Guatemala [Archive] - Reports/Forums/jerrylabella.com

Jerry LaBella (Admin)

05-10-2006, 06:12 AM

Name: Les Kagel
Email: greatsailfishing@yahoo.com
Location: Guatemala
Date: 05/08/2006
Time: 12:10 PM

Marlin,Marlin and more Marlin!!!!! 

This fishing report is for the week ending 05-06-06 and is prepared by The Great Sailfishing Company which operates out of the new Pez Vela Marina,Guatemala.The fishing grounds for this week has ranged from 20 to as far as 30+ miles. Seas have been mild ranging between 1 to 3ft.with sunny days and little wind. The fishing has been fair to good as Guatemala standards go with fly anglers averaging in the low to mid single digits.Those fishing conventional were releasing between 8 to 12 sails per day with 15-20 raises.But the good news is that all of the boats that went out this week have had marlin bites or released one or more Blue Marlins.Our last count totaled 9 marlin releases this week.Today our 35ft.Bertram The Joint Venture released 10 sails,one 225-250lb Blue Marlin and a few dorados. In shore fishing has continued to be good.For more info. contact us at greatsailfishing@yahoo.com or visit our website at www.greatsailfishing.com (http://www.greatsailfishing.com) and check out our free fly-fishing special for April and May.

greatsailfishing (Unregistered Guest)

05-16-2006, 07:29 AM

This fishing report is for the past eight days ending 05-14-06 and is prepared by The Great Sailfishing Company which operates out of the new Pez Vela Marina,Guatemala.The fishing grounds for these past days have ranged from as little as 15 miles to as far as 30+ miles. Seas at the beginning of the week have been mild ranging between 1 to 3ft.with sunny days and little wind.However,Saturday night brought in heavy rains with some easterly winds causing some moderate chop. The fishing has been very good to good as Guatemala standards go with those fishing conventional releasing between Ten to 38+ sails per day (the norm was in the low-twenties) with 15 to over 50 raises.On Friday our boat the Joint Venture released 38 sails.In shore fishing has cooled off when compared to the previous week along with the previous weeks Marlin bite.For more info. contact us at greatsailfishing@yahoo.com or visit our website at www.greatsailfishing.com (http://www.greatsailfishing.com) and check out our free fly-fishing special for May and June.

Les Kagel (Greatsailfishing)

05-22-2006, 06:49 AM

This fishing report is for the week ending 05-21-06 and is prepared by The Great Sailfishing Company which operates out of the new Pez Vela Marina,Guatemala.The fishing grounds for this past week have ranged from as little as 10 miles to as far as 30+ miles. Seas this week have been moderate ranging between 2 to 5ft. with cloudy or rainy days plus light to moderate winds.The week started out with poor to fair results with boats reporting releases in the low to mid single digits.Mid week found results acceptable with boats reporting releases in the 8 to 12 digit range.However,by Friday the fishing had once again really slowed down to the very low single digits but the marlin bite still is active with the La Sirena releasing a 200lb marlin - On the Fly and the first of the Yellowfin tuna is starting to appear.Today Sunday 05-21-06 the fishing again is picking up,our boat the Joint Venture (35ft.Bertram)released 4 sails,one 400lb.Blue Marlin and a 10 lb. Yellowfin Tuna.For more info. contact us at greatsailfishing@yahoo.com or visit our website at www.greatsailfishing.com (http://www.greatsailfishing.com) and check out our free fly-fishing special for May and June

Les Kagel (Greatsailfishing)

06-05-2006, 07:27 AM

This fishing report is for the week ending 06-04-06 and is prepared by The Great Sailfishing Company which operates out of the new Pez Vela Marina,Guatemala.The fishing grounds for this past week have ranged from as close as 12 miles to as far as 30+ miles. Seas this week have been light ranging between 2 to 4ft. This week skies ranged from sunny to overcast days, with a few bringing light rain.Most days started with no to light wind in the mornings to light / moderate winds in the afternoons.The week started out with fair to good results with boats reporting releases in the high single digits to mid twenties on conventional tackle.Fly fishermen were releasing their sails in the low to mid single digits.Unlike the past week these results maintained themselves thoughout the week.On Friday the La Piragua released 25 sails.There's more good news in that the marlin bite still is active with a couple of releases being reported over the past two weeks.For more info. contact us at greatsailfishing@yahoo.com or visit our website at www.greatsailfishing.com (http://www.greatsailfishing.com) and check out our free fly-fishing special for June.

Les Kagel (Greatsailfishing)

06-12-2006, 11:18 AM

This fishing report is for the week ending 06-11-06 and is prepared by The Great Sailfishing Company which operates out of the new Pez Vela Marina,Guatemala.The fishing grounds for this past week have ranged from as close as 10 miles to as far as 15+ miles. Seas this week have varied from mild ranging between 2 to 2ft to moderate 2 to 4ft seas. This week skies ranged from sunny to overcast days, with a some days bringing light rains;however there as been some nights with heavy downpours.Most days started with no to light
wind in the mornings to light / moderate winds in the afternoons,same as the past week.The week started out with fair results with boats reporting releases in the low to high single digits but this weeks end saw only few releases in the low single digits on conventional tackle.The silver linings is that most boats going out this week caught 5 to 8 dorado's and some boats also caught a few tuna.To register for our weekly fishing report and other information please click here http://www.greatsailfishing.com/en/register.html or act us at greatsailfishing@yahoo.com

Les Kagel (Greatsailfishing)

06-19-2006, 05:24 AM

This fishing report is for the week ending 06-18-06 and is prepared by The Great Sailfishing Company which operates out of the new Pez Vela Marina, Guatemala.The fishing grounds for this past week have ranged from 20 miles to as far as 40 miles. Seas this week have varied from mild ranging between 1 to 2ft to moderate 2 to 3ft seas. This week skies ranged from sunny to overcast days, with some days bringing light
rains; however there as been some nights with light to moderate downpours. Most days started with no to light wind in the mornings to light / moderate winds in the afternoons, same as the past two weeks.

This week saw fair to good results with boats
reporting releases in the low single digits to low double digits. This week we were happy to host the Jay Halpenny party from Canada. Their first day (Tuesday)saw only fair results with releasing 3 sails out of 7 bites and 6 Dorado. On Wednesday they had a good days fishing releasing 11 sails out of 20 bites and also
boating 20 Dorado. On Thursday they also had another good days fishing with releasing 9 sails out of 14 bites. All on conventional tackle.

On Friday we welcomed the arrival of Sam Swisher and his son out of Boston. Their first day fishing was on Saturday and they had great day releasing 5 sails and TWO Blue Marlin,the first marlin (estimated at 300lbs.) first appeared off of the left teaser. With the marlin rig in hand (Penn International 11 50 wide with 50lb line mated to a tournament graphite rod) the fight was on.Thirty minutes later the fight was over and the mates released the marlin to fight another
day. About one hour later another marlin appeared off of the left teaser, estimated at about 200lb. Sam’s son chose light tackle and the fight began, about 1 ½ hours of a great fight the marlin was boat-side and released. Both of the Swishers had big smiles and
explained that they were their 1st marlins and on the same day. Today (Sunday) saw another good day with 3 sails being released and another Blue Marlin in the 200lb. Class. That’s right, 3 marlin in two days with
another day to go.

To register for our weekly fishing report and other information please click here :
http://www.greatsailfishing.com/en/register.html or act us at greatsailfishing@yahoo.com

Les Kagel (Greatsailfishing)

06-26-2006, 09:26 AM

This fishing report is for the week ending 06-25-06 and is prepared by The Great Sailfishing Company which operates out of the new Pez Vela Marina,Guatemala. The fishing grounds for this past week have ranged from as close as 15 miles to as far as 40 miles. Seas this
week have been mild ranging between 1 to 2ft to
moderate at 3ft. This week skies ranged from cloudy to overcast days, with some days bringing light rains;however there as been a few nights with heavy downpours.Most days started with no to light breezes in the mornings and moderate breezes in the afternoons.

This week saw fair results with boats reporting
releases in the low to mid single digits. Most boats reported 3 to 7 sailfish releases on conventional tackle. Once again there were Blue Marlin in the spread. On Monday our boat the Joint Venture hooked up a 450lb. class blue but after a short fight the hook
came loose from the bill. One other boat this week did manage to release two blues. Those boats that went out for Dorado were rewarded with lots of them in the 7 to 15lb. class beginning at the 15 mile mark.

To register for our weekly fishing report and other information please click here :
http://www.greatsailfishing.com/en/register.html or contact us at greatsailfishing@yahoo.com

Les Kagel (Greatsailfishing)

10-03-2006, 07:03 AM

This fishing report is for the week ending 10-01-06 and is prepared by The Great Sailfishing Company which operates out of the new Pez Vela Marina, Guatemala.The fishing grounds for this past week ranged from 30 miles to as far as 40 miles. Seas this week have been ranging between 1 to 2ft with sunny skies and no wind.

This week saw fair to good results with boats
reporting raises in the high teens to mid twenties,with releases also in the high single digits to mid teens with Wednesday,Thursday and Friday seeing most boats releasing between 10 to 15 sails on conventionial tackle. Once again
there were some Dorado to be taken each day.

For those anglers planning to come down to Guatemala and fish with us, please make your reservations soon as our calendar is filling up fast. We are happy to announce the addition to our fleet of the Island Time (38ft.wide-body Bertram)and the Reel Diver (35ft.Bertram with a full tuna tower and tuna door).Both of these vessels will be arriving in early November.

To register for our weekly fishing report and other information please click here :
http://www.greatsailfishing.com/en/register.html or contact us at greatsailfishing@yahoo.com

Great Sailfish (Marlinkjs)

10-17-2006, 04:37 AM

This fishing report is for the week ending 10-16-06
and is prepared by The Great Sailfishing Company which
operates out of the new Pez Vela Marina, Guatemala.The
fishing grounds for this past week came in from
averaging 30 miles to as far as 45 miles over the past
month to 20 to 25 miles. Seas this week have continued
to stay calm ranging between 1 to 2ft with sunny skies
and light to no wind,in the mornings.

This week saw good results with boats
reporting raises in the teens to into the
twenties, with releases also in the high single digits
to high teens with most boats releasing between 8 to
15 sails on conventional tackle. On Saturday our boat
the Joint Venture released 10 Pacific Sailfish and a
couple of dorado and today 10/16/2006 our group
released 8 sails out of 18 rasies.

To register for our weekly fishing report and other
information please click here :
http://www.greatsailfishing.com/en/register.html or
contact us at greatsailfishing@yahoo.com
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Les Kagel (Greatsailfishing)

10-31-2006, 08:33 AM

This fishing report is for the week ending 10-30-06 and is prepared by The Great Sailfishing Company which operates out of the new Pez Vela Marina, Guatemala.The fishing grounds for this past week went out from averaging 30 miles to as far as 45 miles over the past month to 35 to 50 miles. Seas this week have continued to stay calm with sunny skies and light to no wind in the mornings.

This week saw good results with boats reporting raises in the teens to the low twenties,with releases also in the high single digits to mid teens - most boats releasing between 8 to 12 sails on conventional tackle. The most exciting news is that the marlin bite this past week has been Great......
with most boats reporting at least one Blue Marlin in their spreads every day. At the end of the week all of the boats released anywhere from one to four marlin within 4 days. Another reason why we are looking forward to the imminent arrival of our latest 35ft Bertram, the "Reel Diver" - as she is fully equipped to chase those marlin with a full tower and a Marlin door. We are looking forward to a continuing strong Marlin bite - and invite you down to experience it for yourselves !!

To register for our weekly fishing report and other information please click here :
http://www.greatsailfishing.com/en/register.html or contact us at greatsailfishing@yahoo.com

Great Sailfish (Marlinkjs)

01-02-2007, 09:50 PM

This Guatemala fishing report is for the week ending December
30th 2006 and is prepared by The Great Sailfishing
Company operating out of the new Pez Vela
Marina.

Well we allowed the fish a break to enjoy their Christmas – but
started back straight away fishing on the 26th. They did seem a
little sluggish after the festivities, but the sight of fresh ballyhoo
just proved too much ……….and the bite showed as
soon as we hit Bluewater at 12-15 miles from the dock. We
welcomed the Lundgren party, and they started their trip with
9 nice Sailfish in the boat on “Boxing Day” as it is known in the
UK. The weather was perfect with a light wind and enough of
a chop on the water to make the teasers jump and hop in an
animated way.

You can see more pix from last weeks fishing here :

http://www.greatsailfishing.com/en/weeklyfishing.htm

The weather and the bite improved as the Lundgrens continued
their trip – bringing 10 to the boat on their second day………and
then really heating up with 16 caught on their third and final day.

There has been more and more bait showing in recent days, and we
are hopeful of a run of Blue Marlin as we progress through the full
moon………….watch this space and we will report if/when it
happens !

We wish all our clients, past, present and future a Happy New Year

Our very Best wishes : Les, Carlos, Kevin & Jim

Contact us at :

enquiries@greatsailfishing.com or to register for our
weekly fishing report and other
> information please click here :
> http://www.greatsailfishing.com/en/register.html or
> contact us at greatsailfishing@yahoo.com
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kevin styles (Marlinkjs)

01-30-2007, 04:40 AM

This Guatemala fishing report is for the week ending January 28th
2007 and is prepared by The Great Sailfishing
Company operating out of the new Pez Vela
Marina.

It has been unusually slow fishing for Guatemala over the last
couple of weeks – the common wisdom among the wizened captains
has been that the water temperatures at the colour changes
have either not had enough gradient, or the temperatures
themselves have been a couple of degrees below normal.
This had resulted in bait not concentrating, and hence the
Predators find it harder to find food, and they themselves
become harder to find.

The weather has improved significantly this last week – and it
certainly seems to have positively effected the fishing. The bluewater
has come in to about 30 miles from the dock, we are seeing
regular billfish raises in the low teens per day – along with catches
of good size (20-25lb) yellowfin tuna and dorado.s

Our catch of the week has to go to the Wuori party, who are
demonstrating their skill at hooking up to the sails – but
somewhat unusually for Guatemala also managed to hook
up to a feisty striped marlin this week – and saw another in
the spread.

Our Favorite Fishing Quote for the week :

“It has always been my private conviction that any
Man who pits his intelligence against a fish and loses
Has it coming”My biggest worry is that my wife (when I'm dead)
will sell my fishing gear for what I said I paid for it
~John Steinbeck

Contact us at :

enquiries@greatsailfishing.com or to register for our
weekly fishing report and other
> information please click here :
> http://www.greatsailfishing.com/en/register.html or
> contact us at greatsailfishing@yahoo.com
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Merijo Attong (Merijo_attong)

02-05-2007, 02:32 PM

Fishing report off the Release

Guatemala...Back and Firing on all cylinders!!!

Jan. 9th was the start of a fishing slump for the
waters off Guatemala, and the search was on for the next mother load. The search took the Release, who was pleased to entertain Bill Boyce and his filming crew, to the outskits of our normal fishing area on the 10th of Jan. and for the ensuing couple of days. The mother load was not to be found, in fact fishing got slower.
Boyce's three days shoot saw 15 sails raised, 8 of which were caught on light tackle, down to 8lb test, and two marlin raised, one of which was a 225lb. Black which was caught on 20lb. test. Now, this my sound like pretty good fishing to some, but our repeat clients understand that this is slow for Guatemalan
standards. The slow fishing continued until Jan. 25th when the Intensity and Spindrift both turned to the dock raising over 20 sails a piece. I took thisopportunity to take my folks Bill and Barbara Sheeder fishing the next day, an opportunity that doesn't seem to come around as often as it could. Our half day of fishing ended with 12 releases, 3 of which came in the
form of a triple which I came down off the bridge to help hook and catch along side my parents, GREAT DAY!!! The Canaso, Intensity, and Spindrift finished the day, all raising between 35 to 50 sails! YES!!! the fish ARE back!

If you like to check out Bill Boyce's new show and the footage shot on the Release, you can. We will announce the airing date.

Tight lines,
Capt. Chris Sheeder
Release
www.casaviejalodge.com (http://www.casaviejalodge.com)

kevin styles (Marlinkjs)

02-06-2007, 05:42 AM

This Guatemala fishing report is for the week ending
February 4th 2007 and is prepared by The Great Sailfishing
Company operating out of the new Pez Vela
Marina.

OK – so now I’m confused…but maybe the fish are as well. The
“Common Wisdom” purports that during the brightest moon
phases, the predators are more able to find a meal at night – and
so feed constantly, diminishing their appetite and usual
aggressive feeding during the day. It was during a full moon
in March 2006 that the Sailfish were practically jumping in the boat –
and Guatemala (re)set the record book with up to 124 to the boat in
a single days fishing. When fishing here was slow (by Guatemala
standards) through the new moon in January, we weren’t anticipating
much help as it rose through full at the start of the month. But just to
confound us………….the bite steadily picked up, and continues to
improve.

So much for the fish playing by the rules (see last weeks “Favorite
Quote”.

The blue water is still a ways out, at 35-50 miles, but Rick Quade
and party made the run (despite the full moon!) and were rewarded
with counts in the high teens to low twenties. Each of our boats also
had a Blue Marlin in the 350-450lb class over the weekend as well.
The marlin action has been constant this season so far – even reports of
“Granders”, with at least one caught. Blacks and Stripeys have
been making a showing as well.

Following on from our filming for ESPN with Cindy Garrison, we were
pleased to welcome Mike Keyes of “Keyes Outdoors” down this past
week filming a show for FOX SPORTS to be shown in 5m homes in
Mid West. Lookout for The Great Sailfishing Company coming to a TV
in your neighborhood!

Our Favorite Fishing Quote for the week:

"Three-fourths of the Earth's surface is water, and one-fourth is land. It is quite clear that the good Lord intended us to spend triple the amount of time fishing as taking care of the lawn."
~Chuck Clark

Contact us at:

enquiries@greatsailfishing.com or to register for our
weekly fishing report and other
> information please click here :
> http://www.greatsailfishing.com/en/register.html or
> contact us at greatsailfishing@yahoo.com
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kevin styles (Marlinkjs)

03-21-2007, 01:56 PM

This Guatemala fishing report is for the week ending
March 19th 2007 and is prepared by The Great Sailfishing
Company operating out of the new Pez Vela
Marina.

The fishing remains tough up and down the Pacific Coast.
We have resorted to technology to attempt to find the Sailfish by
importing satellite images of the oceanic thermal gradients.
It is apparent from these that there has been a cooler band
of water sweeping the coast and driving the warmer water
further out to 100+miles. Of course a couple of degrees can make all
the difference, and probably accounts for the consistent Marlin
and Tuna bite that we have been experiencing for the last few months.

Most of our groups have been averaging in the low single digits
for billfish catches for the last couple of weeks – obviously vastly
different to the same week last year when the record of 152 Sailfish
in a day was set!
It is disappointing, but the crews are working hard, and as importantly
all of the crews are working together as a team to find any pockets
or pods of active fish.

There are days when things seem to be picking up, and the raise
count is consistently in double digits for a few days……..only to fall
back down again.
The positive news is that the satellite images show warmer water
pushing in , hopefully bringing the bait and the billfish with it ! The
blue water temperature now is 82 deg.F so things are improving.

Our Favorite Fishing Quote for the week:

“Scholars have long known that fishing eventually turns men
into philosophers. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to buy
decent tackle on a philosopher’s salary.”

~ Patrick F McManus

kevin styles (Marlinkjs)

03-26-2007, 12:44 PM

This Guatemala fishing report is for the week ending
March 26 th 2007 and is prepared by The Great Sailfishing
Company operating out of the new Pez Vela
Marina.

As one of my old bosses used to tell me……”The hardest part of
Forecasting is the predicting the future bit……..”

…………..and we have been predicting/hoping for some weeks now
for the bite to pick up to the standards expected of the rich waters
of Guatemala.
Finally the blue water has moved closer in and the appropriate stars
seemed to have lined up so that the billfish have concentrated and
are feeding well. There has been a steady improvement each day
over the last week, with the numbers of fish raised each day now
comfortably in the teens and twenties.
The “Reel Diver” had a high day late in the week with 35 raises
and constant action through the day.
The Karr party had “11 by 11” fish to the boat yesterday, when they
decided to switch and try some reef fishing for Pargo and Grouper – but
a strong start to the day !

The Blue Marlin are still around, but the numbers have diminished as
the conditions now are clearly more favourable for Sailfish.

We are hoping for the bite to continue through the new moon, and
look forward to the last part of the season (hopefully !) being the best
part of the year for our clients over the next 6 weeks.

Our Favorite Fishing Quote for the week:

“Reading about baseball is a lot more interesting than
reading about chess, but you have to wonder : Don’t
any of these guys ever go fishing ?”

~ Dave Shiflet

Contact us at:

enquiries@greatsailfishing.com or to register for our
weekly fishing report and other
> information please click here :
> http://www.greatsailfishing.com/en/register.html or
> contact us at greatsailfishing@yahoo.com
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kevin styles (Marlinkjs)

03-31-2007, 02:22 PM

This Guatemala fishing report is for the week ending
March 31st 2007 and is prepared by The Great Sailfishing
Company operating out of the new Pez Vela
Marina.

Finally – the fish have started to show in the numbers and
concentrations that Guatemala is famous for.
The McCarthy party had a great visit with double digit releases
each day, as well as a monster dorado of close to 50lbs.
We were pleased to welcome father and son the Prices all the
way from the UK for 4 days of fishing on the Reel Diver. They
demonstrated some great hooking skill – and managed to have
87 Sailfish to the boat over their 4 days offshore.

The fishing is consistent now with at least 20 raises each day
and many days over 20 releases as well. The blue water has been
best with lines in at 30 miles. What has been even more pleasing
has been that the action has been constant all day with a steady
bite from early morning until the end of the day.

We are hoping that it will last and is only an indicator of the season
kicking off later than usual……but we will continue to report the action
each week as it develops……stay tuned !

Our Favorite Fishing Quote for the week:

“Angling may be said to be so like mathematics
That it can never be fully learnt”

~ Izaak Walton

Contact us at:

enquiries@greatsailfishing.com or to register for our
weekly fishing report and other
> information please click here :
> http://www.greatsailfishing.com/en/register.html or
> contact us at greatsailfishing@yahoo.com

kevin styles (Marlinkjs)

04-15-2007, 12:53 PM

This Guatemala fishing report is for the week ending
April 15th 2007 and is prepared by The Great Sailfishing
Company operating out of the new Pez Vela
Marina.

“Steady as she goes” about describes the season at this point.

The bite has been consistent day to day with blue water being
found as close in as 12 miles but more usually 30 or so from
the dock.
The boats have been raising double digits and bringing to the boat
7-12 as an average day. There remains a strong Blue Marlin bite,
with multiple raises and sometimes multiple hookups occurring with
reasonable frequency.
The Joint Venture had the Villatoro party on board on Thursday, bringing
9 sailfish to the boat, one Blue of about 250lbs and another of about
400 lbs – they even had a 50lb+ bull dolphin thrown into the mix.

The weather is still great, and the seas remain calm – this is a great time
of the year to come down fishing as just about anything can happen
every day – and often does !

If anything, we are hoping for the bite to get even stronger as we run
through the waning moon – we shall see.

Our Favorite Fishing Quote for the week:

“Anglers….exaggerate grossly and make gentle and
inoffensive creatures sounds like wounded buffalo
and man-eating tigers.”

~ Roderick Haig-Brown

Contact us at:

enquiries@greatsailfishing.com or to register for our
weekly fishing report and other
> information please click here :
> http://www.greatsailfishing.com/en/register.html or
> contact us at greatsailfishing@yahoo.com
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kevin styles (Marlinkjs)

06-18-2007, 07:45 AM

This Guatemala fishing report is for the week ending
June 17th 2007 and is prepared by The Great Sailfishing
Company operating out of the new Pez Vela
Marina.

The great thing about summer fishing in the bait rich waters
off the Pacific Coast of Guatemala is that just about anything
can happen, and frequently does.
The size of the fleet fishing each day is diminished, and so it can
be more difficult to find the concentrations of Sailfish that are a
hallmark of the region during the peak of the season – but they
are there.
We welcomed the Lunquist party this past week and both the Joint
Venture and the Reel Diver went out looking for the bite. The
Captains worked together to find good blue water and steady fishing.
Lines in at 30 miles produced a steady pick of good sized Dorado which
provided fantatstic action on light tackle.
The rains in the previous week had washed out debris from the land,
and this provided good targets to aim for while still continuing the search
for billfish.

Each boat came in with a release record of 2 Sailfish for the day – but
everyone was happy as there had been continuous action with Bonita
and some good sized Dorado. The Joint Venture brought 24 Dorado
to the boat and the Reel Diver had 12 – so plenty of good fish for dinner.

As the summer progresses, we anticipate more “Bull” dolphin as the bait
becomes more concentrated under some of the large logs that float out
to the fishing grounds from the estuaries – so come an enjoy some great
fishing as well as a fine dinner, with billfish action mixed in !

Our Favorite Fishing Quote for the week:

“Calling fishing a hobby is like calling brain surgery a job.”

~ Paul Schullery

Contact us at:

enquiries@greatsailfishing.com

or to register for our weekly fishing report and other
> information please click here :

> http://www.greatsailfishing.com/en/register.html

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kevin styles (Marlinkjs)

06-25-2007, 06:41 AM

This Guatemala fishing report is for the week ending
June 24th 2007 and is prepared by The Great Sailfishing
Company operating out of the new Pez Vela
Marina.

We were pleased to welcome Michael Brennan and his two
sons to Guatemala this past week to experience The Great
Sailfishing adventure. They were inspired to fish with us after
watching Cindy Garrison’ s ESPN escapades on the Joint
Venture.

The weather and seas were calm as they set off on their
first morning with Capt. Marvin. We hadn’t ventured out of
dock for a couple of days, so were a little uncertain about the
prospects, but with good blue water starting at 22 miles the
crew was optimistic.

Shortly after lines in the first Sailfish was in the spreads.

This was a good sign – the fish was lit up and aggressively
chasing the teasers, first on the port side, then rapidly
switching to the starboard. As soon as the freshly rigged
ballyhoo was in the water however, it quickly switched attention
and pursued the meal with venom. An easy hookup and release
followed in short order.

While this had been going on, Capt. Marvin had been
surveying the surrounding water, and had observed Sails
free jumping a short distance away. He kicked the Reel Diver
into gear and started to troll the mile or so to the last jumper
he had seen. Didn’t get far however before two hungry sails
started following the short line – and more action ensued.

This continued almost non-stop – eventually raising over
40 Sailfish for the day, bringing over half to the boat and
release. Could this continue ?

The second day proved that it could – even in the “low
season”. A similar catch rate for Sailfish, many Dorado
and many more smiles occurred the second day out –
the final day was capped off with two Blue Marlin.
To quote the crew : “There are Sails all over the place !”

Come and experience The Great Sailfishing adventure
for yourself – try our “Off Season” !!! We even have a
SPECIAL running to make it easy for you !

Our Favorite Fishing Quote for the week:

“If fishing is interfering with your business, give
up your business.”

~ Alfred W. Miller

Contact us at:
http://jerrylabella.com/discus/messages/6/7717.jpg

marlinkjs

08-06-2007, 09:02 AM

This Guatemala fishing report is for the week ending
August 5th 2007 and is prepared by
The Great Sailfishing Company (http://www.GreatSailfishing.com)
operating out of the new Pez Vela
Marina.

Even charter boat captains have to take a vacation at some
point – and so it is even down in Guatemala. The billfish
are still fairly well concentrated (which is more than can be
said for the Captains) – but with fewer boats venturing
out each day, it is harder to have enough scouting capacity
out on the water to find them efficiently.
This is particularly the case when the blue water only starts
at about 35 miles from port.

One of the great attributes of a 100% catch and release
fishery is that there is hardly any selfishness between the
boats. When the bite is found, the only limitation to getting
the co-ordinates is the ability of the ear to decipher the
“Guatamaltique” chatter over the radio at full pace !

Both the Joint Venture and the Reel Diver headed out
from the dock in search of both billfish and fish for the
table (Dorado and Tuna). We welcomed the Hamer party
to fish with us over the weekend.
The Captains found a strong bite at about 45 miles from
port, and fished reasonably consistently – raising single
digits of sails. Each boat also managed a good sized
Blue Marlin in the 350-450lb class, which occupied crew
and clients alike for some considerable time !

The weather cooperated and remained calm and warm for
this time of year.
It seems like the Marlin are hanging around much more
than they have in past years – a consistent bite all the
way through the normally quiet summer months.
Hopefully a good omen for the coming season – we hope
you will come and give it a try !

Our Favorite Fishing Quote for the week:

“Fishermen are born honest, but they get
over it”

~ Ed Zern

Contact us at:

enquiries@greatsailfishing.com

or to register for our weekly fishing report and other
> information please click here :

> http://www.greatsailfishing.com/en/register.html

marlinkjs

08-13-2007, 07:21 AM

This Guatemala fishing report is for the week ending
August 11th 2007 and is prepared by
The Great Sailfishing Company (http://www.GreatSailfishing.com)
operating out of the new Pez Vela
Marina.

It is a truism that you have to fish where the fish are – and
it is also true that you have to tailor your technique and
tactics to the bite of the day.
While the primary focus of the fleet remains the everpresent
abundant sailfish population – within 2 miles of the blue water
this week,the boats had aggressive Blue Marlin in the spread.
They were interested in the ballyhoo, but there didn’t seem
to be enough meat for them to target – and so the bigger baits
and the large bubble heads came out to create pandemonium
in the wake.

This certainly did it ! A slightly higher trolling speed was enough
to switch on a marlin bite that even for the bait rich waters of
Guatemala is unusual.
The boats returned to dock, with both boats having raised 8
Blue Marlin for the day – one brought 3 to the boat, the other
managed an impressive 5.
Total then was 8 Blues caught (and released) for 16 bites; a
GreatMarlinFishing (http://www.GreatMarlinfishing.com)
day !

There has been a consistent marlin bite even through the
normally quiet summer season – which we hope bodes well
for great sportfishing as we build up to the full coming season.
If you are planning on making a trip in 2007/8, we suggest that
you contact us soon, as there is a limited supply of boats and
experienced crews – and the popular dates are filling in fast !

Our Favorite Fishing Quote for the week:

“There he stands, draped in more equipment than
a telephone lineman, trying to outwit an organism
with a brain no bigger than a breadcrumb, and
getting licked in the process.”

~ Paul O’Neil

Contact us at:

enquiries@greatsailfishing.com

or to register for our weekly fishing report and other
> information please click here :

> http://www.greatsailfishing.com/en/register.html

marlinkjs

09-10-2007, 09:39 AM

This Guatemala fishing report is for the week ending
September 9th 2007 and is prepared by
The Great Sailfishing Company (http://www.GreatSailfishing.com)
operating out of the new Pez Vela
Marina.

It’s times like this that we are glad to have a mountain range
and substantial land mass between our boats nestled in the
Pez Vela Marina and the warm currents of the Caribbean.
First Dean decided to make an appearance, but thankfully
stayed on a true ENE track – but then Felix called and said
he wanted to visit. We knew from experience that by the time
the storm made it to the volcanoes guarding the coast, the
winds would have subsided – but several inches of rain over
the highlands can become a torrent as they flow down to the
coast and can easily overwhelm the flood infrastructure and cause
devastation.
The town of Puerto San Jose next to the marina was battered
by heavy rain for 6 hours, and many of the culverts were quickly
overwhelmed – but the multiple inlets cut into the town absorbed
the bulk of the flood and directed it into the floodplain and from there
out to sea.
No serious injuries, minor damage – but tons of debris being
washed miles out to sea. This quickly became a sanctuary for
smaller fish to hide below – and so the food chain took over.

This was apparent as soon as the boats headed out after the
storm. A minimum of two pairs of eyes were needed on the
flybridge to look out for “floaters” (almost a misnomer as they
are large logs that actually float just below the surface) that may
lurk and can rip a hole through even the heaviest of hulls.
Beneath almost every log however, the Dorado schooled – and
so provided sport and dinner for all. In my opinion, casting a
9wt to a 15lb dolphin is at least as much fun as swinging to
a 13wt to a 100lb sailfish. You have the spectacle of the
aerobatic fight, but frequently get to sight cast to a targeted
fish 60ft away and really flyfish.

This is the time of year when almost all species can be found
in the bait rich water. One day fishing brought 10+ sailfish to the
boat as well as a full complement of dorado and tuna – the only
thing missing was a Marlin…..maybe this week !

GreatMarlinFishing (http://www.GreatMarlinfishing.com)
day !

Our Favorite Fishing Quote for the week:

“ Scholars have long known that fishing eventually
turns men into philosophers. Unfortunately, it is
almost impossible to buy decent tackle on a
philosopher’s salary”

~ Patrick F. McManus

Contact us at:

enquiries@greatsailfishing.com

or to register for our weekly fishing report and other
> information please click here :

marlinkjs

09-26-2007, 05:48 AM

This Guatemala fishing report is for the week ending
September 24th 2007 and is prepared by
The Great Sailfishing Company operating out of the
new Pez Vela Marina .

This is the time of year when there is a real buzz down in
Guatemala. You can sense that the season is about to start
with vigor. Most of the heavy preparation has been completed –
boats that have languished for some time on stands while
their innards were refurbished are now floating again.
The docks are busy with crews doing maintenance and
cosmetic work : triple spreaders lay on the dockside like
hurdles, clouds of dust hang in the air from power tools
preparing for paint.
The weather is falling back to its more predictable pattern
of light winds, calm seas and blue skies. ….however not
yet everyday.

We welcomed the Crosby party to fish with us this week
onboard the Joint Venture – and their first day out faced
one of the exceptions; a strong Southeast breeze was
whipping up 2-3 feet seas with some white tops. The Joint
Venture at 23000lbs dry is a sturdy fishing and cruising
platform in such conditions, but the buffeting does make the
positioning of the boat with finesse more difficult, particularly
for fly-fishing.
Perseverance paid off however, and the group raised 7 good
sized Sailfish, bringing 4 to the boat for obligatory pictures.

They started their second day just where they had left off : lines
in at 40 miles …. but much calmer seas. During the course
of the day they managed some specimen fish.
As well as the anticipated Sailfish, they raised and hooked up
to 3 Blue Marlin, one estimated at 600lbs. We will be posting
pictures on GreatMarlinFishing . Also in the mix were
Bull Dolphin up to 35lbs and Wahoo.
We kept our eyes open for schools of Spinning Dolphin that
would indicate the presence of Tuna to try and add to the species
caught, but none were seen in the grounds being fished that day.

Our Favorite Fishing Quote for the week:

“ Scholars have long known that fishing eventually
turns men into philosophers. Unfortunately, it is
almost impossible to buy decent tackle on a
philosopher’s salary”
~ Patrick F. McManus

Contact us at:

enquiries@greatsailfishing.com

or to register for our weekly fishing report and other
> information please click here :

> http://www.greatsailfishing.com/en/register.html

marlinkjs

11-12-2007, 03:55 PM

This Guatemala fishing report is for the week ending
November 3rd 2007 and is prepared by
The Great Sailfishing Company (http://www.GreatSailfishing.com)
operating out of the new Pez Vela
Marina.

A strong b] Marlin (http://www.GreatMarlinfishing.com)[/b]
bite, good numbers of Sailfish raise and caught – and even
food for the table……….things are definitely looking up in the
rich fishing grounds off the Pacific Coast of Guatemala.

Groups fishing last week found blue water ranging from
20 to as far as 70 miles from the marina; but the good news
was that the strongest and most consistent bite was found
closest to shore at around 25 miles. In fact at the beginning
of this week, boats were getting their first bite as close in as
5 miles !!
The weather has been kind, and warm days coupled with calm
seas made the relatively short run to “lines in” a pleasant
experience – even sipping coffee to make sure the adrenalin
was on full standby.

Most boats were raising between 10 and 15 billfish per day, and
the Blue Marlin showed consistently in the spread as well some
even taking the fly without hesitation.
There is plenty of variety in the water at the moment, with
Dorado and Tuna readily available to provide fresh Cerviche
on the boat as well as a good fillet for the evening meal prepared
by the chef in the villa.

The boats are ready, the crews are primed – come down and enjoy
the buildup to what we hope is going to be a great season
fishing with The Great Sailfishing Company (http://www.GreatSailfishing.com)

We still have availability for some of the popular dates, so don’t
wait, give us a call at 1-877-763-0851 or send us an email (below)
to check on dates – we would look forward to welcoming you to
some of the finest fishing anywhere.

Our Favorite Fishing Quote for the week:

“ Why do people go fishing ? Some say they fish
to get fish. This is obviously false.”

~ John Randolph

Contact us at:

enquiries@greatsailfishing.com

or to register for our weekly fishing report and other
> information please click here :

> http://www.greatsailfishing.com/en/register.html

marlinkjs

11-19-2007, 01:18 PM

This Guatemala fishing report is for the week ending
November 18th 2007 and is prepared by
The Great Sailfishing Company (http://www.GreatSailfishing.com)
operating out of the new Pez Vela
Marina.

I’m the first to recognize that “Local Knowledge” is one of
the most important factors in a successful fishing trip. The
complex interaction of tides/moons/currents/temperatures/
depth etc etc. become almost overwhelming, but years of
experience in a particular locale decipher them into almost
a “3rd sense” for where the fish are.
This seems to have been taken to a whole new level in
Guatemala however, where the local fishermen now seem
to be able to PREDICT the fishing months ahead.

The “Presidential Challenge” took place this past weekend,
and after weeks of relatively inconsistent fishing at seemingly
random spots, all of a sudden the fish have become more
concentrated starting at only 15-18 miles from the dock.
Most boats were raising 15-25 sails per day and at the end of
the tournament 30+ sails caught over the 3 days was sufficient
to be in the hunt. There also several “Grand Slams” on Blue
Marlin and Sailfish brought to the boat over the course of
the tournament. Seas were very calm with hardly and surface
movement at all until about midday.

The “Joint Venture” also fished Sunday and found not only good
numbers of sails at the same mark (15 caught), but also large
schools of voracious Albacore that were readily attacking
small skirts trolled quickly on light tackle – providing great
sport as well as good steaks for the table.

A strong b] Marlin (http://www.GreatMarlinfishing.com)[/b]
bite, good numbers of Sailfish raise and caught – and even
food for the table……….things are definitely looking up in the
rich fishing grounds off the Pacific Coast of Guatemala.

The boats are ready, the crews are primed – come down and enjoy
the buildup to what we hope is going to be a great season
fishing with The Great Sailfishing Company (http://www.GreatSailfishing.com)

We still have availability for some of the popular dates, so don’t
wait, give us a call at 1-877-763-0851 or send us an email (below)
to check on dates – we would look forward to welcoming you to
some of the finest fishing anywhere.

Our Favorite Fishing Quote for the week:

“ Good things come to those who bait”

~ Unknown

Contact us at:

enquiries@greatsailfishing.com

or to register for our weekly fishing report and other
> information please click here :

> http://www.greatsailfishing.com/en/register.html

merijo_attong

11-28-2007, 11:48 AM

A brief report from captains, anglers, and other
unreliable sources........(Joking)

The Presidential Fly Challenge of Guatemala (Nov
12-13)found very slow sailfishing for Guatemalan
standards but the showing of marlin during the days
has kept the adrenalin pumping. Fishing aboard the
"Intensity" with Capt. Mike Sheeder Team "Casa Vieja"
consisting of Mr. Jim Turner, and fly fishing guru
Mr. Jake Jordan, raised 2 blue marlins and hooking one
estimated at 400# destroying the 20# fly gear, but
released 7 out of 9 bites over the two days on sails
clinching the challenge and bringing home the victory
for "Casa Vieja".

Hoping to follow up with a sweep, the Presidential
Challenge of Central America(Nov.16-18) Finds team
Canaso, I mean "Casa Vieja" consisting of Mr. Jim
Turner, Capt. Chris Sheeder of the "Release", and Capt.
Erik Lorentzen (myself) of the "Pelagian" Fishing aboard the
"Makara" with Capt. Nikolas "Niko" Mendez. Over the
three days the team went 17-19 on sails and 2 Blue
marlins released on 20#. Even with this average the
team finished in a distant fourth place overall, with
a three way tie separating the winning boats each with
a total of 2900 points each. The tie was broken by the
time at which each boat had released its last
fish, which in this case was minutes.

Once again the PCCA was an all out success and tips
there hats to the always infallible Joan Vernon for
another great tournament.

Till next time!
Capt Erik
"PELAGIAN"
CASA VIEJA LODGE
GUATEMALA, C.A.
info@casaviejalodge.com

marlinkjs

11-28-2007, 01:21 PM

This Guatemala fishing report is for the week ending
November 26 th 2007 and is prepared by
The Great Sailfishing Company (http://www.GreatSailfishing.com)
operating out of the new Pez Vela
Marina.

Fishing over the last few weeks has been steady, with
raises in the high double digits the norm. – a slight dip over
the full moon last week, but numbers of releases for both
Sailfish and Marlin have been strong since.
The bite has been especially vigorous first thing in the morning,
and this has been made easier and more convenient for
anglers with the blue water moving in as close in as only
10 miles.

We welcomed the Schafferius party to our new villa this
week – complete with swim-up bar, satellite TV and amenities
…….all the comforts of home without the washing
up !
More importantly, we welcomed them aboard the Joint
Venture for their first days fishing, and put lines in at
9 miles from the dock.
The action came thick and fast, with Sailfish aggressively
pursuing the teasers. They raised 20 Sailfish on their first
day out – with 15 bites and 8 releases. Also in the mix, and
brought to the boat was a 350lb Blue Marlin and some
good sized Dorado for the table.

The season has now started in earnest, and the early
indicators are good for plenty of billfish this year – hopefully
the marlin will hang around as well !

Correction : I reported last week of “Grand Slams” being
released (Blue/Black marlin and Sailfish). I regret that
this was in error and due to my poor translation (literally)
of the Captain’s report. In fact they reported several “Slams”
of Blue Marlin, Sailfish and Dorado. Apologies for that – we
like to be accurate in our reporting.

A strong Marlin (http://www.GreatMarlinfishing.com)
bite, good numbers of Sailfish raise and caught – and even
food for the table……….things are definitely looking up in the
rich fishing grounds off the Pacific Coast of Guatemala.

The boats are ready, the crews are primed – come down and enjoy
the buildup to what we hope is going to be a great season
fishing with The Great Sailfishing Company (http://www.GreatSailfishing.com)

We still have availability for some of the popular dates, so don’t
wait, give us a call at 1-877-763-0851 or send us an email (below)
to check on dates – we would look forward to welcoming you to
some of the finest fishing anywhere.

Our Favorite Fishing Quote for the week:

“ The Gods do not deduct from man’s allotted
span the hours spent fishing”

~ Herbert Hoover

Contact us at:

enquiries@greatsailfishing.com

marlinkjs

12-05-2007, 08:59 AM

This Guatemala fishing report is for the week ending
November 26 th 2007 and is prepared by
The Great Sailfishing Company (http://www.GreatSailfishing.com)
operating out of the new Pez Vela
Marina.

Sometimes the requests for Santa are fairly straightforward –
a new reel, a traveling rod case, a splendid GreatSailfishing
tshirt – sometimes however, they can be a bit of a challenge.

We had an inquiry from the North Pole that had been relayed
on from Russia – Sergey Ilinykh really, REALLY wanted to
hook up to a Blue Marlin that would challenge his technique
as well as his equipment.
He had been monitoring our fishing reports from Guatemala,
and had browsed the claims on our site that has been promoting
the remarkable Marlin bite over the last couple of seasons at
www.GreatMarlinfishing.com – and he figured this was the
place to make his bet.

Although he didn’t have to visit the North Pole before arriving
in Guatemala – he did have to fly through Amsterdam’s Schiphol
airport, which can be a challenge to his technique all by itself.
Sure enough, some weather and flight delays caused him to miss his
connection, and inevitably he would arrive a day later than planned.
Now the decision – sacrifice a days fishing, or curtail the Tikal trip
by a day ? Approximately 3 seconds later, he relayed the message
to us in Guatemala – pickup at the airport, head straight for the coast.

The fishing has been great the last couple of weeks, as reported
in our prior reports; lines in at 10 miles, a strong and steady Sailfish
bite. Raises in the 20+ have been consistent day after day. One of
our groups last week raised over 50 Sailfish in a day – out came the
fly gear, and Mr. Schafferius successfully also added his first billfish on
the fly to his (considerable) list of achievements.

With this knowledge, Sergey boarded the Joint Venture with an air of
optimism.

It didn’t take long until the first Sailfish were in the boat – but it was
clearly Marlin that he was after. Midday …….. sailfish bashing the
left teaser……….when the Cap’n calls out “Marlin on left rigger” – and
sure enough there was the long shadow looming under the bait. Francisco
(aka Guapo) handles the reel as his 25 years of experience have taught,
and carefully guides the bait towards the transom. The marlin follows, the
shadow becomes less grey, lights up and chases, he yanks at the last
minute….. Hermano pitches the belly-bait on the Penn 50W – and they
are hooked up to a magnificent, and very large Blue Marlin.

The weight estimates continued to increase as the fight bore on – first
it was the “regular” 350lbs……….then it became 500lbs……..the fight wore
on. The original hookup was at 19 miles, but she was eventually brought
to the boat at 27 miles 4 hours later. The cap’n estimated the weight at
over 700lbs – too large to be brought in for pictures, so the effort moved
instantly to revive and release. It took some time, but eventually she
shook her massive bill and slipped off into the deep blue water.

Santa always does his best.

More days, more fishing and more Blue Marlin have followed. To be
updated in next weeks report.

A strong Marlin (http://www.GreatMarlinfishing.com)
bite, good numbers of Sailfish raise and caught – and even
food for the table……….things are definitely looking up in the
rich fishing grounds off the Pacific Coast of Guatemala.

The boats are ready, the crews are primed – come down and enjoy
the buildup to what we hope is going to be a great season
fishing with The Great Sailfishing Company (http://www.GreatSailfishing.com)

We still have availability for some of the popular dates, so don’t
wait, give us a call at 1-877-763-0851 or send us an email (below)
to check on dates – we would look forward to welcoming you to
some of the finest fishing anywhere.

Our Favorite Fishing Quote for the week:

“ Be patient and calm – for no one can catch
fish in anger”

~ Herbert Hoover

Contact us at:

enquiries@greatsailfishing.com

or to register for our weekly fishing report and other
> information please click here :

> http://www.greatsailfishing.com/en/register.html

marlinkjs

12-11-2007, 04:23 AM

This Guatemala fishing report is for the week ending
December 10th 2007 and is prepared by
The Great Sailfishing Company (http://www.GreatSailfishing.com)
operating out of the new Pez Vela
Marina.

It’s dark up there at the moment – there is just about no moon (http://www.greatsailfishing.com/en/moon.htm)
to facilitate feeding at night, and that seems to have made
the billfish concentrate in packs. If you’ve ever seen the
wonderful footage on natural history programs of pods of Sailfish
working together corralling bait into tighter and tighter balls, you
will have a good image of what the fishing in Guatemala is like
at the moment.

Finding the bait and the blue water is almost guaranteed to find
sails (and sometimes marlin) in good concentrations. Sometimes
these bait balls are relatively close to each other, and sometimes
they are widely dispersed. The fleet has been finding them this
past week at distances ranging from 10 – 40 miles from the
dock – but once a working area is found, it has been possible to
fish it the whole day with continuous action.

Our groups fishing this week had consistent action throughout the
day, and for the most part after a relatively short run of about 12
miles. Talk about consistent fishing – on Friday we had 3 groups
out on our boats, and two boats returned in the evening having
brought 20 sailfish to the boat (thankfully they were all members
of Kim Graham’s party !) so the betting had to be deferred to the
next day. The Buchel party, not to be outdone, wished that they had
been part of the sweep, returning to the dock a few minutes later
with a final tally of 24 sailfish caught.

Amazing (fun) Fishfact of the week :

Starfish have eight eyes – one at the end of each leg………..amazing
but true !

A strong Marlin (http://www.GreatMarlinfishing.com)
bite, good numbers of Sailfish raise and caught – and even
food for the table……….things are fishing well in the
rich fishing grounds off the Pacific Coast of Guatemala.

The boats are ready, the crews are primed – come down and enjoy
the buildup to what we hope is going to be a great season
fishing with The Great Sailfishing Company (http://www.GreatSailfishing.com)

We still have availability for some of the popular dates, so don’t
wait, give us a call at 1-877-763-0851 or send us an email (below)
to check on dates – we would look forward to welcoming you to
some of the finest fishing anywhere.

Our Favorite Fishing Quote for the week:

“ There is certainly something in angling that tends to
produce a serenity of mind”

~ Washington Irving

Contact us at:

enquiries@greatsailfishing.com

or to register for our weekly fishing report and other
> information please click here :

> http://www.greatsailfishing.com/en/register.html

merijo_attong

12-12-2007, 11:10 AM

Todd and Allison Hanslik fished in Guatemala for there first time Dec 6th. aboard the Intensity. They have previously fished Cabo and numerous times in Costa Rica. There best boat day total has been seven sail. There first day in Guatemala doubled there previous record with 13 sails and one blue marlin about 300lbs. With that great day behind them Allison decided to tour Antigua the next and let Todd fish solo. Fishing solo Todd managed to double the previous day total with 29 sails and one blue marlin about 250lbs. The final day Todd and Allison released 23 sails making there three day total of 65 sailfish and 2 blue marlin. There three day final numbers are 102 sail raises 88 bits and 65 releases, and 2 for 2 on the blue marlin. A great three days of fishing.

Captain Mike Sheeder
Intensity
Casa Vieja Lodge

marlinkjs

01-14-2008, 12:46 PM

Guatemala Fishing report Jan14th 2008

This Guatemala fishing report is for the week ending
January 14th 2008 and is prepared by
The Great Sailfishing Company (http://www.GreatSailfishing.com)
operating out of the new Pez Vela
Marina.

The New Year has continued at the same pace as we
left the old one behind. Plenty of billfish being raised and
caught consistently from 12-35 miles from the dock.

I am writing this report from Boston as we prepare for the
fly-fishing show this week – and it is hard to imagine the
completely different world of sunny skies, calm seas and
aggressive billfish from here. We have just enjoyed our
first Nor’easter of the year (but not the first of the season), and
as I was digging my way out this morning, my mind easily
wandered to the Pez Vela Marina in Guatemala.
It is quite a contrast from the snow boots and shovel to the
amble down the dock to the waiting boat. The sun waking from long
shadows on the deck, the crew preparing the baits – the gently
rumble of the exhaust as the boat kicks into gear.

About the only thing we have in common this morning is
our concern about ice……..albeit for slightly different reasons.

We have welcomed several groups down over the New Year
period, and they have all enjoyed a strong and consistent bite.
Mark Weekes and family came to visit all the way from Tokyo, and
fished for eight days straight. You have to admire the stamina.
They had a great variety of fishing, from big bull Dorado, to light
tackle and flyfishing for schools of splashing Bonita.
The highlight however was hooking up to his first marlin on the fly.
The Blue took the fly close to the end of day, but it was a good size
fish even on a 15wt., and Mark settled in for a long fight.

The cap’n was unsure exactly how large the marlin was, and so played
the fish, the boat and Mark quite gently until he got a good eye on it.
He estimated the Blue at 250lbs., and started working the boat towards
the fish which had sounded hard. The sun was setting, and there was still
little purchase – all Mark could do was to keep good pressure on the
fish and try to raise its head. Eventually almost 3 hours later, the fish
was at the boat and revived to swim away.

The Joint Venture returned to the dock in the dark, only a few stragglers
remained to see the marlin release flag flying – but we had the pictures
and the memory locked away.

A strong Marlin (http://www.GreatMarlinfishing.com)
bite, 20+ raises per day being the norm at the moment – and even
food for the table……….things are fishing well in the
rich fishing grounds off the Pacific Coast of Guatemala.

The boats are ready, the crews are primed – come down and enjoy
the buildup to what we hope is going to be a great season
fishing with The Great Sailfishing Company (http://www.GreatSailfishing.com)

We still have availability for some of the popular dates, so don’t
wait, give us a call at 1-877-763-0851 or send us an email (below)
to check on dates – we would look forward to welcoming you to
some of the finest fishing anywhere.

Our Favorite Fishing Quote for the week:

“ Next to prayer, fishing is the most personal
relationship of man”

~ Herbert Hoover

Les, Carlos, Kevin and Jim
The GreatSailfishing Company

Contact us at:

enquiries@greatsailfishing.com

or to register for our weekly fishing report and other
> information please click here :

> http://www.greatsailfishing.com/en/register.html

marlinkjs

01-14-2008, 12:55 PM

marlinkjs

02-04-2008, 10:09 AM

Guatemala Fishing report Feb 3rd 2008

This Guatemala fishing report is for the week ending
February 3rd 2008 and is prepared by
The Great Sailfishing Company (http://www.GreatSailfishing.com)
operating out of the new Pez Vela
Marina.

So far so good – this has been a great season to date,
with a strong and steady bite since early November.
It’s always great to welcome back old friends to
Guatemala, and to be able to reward their loyalty and
perseverance with outstanding fishing.
The rich Pacific waters off the coast of Guatemala are
regularly mentioned in fishing magazines and TV shows
as consistently some of the most productive billfishing
in the world - witness the February 2008 issue of Sportfishing
magazine (right) that discusses the strength of the
fishery (and The Great Sailfishing Company in particular !).
They also talk about Bluefin off the Outer Banks….we
can only manage Yellowfin in good numbers as well as
Sailfishing and Marlin……….but the weather is a lot
more clement.

The boats have been putting lines in at only 22 miles
or so – or as soon as they crew spot billfish either
breaching or lounging on the surface. There is plenty
of bait in the water, so it is really a question of sighting
the fish to set lines in the most productive areas.
We have been averaging >20 raises of billfish almost
every day, with regular catches of Blue/Black Marlin
included in the mix as well as good sized dolphin.
There seems to have been little regard or effect from
different moon phases this season – perhaps an
indicator of the sheer volume of billfish that are hanging
on the boat all along the blue water line.

A strong Marlin (http://www.GreatMarlinfishing.com)
bite, 20+ raises per day being the norm at the moment – and even
food for the table……….things are fishing well in the
rich fishing grounds off the Pacific Coast of Guatemala.

The boats are ready, the crews are primed – come down and enjoy
the buildup to what we hope is going to be a great season
fishing with The Great Sailfishing Company (http://www.GreatSailfishing.com)

We still have availability for some of the popular dates, so don’t
wait, give us a call at 1-877-763-0851 or send us an email (below)
to check on dates – we would look forward to welcoming you to
some of the finest fishing anywhere.

Our Favorite Fishing Quote for the week:

“ Some go to church and think about fishing, others
go fishing and think about God”

~ Tony Blake

Les, Carlos, Kevin and Jim
The GreatSailfishing Company

Contact us at:

enquiries@greatsailfishing.com

or to register for our weekly fishing report and other
> information please click here :

> http://www.greatsailfishing.com/en/register.html

marlinkjs

03-03-2008, 02:27 PM

Guatemala Fishing report Feb 24th – it’s HOT down here !

This Guatemala fishing report is for the week ending
February 24th 2008 and is prepared by
The Great Sailfishing Company (http://www.GreatSailfishing.com)
operating out of the new Pez Vela
Marina.

The “common wisdom” is that when the full moon lights up
the night sky, the predators can find their prey and continue
to feed throughout the night – and so are less aggressive
the following day. Perhaps it was the eclipse of the moon (http://www.greatsailfishing.com/en/moon.htm) that did it………..but if anything the billfish
are hungry – and getting hungrier every day !

We welcomed back Jody V. and his group to Guatemala – and
of course even though we wish all of our clients good success, it
is very pleasing when old friends come down and first day out
from the dock enjoy great sport.

First day results :

Joint Venture 29 Billfish caught and released
Balena 37 Billfish caught and released
Reel Diver 42 Billfish caught and released

The weather has been clement, calm seas and very warm – blue
water temperature over 80deg at 24 miles. The fishing has been
consistently getting better, with regular raises for all boats in excess
of 50 per day.

A strong Marlin (http://www.GreatMarlinfishing.com)
bite, good numbers of Sailfish raise and caught – and even
food for the table……….things are fishing well in the
rich fishing grounds off the Pacific Coast of Guatemala.

The boats are ready, the crews are primed – come down and enjoy
what is turning out to be a great season fishing with The Great Sailfishing Company (http://www.GreatSailfishing.com)

We still have availability for some of the popular dates, so don’t
wait, give us a call at 1-877-763-0851 or send us an email (below)
to check on dates – we would look forward to welcoming you to
some of the finest fishing anywhere.

Our Favorite Fishing Quote for the week:

“ Men and fish are alike. they both get into trouble
when they open their mouths”

~ Jimmy D Moore

Contact us at:

enquiries@greatsailfishing.com

or to register for our weekly fishing report and other
> information please click here :

> http://www.greatsailfishing.com/en/register.html

marlinkjs

03-18-2008, 03:48 PM

This Guatemala fishing report is for the week ending
March 15th 2008 and is prepared by
The Great Sailfishing Company (http://www.GreatSailfishing.com)
operating out of the new Pez Vela
Marina.

Opportunity knocks ! This has been a remarkable season – consistently
strong numbers of fished raised almost every day, regardless
of the moon phase, time of day or current. The only thing that
has really mattered has been finding good blue water.

This past week we have seen the deep blue water move out further
to between 30 and 40 miles – but once we have the baits in the
water, the fish have been there.
The boats have been raising 20-40 sailfish each day – giving plenty
of shots both on conventional tackle and the fly. With so many fish
chasing the teasers, there is inevitably competition between them to
get to the bait – and this has resulted in some spectacular scenes
of pods of billfish slashing at the ballyhoo being trolled close to
the transom.

By the time they have good sight and timing on the teaser, and it
has been yanked away – the sails are fully lit up and ready to
pounce on the fly as presented to the side and just behind their
last attack.
This is a great time to come down and hone those flyfishing skills
to catch 100lb+ pelagics on a 13wt.

There have been fewer Marlin (http://www.GreatMarlinfishing.com)
showing, but they are still around and every trip has the potential
to deliver not only large numbers of sailfish, but a Blue
Marlin as well !……….things are fishing well in the
rich fishing grounds off the Pacific Coast of Guatemala.

The boats are ready, the crews are primed – come down and enjoy
the rest of the season fishing with The Great Sailfishing Company (http://www.GreatSailfishing.com)

We still have availability for some of the popular dates, so don’t
wait, give us a call at 1-877-763-0851 or send us an email (below)
to check on dates – we would look forward to welcoming you to
some of the finest fishing anywhere.

Our Favorite Fishing Quote for the week:

“ The fish is not so much your quarry as your
partner”

~ Arnold Gingrich

Les, Carlos, Kevin and Jim
The GreatSailfishing Company

Contact us at:

enquiries@greatsailfishing.com

or to register for our weekly fishing report and other
> information please click here :

> http://www.greatsailfishing.com/en/register.html

merijo_attong

03-20-2008, 02:39 PM

A brief Guatemalan fishing report from Captains, Anglers, and other unreliable sources.

March 2-6 finds members from the Sarasota Yacht Club, spearheaded by Mr. Tony Piano along with 15 other Bay area Residents. In there 4 days of fishing aboard the Casa Vieja Fleet boats the 16 anglers released a total of 385 sailfish!!!

March 7-10 finds Long time friend and angler Mr. Kirk "The Shot" Weisman accompanied by his daughter Kara fishing the Fly aboard the "Intensity" with Capt. Mike Sheeder. Kara did all the angling releasing 11 sailfish on the fly in three days of fishing and going 3 for 3 on her last day. Nice going Kara!!

March 9-13 we have Marcel Waldschmit, Rick Zeedyk, and Dick Bruil from Double MM Sportfishing, fishing aboard the "Canaso" with Capt. Jason Brice. The anglers released 66 sails in there 5 day trip from 130 bites. Not a bad showing from the flying Dutchmen!

Highlights from Capt. Chris Sheeder aboard the newest addition to the Casa Vieja Fleet the 40" Whiticar the "Finest Kind" finds Godfrey Franco, Paco Suarez, and Adriel Longo joining us from Puerto Rico. The crew was looking for hungry sails and they found them, Releasing 94 sailfish from 132 bites in 5 days of fishing and a 250 lb Blue marlin to boot!!

I am settling in comfortably aboard the Recently Overhauled and finally splashed 37’ Merritt the "Release" over the past week, and will be sure to add some highlights on next weeks report.
Overall the fishing outlook is good with large schools of sails supplementing the Guatemalan fleet, with Blue Marlins and Large Dorados seen and caught daily. We still have dates available for the next couple of months and don’t’ forget that last year’s summer Marlin run heated up in April. Summer rates with big discounts start June 1st as well, so call Merijo Attong at (866) 846-9121 today to book your trip.

Capt Erik Lorentzen
"Release"
Casa Vieja Lodge
Guatemala, CA

marlinkjs

04-10-2008, 10:51 PM

What a difference a (Sun)day makes !

A cold front came through the area this week, perhaps
the early onset of the rainy season – as we saw clouds
forming late in the afternoons, and rain in the evenings.
This coincided with the fish spreading out wide and far,
and made it difficult for the fleet to find a concentrated bite.

We would consistently send out boats to prospect as far as
60 miles from the dock, but everyone came back with the same
story and similar results. The bait was widely dispersed, the
billfish were few and far between and the fishing was generally
tough. Typical results were low single digits and a bad sunburn
from staring across miles of blue water for hours at a time.

The weather improved towards the end of the week, and Saturdays
results provided some hope. We sent out the Mitchell party on
Sunday aboard the Reel Diver and Joint Venture – and finally
they found large pods of hungry Sailfish. They had consistent action
all day long – arriving back at the dock with just over 100 billfish
raised between them.

The Captains’ opinion now is that we may expect to continue
to see this pattern as we move more into the rainy season – less
consistent fishing, but still some days where the fleet is able to
find more typical “Guatemala results”.
There is still plenty of bait in the water, and as well as the
predominant sailfish, we are catching plenty of dorado, yellowfin
and the occasional Blue Marlin. The blue water is moving in
and out by up to 10 miles per day, but most days we can start
fishing at about 25 miles, with more consistent action usually
between 30-45 miles from the marina.

We will be making a TV show this week for ESPN, so watch out for
those familiar faces and think about coming down to enjoy the
spectacular fishing. We are already booking strongly into the popular
weeks for next season so don’t wait, give us a call at 1-877-763-0851
or send us an email (below) to check on dates – we would look
forward to welcoming you to some of the finest fishing anywhere.

Our Favorite Fishing Quote for the week:

“ If people concentrated on the really important things
in life, there’d be a shortage of fishing poles.”

~ Doug Larson

Contact us at:

enquiries@greatsailfishing.com

or to register for our weekly fishing report and other
> information please click here :

> http://www.greatsailfishing.com/en/register.html

KIWIChris

04-13-2008, 11:12 AM

Capt. "KIWI" Chris Reporting
http://www.rodsandreelssportfishing.com

April 7th-9th.
Bill Nelson and Richard Weaver were back this year from Houston Tx to pick up from where they left off last year. They didn't miss a beat either, hooking all their own fish they caught 26 sailfish and a nice 30lb dorado for the trip. We strayed from a pretty good sailfish bite on the second day looking for blue marlin and went 1 from 3 over the last 2 days of fishing on blues as well as adding a few sails to the total. A bit of bad luck saw a 500lb blue breaking off and a 300lb fish pulling the hook, though on the plus side Richard caught a nice 275lb blue, his first ever. Congratulations and good fishing!

April 3rd-4th.
Martin Harrison and Bill Black returned with memories of an outstanding trip from last year. The fishing this year was unfortunately slow for them....still we had 14 sailfish bites and missed a blue of around 400lbs that mouthed the mackeral bait though didn't eat, too much bait in the area saw an un-aggressive bite.

March 31st-April 2nd.
New comers to Guatemala Richard and Bess Wilson from Houston came specifically to catch a blue marlin. We left the sailfish bite on their second day in search of one and Richard was rewarded with a nice 200lb blue, we also raised a big blue that got hold of the teaser and would not switch to the pitched mackeral. Throw in 8 caught saifish from 14 bites and 3 dorado in their quest for marlin in 2 and half days of fishing and it was a great trip with Richard re-booking in July for the summer-time blue marlin bite....

March 30th.
Andrew and Sophie Paterson with their young children Will and Jacko from Australia had a memorable day of fishing in the waters off Guatemala. Here for business they took a day out with Guatemalans Miguel and Maria Gonzalez and had a blast releasing 13 sailfish from 25 bites, pulling in lines at 2.30pm for an early return to the dock. "You don't see too many days like that in Aussie mate!!".....nice going and we hope to see them back on Allure in the near future.

For World Class Fishing Adventures and Accommodations.

http://www.rodsandreelssportfishing.com

marlinkjs

04-30-2008, 11:46 AM

(When is) Enough is Enough !

This Guatemala fishing report is for the week ending
April 28th 2008 and is prepared by
The Great Sailfishing Company (http://www.GreatSailfishing.com)
operating out of the new Pez Vela
Marina.

Overall, we have had a great spell over the last few weeks of
consistently strong numbers of billfish raised day after day.
The only downside has been that the blue water has been
consistent as well - hovering between 40 and 50 miles
offshore. This makes for a long run in the early morning and
evening, but a small sacrifice to have to make for the great
fishing to be enjoyed.

We have had a few exciting episodes over the last couple of weeks;
mixed in with the concentrations of Sailfish have been good numbers
of Marlin, some as large as we have seen in Guatemalan
waters. Steve Robinson came down with his group, one of whom
had never caught a saltwater fish, never mind a billfish !
First day John (that angler !) easily made that hurdle, catching
and releasing a feisty Sailfish early in the day. Now he could
relax ? Not so……second day out, lines in the water, a marlin
bite on the flatline and John was in the seat. A good hookup, and
the captain estimated a good fish in the 500lb class – unfortunately
it had chosen to bite on the 25lb class gear, and was now firmly
attached to a Shimano TLD and 450yds of backing !
Over the course of the next 51/2 hours (yes 51/2 hours !), the captain
pitched his experience and skill in boat maneuvering against the fish,
while John tried to gain line at every opportunity. As time wore on,
and the Captain managed a couple of glimpses of the Blue – he
raised the stakes several times, until his final estimate at the boat
of a Blue Marlin of 850-900lbs. After all this time, it was important to
achieve a quick release at the boat, so a touch of the leader and
the huge fish swam away – not sure now who was the most grateful
that the fight was done ! Congratulations to John on what was truly
a world-class angling performance – 850lb Blue Marlin on 25lb gear.

Soon after this escapade, we welcomed pro angler Mark Maus down
to fish a couple of days and film a show with us for The Outdoor Channel.
You know…..the thing about fishing, is…You just never know……so
we were under some pressure to find Billfish in sufficient numbers to
accommodate all the camera angles, shots, perspectives, underwater film
etc etc required nowadays of a professional show.
Fortunately, it was lines in – and 4 minutes later Mark and I had a feisty double
underway…..while Jason our cameraman worked like crazy trying to get the
appropriate batteries in the appropriate microphones, lenses on cameras etc
etc.
This pattern continued over the next days fishing as well – and by lunch
on day 2 we pretty much had it “in the can”.
Mark – as a pro-fisherman, had an interesting perspective on the fishing
in Guatemala, that while “I have traveled all over the world billfishing and making
shows – from Costa Rica to Baja to Panama – this is BY FAR, the BEST
BILLFISHING THAT I HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED” , he also commented
however, that as a (primarily) “Traveling Anglers’ Destination”…..when is
“Enough is Enough” ????
He calculated that we had raised a billfish every 6 minutes while we were
trolling to raise fish for the show – which while ideal for us filming for TV,
may in fact be too much action for a group of guys fishing for fun or a
family just getting together. Good Point……Nice Problem to have I replied !

Finally, CONGRATULATIONS to Sheri Larkin who fished
With us earlier in the year, and submitted one of her pics
of a particularly acrobatic bull Dorado to Sportfishing Mag
for their photo competition and promptly secured an
excellent third place ! You can see the winning pics here.

The boats are ready, the crews are primed – come down and enjoy
the rest of the season fishing with The Great Sailfishing Company (http://www.GreatSailfishing.com)

We are booking strongly already for some of the popular dates next
year, so don’t wait, give us a call at 1-877-763-0851 or send us an email (below)
to check on dates – we would look forward to welcoming you to
some of the finest fishing anywhere.

Our Favorite Fishing Quote for the week:

“Fishing is such great fun, I have often felt, that
It really ought to be done in bed”

~ John Voelker

Les, Carlos, Kevin and Jim
The GreatSailfishing Company

Contact us at:

enquiries@greatsailfishing.com

or to register for our weekly fishing report and other
> information please click here :

> http://www.greatsailfishing.com/en/register.html

marlinkjs

05-06-2008, 10:26 AM

Guatemala Fishing report May 6th 2008

Sailfish and a good Blue Marlin bite !

This Guatemala fishing report is for the week ending
May 6th 2008 and is prepared by
The Great Sailfishing Company (http://www.GreatSailfishing.com)
operating out of the new Pez Vela
Marina.

We highlighted in last weeks report the strong Blue Marlin
bite that we have had for the last several weeks in the rich
blue water of the Pacific Coast of Guatemala.

Two groups in particular had an extremely memorable experience;
John Bottone fishing in saltwater for the first time successfully
released his first saltwater fish and billfish (a good Sail of about
100lbs !) on his inaugural day – but on his second day hooked into
a monster Blue Marlin ! Fishing with him was Steve Robinson, an
experienced (ex) charter captain from the Florida Keys – he recounts
the battle here.

Fishing at the same time on board the Reel Diver was the
Styles party – with another member Bryn Jones also attempting
to release his first billfish. The first day was slow, with only 3
Sailfish releases – but things heated up dramatically from then on !
After crossing the barrier of his first release, quickly followed by
a half dozen more, Bryn was first to the 50lb outfit as the a decent
sized Blue Marlin appeared in the spread. Johnny the mate on
the Reel Diver in a flash heaved the rigged Dorado belly into
the teaser stream perfectly to the side and slightly behind the fish –
and the Blue inhaled it without hesitation. The fight lasted a
relatively short, but memorable, 15 minutes – and Bryn successfully
released his first ever Blue Marlin as well……see the picture right…
he looks like a Happy Camper !

The next two groups fishing with us – the Mueller and Kano
parties saw consistent Sailfish action on both conventional
and fly – raising 15-20 Sailfish per day and having very good
hookup rates as the fish were extremely aggressive.

The blue water was swirling around a lot – ranging from a
relatively close in 25 miles to as far as 50 miles from the dock –
But we were able to find good action every day. The season is
still strongly underway !!

The boats are ready, the crews are primed – come down and enjoy
the rest of the season fishing with The Great Sailfishing Company (http://www.GreatSailfishing.com)

We are booking strongly already for some of the popular dates next
year, so don’t wait, give us a call at 1-877-763-0851 or send us an email (below)
to check on dates – we would look forward to welcoming you to
some of the finest fishing anywhere.

Our Favorite Fishing Quote for the week:

“Some go to church and think about fishing, others
go fishing and think about God”

~ Tony Blake

Les, Carlos, Kevin and Jim
The GreatSailfishing Company

Contact us at:

enquiries@greatsailfishing.com

or to register for our weekly fishing report and other
> information please click here :

> http://www.greatsailfishing.com/en/register.html

marlinkjs

07-15-2008, 04:24 PM

The Running of the Bulls

This Guatemala fishing report is for the week ending
July 10, 2008 2008 and is prepared by
The Great Sailfishing Company (http://www.GreatSailfishing.com)
operating out of the new Pez Vela
Marina.

As many of you who have fished in Guatemala will know,
we keep a “weather eye” on two key indicators first thing in
the morning on the dock.
The first is whether the volcano “Pacaya” is swathed in mist
and high cloud – a sure sign of moisture at high altitude and
often a cold front coming through.
The second is a quick glance at the steam rising from the
condensing towers in nearby Puerto Quetzal – an obvious
indicator of current wind strength and direction.
The integration of these two data points generally forms the
“Dock weather forecast” for the day and the successive couple
of days – albeit with diminished accuracy.

This “Dock forecast” is generally very good from October until
June – when the Pacific Coast of Guatemala is blessed with
light winds, calm seas and mostly sunny days for weeks and months
at a time…..a remarkable correlation to the weather forecast.
This time of year however proves to be more of a challenge to
the sages of the dock, for as fast as they can cast an eye over
distant Pacaya and so voice their opinion of the weather to
come………. it will have changed. The onset of the rainy season
means that the winds can come up and change direction quickly –
causing the bait and the billfish to scatter and much less concentrated.

Largely because of this, we have been raising only 5-10 billfish
per day for the last few weeks, and the Blue Marlin have been
noticeable only by their absence.
On the positive side, the rains in the mountains have caused
their regular flooding of the rivers and tributaries – pushing debris
out to the ocean. Trees and crates are to be found floating at
10-15 miles from the dock – and provide perfect ecosystems for
juvenile fish to flourish. These in turn attract one of the most
prolific and efficient predators of the ocean, Coryphaena hippurus
AKA Dorado/Mahi-Mahi/Dolphin.
Once the Dorado start to feed, there is little that will stop them ! They
will consume almost anything as juveniles – achieving remarkable
growth rates of as much as 3 inches/week and doubling their weight
every six months. This makes them not only prized fare for the table, but
also a great sport fish particularly on light tackle.

This can be a great time of the year to come down and take advantage
of the plethora of fishing that is available – from billfish to dorado to
roosterfish…………and also to take advantage of our Summer Special :

Fish 3 or more days and receive one day FREE
http://www.greatsailfishing.com/en/specials.htm

We are booking strongly already for some of the popular dates next
year, so don’t wait, give us a call at 1-877-763-0851 or send us an email (below)
to check on dates – we would look forward to welcoming you to
some of the finest fishing anywhere.

Our Favorite Fishing Quote for the week:

“Some go to church and think about fishing, others
go fishing and think about God”

~ Tony Blake

Les, Carlos, Kevin and Jim
The GreatSailfishing Company

Contact us at:

enquiries@greatsailfishing.com

or to register for our weekly fishing report and other
> information please click here :

> http://www.greatsailfishing.com/en/register.html

marlinkjs

10-27-2008, 07:34 AM

According to a study by the Univ of Miami, and recent articles published in Costa Rica :

"Between 2000 and 2006, the average sailfish haul in national tournaments dipped from roughly eight fish to one, and sportfishing boats failed to catch any fish on 60 percent of outings in 2007, as opposed to 37 percent that came up empty-handed in 2006."

Read the full report here : http://greatsailfishing.com/en/Costa-Rica-Fishing.html

support the TOTAL BAN ON KILLING BILLFISH !!!!

marlinkjs

11-06-2008, 03:26 PM

Guatemala Fishing report Nov 1st 2008

Fish or Ski ??

This Guatemala fishing report is for the week ending
Nov 1st 2008 and is prepared by
The Great Sailfishing Company (http://www.GreatSailfishing.com)
operating out of the new Pez Vela
Marina.

Sometimes you almost have just too much choice. We welcomed back Augusto and his family to Guatemala this week, a little tired after a long flight from Italy, but enthusiastic all the same. This is the third time that Augusto has fished with us, and so he is an “old hand” and knows well what to expect.

The blue water early in the season can move in and out very rapidly – and so it proved, moving from 25 miles one day to over 40 miles from the dock a couple of days later. This means a LOT of water to cover as the fleet looks for signs of productive fishing.
The positive side of this is that there is a good chance of finding a variety of fish as the Bertram skims over the deep blue.

And so it proved; it was tough to find a concentrated sailfish bite for Augusto and Filippo averaging low double digit raises per day, but we did manage to find some good size bull dolphin and a couple of times schools of feeding Yellowfin Tuna.

So plenty of variety to choose from – and as the title of the report suggests, another important decision was whether to fish or (water) ski on the flat calm water of the Pacific 40 MILES FROM SHORE !!!!!!!

Of course they chose to fish, but have a look here at the detailed pictures of the water behind them as they pose for pictures –this is one of the GREAT BENEFITS of fishing this part of the Pacific coast – the vasy majority of the time during fishing season, we are BLESSED with FLAT CALM SEAS.

The boats are ready, the crews are primed – come down and enjoy
the season fishing with The Great Sailfishing Company (http://www.GreatSailfishing.com)

We are booking strongly already for some of the popular dates this season, so don’t wait, give us a call at 1-877-763-0851 or send us an email (below)
to check on dates – we would look forward to welcoming you to
some of the finest fishing anywhere.

Our Favorite Fishing Quote for the week:

“Some go to church and think about fishing, others
go fishing and think about God”

~ Tony Blake

Les, Carlos, Kevin and Jim

The GreatSailfishing Company

Contact us at:

enquiries@greatsailfishing.com

or to register for our weekly fishing report and other
> information please click here :

> http://www.greatsailfishing.com/en/register.html

marlinkjs

11-25-2008, 11:01 AM

Winter is coming (or has it arrived ?)

This Guatemala fishing report is for the week ending
Nov 22nd 2008 and is prepared by
The Great Sailfishing Company (http://www.GreatSailfishing.com)
operating out of the new Pez Vela
Marina.

Some of our best clients (and best anglers !) come from Canada; Guatemala has been featured quite widely and has deservedly gained a reputation for great fishing as soon as the ground hardens up North. Perhaps it shouldn’t come as a surprise then that we welcomed two groups from Canada concurrently – Dr. Tim Blight and (welcome back !) Kim Graham.

Unfortunately the first group arrived at the tail end of a cold front, and although managing to catch decent numbers (high single digits per day), we found it hard to find good concentrations of bait – having to travel as far as 45 miles from the dock before putting lines in.
The fishing was relatively difficult as we were also faced with unseasonably strong currents combined with wind from the end of the front – combining to whip up the seas. It is a tribute to the skill and concentration of the Blights that they managed a very good hookup ratio under such conditions. The seas did calm down towards the end of their trip – but not before the “Fishing Gods” had wreaked some havoc on our boats – one taking some damage to the trim tabs that caused a “Boat Dollar” and a day to fix (editor note : current exchange rate is 1 Boat_Dollar equals approximately 1000 usd).

As the sun came out and the seas laid down – we were happy to welcome Kim back to Guatemala fishing aboard the “Joint Venture” and “Reel Diver”. They found some good consistent action as well as pleasant seas and a warming breeze – with lines in at 22 miles. Clearly the billfish were happy to find concentrations of bait as well, for once discovered, they stayed around until they had decimated the school – and we hung around as well ! Our boats most days over the week raised low twenties in sailfish and Kim and his fishing teams brought high teens to the transom – some decent dorado and yellowfin tuna for the table a satisfying trip for all !!

The boats are ready, the crews are primed – come down and enjoy
the season fishing with The Great Sailfishing Company (http://www.GreatSailfishing.com)

We are booking strongly already for some of the popular dates this season, so don’t wait, give us a call at 1-877-763-0851 or send us an email (below)
to check on dates – we would look forward to welcoming you to
some of the finest fishing anywhere.

Our Favorite Fishing Quote for the week:

“Anglers...exaggerate grossly and make gentle and inoffensive creatures
sound like wounded buffalo and man-eating tigers”

~ Roderick Haig-Brown

Les, Carlos, Kevin and Jim

The GreatSailfishing Company

Contact us at:

enquiries@greatsailfishing.com

or to register for our weekly fishing report and other
> information please click here :

> http://www.greatsailfishing.com/en/register.html

merijo_attong

12-05-2008, 02:16 PM

A brief Guatemalan fishing report from Captains, Anglers, and other Unreliable sources.

Nov-5,6 & 8 The Casa Vieja Fleet started off the new season fishing the Club Náutico International Light Tackle Tournament.

Captain Chris Sheeder aboard the "Buddy Boy" Finished the tournament in second place releasing 31 sails in the three day tournament and a blue marlin, not a bad finish taking into consideration that Chris went looking for the mother load the first day and did not release a fish on day one. Congrats to Chris and the crew for a job well done!

Captain Chico Alvarenga aboard the "Canaso" Had a very nice showing during the tournament releasing 27 sails and a blue marlin of about 300# on 20#, The Canaso and crew finished the tournament in third place, and was in the bite all three days.

Captain Nico Melendrez aboard the "Release" also had a very good tournament and was the boat that found the bite that was fished during the tournament. Nico and his crew finished in a not so distant fourth place releasing 27 sails, Lady Luck was not to be seen on day three of the tournament aboard the "Release" but the opportunity in bites was ever present for the anglers.

Aboard the "Finest Kind" we released 14 sails and a blue marlin during the three day tournament and finished in a very distant 10th place. I think something along the lines of being a hero or zero sums it up best, but we will be looking to redeem ourselves during the upcoming Presidential Challenge of Central America tournament taking place Nov 19-21.

Nov 9-10 we have Carl, Adam, and Fisher Van Rooy along with family friend Jason Robertson aboard the "Finest Kind" Four year old Fisher Released his 2nd sailfish in two cosecutive years and got to watch his 'Uncle' Jason release about a 225# blue marlin ON 20#. The group also caught 9 yellowfin tunas up to 30 lbs. And if I am not mistaken, even Carl was in on the yellowfin action. Congratulations to Fisher Van Rooy from all of your friends at the Casa Vieja Lodge on your sailfish Releases'.

Photo by Captain Chico Alvarenga

Nov 13-15 finds Austin Hepburn, Scott Schoettley, Julie Cowhey, Carrie Hulburd and Leslie Jenkins from the good state of Mississippi, aboard the "Canaso" with captain Chico. The group Raised 50 sailfish had 38 bites and released 29 sails, and two blue Marlins between 225#s and 275#s. The group also brought home dinner for the lodge catching 8 Dorodos between 25-30lbs, and 7 football size yellowfins.

Nov 14-15 finds the Foster group aboard the "Release" with captain Nico. The group raised 23 sails had 22 bites and released 16 sails during there two day trip and also caught 6 yellowfin tunas and 4 dorodos all in the 30 lb range.

Nov 15-16 finds Phil and Chip Lloyd, from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, Aboard the "Buddy Boy" with Captain Chris. The pair raised 17 sails had 17 bites and released 9 sails in there two day trip.

Capt Erik Lorentzen
"Finest Kind"
Casa Vieja Lodge
Guatemala, CA

Casa Vieja Lodge
123 N.Krome Avenue
Suite #200
Homestead, Florida 33030
1 (866) 846-9121
www.CasaViejaLodge.com

marlinkjs

12-10-2008, 01:28 PM

Christmas is coming - the fish are getting FAT

This Guatemala fishing report is for the week ending
December 7th 2008 and is prepared by The Great Sailfishing Company
operating out of the new Pez Vela Marina.

Things are still "changeable" in Guatemala. One day the sun is out and the seas are calm - the next a quick front can push through and drive up the seas and scatter the bait (along with the billfish that were concentrated on them)........but as we head further into the dry season, the vast majority of days have become perfect fishing days. (Of course many would say that very day is a perfect fishing day !)

There is a great variety of fish to be caught at present - as well as the ubiquitous sailfish, we are catching plenty of tuna and good sized dorado. There are even enough Blue Marlin showing to have the opportunity to cast a fly to one on almost a daily basis.
So it was with Trevor Mennie who made the trip down after waving his wife onto the plane in New York bound for "Blighty". We were only raising high single digits of billfish his first day out on the water with a long wand in hand - but one of those was a Blue Marlin, so some compensation there...........nevertheless, he had come down specifically to catch a billfish on the fly,and we were there to help him.
We set the Reel Diver up for flyfishing, and rigged a good bunch of horse ballyhoo tied up to penn spinning rods for a quick and easy teasing rig - and were ready for when the sails came into the teaser spread.
After a couple of attempts, Trveor masterfully hooked into one of the largest sails that we have seen so far this season, and hunkered down for the fight.

The fish took off with the Billy Pate reel screaming in Trevor's hands, and the cap'n fired the CATS into hard reverse to give chase and prevent the 350yd capacity reel being spooled. The fight took some considerable time, but eventually the billfish was brought to the stern - and estimated in excess of 160lbs !! That is some fish on a 13wt fly outfit !!!

The fishing continues to improve and each day becomes more consistent - and with more of the fleet going out each day, locating the pods of sailfish is also becomeing quicker and more predictable. If you want to catch a billfish - or even a Blue Marlin - on the fly, now is a GREAT time to come down and give it a go.

The boats are ready, the crews are primed – come down and enjoy
the season fishing with http://www.greatsailfishing.com/
We are booking strongly already for some of the popular dates this season, so don’t wait, give us a call
at 1 877 763 0851or send us an email (below) to check on dates – we would look forward to welcoming you to
some of the finest fishing anywhere.

Our Favorite Fishing Quote for the week:

“There is certainly something in angling that tends to produce a serenity of the mind”

~ Washington Irving

Les, Carlos, Kevin and Jim
The GreatSailfishing Company

Contact us at:

enquiries@greatsailfishing.com

or to register for our weekly fishing report and other
> information please click here :

> http://www.greatsailfishing.com/en/register.html

merijo_attong

12-10-2008, 08:16 PM

Just in from Captain Ron Hamlin

We received this email from Captain Ron Hamlin:

"Dear Friends,

As many of you already know, as of December 1st I have resigned from my position as captain of the Captain Hook with Pacific Fins. I have extended a 60 days notice to Pacific Fins giving you the opportunity to fish with me if you desire to do so.

Fortunately, my new adventure is only a few yards down the dock. As of February 1st, I will be at the helm of the Buddy Boy, a 43' Merritt that many of you remember as the Sansouri, later the Prowess. The Buddy Boy is one of the eight classic gameboats in the Casa Vieja fleet. Jim Turner and Casa Vieja lodge exemplify the best in fishing, accommodations and service you have grown to expect in Guatemala . You will recognize many familiar faces from the old Fins 'n Feathers days - it's good to be home again!

Please check us out on the web at www.casaviejalodge.com or call any of the Casa Vieja booking agents for rates and availability. I'm looking forward to fishing with you again.

Tight lines,
Capt. Ron Hamlin"

Don't wait to book or it will be to late. We have availability as early as February 1, 2009.

Sportsman's Addiction

123 N.Krome Avenue
Suite #200
Homestead, Florida 33030

(305) 396-6629 Fax (305) 396-4986

info@sportsmansaddcton.com

merijo_attong

12-17-2008, 05:37 PM

Casa Vieja’s Winter Blast Blowouts!

Book select dates in January and receive a 20% discount

January 9 – 15, 2009

January 19 – 23, 2009

Call now to confirm your dates (866) 846-9121!

merijo_attong

12-17-2008, 05:39 PM

emails.

Just in from Captain Ron Hamlin

We received this email from Captain Ron Hamlin:

"Dear Friends,

As many of you already know, as of December 1st I have resigned from my position as captain of the Captain Hook with Pacific Fins. I have extended a 60 days notice to Pacific Fins giving you the opportunity to fish with me if you desire to do so.

Fortunately, my new adventure is only a few yards down the dock. As of February 1st, I will be at the helm of the Buddy Boy, a 43' Merritt that many of you remember as the Sansouri, later the Prowess. The Buddy Boy is one of the eight classic gameboats in the Casa Vieja fleet. Jim Turner and Casa Vieja lodge exemplify the best in fishing, accommodations and service you have grown to expect in Guatemala . You will recognize many familiar faces from the old Fins 'n Feathers days - it's good to be home again!

Please check us out on the web at www.casaviejalodge.com or call any of the Casa Vieja booking agents for rates and availability. I'm looking forward to fishing with you again.

Tight lines,
Capt. Ron Hamlin"

Don't wait to book or it will be to late. We have availability as early as February 1, 2009.

Sportsman's Addiction

123 N.Krome Avenue
Suite #200
Homestead, Florida 33030

(305) 396-6629 Fax (305) 396-4986

info@sportsmansaddcton.com

merijo_attong

01-05-2009, 04:46 PM

Sailfish School Fishing Report from

Casa Vieja Lodge, Guatemala

January 3, 2009

Greetings from Casa Vieja Lodge, Guatemala:

Today my friend and former Sailfish School student Nat Harris from North Carolina finished up his 4 days of fly fishing for Billfish aboard “Buddy Boy” with Captain Chris Sheeder. Nat reports releasing 24 sailfish caught on fly from 33 bites during his stay, however today was the highlight with Nat hooking two Blue Marlin on fly. The first was a fish of 250 to 300 pounds which stayed hooked up for over a minute before putting it in high gear and breaking the 20 pound tippet. The second Blue Marlin, a fish which weighted about 175 pounds attacked the fly aggressively and put on a great show. Shortly after the hook up Nat wound this tarpon onto the leader and got a release, for his 7th Pacific Blue Marlin caught on fly. Congratulations to Nat, every Blue Marlin on fly is a very special event.

Kirk Weisman from Florida is here for three days of fly fishing, (Kirk was the first angler to catch a sailfish on fly in Guatemala on 2 pound tippet) aboard “Intensity” with Captain mike Sheeder. Today while using a fly tied with a one dollar bill, Kirk cast to, hooked, caught, tagged, released, and got the fly back from catching his first Blue Marlin on fly. Kirks first Blue Marlin ever on fly was a fish of about 150 pounds, Congratulations to Kirk on joining this very exclusive club of fly anglers who have caught a Blue Marlin on fly.

Tomorrow, I have a group of 6 students who will be fishing for the next 3 days aboard Buddy Boy with Captain Chris Sheeder and Intensity with Captain Mike Sheeder. My clients are Tom Gilmore, Joe Darcy, and Rich Steven from NY, NJ, and Pa. aboard intensity, and Art Watkins, Matule, and Pete Peterman, aboard Buddy Boy with Captain Chris Sheeder.

This place is awesome, stay tuned for more fly fishing reports from Casa Vieja Lodge in Guatemala; this is a lot better than being in the hospital in Miami.

Regards:

Jake

Captain Jake Jordan
Jake Jordan's Fishing Adventures
PO Box 309 (US Mail)
223 Lemonwood Drive (Freight)
Havelock NC 28532
252-444-3308 Home/Office
305-872-6060 Cell
www.jakejordan.com

marlinkjs

01-06-2009, 10:10 AM

Happy New Year – Feliz Navidad !!

This Guatemala fishing report is for the week ending
January 4th 2009 and is prepared by The Great Sailfishing Company
operating out of the new Pez Vela Marina.

It’s great !! It’s awesome……………it’s warm down in Guatemala !!!!

While we poor folks up North have been trying to work off the Christmas excess by shoveling snow, raking roves and cracking ice – the fortunate few have been down well South of the Mason-Dixie experiencing lots of bluewater action.

We welcomed the Britt party over the Christmas period and quickly showed them just how good the fishing down here can be. There had been a brief cold front just before their arrival – which is often a trigger for the fish to really start feeding. Their first day out saw the blue water at 40 miles – but raising plenty of billfish – their second day the warmer currents had moved closer inshore – and so it was lines in at 20 miles or so.

Plenty of action ensued, and over the course of a couple of days, they managed to bring 23 sailfish to the boat, 10 decent sized Dorado – and 2 Blue Marlin raised, with one hooked up and a 2 ½ hour fight…………now that’s good fishing !!

One of the great things about fishing this time of year is just the variety of fish – we see everything from the staple of sailfish to huge schools of raging yellowfin tuna to plenty of bull dolphin to cast a fly to – and all in the sunshine, calm seas and warm breeze of Guatemala……………I was reading just today that on the same day on a bone-chilling day of 15 degrees in 2006, 71-year-old Wisconsin angler Tom Gelb, a field editor for Musky Hunter magazine, was rowing a lure across a favorite lake in Vilas County when the pole slumped with a strike. It was the last day of the muskie season, and Gelb was hoping for a big one. He got what he wanted and then some. The 51-pound 2-ounce muskie was the largest caught in Wisconsin in twenty-seven years and the first 50-pounder landed in Vilas County since 1975. It was also Gelb’s first-ever 50-pound muskie.
Of course Muskies are nice – as all of our friends from Canada can attest – but to me, it doesn’t beat a 100lb raging Sailfish on the longwand !

The fishing continues to improve and each day becomes more consistent - and with more of the fleet going out each day, locating the pods of sailfish is also becoming quicker and more predictable. If you want to catch a billfish - or even a Blue Marlin - on the fly, now is a GREAT time to come down and give it a go.

The boats are ready, the crews are primed – come down and enjoy
the season fishing with http://www.greatsailfishing.com/
We are booking strongly already for some of the popular dates this season, so don’t wait, give us a call
at 1 877 763 0851or send us an email (below) to check on dates – we would look forward to welcoming you to
some of the finest fishing anywhere.

Our Favorite Fishing Quote for the week:

"The gods do not deduct from man's allotted span the hours spent in fishing."

~ Babylonian proverb

Les, Carlos, Kevin and Jim
The GreatSailfishing Company

Contact us at:

enquiries@greatsailfishing.com

or to register for our weekly fishing report and other
> information please click here :

> http://www.greatsailfishing.com/en/register.html

merijo_attong

01-11-2009, 11:54 AM

Sailfish School Fishing Report from

Casa Vieja Lodge, Guatemala

January 7, 2009

Greetings from Casa Vieja Lodge, Guatemala:

Today, January seventh, 2009, my Sailfish School students Tom Gilmore, Joe Darcy, and Rich Steven again fished with me aboard “Intensity” with Captain Mike Sheeder along with mates Flaco and Minolo.

My other 3 students Art Watkins, Bob Matule, and Pete Peterman, again fished aboard “Rum Line” with Captain Chris Sheeder and mates Ricardo and Jeffrey. Both boats left the Marina Pez Viela at seven AM and headed straight south for about 30 minutes before putting out the teasers. The weather was again calm with 85 degree temperature and sunny skies.

The crew aboard the Rum Line with captain Chris had another great day today catching and releasing a total of 20 Sailfish on fly today. During their three day Sailfish School this group of 3 students caught and released a total of 47 sailfish on fly which is an awesome accomplishment by anyone.

Team Rum Line releasing a nice fly caught Sailfish at The Sailfish School

Mean while aboard Intensity, Tom, Rick, Joe, and I had some hard to hook sailfish. We had a total of 29 sailfish which teased in however many were hard to hook, at four PM when we headed for the Casa Vieja Lodge we had tagged and released a total of fourteen sailfish on fly. This group did very good with a total score for the 3 day Sailfish School, one Blue Marlin along with 43 Sailfish tagged and released in two days.

Team Intensity after 29 sailfish on Fly at The Sailfish School

This group of six anglers aboard 2 boats had a great trip and plan to return next year for another shot at the best fly fishing for sailfish available anywhere in the world! Oh and by the way another group of 4 anglers from New England staying here at Casa Vieja Lodge and fishing with captain Niko aboard "Release" caught over a hundred Sailfish on conventional gear during their first three days. After a short lesson in handling the fly rod for the first time. those for fine anglers caught and released 18 sailfish on fly. Casa Vieja Lodge is awesome as is the staff, food, boats, captains, mates, and the hospitality, put that with world class fly fishing for sailfish and Marlin and you have the best! Thank you to Jim Turner, who makes all of this possible, he knows his business, he should as last year Jim, while fishing with Captain Chris Sheeder aboard "Release", caught and released more sailfish on fly than any other human ever, 54 as an angler in one day!

Another Sailfish caught on fly at The Sailfish School at Casa Vieja Lodge in Guatemala!

We still have a few open dates this season however you really need to book now if you want to experience this incredible fishery this season. I have a few days available in March, April, and December during 2009. I am now taking reservations for 2010. If you are in the Denver area come by the fly fishing show this week where I will be presenting programs on the fishing here in Guatemala. I will be back in Guatemala next Wednesday to start all over again with another group of Sailfish School Students. Stay tuned for more reports.

Regards:

Jake

Captain Jake Jordan
Jake Jordan's Fishing Adventures

merijo_attong

01-18-2009, 03:50 PM

Casa Vieja Lodge Fishing Report

January 8 through 13, 2009

Pat Ford Photo

Greetings from Casa Vieja Lodge, Guatemala:

I just returned to my second home here at The Casa Vieja Lodge after spending Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at “The Fly Fishing Show in Denver. The show was well attended with 20 to 25 percent more fishermen attending than last year. My Seminars on “Fly Fishing For Billfish in Guatemala” and “Extreme Tarpon on Fly” were very well attended with lots of new clients planning trips to Casa Vieja Lodge and to the Keys. I did get home to my beloved North Carolina for a day before returning to Guatemala.

Last week while I was gone the Casa Vieja Lodge Boats along with the lodge guests had some very good fishing. My friend and world class angler Nick Smith along with captain Chip Schaeffer were fishing aboard Nick’s vessel “Old Reliable” from January 7 through 13. Nick and Chip as a team who spend a lot of time chasing Billfish on fly had some good fly fishing. They released 88 sailfish on fly during those 8 days while staying here at Casa Vieja Lodge. To the best of my knowledge Nick as a fly angler has caught more Billfish on fly than any other angler, he is my hero!

Jim Turner, the owner of Casa Vieja Lodge was here for a few days doing some work. He did manage to fish one half day aboard his Rybovitch “#20” with Captain Jason Brice, they had a good half day releasing 5 sailfish and a Blue Marlin estimated at 275 pounds. Jim also fished a day with legendary captain Ron Hamlin aboard the Casa Vieja Fleet’s vessel “Finest Kind. Reports have it that Jim caught and released 5 sailfish on fly while fishing with Captain Ron.

Rick Murphy, host of the TV show Sport Fishing Adventures, hosted a group of 9 anglers while filming a show about the great sail fishing here at Casa Vieja Lodge in Guatemala. Rick’s group arrived on January 8, fished the 9, 10, 11, and left on the twelfth, after catching a total if 77 Sailfish from 144 bites with 3 boats fishing each day. Rick’s group fished aboard, “Release” with Captain Niko Melendrez, “Canaso” with Captain Chico Alvaranga , “Twenty” with Captain Jason Brice, “Rum Line” with Captain Chris Sheeder, and “Intensity” with Captain Mike Sheeder. All five of these Casa Vieja Fleet vessels caught fish for this happy group of anglers.

My next group of 12 Sailfish School anglers are arriving with Chuck Laughridge from North Carolina today for 3 days of sail fishing. Another group of four anglers from another area will also arrive today, which we will have 5 or 6 boats of the Casa Vieja fleet fishing during the next 3 days. I will do my best to get pictures and fishing reports out each day of my Sailfish School. Casa Vieja Lodge is an awesome spot, you all need to get down here and share the best sail fishing in the world, by the way my good friend Captain Ron Hamlin will be working with this trip of the Sailfish School, welcome back Captain Ron! More fishing reports to follow, wish you were here! Oh yeah, I do love my job!

Regards:

Jake

Anglers Socializing at The Casa Vieja Lodgedining room!

Captain Jake Jordan
Jake Jordan's Fishing Adventures
PO Box 309 (US Mail)
223 Lemonwood Drive (Freight)
Havelock NC 28532
252-444-3308 Home/Office
305-872-6060 Cell
www.jakejordan.com

marlinkjs

02-01-2009, 03:14 PM

The blue water is racing in and bringing bait with it !

This Guatemala fishing report is for the week ending
January 27thth 2009 and is prepared by The Great Sailfishing Company
operating out of the new Pez Vela Marina.

If you call us before Christmas and ask “what are the seas going to be like as you get into high season ?” We would answer truthfully and without exception that there is a 90%+ probability that they are going to be flat calm ,and we will get the water skis out to prove it at 50 miles from the dock…………

Well it seems like everything is changing these days – US Presidents, Treasury Secretary’s that can’t drive TurboTax, pleas by OJ……………even the weather in Guatemala ! The seas offshore are mostly protected by the huge “bay” that is formed from the Baja down to Panama – and then the ridge of volcanoes that sit to the east – all of which combine by the grace of nature to generally provide shelter from the Pacific breeze. We have been – or rather our clients : Huebner, Northcott, McCarthy – experiencing about a day a week for the last couple of weeks when the waves have risen and shown their white caps. By midday we have seen peaks to troughs of 8 feet or more. This is when you are glad that you splurged for the heavy hull of the mighty Bertram, as it cuts through the seas with minimum roll and importantly keeps the baits trailing straight and true.
You are also glad that the blue water has come in to about 20 miles from the dock making for a short run to lines in, and a comfortable hike back to the dock.

The fish don’t seem to mind in the slightest – we have had some EXCEPTIONAL FISHING – with some boats raising up to 80 billfish in a day; a slow day has had us raising in the teens – but with plenty of good size fighting Blue Marlin mixed in along with lots of big bull Dorado and even some black tuna.

Peter Huebner found the fishing to be so great on his first visit with us last year, that he couldn’t wait to bring down his son Eric and friend Roger Eger and his son Riley. Their first day out saw 36 sailfish raised with 21 released – a fine introduction to bluewater sportfishing for the boys………..where can you possibly take them now he asked ??

Mike Northcott came all the way from Blighty (better known as the UK) with his son and party, determined to fish the ocean dry and do the same to our bar in the villa. They about succeeded on their second objective.

It’s great !! It’s awesome……………it’s warm down in Guatemala !!!!

The fishing continues to improve and each day becomes more consistent - and with more of the fleet going out each day, locating the pods of sailfish is also becoming quicker and more predictable. If you want to catch a billfish - or even a Blue Marlin - on the fly, now is a GREAT time to come down and give it a go.

The boats are ready, the crews are primed – come down and enjoy
the season fishing with http://www.greatsailfishing.com/
We are booking strongly already for some of the popular dates this season, so don’t wait, give us a call
at 1 877 763 0851or send us an email (below) to check on dates – we would look forward to welcoming you to
some of the finest fishing anywhere.

Our Favorite Fishing Quote for the week:

"Even a fish wouldn't get into trouble if he kept his mouth shut."
~ Unknown

Join in our discussion and blog on a complete ban on killing billfish – and read about joining the campaign to get Marlin off the menu. READ WHAT YOU CAN DO

Les, Carlos, Kevin and Jim
The GreatSailfishing Company

Contact us at:

enquiries@greatsailfishing.com

or to register for our weekly fishing report and other
> information please click here :

> http://www.greatsailfishing.com/en/register.html

merijo_attong

02-12-2009, 04:42 PM

Merijo invites you to "Lady's Addiction Tournament" on Friday, May 22 at 11:00am.

Merijo says, "Ok guys, pass this on to your wife's and or friends you think would be interested.".

Event: Lady's Addiction Tournament
"Lady's "Fish On""
What: Tournament
Host: Casa Vieja Lodge
Start Time: Friday, May 22 at 11:00am
End Time: Monday, May 25 at 2:00pm
Where: Casa Vieja Lodge
Puerto San Jose, Esquintla
Guatemala

Ok, Lady's...Casa Vieja is hosting a Lady's only tournament. Up to 4 anglers per boat and a great three day party, with 2 days of fishing. There is party every night and a theme every day. One of the best prizes is for the best dressed Captains, so start thinking how to dress them.

Contact Info Phone: 866-846-9121
Email: mj@casaviejalodge

Merijo Attong

Casa Vieja Lodge

123 N. Krome Avenue

Suite 200

Homestead, FL 33030

O 866-846-9121 or 786-243-1552 F 305-396-4986

www.casaviejalodge.com

merijo_attong

02-18-2009, 05:37 PM

Merijo invites you to "Two Generation Tournament" on Thursday, June 18 at 7:00pm.

Merijo says, "Family fun tournament $2900 per team, can't beat it!".

Event: Two Generation Tournament
"Father and Son Classic"
What: Tournament
Host: Casa Vieja Lodge
Start Time: Thursday, June 18 at 7:00pm
End Time: Monday, June 22 at 1:00pm
Where: Casa Vieja Lodge

The Classic Father and Son Tournament, that is now the two generation tournament, welcoming all genders, is still growing and still a blast for families. Fins 'n Feathers started this tourney in the late 90's and Jim Turner at Casa Vieja Lodge keeps it going. Last years champions were Johnnie Townson and son Shepard. AND This was Shepard's first time catching a pacific sail. Way to go Shepard! Anyway, they are coming back to reclaim the title. Hopefully someone out there will join in the fun and challenge them for it.

Contact Info Phone: 866-846-9121
Email: mj@casaviejalodge

Merijo Attong

Casa Vieja Lodge

123 N. Krome Avenue

Suite 200

Homestead, FL 33030

O 866-846-9121 or 786-243-1552 F 305-396-4986

www.casaviejalodge.com

marlinkjs

02-19-2009, 07:47 AM

Mixing it up in Guatemala

This Guatemala fishing report is for the week ending
February 16th 2009 and is prepared by The Great Sailfishing Company
operating out of the new Pez Vela Marina.

This is the time of the season for billfishing in Guatemala when we expect to have some predictability. Our clients return on a regular basis at the same time each year, expecting the same results. That’s what January to March down here is supposed to deliver.

Good concentrations of billfish nice warm days and calm seas – and consistent action throughout the fishing day.

We are now approximately half way through the peak season, and we have seen hardly any of this – we have had days raising up to 80 sailfish, we have had days raising only (high !) single digits. We have raised Blue Marlin and Black Marlin – we have even been seeing plenty of tuna. Variety is usually a good thing, but normally we get variety on top of a strong and consistent billfish bite. The weather has been similarly inconsistent, with cold fronts (yes …cold fronts !!!! ……in Guatemala…………) coming through on a fairly regular basis, and pushing the fishing action out from 30 miles to 50 miles.

The fishing this past week has slowed down from the fishing frenzy that we experienced in late January, and the blue water has pushed out again to about 40 miles. We have been consistently raising 10-15 billfish per day on the back of (another) cold front, but it does seem to be settling down to a more predictable pattern

We welcomed Mike Northcott down late in January, followed by Linda Gould for her return trip. I mention this because the last person we had taking a swim with the fish was Cindy Garrison, who clearly couldn’t control her excitement at bringing a beautiful pacific sail to the transom – and promptly donned a mask and hiked over the side to take pictures and carouse with nature. Obviously Mike………followed in quick succession with Linda Gould’s group – were inspired by this, as they took the first dip of this season with the billfish and got some great pictures.
In some ways this is better than classic “catch and release” as the fish forgoes the last manic dash for freedom and instead is released gently in the water – but on the other hand if you have ever seen one of these creatures lit up in hues of blue and leaping towards the stern (and angler) with a glint in its eye and aiming its bill at the quarry……..you may pause to question the wisdom of being in the same proximity.
Not a tactic that we would endorse, and neither would our insurance…..but great pictures nonetheless.

Feel free to give your opinion on our blog : http://www.greatsailfishing.com/Fishing_Guatemala/

The boats are ready, the crews are primed – come down and enjoy
the season fishing with http://www.greatsailfishing.com/
We are booking strongly already for some of the popular dates this season, so don’t wait, give us a call
at 1 877 763 0851or send us an email (below) to check on dates – we would look forward to welcoming you to
some of the finest fishing anywhere.

Our Favorite Fishing Quote for the week:

"The fishing was good, it was the catching that was bad."

~ A.K. Best

Les, Carlos, Kevin and Jim
The GreatSailfishing Company

Contact us at:

enquiries@greatsailfishing.com

or to register for our weekly fishing report and other
> information please click here :

> http://www.greatsailfishing.com/en/register.html

merijo_attong

02-26-2009, 11:21 AM

A Brief Guatemala fishing report from Captains, Anglers and other Unreliable Sources.

Fishing is slow for Guatemala standards, but what we are Lacking in quantity, we are making up for in. Quality.
Jason Brice aboard the "Twenty" has raised 27 sails had. 24 bites and released 14 sails in his last 7 days of fishing, he has also raised 5 blue marlins had 5 bites and released 4 of them Including one estimated at 550 lbs that ramed the boat and left some of his bill lodged in the "Twenty".
Chris Sheeder aboard the "Rum Line" had the pleasure of having the father and son team of Mike and Harry Combs on board. Harry stole the show releasing his first of 2 blue marlins estimated at 300. and 200 lbs and a sailfish estimated at 130 lbs. In Chris' last 2 days fishing with Chris and Thomas Siska they released 2 out of 5 bites on the Fly and another Blue estimated at 225lbs.
Niko Malendrez aboard the "Release" has had the hot hand raising 64 sails with 56 bites and releasing 37 sails in his last 8 days of fishing. Niko and crew have also raised 7 Blue Marlins in those 8 days with 6 bites and released 4 between 150lbs to 300lbs.
Chico Alvarenga aboard the" Canaso" has had a bit of a pick himself raising 35 sails in his last 6 days of fishing. The crew and clients had 25 bites and released 16 sails. The. "Canaso" has also raised 7 Blue Marlins, had 5 bites and they released 3 of them
.
FORCAST

Things are going to get hot and heavy soon, Big Dolphins, wads of sails feeding on large schools of bait balls, Large schools of bonitas feeding inshore and the marlins that feed on them are literally on the door step. The marlins are knocking too, in the last 9 days, between 4 Casa Vieja boats they have raised 22 blues, had 19 bites, and released 14 blue marlins, that's world class marlin fishing anywhere!!!!

Captain Erik. Lorentzen
"Pelagian"
Casa Vieja Lodge, Guatemala

merijo_attong

02-26-2009, 11:22 AM

Casa Vieja's Summer Getaways

Take advantage of our summer rates starting in July and running through October. While our typical packages are 5 days, 4 nights and 3 days of fishing on one of our classic boats; we can customize an itinerary just for you.

What a great opportunity to test out the waters that have been written about in every major publication! Fish with some of the world’s the top Captains and crews in. Sharpen your skills or catch your first Marlin.

Last summer’s Blue Marlin bite was “RED HOT”. The summer season can be a little rainy at times, but you’ll still have lots of shots at Sails and Marlin. Of course the ever-present Dorado in the 30 – 40 pound class are around every day and the Yellowfin Tunas are making their journey thru the area.

All the amenities of the world class Casa Vieja Lodge coupled with the world’s finest gameboats = great summertime fishing. The price is right, so take the whole family. Kids 14 and under stay, eat and fish for free when accompanied by a parent.

We still have boats available for the next couple weeks. You can still come on down for your trip of a lifetime. Remember that last year’s Marlin run heated up in April and was in full swing by May! Don’t miss your chance to be at Casa Vieja Lodge for a world class sporting vacation, call the office at (866) 846-9121 today for availability.

merijo_attong

03-02-2009, 06:28 PM

Discover Tuna Town

Recently, Captain Chris Sheeder and the crew of the Rum Line ran an exploratory overnight trip 100 miles offshore in search of Marlin and Big Yellowfin Tuna. What they found were huge schools of Tuna and lots of sailfish – seems you just can’t get away from them in Guatemala! Although they didn’t raise any Marlin they are undoubtedly there. While they did catch a few Tunas in the 150+ class, they lost several larger fish.

We are looking for groups of anglers that want to help us explore further the potential of this fishery. Between now and June 15th we are offering an “Explorer’s Special” for 4 anglers. The trip consists of all our normal amenities Casa Vieja Lodge is famous for. We meet you at the airport in Guatemala City and take you to Casa Vieja Lodge. The next morning your private boat leaves the dock at 7am. After catching bait you’re on your way to Tuna Town! Sushi for dinner? You will be back to the dock the following afternoon, hopefully unloading Tunas! The next day is yours to relax. Spend the day at the pool, get a massage and relax. The fourth day will be aboard one of our classic 37 foot gameboats, catching Guatemala’s famous sailfish on light tackle. The final day you will be taken to the airport with stories to tell everyone at home. The cost of this opportunity is only $2,220.00 pp.

Don’t miss your chance to be among the first at Casa Vieja Lodge for this great adventure. For a world class sporting vacation, call the office at (866) 846-9121 today for availability.

merijo_attong

03-02-2009, 06:29 PM

marlinkjs

03-07-2009, 11:34 AM

Telling it like it is : Sailfish fishing in Guatemala

This Guatemala fishing report is for the week ending
March 6th 2009 and is prepared by The Great Sailfishing Company
operating out of the new Pez Vela Marina.

Full moon, New moon – doesn’t seem to make much difference this year to the predictability of the fishing down here in Guatemala. Typically the strong pull of the changing moon drives rips and currents that tend to stir up activity. We wrote about this in our blog recently – everyone has an opinion, why don’t you share yours ? The new moon is generally favoured by anglers – although the research cited in our blog post somewhat disputes that………what is indisputable was that there was a new moon, and we (and our clients Doug Scout and party) were keen to watch the fishing improve as we approached.

The sailfish have been slow by Guatemala standards during the latter part of February – with boats averaging low single digits each day. We would normally expect many more than that, but we have been affected by waves of weather fronts, and probably more importantly waves (or currents) of green water that have pshed in.
Within these fronts of green water can be found small (2-3 miles wide) eddies of good blue water close it, and inside these eddies can be found bait and billfish…….so the decision to be made : search around close(r) to shore for eddies, or run far off (50+ miles) and keep going until good blue water is found.

For the most part the fleet has opted for the former for 2 reasons :

a) Travel time : with most boats running at a comfortable cruise of 22/23 knots, it is a 2+ hour run out to find blue water (with no guarantees when you get there). In general clients don’t mind the run out, but then comes the realization of the shorter time available for “lines in”…..plus now there is the 2+ hour run back to port. Worthwhile if the fishing has been outstanding, but dubious otherwise. Hero or Zero ??
b) When the bulk of the fleet adopts the same strategy of searching in the 15-35 mile band for eddies of blue water (and fish active within those eddies), with good communication, consistency can be found for all boats as information is shared. One of the benefits of 100% catch and release fishery is that there is no competition (other than friendly) for the fish – so no incentive not to share current information. In fact the opposite is true, as it is positive seamanship to have “friendly” vessels within 20 minute cruise.
We tried both approaches with the Scout party, and earlier with Msr Montupet and group – but didn’t see significantly different results – so in general opted for the “search pattern” approach.
Some good fish were found – the marginal numbers of sailfish being somewhat mitigated by the size (many well over 100lbs), and by the numbers of Blue Marlin caught and successfully released.

What we really need however is a return to strong and predictable numbers that Guatemala is famous for. While reporting this, I am pleased to report that the last week has seen a return to this, and a constant improvement to at least double digits per day. Our hope (and expectation !) is that things continue to improve, or at least stay in this range for the remainder of the season……so book those flights !!

Feel free to give your opinion on our blog : http://www.greatsailfishing.com/Fishing_Guatemala/

The boats are ready, the crews are primed – come down and enjoy
the season fishing with http://www.greatsailfishing.com/
We are booking strongly already for some of the popular dates this season, so don’t wait, give us a call
at 1 877 763 0851or send us an email (below) to check on dates – we would look forward to welcoming you to
some of the finest fishing anywhere.

Our Favorite Fishing Quote for the week:

"Nothing makes a fish bigger than almost being caught."

~ Unknown

Les, Carlos, Kevin and Jim
The GreatSailfishing Company

Contact us at:

enquiries@greatsailfishing.com

or to register for our weekly fishing report and other
> information please click here :

> http://www.greatsailfishing.com/en/register.html

marlinkjs

03-18-2009, 08:15 AM

It may be St. Patricks Day…………

This Guatemala fishing report is for the week ending
March 17th 2009 and is prepared by The Great Sailfishing Company
operating out of the new Pez Vela Marina.

Yes – it may be Saint Patrick’s Day – but we are pleased to report that the water in Guatemala is not green!

We reported last week how a stream of weather fronts had pushed green water close into shore, which had been causing us some difficulties in finding consistent concentrations of bait and the predators that feed on them. Since then, the weather has been kind to us, and we have had consistent warm days and calm seas that have enabled the blue water to push in and drive that nasty colder green water to one side.

If you take a look at the geography of the region, it is easy to see how the currents coming down from Mexico collide with the coastline and reflect back to form huge eddies that attract and hold large quantities of bait. These fast moving currents mean that water conditions – in particular the location of blue water – can change dramatically in as little as 48 hrs…..so even when the fishing has been tough going, as it was towards the end of last month, there is always hope that tomorrow could be an angling bonanza !

We have had several groups visiting us this past couple of weeks from the Northern States – glad to be out of the cold and the snow for a week or so – basking in the sunshine. An opportunity to rid the system of those winter bugs and microbes that linger far too long and cause the sniffling and blocked up noses !
I read this past week with some envy that Great White Sharks are about the healthiest animals on the planet – they have natural antibodies that make them immune to just about every bacterium known to science, they are also immune to cancer ! Seems to me that they should go and live in North Dakota for a while and see how they get on instead !

The fishing for these groups has been consistent at about 30 miles from the dock, and have been raising in the high teens of billfish per boat per day. Still a lot of Blue Marlin around – which is great news, as we usually anticipate if anything, the Marlin bite to pick up from here at this time of the season.

Feel free to give your opinion on our blog : http://www.greatsailfishing.com/Fishing_Guatemala/

The boats are ready, the crews are primed – come down and enjoy
the season fishing with http://www.greatsailfishing.com/
We are booking strongly already for some of the popular dates this season, so don’t wait, give us a call
at 1 877 763 0851or send us an email (below) to check on dates – we would look forward to welcoming you to
some of the finest fishing anywhere.

Our Favorite Fishing Quote for the week:

" Even a fish wouldn’t get into trouble if he kept his mouth shut."

~ Unknown

Les, Carlos, Kevin and Jim
The GreatSailfishing Company

Contact us at:

enquiries@greatsailfishing.com

or to register for our weekly fishing report and other
> information please click here :

> http://www.greatsailfishing.com/en/register.html

merijo_attong

03-24-2009, 02:18 PM

Guatemala Fishing Report

March 19, 2009

Greetings from Casa Vieja Lodge, Guatemala:

I arrived at the Guatemala City airport at 1:00 PM and was met by the drivers from Casa Vieja Lodge who had 3 vans parked at the airport waiting to pick up a family group of 13, another group of 4 anglers from NJ, and myself. We had a nice hour and a half drive down from Guatemala City where the temperature was 72 degrees through the coastal plane to the Casa Vieja Lodge where it was sunny & calm, with the air temperature of 84 degrees.

After a swim in the pool, a cocktail, and some great snacks I took a nap had a shower and then had my dinner with Captain Chip Shafer in the awesome Casa Vieja restaurant . Every seat in the place was full with a full house croud which gave me a chance to interview some of the anglers who had fished yesterday and today. It seems that the fishing has been on and off with every boat catching some Sailfish. The low boat today released 4 sailfish and the top boat caught 14, Yesterday one boat caught 10 on fly, and one boat today landed 7 sailfish and a Blue Marlin.

Today, March 20 the whole fleet is fishing so I can get a more specific report out tonight. My Sailfish School clients, Lucien La Fond and Danny Cline will arrive later today and we fill be fishing together for the next 5 days. After that Jim Garrity and Jerry Gibbs will join me for three more days of catching sailfish on fly here in paradise. On March 28 my friend Captain Brian Horsley will arrive with a hosted group of fly anglers who will fly fish for sailfish aboard Rum Line and Intensity on March 29, 30 , and 31.

I will try to get as many fishing reports and pictures from Casa Vieja Lodge in Guatemala as possible during the next 12 days. Stay tuned for more fishing reports, and then My Tarpon reports will begin around April 15th from the Florida Keys. As usual, I love my job, wish you were here with me.

Regards:

Jake

Captain Jake Jordan
Jake Jordan's Fishing Adventures
PO Box 309 (US Mail)
223 Lemonwood Drive (Freight)
Havelock NC 28532
252-444-3308 Home/Office
305-872-6060 Cell
www.jakejordan.com

merijo_attong

03-24-2009, 02:20 PM

Guatemala Sailfish School Report
March 21, 22, 23, 2009

Greetings from Casa Vieja Lodge, Guatemala:

March 20 I took a day off and rested while getting ready for 10 days of fly fishing for sailfish. When the boats came in after five PM I spoke with quite a few Casa Vieja Lodge clients regarding their day of fishing. The boats fishing with bait caught between 5 and 17 sailfish and several Blue Marlin were caught by the fleet.
I was planning to fish my first 3 days (March 21, 22, 23) aboard Intensity with Captain Mike Sheeder and Flaco, he had been fly fishing with a good client for the previous 3 days and did well. On March 20 they caught 10 sailfish on fly.
March 21: Today is the first day of a sailfish school with Lucien LaFond from Islamorada FL and France, along with my friend Danny Cline from West Virginia.
We fished aboard Intensity with Captain Mike Sheeder today, we were fishing 7 miles off of the beach in calm seas with sunny skies. The fishing was slow today, we raised 10 sailfish to the teasers, 4 of which teased to the boat, two ate the fly with DAnny loosing the first one about 6 foot from landing it. The second bite was during my time up, that 90 pound Sailfish ate the ping Cam Sigler fly and 1 minutes later I released that tagged sailfish. Score for today two bites one caught sailfish, a slow day.
Danny Cline Jumped first fish of the day

March 22, 2009: Today Lucien, Danny, and I left the dock aboard Intensity at 7:00 AM and headed south east for 45 minutes where captain Mike spotted several free jumpers in the area. Lucien caught the first sailfish on fly, an 85 pounder which we tagged and then the hook came out before I got a picture for Lucien. We had raised 12 fish before noon with Danny catching one and then each of us missed a bite before Lucien caught a red hot 60 pounder, his second ever PAcific Sailfish on fly. The final score today was 17 sailfish raised, seven teased in and bit the fly, with three tagged and released for the day. These sailfish are here but they are very finickey, one boat caught 17 on bait today, I am complaining about only catching 3 sailfish on fly today. Any place else in the world this would have been a great day of fly fishing.
Lucien LaFond Guatemala Lap Dance

March 23, 2009: Today we left the dock at 6:45 am and headed 12 miles off shore in search of the elusive non finicky sailfish which would eat our flies. Flaco and Puse, our mates aboard intensity put out the teasers, and we raised a sailfish right away. Danny hooked, fought, landed, and tagged the first fish. Later in the day after lots of fish which would not bite, Danny caught his second fish and then an hour later Lucien caught the third fish of the day. 30 minutes before a double header teased up and I got a nice 100 pounder to eat my fly, Danny tried to hook the other fish to no avail and then I wound in, tagged, caught and released this fourth fish of the day from 20 fish raised and 6 bites. Still seems slow to me but it is getting better each day. For the first 3 days were rleased 8 sailfish from fifteen bites. Tomorrow Licien will fish alone with Captain Ron Hamlin aboard "Finest Kind" while Danny and I will fish with Captain Chris Sheeder aboard "Rum Line". The following day we will switch boats and try again. I am sure that the fishing is improving and we are getting ready for some awesome fly fishing for sailfish here at Casa Vieja Lodge. More Reports to follow, wish you were here.

By the way, there is a fly fishing tournament coming up in April here at Casa Vieja Lodge. This will be the Stu Apte annual fly tournament which used to be held in Costa Rica and I am sure it will be a very good event. For more information check out this website. I just got this E-mail from the folks at South Fishing who are hosting the event. If you have any interest contact them directly or call Casa Vieja Lodge. We need four anglers, fishing two to a boat with one observer. We have the observers covered. The rate is $4,775 per angler for 5 nts/4 days of fishing (one pre-fishing day and three days tournament angling). Now if they don’t want to pre-fish, the rate is $3,855 each. All the details are on the webpage: www.stuapteflytournament.com

Casa Vieja Lodge

Guatemala www.CasaViejaLodge.com

(866) 846-9121 123 N Krome Ave Suite 200 Homestead Florida 33030

mj@casaviejalodge.com

merijo_attong

03-24-2009, 02:22 PM

Just a Quickie

Last 6 days things are looking up. Had some good anglers, hooking there own fish. The Disbury group caught 36 out of 47 bites in 3 days.

Last 3 days with the Shiffrerderker, bunch we had 30 bites and released 23. We also raised 2 Marlin one bite the other didn't, we missed the one that did. The water is getting better and I expect it to go off any day.Got a lot of things to do as we're fishing the next 7 days.

Work's coming right along on the 43 Merritt, so sometime this summer I'll be running a new Captain Hook, thats right getting my name back. Still have a few days in April and some time in May, if you can make it contact Casa Vieja Lodge.

I see my name is still in some add's for the lodge I used to be with, It has been sold and has new owners. That's about all the info I can give you at this time.

Good Luck and Good Fishing Ron Finest Kind

Casa Vieja Lodge

Guatemala www.CasaViejaLodge.com

(866) 846-9121 123 N Krome Ave Suite 200 Homestead Florida 33030

mj@casaviejalodge.com

merijo_attong

03-26-2009, 04:25 PM

"A Brief Casa Vieja- Guatemalan fishing report from Captains, Anglers, and
other unreliable sources"

March 19-23 Anthony Michael from Little Rock, Arkansas, Lee Sprinkle, from
San Diego, California. Fishing aboard the Rum Line with Capt. Chris Sheeder.
Fishing the fly raised 84 had 30 bites and released 16.
Anthony also got to Release a blue marlin around 400# on 50 # stand up.

Paco Suarez and his wife Maria Suarez from Puerto Rico, Maria came along to
learn how to hook her own fish, Chris says on day one she started, by day
two she had it and never looked back. They fished conventional and raised 53
had 45 bites and released 26 sails. Paco also released one blue on stand up
around 200#s.

3-14 through 3-17 finds Kirk and Kara Weisman fishing the Fly aboard the
Intensity with captain Mike Sheeder. The group raised 85 sails, had 36
bites on the fly, and released 17 on the long wand.

3-18 through 3-20 finds Carlos Ortiz, Francisco Ortiz, Leonel and David Birt
from Puerto Rico aboard the Intensity . The group raised 64 sails, had 47
bites, and released 25 sails on the fly. The group also raised 3 blues, had
2 bites, and unfortunately did not release one.

March 18-19 finds Doug Walters, Joseph W. Allbritton, Joe M. Rabello, and
Bill Pino, from Stuart, Florida, fishing aboard the Canaso with Capt. Chico
Alveranga. The group raised 36 sails, had 29 bites, and released 15 on 20#
standup.

March 15-17 Aboard the Canaso Finds Al Cullere, Dennis Longstreet, and Bob
Jones fishing with the Alveranga Brothers. The group. Raised 64, had 52
bites, and Released 29 sails.

March 15-17. We have the Longstreet group aboard the "Twenty" with Captain
Jason Brice. The group raised 61 sails had 49 Bites and released 24 sails on
there 3 day trip.

March 20-21 we have the Serodino group aboard the "Twenty" the raised 20
fish , had 16 bites, and released 14 fish.

March 7-9. Mr Jim Stob, David Smith, Randi Liswer, and Joe Penar fishing
aboard the "Release" with Capt Niko Melendrez. The group raised 47 sails,
had 40 bites and released 26 sails. The group also released a nice Blue
marlin.

March 10-12. We find Michael Bohlson, Kurt Bohlson, and Seam Darbyshire.
Aboard the" Release" the guys raised 50 sails, had 35 bites on the Fly, and
Released 24 sails on the fly. Congradulations, Not a bad three days on the
fly.

March 14-17. I had the pleasure of fishing with long time client and friend,
Mr. Nat Harris. We are fishing aboard the "Afinity" a 37ft" Knowles, while
waiting for the delivery of the " Pelagian".
Nat was able to release a number of sails on the fly but the highlight of
the trip was a bite from an estimated 400 pound Blue Marlin that ate the fly
in spectacular fashion. We ended up jumping the fish off, but reieved an
incredible visual display for the little time we had the fished hooked.
Definately the stuff you come to see and experience.

March 21-23. I had the pleasure return clients who I had not seen since my
days on the "Intensity" back in 2002. Dr. Robert Harlin, his" three" sons,
Robert Jr, Daniel Harlin, and Capt. Ken Carter.
The guys raised 43 sails in there 3 days, had 33 bites and Released 21
sails. We also raised 3 blues had 3 bites and unfortunately did not catch
one.

Captain Erik Lorentzen
"Pelagian"
Casa Vieja Lodge, Guatemala

merijo_attong

03-30-2009, 04:26 PM

Guatemala Sailfish School Report
March 24, & 25 2009

March 24, 2009:

Today Lucien Lafond from Islamorada FL and Normandy France, fished aboard "Finest Kind " with captain Ron Hamlin while Danny Cline and I fished with captain Chris Sheeder aboard "Rum Line". After a great breakfast at Casa Vieja Lodge we boarded the van , which was full of other anglers who were staying at the sold out CVL for the short two minute ride to the Marina Pez Viela. We left the marina at 6:45 in sunny calm conditions for the 50 minute run to where we began fishing. The Finest Kind had a slow day with Lucien only having shots at 4 total sailfish all day. Mean while aboard Rum Line Danny and I had a little better fishing, we raised 20 sailfish, teased 10 in to bite the fly, and then we caught seven sailfish on fly including a double header of two fish in the 120 pound range.

March 25, 2009:

Today we switched boas and crews, Lucien fished with captain Chris Sheeder aboard "Rum Line" while Danny and I fished with captain Ron aboard "Finest Kind". Fishing conditions were good with calm seas and sunny skies, and some aggressive big sailfish. Lucien caught two really large sailfish (well over 110 pounds) on 20 pound tippet and then he was treated to a very special thing. Lucien Lafond, sailfish school student, caught and released a 250 + pound Blue Marlin, which just happened to be the 1,000th Blue marlin caught in Captain Chris Sheeder's long career. Congratulations to Lucien and Chris, great job.

Mean while aboard Finest Kind with Captain Ron Hamlin, Danny and I caught 5 sailfish on fly from 6 bites. It was great fishing with captain Ron again for the first time in about 10 years, I am very happy that Ron is now fishing with the Casa Vieja Team, It is great fishing with my old friend. Tomorrow James Garrity from Alaska and my friend Jerry Gibbs will begin fishing another sailfish school, stay tuned for more reports and pictures. Wish you were here, I love this job!

Regards:

Jake

March 26, & 27 2009
Greetings from Casa Vieja Lodge, Guatemala:
March 24, 2009:
James Garrity from Anchorage Alaska as well as Jerry Gibbs (retired fishing editor of Outdoor Life magazine) from Maine, are here for the next 3 days to attend my Sailfish School. We fished aboard the Casa Vieja Lodge fleet vessel 'Finest Kind" with captain Ron Hamlin. After an hour and fifteen minute run out we began pulling teasers as we headed further off shore. Jerry caught the first two sailfish before 10:00 AM and posed for a Guatemala Lap Dance with his first Sailfish. Then around mid day James caught and released the second sailfish to bite his fly. Late in the afternoon Jerry caught and released our fourth Sailfish of the day. Fishing was slow but steady, we got 5 bites from 10 raised fish and released a total of 4 sailfish on fly. We had a lot of fun fishing with captain Ron, tomorrow we will fish aboard Rum Line with captain Chris Sheeder.
March 27, 2009:
Today Jerry, James, and I left the dock aboard Rum Line with captain Chris at the helm, we ran for an hour and a half before putting out the teasers ans looking for sailfish. The first fish of the day was a hot fish caught by James, he fought that 100 pound plus fish in and got his first Guatemalan lap dance. I then caught a large and red hot lit up sailfish on fly before fishing just died. We fished fo r4 hours before we raised our next fish, a hot big, lit up fish which put on a great show for James before being released. Jerry Gibbs then caught a nice fish and then I got another monster just before heading to the dock and back to The Casa Vieja Lodge for a swim in the pool and a great meal. Today we raised 10 sailfish got 6 bites, and released 5 sailfish on fly. I love my job, more reports to follow.
Regards:
Jake

Captain Jake Jordan
Jake Jordan's Fishing Adventures
PO Box 309 (US Mail)
223 Lemonwood Drive (Freight)
Havelock NC 28532
252-444-3308 Home/Office
305-872-6060 Cell

marlinkjs

04-02-2009, 04:05 PM

This Guatemala fishing report is for the week ending
April 2nd 2009 and is prepared by The Great Sailfishing Company
operating out of the new Pez Vela Marina.

Easter is a very important time all over the world, but nowhere more so than in Guatemala. Most catholic, and in particular Spanish speaking countries regard this as the most important date on the calendar.
In the city of Antigua Guatemala however, this is taken to a whole new level.

Each Sunday of Lent sees the old city come alive with processions and homage to the Virgin Mary and Jesus of Nazareth. This builds until we reach “Semana Santa” or Holy Week – when there starts a sequence of processions on Palm Sunday and continues through the week until Good Friday and on to Easter Sunday itself. Each of these marches becomes more spectacular leading up to Easter Sunday : floats (“Andas”) depicting the crucifixion weighing up to 7000 lbs are carried on the shoulders of up to 100 “Curcuruchas” bearing the weight in their robes which start as purple on Palm Sunday – to black on Good Friday.
This unique series of processionals however is probably most famous for the “alfombras” or literally “carpets” of flowers that are laid out on the cobble stone streets for the participants at first to skirt around – but then to trample as the andas pass over them. The most spectacular are the alfombras along Antigua’s streets, meticulously designed and, ideally, completed just before the Good Friday procession begins. Sand or sawdust is generally used to level the cobblestone roadway. Sawdust is then collected and dyed in different colors. Favorite colors are purple, green, blue, red, yellow and black. Flowers such as bougainvillea, chrysanthemums, carnations, roses and other native plants and pine needles are also used.

It is almost impossible to get accommodation for this period in Antigua itself less than a year in advance, so if you want to consider mixing this spectacle with a fishing trip to Guatemala, we advise to really consider booking now ! Antigua is (literally “antigua”) the old capital of Guatemala (read more about it on our blog here), and makes an easy day trip from the coast and a relaxing layday from fishing.

Easter is relatively early this year – which means some of our groups have been able to successfully combine Holy Week with some spectacular fishing. While this season has many times been characterized as “mixed” given the unusually volatile weather patterns and the blue water flows that follow it – this last few weeks has really settled down into a steady and consistent pattern that makes for stress-free fishing (for the anglers that is !).
Our boats have been finding plenty of bait pods within 30 miles of the marina, each pod surrounded by voracious sailfish. There have been sufficient numbers of these large schools spread over a line that stretched for over 15 miles, that the fleet have largely been fishing (and catching) out of sight of each other – but within safety range.
Each boat has been raising 15-20 sailfish per day in comfortable sunny weather and calm seas – with strong catch&release rates. There are still plenty of good size Blue Marlin being caught in the 300-600lb class – as well as (somewhat unusually for this early in the year) a lot of “gaffer” dolphin.

We are still fishing hard, but have availability going forward – so if you are considering a trip, now is a great time to go. Please call us at 1-877-763-0851 or email me at kevin@GreatSailfishing.com

If you would like to consider seeing some of the spectacle talked about above – really do think about contacting us NOW, as after Easter will likely be too late to reserve prime spots.

Our Favorite Fishing Quote for the week:

"It has always been my private conviction that any man who pits his intelligence against a fish and loses has it coming."

~ John Steinbeck

Les, Carlos, Kevin and Jim
The GreatSailfishing Company

Contact us at:

enquiries@greatsailfishing.com

or to register for our weekly fishing report and other
> information please click here :

> http://www.greatsailfishing.com/en/register.html

merijo_attong

04-02-2009, 04:10 PM

Getting Better
March 24-26th

Fished my good friend Jake Jordan and some friends

. We raised a good amount but they didn't want to tease. This happens when there's to much bait, but the good news is after the bait shows up here comes the sails. In the 3 days we raised 45 had 15 bites and caught 8

March 27th. -30th.

Like i said about the bait first and then comes the fish. We raised 80 but they were biting funny again I blame that on to much food. We had 71 bites and released 39. I expect the bite to get better and better, so if you can get away in April I still have some time open. You can get some days by going thru South Fishing or thru Casa Veija Lodge. Good Luck and Good Fishing Ron Finest Kind

Casa Vieja Lodge

Guatemala www.CasaViejaLodge.com

(866) 846-9121 123 N Krome Ave Suite 200 Homestead Florida 33030

mj@casaviejalodge.com

marlinkjs

05-12-2009, 04:24 PM

We went fishing in Guatemala and (nearly) caught a submarine !!

This Guatemala fishing report is for the week ending
May 10 2009 and is prepared by The Great Sailfishing Company
operating out of the new Pez Vela Marina.

It is on days such as we have endured recently that we are thankful for not only moderately fast (22knots +) boats, but also for the calm seas and heavy hull that sometimes are able to make the trek out 50 miles to decent blue water seem like an extension of the comfortable queen sized beds we abandoned at the villa not more than an hour before.
With moon come the currents. Sometimes they work for you, often they conspire to push the blue water out almost beyond reasonable reach. We tried lines in our first day out at just 20 miles, although the water was more grey than blue (at least not green !). The fishing could best be described as slow – a couple of raises and half-hearted bites from sailfish and one to the stern; time to get on the radio and check the scorecard with the other half of the team that went out another 20 miles or so.
By all accounts they were doing slightly better, but not really a strong enough bite to warrant another hour (each way) run and then have one a couple of hours decent trolling time when we got there. Seemed like a much more sensible plan was to switch some small feathers and plastics into the spread in the hope of catching some dinner for the evening (or the next few evenings !)

It’s amazing sometimes how just a tiny blemish on the vast ocean is enough to attract large predators – when I saw the captain idly troll by a piece of wood that couldn’t have been more than 2feet long, the reaction was immediate. Out from somewhere deep below (or at least deep enough that my Costas couldn’t penetrate to), the big bull dolphin charged the ballyhoo on the long rigger and we hooked up to what turned out to be a 38lb bull Dorado. No more worries about dinner for the rest of the week then.

The next morning we made a quick decision to be patient – and if running 50 miles was what it took to raise fish, that is what we were going to do. Maybe by the time we got back to the dock, fuel prices would have come down………

Sure enough it took 47 miles under the hull of the Bertram before we found deep blue water and we slowed to trolling speed and the riggers went out.
I’d like to report that we were appropriately rewarded by nonstop action for our efforts – but by Guatemala standards, we had a lot of “beer time”…….which is ok in the afternoon, but Gallo with cornflakes just doesn’t cut it. The bite was certainly better and consistent – we and other boats were consistently raising double digit sailfish with the odd Blue (and Black) marlin thrown in.
We tried different ranges with groups over the next few days, and the story (at least) was consistent; the further out, the better the bite. One day the “Reel Diver” ventured out nearly 60 miles in the hope of “fishgold”, and found good action. Other boats from the fleet followed her out, but didn’t find much to report until rendezvous. Late morning the (small) fleet was buzzed for about an hour by a US Coastguard C130. We have experienced this before when we have been moving boats up the Pacific Coast for relocation – I guess anything moving out there becomes a “target of interest” until demonstrated otherwise.
Reading up on it later in the week, I came across very recent articles that recounted stories and reports of “narco-subs” having been spotted and in some cases apprehended by the Coasties. Coming up from Columbia en route to San Diego or Mexico, these guys are now travelling in “home grown” submarines using bales for ballast and hope for navigation. While reports mostly place them 300+ miles off the coast of Guatemala (look at the geography when you join a straight line !), it is understandable that the C130 would be interested in anything that moved (or not) en route to a patrol area off Panama and Costa Rica.

We only came back with a couple of flags flying and some more good sized Dorado in the cooler. Works for me every time !

Read our latest blog entry here with more about the fishing for submarines

We are still fishing hard, but have availability going forward – so if you are considering a trip, now is a great time to go. Please call us at 1-877-763-0851 or email me at kevin@GreatSailfishing.com

Our Favorite Fishing Quote for the week:

"If people concentrated on the really important things in life, there'd be a shortage of fishing poles." ~ Doug Larson

Les, Carlos, Kevin and Jim
The GreatSailfishing Company

Contact us at:

enquiries@greatsailfishing.com

Or to register for our weekly fishing report and other
> information please click here:

> http://www.greatsailfishing.com/en/register.html

Capt. Gary Bonanno

07-13-2009, 02:29 AM

I would like to share this post with you and give you some update fishing reports on Louisiana and Guatemala::::::

Ryan Dicharry "GUATEMALA with STRIKE ZONE" Baton Rouge, LA USA

Just got back last week from a trip of a lifetime. We chartered a Guatemala sail fishing trip with Captain Gary "Strike Zone Charters". Gary had been talking to me for several months about how great Guatemala was. We decided to go see what all the fuss was about.

All I can say is WOW.

We were treated like kings. We had our own private villa, cook, driver, and cleaning crew. After a long day of fishing we would be greeted with cocktails and finger food as soon as we arrived at our villa. After a relaxing dip in the pool we were summoned for our elegant meal. While we were fishing our maid even cleaned and folded our dirty clothes. (If I could only get my wife to do that).

About the fishing....

We knew up front that it is the slowest time of the year for sails but we managed to catch and release three. This was better then any boat in the marina. Gary always said the the original "Strike zone" raises bill fish. Well he made me a believer. The dorado were non stop. We ended up with 32.

Also included it the package was a night at the Casa Santo domingo in Antigua, Guatemala. Let me tell you that experience alone was worth the price of the whole trip. This is a 5 star hotel created in an old monastery. You have to see it to believe it.

Thanks again Gary.

Don't forget to sign me up for March 2010.

Ryan

Thanks Ryan..we got you on the books....

I just got a email from Capt. Edgar in Guatemala and one of the boats today had 30 Sails and over 20 Dorado's. He was going out on Monday for a fun trip with his family...he will have a report Monday night on his trip...

Venice, Louisiana:::::Thursday/ Friday ~~~Capt. Kevin Aderhold and Seth Holl had a great group of anglers from Baton Rouge on a 24 hr trip that end up being a 36 hr trip....They had to run OFF THE MAP but they found the fish...They had 8 Yellowfin ,over 30 Blackfin and a limit of Red Snappers. Capt Kevin said it was a good group of guys and they FUN TRIP.

I have this weekend open on the 55' because my wife had the boat booked for the Baton Rouge Ladies tournament....the tournament has been moved to August....Get a group and let Capt Kevin put you on some Yellowfin Action.

Give us a call for your next FISHING FIX...we have some dates open for Guatemala trips as well as some 24hr trips on the 55' and 39' luxury sportfishing yachts....

STRIKE ZONE CHARTERS LOUISIANA & GUATEMALA

225~279~3800 OR CAPT. RANDY AT 985~966~2666

www.strikezonecharters.net

Capt. Gary Bonanno

07-13-2009, 02:39 AM

marlinkjs

07-13-2009, 10:31 AM

Greatsailfishing in Guatemala has launched a program to enable single anglers or small groups the opportunity to register and combine a trip with other similar minded anglers.

Frequently the cost of billfishing in Guatemala and other locales can become prohibitive when fishing alone. The only practical way to significantly reduce the individual cost is to find like minded fellow anglers to share a trip. This can be difficult, but Greatsailfishing is now trying to make it easy(er) – register for a trip and we will circulate dates that you can consider – if there is a match, we will attempt to “hook you up” with others and build a shared trip.

All anglers will benefit from their own bedroom (and usually a private bathroom) in one of our private villas. All meals, drinks and transfers are included.

For more and complete information visit :

http://www.greatsailfishing.com/en/guatemala_fishing_sharing.html

Capt. Gary Bonanno

07-18-2009, 03:47 PM

Fishing Report for Louisiana & Guatemala
Venice and Guatemala Fishing Reports from last week::::

Venice: over night trip last Sunday/Monday , they wanted to stay close and not make the 100 mile run so we did what everyone else has been doing lately ---which is getting a limit of nice Red Snapper, a limit of AJ's, a mix of Groupers, Kings , Blackfin Tuna and of course Sharks. The action was non stop but no Yellowfin... Capt. Kevin Aderholdt had a day trip on the 55' with a good group out of New Orleans. They did the same with some 15 to 20 lb Snapper and the biggest was 32 lbs. Still Blue Water is off the map....Capt Kevin is out now on the 55' for a 24 hr trip...he will run 100+ miles and I will get you that report later today.

Guatemala: As I reported last week on Saturday one of the boats had 30 Sails and 22 Dorado's. Capt Edgar had to make a fun trip after he got that report so on Monday he and some of his friend to off on the Strike Zone and ventured out 8 miles to catch 10 Sail's and 33 Dorado's....He was fired up....We have some spots open for our August and September trips so give us a call and get your group together and let us show you our fishing operation in Guatemala. It is FIRST CLASS from start to finish at a price you can afford.

STRIKE ZONE CHARTERS LOUISIANA & GUATEMALA
Over 20 years in the Charter Business

225~279~3800 OR Capt.. RANDY 985~966~2666

www.strikezonecharters.net

Capt. Gary Bonanno

07-18-2009, 03:50 PM

marlinkjs

08-19-2009, 05:17 PM

What Rainy Season ?

This Guatemala fishing report is for the week ending
August 17th 2009 and is prepared by The Great Sailfishing Company
operating out of the new Pez Vela Marina.

Guatemala is often called the land of the eternal spring – in fact it is the unofficial National Slogan, although for a while it became the formal footnote for the country – as from 1935 and continuing for the next forty years, it was used as the text in four languages for the cancelling of all stamps and postage coming in and leaving the country. This familiarity persists today, although it can be misleading.
The term itself “Land of Eternal Spring” was first used to give the image of a country and countryside that was in perpetual bloom. The name however is a bit of a misnomer as In Guatemala there are two seasons, as is common in the climate of the northern tropics: the dry season and the rainy season. The longer season is the rainy season, which lasts from May through October. The rainiest months are usually June and September – which often means a pleasant interlude in August – with some great fishing !

The rains have raised the water levels in the rivers flowing down to the coast from the highlands, and have washed out a lot of the fallen branches and debris out to sea. This has provided excellent cover and perfect breeding cover for baitfish – which in turn has attracted predators. This is a great time of year to find lots of Dorado in Guatemala for exactly this reason – plenty of cover providing plenty of “targets” in the water to find the fish.

Most days over recent weeks, we have found almost as many Dorado as you would like within a few miles of the coast – and often these have been accompanied by good numbers of billfish.
The “Summer” fishing so far has been remarkable steady and strong – raising high single digits (so 7-10) sailfish per day, but mostly close to shore, with good blue water being spotted some days as close as 3.5 miles from the dock.

Barry Jackson and Ron Corsan fished with us this last week and had what has become a “typical” days fishing for recent weeks – raising 5 sailfish and lots of Dorado (even had a Wahoo in the mix !). They both hail from Texas and are avid redfishermen –so sails and wahoo was a high speed change for them ! They are down in Guatemala helping out on a mission to support an orphanage, but managed to find the time to spend a day with us at the coast fishing – we sent them home with a five gallon bucket of fresh fish to share at their table.

If you are considering a trip to Guatemala, but are perhaps a little unsure about what to expect – we have the answer for you !
We have compiled a 40 page eBook with our experience of fishing in Guatemala for the last eight seasons. There are 16 chapters full of tips and insights that will help you to plan and to make the trip as easy as possible – hopefully it contains all of the answers to your questions. You can get this COMPLETELY FREE by clicking here : http://www.greatsailfishing.com/Anglers_Guide_to_Guatemala_Offer.html

Now is the time to be booking for the coming season – especially if you are looking for the most popular times. . Please call us at 1-877-763-0851 or email me at kevin@GreatSailfishing.com

marlinkjs

11-10-2009, 12:06 PM

When you are thinking of golf destinations, Guatemala may not be the first that comes to mind.
For a population of about 14 million living in a country roughly the size of Tennessee, golf remains largely an elitist sport, but that is starting to change. The country is home to five courses and to date has comfortably accommodated the country’s two thousand or so active players.

The most recent addition to this stable of International courses is La Reunion located just 11 miles outside the old capital and world heritage site of Antigua.

The course is based within the 1380—acres of a former coffee plantation and in the shadows of four towering volcanoes—Agua, Fuego, Acatenango, and Pacaya. It has been appropriately named “Fuego Maya” or Mayan Fire – and was designed by renowned course architect Pete Dye. The course is relatively long, although even an average golfer should be able to complete the round in under 4 hours.

Although lacking the links (excuse pun) to the Royal & Ancient, there are indigenous links to the ancient Mayan calendar, which consists of 20 months of 18 days each. The final 5 days of the lunar calendar are then consumed by “Wayeb” which is held as a sacred time for relaxation and contemplation for the coming journey or the following calendar – much as the golfers’ consider their return to the challenges of the course or their next tee time.

Despite its only now emerging golfing population, Guatemala is starting to display its talents on the International golf scene – the country recently qualifying for the first time ever in an International event with the success of two budding stars Pablo Acuña and Alejandro Villavicencio who will represent the country at the Omega Mission Hills World Cup to be held in China November 27-30 which has a prize of $5.5 million.

If you want to try your hand on this remarkable course perhaps as an “off” day from fishing in Guatemala, The GreatSailfishing Company is pleased to arrange tee times for you – and even has a selection of golf sets for you to choose from (it can be difficult to rent clubs in Guatemala), just ask and we will be happy to accommodate you !

The fishing this past week has ranged from outstanding to tough – as has the weather ! The storm that is now approaching the Gulf Coast has been busy pushing fronts across all of Central America – and Guatemala was quick to catch a cold ! Early in this past week we have been seeing days where 20-30 billfish raised was the norm – but as soon as the front and the weather came in, the seas built and unfortunately the fishing slowed. The Netland group saw decent fishing their first day, with a half dozen sailfish and a good sized Blue Marlin that took over two hours to bring to the boat for release.

Following days however brought ever increasing seas, and most boats stayed closer to shore – either splitting the day with some inshore fishing, or searching for Dorado and sailfish at about 25 miles.

The weather has now passed, and with the calmer seas the bait is now concentration again – so we are hopeful to see consistent fishing more on a par to the early part of last week than the latter days.

The winter almanac is forecasting the coldest winter in North America in a decade – so this is a great year to book in for a fishing trip to the calm waters and sunshine of Guatemala while we still have dates available ! Get our FREE Angling Guide to Guatemala

marlinkjs

12-09-2009, 09:57 AM

La Quema del Diablo
This is a time of year that hopefully everyone is in good spirits as we approach the festive season. There are few peoples that enjoy a good celebration than the indigenous Guatemaltecos – and why stop at one ?? La Quema del Diablo (The burning of the devil) is a day that dates back as far as the 18th century, and is a combination of the pragmatic (take out household detritus and burn it) and culture whereby the act of burning represents the purging of evil. It is centered in Antigua in front of the Convent of Conception as locals erect an effigy of Lucifer and set it ablaze…………accompanied by fireworks that start around 6pm and continue pretty much uninterrupted all night as the crowds move from the North of the city to the “Old Capital” just outside Antigua proper.
It is not a coincidence that the Fiesta immediately precedes the Fiesta de La Virgen de Inmaculada Concepción Fas it also represents the struggle of the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception with the devil throughout her life. The Virgin is a very special saint for Guatemala - she was declared patron Saint of Guatemala City as early as 1738, and patron Saint of the Americas by Charles III in 1756. From the start of December until Semana Santa (Holy Week), there is no shortage of festivities to observe if you care to take a break from fishing for a day.
The Collard group arrived from the snow of Rhode Island a little apprehensive as they were to start fishing immediately after the full moon. Many anglers (and Captains) hold the opinion that during the full moon phase, the predatory fish are able to pursue their quarry during the night and hence are less aggressive for an easy meal during the day. Certainly the day did start out a little slow – and the fish that rose to the teasers were lazy and picky. You could feel the billfish hitting the bait with their bill as to play with it rather than to consume it. Timing was everything.
It took considerable skill and feel to determine when the sailfish had tired of playing and was ready to eat ……..and so to set the hook. On the positive side, this play provided plenty of practice (they raised 27 sailfish that day) without necessarily enduring the fight on every occasion.
See the SST report here
There has been a steady improvement in the marlin bite over the course of the last week, with fish raised most days. Even better, the blue water – while moving quickly and changing sometimes dramatically from day to day has remained mostly close in – lines in at about 15 miles and most action occurring at less than 20 miles from the dock. Just enough time to finish the coffee before the action starts !
The snow has started to fall and stay on the ground in the Northern US States - so now is a great time to book in for a fishing trip to the calm waters and sunshine of Guatemala while we still have dates available ! Get our FREE Angling Guide to Guatemala

marlinkjs

12-24-2009, 01:58 PM

Guatemala Fishing Report – December 21st 2009

'Tis the Season

For many things - but most of all 'tis the season to be grateful for what we have : family, friends, health - and of course outstanding fishing in Guatemala !!

The East coast of the US got cold-blasted this past week; record snowfall in Virginia and Washington, freezing cold and a couple of feet of snow further north in New York and Boston. It makes a beautiful landscape for those festive pictures, but once that novelty has worn off and you have to face the reality of shovelling and the ritual laying down of chemicals to break apart the ice............your mind is likely to wander to a tropical topic such as............"Wouldn't it be nice to be drinking a cold beer at the dock in Guatemala about now, having had a busy day reeling in a bunch of fish..........."

Now that's my kind of festive landscape

From here, the season (the fishing season that is) really gets into full swing. The fishing the last couple of onths has ranged from great (the Collard party raised 35 sailfish in a day 2 weeks ago) to slow going - as in a half dozen billfish raised in a day. But history says that as we move into January and February, the bite not only heats up significantly for both sailfish and marlin, it also becomes much more predictable and consistent from day to day.

With the assistance of satellite imagery (courtesy of Terrafin), we were at least able to pinpoint the most productive areas to fish - around the temperature breaks and low chlorophyl. Unfortunately recent days have been hampered by a good deal of cloud cover when the satellite has passed over, so detail and broad coverage images have been hard to come by. To see more detail of the latest SST image from Guatemala, CLICK HERE.

These areas of opportunity shifted dramatically from day to day - by as much as 35 miles - but we followed the science and generally had reasonable fishing when it was to be had. Sometimes the best water was as close as 9 miles from the dock - which makes for a nice short run and maximises the time the lines are in the water. Other times (and more often) it was lines in at `5-18 miles with the bite consistently between 20-25 miles out.

Most excitement on the dock the last week or so had been reserved for the marlin bite, which had been slow up until now - but the blue water moving in seems to have triggered the bite, with boats raising Blues most days now.

So while you are shoveling that snow, or putting on the 4th layer of clothing, think of us and consider that now is a great time to book in for a fishing trip to the calm waters and sunshine of Guatemala while we still have dates available !

Capt. Gary Bonanno

01-29-2010, 12:40 AM

Offshore Fishing Reports from Venice and Guatemala

Venice: Capt Kevin Aderhold had a day trip last Friday but had to run all over the Gulf to find good water with NO SHARKS....They had two Yellowfin and one Blackfin Tuna. The sharks gave them hell, but they had a good group from south Florida and they will be back for a 24hr trip in June on the 55' Strike Zone Too. We guaranteed them a lot of Yellowfin.

Guatemala: I just got back from a wonderful trip to Antigua, Guatemala. My wife is a nurse anesthetist and she goes to Antigua as part of the Knoxville Medical Mission every year. This year the group helped about 60 people get needed operations. My son Christopher and I escorted her and I managed to slip out on Wednesday to fish with a group of guys that were in Guatemala for a wedding. What a bunch of nice guys from Alabama. Justin Schilling, Mike Harlan, Brandon Harlan and a friend. When we got down to the marina the wind was blowing about 25 kts....I didn't think we were going to make the trip...But our new captain, Joel/Hercules said let's go....and off we went.....we were leading the pack of charter boats out of the marina....most of the boats were hugging the coast but our Captain elected to go right into the seas on the Strike Zone.... As we looked back, five boats out of the fleet were heading back...He, like the American captains, just love to fish that boat. It catches a lot of billfish and takes the sea very well. We dropped our lines when we were 15 miles out and after 20 minutes we had our first Sail...The guys could not believe the fight and show that Sailfish preformed for us....We were in nonstop action all day...we ended up going 14 for 19 on Sails and three Bull Dolphin....three times we had two Sails on at one time and one time we had a triple. The group with Scott Hartley had fished the day before for three days on the Strike Zone and they had a total of 58 Sails in three days... Total Sails in four days was 72....The Strike Zone has been out catching the fleet in Guatemala when it is out fishing.

Seth Holl ,the mate on the Strike Zone Too in Venice is heading down to Guatemala for the next few months to mate. He will help a lot knowing a lot of our customers that will be fishing in Guatemala. He doesn't know spanish but he will be sleeping with this fine chic, Rosetta Stone on a regular basis.

I have trips going every month to Guatemala that we can add one to four anglers to the group, or you can get your own group....This is the ultimate fishing trip and adventure of a life time....

Come fish with STRIKE ZONE CHARTERS IN LOUISIANA & GUATEMALA

Celebrating 21 years in the charter business

225-279-3800
www.strikezonecharters.net

Capt. Gary Bonanno

01-29-2010, 12:41 AM

Capt. Gary Bonanno

02-12-2010, 05:26 PM

I just wanted to share this email with my fishing friends:::::

From: Scott Hartley (mscotthartley@sbcglobal.net)
Sent: Wed 1/13/10 2:55 PM
To: 'Gary Bonanno' (strikezonecharter@hotmail.com)
1 attachment

Gary and Edgar,

I wanted to thank you for the great trip to Guatemala last week. As you know, we released 54 sailfish over three days, with two days with over 20 releases each. This is by far the best trip in terms of numbers that I have had in Guatemala. I know they can be much higher, but this was among the top in the fleet for this particular period, and was certainly plenty for us. However, the service provided by the Strike Zone Crew made it a special trip in addition to releasing a lot of fish. Some examples include:

- The captain and crew were quite solid. As I mentioned, I believe we were among the top few boats in the fleet on at least two of the three days, and if we were not on the third day it was due to angler error. More significantly, they were able to handle a diverse group of anglers ranging from very experienced to first time ever saltwater fishing of any kind. They fully supported our request to bait and hook the fish, even with the less experienced anglers that may not have been as fast to the rod.

- The food was very good, both at the house and on the boat. The casa was quite nice, as was the service there.

- The 40’ boat came in handy on the last day, when we had unusually rough seas for Guatemala. We were among the last to return to the marina that day. I presume most other boats came in early, and the smaller boats in the fleet may not have gone out.

- We have never done anything much but fish on our trips. The last night and morning in Antigua was very “easy” to do, and it was an extraordinary end to an already good trip.

- The small touches Strike Zone and Fish 4 Reel provides including providing two local cell phones to allow for cost effective calls home, providing Internet access, handling my advance request for cigars, and providing details on what to expect, customary tips, etc. are much appreciated, and help to distinguish you from most of the operations we have fished with over the years.

Thanks again. The only thing I would change is to have a few marlin around in the mix, but they just were not there for the entire fleet this trip. Maybe next time!

Sincerely,

Scott, Ashok, E.B., and Steve

Scott took some awesome pictures that I will share with you.....

This will get you fired UP...I can't say enough about Guatemala.....IT IS GREAT~~~~Thanks SCOTT and CREW

STRIKE ZONE CHARTERS LOUISIANA & GUATEMALA ~~~~~225~279~3800

CELEBRATING OVER 21 YEARS IN THE CHARTER BUSINESS

www.strikezonecharters.net

Capt. Gary Bonanno

02-18-2010, 11:33 PM

CHARTER CAPTAINS GO FREE TO GUATEMALA
As I returned from my trip to Guatemala, I knew when I got to Louisiana I had to go and convince Capt. Gary that we have got to come up with a way to get licensed captains to Guatemala for FREE! I enjoyed my trip so much that I felt every person that works in the charter boat industry day in and day out would surely appreciate a trip like this to Guatemala.

Here is what I did::::: I went down to do a little work on the Strike Zone. Which ended up a vacation. The temperatures there were so much different from the winter snow and ice storm that we are expecting to get in Louisiana over the next few days. I arrived to ninety degree weather and all the sunshine that you could ever want. Needless to say I am sun burned and having to suffer through it now.
I worked on the boat the afternoon I arrived and that evening sat around with my new friends and had a few gallo's (cold beers) and just hung with the crews of the boats. And then on Thursday, I just had to go on a sea trial! Well my idea of sea trial is different than most, I ended up with dolphin jumping on the left long and two rooster fish being released. we were only 30 yards from the beach. We fished for about a hour and then headed in for a bite to eat and to get the boat ready for the tournament that was the next day. Then I had the opportunity to fish with the crew and anglers that were fishing the National Tournament. The group of anglers and the crew of the Strike Zone have previously won the first leg of the tournament the weekend before. We stayed up that evening rigging baits and making sure all the tackle was ready. Friday morning we set out to see how many sailfish we could catch. I was all excited cause I have only been able to watch the wind blow and make sure the pilings didn't float away for the past few months in Louisiana. So a chance to be on a boat that get to fish in warm weather and calm seas in February I was in! Out we set to find the sails. We ran only 23 miles, we shut down at 8:30am and put the teasers out and at 8:35am we released the first one. I just knew it was going to be like popcorn popping with these sail jumping out of the water all day , but I was wrong, we went through a little lull. Which is enough time to rig more baits and get ready for another flurry. During the trip we ran across a school of tuna and boy did the small part of Louisiana Coon Ass come straight out of me in a hurry. I jumped down in the cockpit and began to chum these fish and all anglers had yellow fins on and a box full soon proceeded. After having our fill of catching, we got back to the sails. Capt. Hercules decided to make a little run to the north about five miles to get into some more action. The move was a good call, we only had three releases prior to the move. We fished until lines out at three o'clock and finished the day with 12 sailfish being released on the first day of the tournament and it was considered a very,very slow day. Later that evening we ate tuna and hung out on the dock and talked about the day. We found out that we were in second for the tournament and that we were only two fish out of first. On Saturday as the anglers were arriving to the boat I was taking my bags off the boat and getting ready to return to Guatemala City and head back home. I had to sit on the dock and watch as my boat left the dock without me on it, and knowing what we just did yesterday I was heart broken that I couldn't go too. Once back in the states, I found out that the Strike Zone had taken over the first place position and had won the tournament two weekends in a row. Congrats goes out to the crew of the Strike Zone and Capt. Hercules. We still have two more weekends in the tournament, but I know Capt. Hercules will be on top.

I have been holding on to this report and convincing Capt Gary to send licensed captains on a vacation for free before posting and I want to be the first to invite all charter fishing captains all over the states to come on a vacation!

Call Capt. Kevin Aderhold (504) 382-2108 or Capt. Gary Bonanno (225) 279-3800

WWW.strikezonecharters.net

Celebrating over 21 years in the charter business.go for FREE !

marlinkjs

03-24-2010, 10:38 AM

It’s UP and DOWN in Guatemala
If you know how to time it, and the rest of the variables that the “Fishing Gods” refer to when deciding whether to make your fishing trip to Guatemala something to remember, then the past few weeks have served you well. Kim Graham and party came down once again and hit the billfish hard – they reported passing landing their 1000th sailfish in Guatemala, so they are both doing it right and timing it well (and of course keeping count accurately!!).
Sure enough, they turned up again just as the moon was turning and had several fun filled days of pretty much nonstop fishing action with fish in the teasers consistently throughout the day. They also managed to hook and release a good sized marlin – which have been noticeable so far only by their absence this season until very recently.
The “UPs and DOWNs” refer to both the volatility of the fishing, but also to the weather. In conversations with other Captains and visitors, all have commented on the strange weather patterns and currents that have been prolific in most places this year from as far away as Ecuador to Mexico Mazatlan. Whereas we are normally blessed with warm and calm consistent weather patterns from November until May, we have been besieged this year with a series of small cold fronts (not to mention earthquakes !) that have travelled through the region. We have also had our weather influenced by some of the significant storms that have been hanging out in the Gulf of Mexico – and we are 800 miles and at least 2 good sized mountain (volcano) ranges away.
We had one of the “Shared Angler” trips down this past week also, which went well as far as the anglers were concerned – although the first and last fishing days they were faced with a strong 4 foot chop going out with seas that refused to lay down until early in the afternoon. This also coincided with the bite – as when fish were to be found, it happened mostly after lunch – but even then with a cautious bite that lacked aggressiveness and commitment on the part of the sailfish, making it very difficult for the fly anglers in particular to hook up consistently.
The trophy fish for the shared trip clearly went to Rob Sekely who struggled mightily with a Blue Marlin in the 300lb range. Unlike the sails that we had been seeing, this marlin was committed as soon as the belly bait was in the water and the scent permeated sufficiently for him to hunt it down. It is always a thrilling sound when you hear the International 50 zinging out line as the Captain kicks the boat into full throttle to ensure a good hookset. This marlin clearly got the message early on, and it only took one good look at the stern of the boat for it to hurtle off porpoising in the direction of Mexico. Rob was having none of it, and clamping down with the drag held on and turned the fish. Danillo the mate on the Reel Diver graciously brought over water for Rob, but at the Captain’s direction poured it instead over the reel to try and stop the bearings from melting – and then passed the remainder onto Rob to drink. First things first.
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marlinkjs

01-17-2011, 10:49 AM

Guatemala Fishing Report Jan 10th 2011
You would think that if the spring were eternal, it would have already arrived – but the weather (as in the USA for the last month or so) can be extremely fickle. Over the Xmas period, there was a continuing pattern of low pressure that caused some turmoil for the fishing in Guatemala (http://www.greatsailfishing.com/). The fish would be concentrated one day, but the following day could be scattered over 20 miles – so the fleet could spend a lot of time fishing water that looked great but contained few billfish.
It is in times like this that another significant benefit of 100% catch&release fishing is apparent – easy and clear cooperation between the Captains and teamwork between the boats to find good concentrations of bait and consistent action with the sailfish.
There have still been days recently when the boats have only been raising single digit sailfish in a day, but in the last few days this has really improved significantly. Our boats have been raising as many as 35 sailfish per day in the early part of the week – as well as decent numbers of Blue Marlin which have continued to maintain a strong showing all the way through the early season.
The weather patterns seem to have settle now, as most days are clear with calm seas………so perhaps the Eternal Spring can now be said to have arrived for the season. You can get a closer view of the current sea temperatures that we are fishing in Guatemala by clicking here (http://www.greatsailfishing.com/Guatemala_Fishing_Chart.php)While taking a break from digging out the snow this week, I heard on the news that 49 of the 50 states now have at least some (snow) precipitation on the ground. I am pleased to report however that there is currently no snow in Guatemala, the temperature this morning in the marina at 7am was 81deg. F and no snow is forecast. If you are either thinking of making a fishing trip this season, or are just tired of the cold and feel like some warm sunshine – pick up the phone (877 763 0851) and let’s plan a trip to the Sailfishing Capital of the World !!
We still have one slot left for our shared (economical !) fishing trip (http://www.greatsailfishing.com/guatemala_fishing_sharing.php)in March – if interested, please send me an email at kevin@Greatsailfishing.com

marlinkjs

02-04-2011, 08:36 AM

Guatemala Fishing Report February 1st 2011
At this time of year, anything can happen when fishing in Guatemala (http://www.greatsailfishing.com/). Although we are well established in a pleasant weather pattern, with calm seas and warm days for chasing sailfish, the currents also strengthen and can make for dramatic changes in fishing conditions from one day to the next.
The fishing in Guatemala has been strong since the middle of the month with our boats raising over 20 billfish most days and so plenty of activity for visiting anglers. Now however we not only have some great fishing, but we also have almost perfect conditions, with great blue water close to shore and flat calm seas almost every day.
The boats are leaving the dock at a lazy pace this week, as the blue water has pushed in as close asthree miles – a very comfortable 15 minutes from casting lines away to putting (fishing) lines back in the water. The only problem when fishing for sailfish so close to shore is that the coastal waters also carry large populations of aggressive jacks that somehow do not recognize that the carefully prepared ballyhoo are not for them – and insist on destroying the baits.
Much of the time, they are not fast (or accurate) enough to hook themselves with the circle hooks we are using, so we not only “sacrifice” a perfectly well rigged bait to them, we don’t even get the satisfaction of fighting the fish. Some of these jacks are in the 20lb class, so can fight like a tuna and wear an angler out if we manage to hook up. The hookup ratio however is quite low – one of our charters went through over sixty baits last week on a single day …………. with only 22 bites from sailfish – the rest of the baits were mauled by the marauding jacks!!
The blue water has been shifting by as much as twelve miles overnight - you can get a closer view of the current sea temperatures that we are fishing in Guatemala by clicking here (http://www.greatsailfishing.com/Guatemala_Fishing_Chart.php) where you can see “pockets” of cooler blue water within a few miles of shore within the twenty fathom line.
The MidWest and NorthEast are welcoming up to two feet of snow over the next couple of days – so this is a great time to be thinking of making a fishing trip this season – pick up the phone (877 763 0851) and let’s plan a trip to the Sailfishing Capital of the World !!
We still have one slot left for our shared (economical !) fishing trip (http://www.greatsailfishing.com/guatemala_fishing_sharing.php) in March – if interested, please send me an email at kevin@Greatsailfishing.com (kevin@Greatsailfishing.com)

marlinkjs

02-24-2011, 03:37 PM

Guatemala Fishing Report Feb 20th 2011
If you have been waiting for an economic reason to try the fishing in Guatemala (http://www.greatsailfishing.com/), this could be a great opportunity for a last minute trip while the fishing (and the weather) is still HOT !!
American Airlines announced a quick-fire sale for flights to Latin America that must be booked THIS WEEK – out of several convenient gateways. Happily the travel dates coincide with dates in April when the fishing is still great, the sailfish are still hungry, the weather is warm and we have availability in one of our luxurious Guatemala Fishing Beach Villas. (http://www.greatsailfishing.com/Pacific_Beach_Villa.php)
The peak of the fishing season in Guatemala for billfish is in January and February – as this is when most anglers have seen just about enough of the continuous cold fronts up North – and hanker after some warm weather and outstanding fishing. Guatemala fits all of these criteria, and so prime dates in these months tend to be booked up to a year in advance.
In April however, not only do we usually see continued concentrations of sailfish, with the boats typically raising 15 or so each day – it is also the time of year when we may begin to see large numbers of juvenile yellowfin tuna turn up – often shadowed by huge schools of spinner dolphin and other predators, making it relatively easy to spot them from a good distance away. This time of year therefore has it all ! Many of our regular clients prefer to come down late in the season as they know that the sailfishing is still great, but the variety of species is even better!!
We have had a great fishing season so far, with a strong bite all the way through the month………..except for a drop at the end of last month, when strong current brought in ugly green water to the area. One day the water was clean and the fish were concentrated and biting – the next day it had all disappeared. Our crews went out as far as 60 miles in search of good blue water and fished hard………but were unsuccessful. Going out any further is really not productive, as the travel-time overhead just becomes too much relative to the amount of time with “lines-in” and so we worked any temperature breaks or pools we could find closer in. The pace of fishing diminished greatly – raising only a couple of sailfish per boat for a couple of days.
Thankfully the blue water returned and while the fishing was still not up to its usual standards, it improved markedly – our boats raising about 10 billfish per day – and continues to improve each day back to the “norm”.
If you are interested in taking advantage of the America Airlines flight deals, and would like to try the great fishing in April – give us a call at 877 763 0851………….you only have until Friday to take advantage of the flight offers !
We still have one slot left for our shared (economical !) fishing trip (http://www.greatsailfishing.com/guatemala_fishing_sharing.php)in March – if interested, please send me an email at kevin@Greatsailfishing.com (kevin@Greatsailfishing.com)