four days we were there, and another guest landed an almost unheard of six fish in a single day. Garbutt's is a family run business, and they treat you like you are part of their family from the moment you arrive to the time you leave. Dennis is the resort manager and he makes sure every detail is attended to eagerly and happily. His brothers Scully and Oliver, along with their cousin Yogi and their Uncle Vic, are all expert guides who have been fishing these waters their entire lives. And Dennis' sister Betty prepares amazing dinners to go with the breakfasts and lunches that are packed onboard each boat for the day's adventures. Long story short, and as the photos attest, this is a first class fishing lodge and a world class Permit fishery that I will return to...

Getting a great guide is the main ingredient to a successful fishing trip AND Eworth Garbutt is a great guide! This was my first salt water fishing experience and while I have cast for many trout over the years, landed more than my share of coho, practiced specifically for this trip, and paid for casting lessons, Eworth was by far the best coach and teacher. He worked patiently improving my distance, accuracy and speed to deliver the fly (reducing the number of false casts). On this trip I landed Snook, barracuda, permit, bone fish and tarpon. I would repeat this trip again, in a heart beat. As any flyfisherperson knows, hitting the grand slam (bone, permit & tarpon) is a big deal and on my third trip out with Eworth we hit the grand slam. He is fair and friendly. I would say... if you can book a trip with Eworth,...

We didn't sleep at this lodge - we just took a day trip with them.

Our boat captain "snake" was awesome and we had a great trip to Snake Cayes for snorkeling. Bring Bug Spray!!! We got eaten alive by tiny sand flies on one of the islands and had to retreat back into the boat. Parts of the ride can get pretty bumpy depending on weather, so be prepared.

We stopped at 2 different snorkel spots. The first was nice with some reefs and small fish and some different and beautiful jellyfish. The second spot was amazing - we saw beautiful Eagles rays swimming around us, and a huge barracuda. We had lunch on another island after, and enjoyed the...