‘Charlie’ is the story of how fly fishing came to one family in Placencia, Belize and the pastime of guiding passed down from one generation to the next.
Charlie Leslie Jr. was born into the world of flats fishing in Belize. His father Charlie Leslie Sr. was one of the original guides to explore this fishery with new eyes, focused on catch and release fly fishing for permit and bonefish.
The family’s introduction to saltwater fly fishing came from none other than Lefty Kreh. In the early days before Belize was a go to saltwater fly destination, Lefty arrived on a scouting trip and left a fly rod behind in the hands of Charlie Leslie Sr.
“That’s when Lefty said, this is a gift to you guys. But you better learn how to use it, because this is going to be the next big thing that will take off. And the quicker you guys get into this, the better it will be.”
In later years, Mel Krieger came down and imparted some casting lessons on Charlie Leslie Sr, which he was then able to pass on to the upcoming guides. This film tells the story of how small acts by the fly fishing luminaries of 50 years ago went on to influence the trajectory of one country’s relationship to its fishery and one family’s history on these coveted flats.