Casa Vieja Lodge: Guatemala’s Pacific Sailfish Heaven

By CAM Staff:

The numbers don’t lie. Guatemala’s Pacific coast is the most productive sailfish destination in the world. Days of double-digit releases would be considered spectacular anywhere. Off Guatemala, it’s just an average day.

Annual release rates show a dozen sailfish per boat, per day. And that’s just a year-round average. It is not unusual during peak seasons for boats to raise more than 50 or 60 sails a day, sometimes a lot more. In March of 2006, Capt. Ron Hamlin, and the anglers on the Captain Hook, released 124 sailfish in a single day less than 15 miles off Guatemala. The legendary former skipper out of Casa Vieja Lodge in Puerto San Jose still holds the record.

For conventional anglers, it’s pretty much a sure thing. For fly anglers, it’s the best odds you’ll find. The concentrations of sailfish in this small slice of the Pacific are astounding. But it’s not just sails. Natural factors such as dramatically shifting currents, temperature barriers and high oxygen levels close to the surface combine to hold baitfish year-round. The eddy formations that swirl off the Guatemalan coast are crowded with life, including the big pelagics and the fish they feed on. There are more Pacific sailfish than can be found anywhere, but there are also marlin, wahoo, slammer Dorado and yellowfin tuna.

Casa Vieja Lodge says blue marlin in the 200- to 400-pound range are thickest April through July, with black marlin up to 400 pounds showing up December through March and smaller striped marlin November through January. On average, every Casa Vieja boat encounters marlin every three days while targeting sailfish. During peak billfish seasons of December through March and then again from May through July, grand slams are an everyday possibility.

Boats fish anywhere from 2 to 50 miles out in an area renowned for flat seas. The most consistently productive area is a canyon known as “The Pocket.” Only about 40 nautical miles wide, The Pocket drops to depths of 3,500 to 4,000 feet. Those constantly shifting currents deflect off the walls of the pocket stirring up nutrient rich waters that attract bait and big gamefish.

Casa Vieja takes the fishing very seriously. Guided by some of the world’s top-tagging and award winning captains, their fleet of classically maintained 35’ Contenders and 40’ Sportfishers consistently produces world-class results. They are inheritors of history. A majority of the captains and lodge staff were employees of the original Fins ’n Feathers Inn that launched the Guatemalan sportfishing industry.

These are the same sportsmen who have cared for the fishery since it exploded onto the sportfishing scene in the 1990s. With total release using circle hooks, the conservation philosophy has been central to Casa Vieja’s operations for more than a decade. With this kind of stewardship, as well as emphasis from the Guatemalan Government on limiting commercial fishing, the fishery continues to thrive.

The lodge was also designed by lifelong sportsmen who know it is best to recover from a non-stop day of action on the water in world-class accommodations. Luxurious rooms and top-notch local cuisine are paired with a staff trained to fill the needs of discerning travelers. It’s the perfect place to relive the day’s catch or dream of the morning’s possibilities.

For more information on fishing Guatemala and the Casa Vieja Lodge, go to www.casaviejalodge.com.

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