The month has started off well. Since the recent cold fronts blew them selves out, or at least blew themselves away, the fishing in Guatemala has improved significantly. There are many anglers who would regard the period around the full moon as a less productive time to fish, but in this case the common wisdom is that it is the return to a calmer weather pattern and wamer air pushing the blue water in that has mostly contributed to the improved fishing conditions. For our full report for the past week read here ==>>
Posts Tagged ‘fishing guatemala’
February fishing in Guatemala
Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010Guatemala Fishing Report
Wednesday, January 27th, 2010Started the week of Jan 17th with some great Guatemala fishing – even better we welcomed back old friends the Graham party. They started with a vengeance and really didn’t stop – releasing over 100 sailfish over th course of 5 days. One of the fish in particular – we are awaiting the pictures – was estimated at 150 lbs, and on their last day released a sailfish of an estimated 130lbs on the fly.
The SST charts saved us a ton of fuel and our clients a ton of time searching for the blue water and finding the hot bite. The blue water was moving radicaly from day to day – see our full fishing report here :
Guatemala Fishing and Golf
Monday, November 9th, 2009When you are thinking of golf destinations, Guatemala may not be the first that comes to mind.
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.
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. ……………………for the full golf and Guatemala fishing report visit www.fishing-guatemala.com
Guatemala Fishing report August 10th 2009
Wednesday, August 12th, 2009Barry Jackson and Ron Corsan fished with us this 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……………….for the full fishing report read here :
http://www.greatsailfishing.com/en/2008-9_Guatemala_Fishing_Report.html
Single Angler fishing in Guatemala
Wednesday, July 1st, 2009Greatsailfishing 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
Flyfishing technique for Sailfishing in Guatemala
Monday, June 22nd, 2009We now use almost exclusively beak hooks either in single or tandem configuration with our flyfishing setus un Guatemala. We have of course always used circle hooks for our conventional fishing in Guatemala – as is required by law in Guatemala.
The hooks with the “upturned beaks” – but you have to be careful not to bury the hook eye too far into the tube for this hook design, in essence shortening the distance between the clumsy popper head and the point of the hook thus interfering with hook point to flesh contact. That’s not a good thing, and, further to that, the hook point then tends to ride a little bit more upwards, effectively creating an even shorter gap length furthering the potential for “slipping” and missing upon using the more traditional hook setting methods.
Something learned the hard way about a sailfish and how it eats a fly – advice from another famous billfishing captain : never, ever keep a fly in front of a sailfish, this is the fastest way to lose the attention of the fish and all of the effort teasing and reteasing will have been for nought. If you do succeed in hooking up – the prognosis is still not good, and believe me, can be extremely frustrating !
When the cast is mis-placed into the oncoming path of the fish, always take it away and recast the fly rather than go through the inevitable frustration of another unbuttoned sailfish . . . sometimes 5 seconds into the fight, sometime 30 minutes into it, but almost always, the fish that eats that fly straight on comes undone or is bill-hooked. This advice mind you, came after many years fly fishing for sails. If you think back to how many of your straight-on shots came undone, and the honest answer was likely, most of them.
When the fly is eaten head on or quartering to, the best approach is to lift it up and throw it beyond the fish. All you have to remember is to keep your line from landing on top of them or being too close to them when they turn on the fly.
More detail, information yips – and an extensive article on this and other topics can be found at :
http://www.greatsailfishing.com/en/Sailfishing%20flyfishing%20technique.html
Guatemala Fishing report June7th 2009
Thursday, June 11th, 2009Over the course of the years, I have heard many debates and even some arguments about whether the rain affects the fishing…………..positively or negatively. I guess my conclusion after listening and in some cases partaking in these debates is that “it depends”………………so it is with much of fishing, and with most of the variables involved. The weather offshore has been relatively kind. Some showers, even the odd thunderhead thrown in – but nothing good size sportfishing boats can’t handle with ease and almost comfort. The seas have been rolling as much as 4-6ft – which is unusual even for this time of year – but sometimes that is what it takes to literally “shake things up” and get the fish to bite. Our most recent trips have reported some great and consistent bites on BIG Blue Marlin. Our Blues generally average in the 300-450lb class……..but these have been averaging considerably more, maybe 500+ and as high as 650lbs or so.
read the full report here :
Flyfishing for Sail fish in Guatemala
Tuesday, April 21st, 2009There is much we could write, and much left to be written………..about flyfishing for large pelagic sail fish in Guatemala. Such topics as the right tippet, knots, hooks to use (single ? double ??), hook setting etc etc………..but in the end probably the most important factor in at least getting a bite out of a lit up sail fish is what you land in front of him at the stern.
About half of our clients now exclusively flyfish when they come fishing to Guatemala – and we have seen all kinds of great gear. Often, inside the gear box is a grand assortment of flies, some tied lovingly by hand.
We used to carry a decent selection on our boats as well – but after years of testing and observing, we now carry only two…………and they are the same fly just in two color options. As far as I know, just about every charter operator in the region, when pressed, will vouch for the same fly – Cam Sigler in pink&white. Save some baggage space – this is what the fish want !!
Oh ! and the other fly ??…………..Cam Sigler popper in Chartreuse.
It’s not JUST fishing in Guatemala !
Thursday, April 2nd, 2009About Antigua Guatemala
We are often asked by our clients about side trips or laydays when fishing with us in Guatemala. Probably the easiest of these logistically is a day trip (45 minutes each way) from the coast to Antigua .
La Antigua Guatemala means the “Old Guatemala” and was the third capital of Guatemala. Established in 1543 by the Spanish Conquisadors, it was originally named Santiago de los Caballeros (Knights of St James) from the original Capital of Ciudad de Santiago de los Caballeros de Goathemalan. It served as the centre of governance for the “Spanish Colony of Guatemala” for almost 200 years -which at the time consisted of almost all of present day Central America as well as the southern part of Mexico.
A series of earthquakes that started in 1717, but culminated in a set of large earthquakes in 1773 caused the Spanish Crown to mandate the move of the capital to a safer location (present day Guatemala City) in 1776.
The badly damaged city of Santiago de los Caballeros was ordered abandoned, although not everyone left, and was referred to as la Antigua Guatemala, or Old Guatemala. The population had peaked in the 1770′s at around 60,000 – but today’s residents number about half that.
La Antigua is noted for its very elaborate religious celebrations during Lent (Cuaresma), leading up to Holy Week (Semana Santa) and Easter (Pascua). Each Sunday in Lent, one on the local churches and parishes sponsor a series of processions through the streets of Antigua. This is by far the most popular week of the year to visit Antigua, and travellers can expect an extreme shortage of good accommodation – as well as restrictions in the town for parking and access – given the crowds.
Antigua is also well known for its Spanish Schools (over 100 at last count), and for its “cosmopolitan” ambience – with restaurants and bars that serve the tourist population, and are rarely seen in other towns and villages outside the Capital.
Some progress in Costa Rica for Sportfishing for Sailfish
Thursday, June 11th, 2009Whatever happens to support fishing for sailfish in Costa Rica naturally has implications for sailfishing in Guatemala – so we keep a close ear to any glimmer of hope for progress that supports the industry and as a consequence fishing for pelagic fish such as sailfish and Blue Marlin in Guatemala.There continues to be some progress, albeit slow with regards to legislation – or at least some agreed objectives to support and promote sportfishing in Costa Rica – and therefore as a byproduct support of sportfishing up and down the Central American Pacific coast.
Latest progress – as recent as last week – was that officials from local and national fishing organizations and conservation groups met in the town hall in Puerto Jimenez to format a plan that would make the area a “marine area of responsible fishing” (AMPR). If the plan goes forward, in two-and-a-half-years it would eliminate shrimp trawlers from the area and the main focus would be conducting biological studies and teaching gillnet fishermen how to use sustainable fishing practices.
The trawlers, gill nets and longlines collectively pose the greatest threat to the ecosystem that supports and promotes the pelagic fishery – so we regard this (or any similar !) as a step in the right direction.
The Costa Rican Federation for Fishing Tourism (FECOPT) officials presented the outline of a plan to some of the directors of the National Fisheries Institute (INCOPESCA) and members of the National Artisanal Fishing Federation. And all seemed to have one goal, removing fishing nets from the gulf.
Now for the longlines…………
Thankfully our fishing remains strong – read our latest fishing report here :
http://www.greatsailfishing.com/en/weeklyfishing.htm
Tags: blue marlin, costa rica fishing, costa rica sailfishing, fishing guatemala, incopesca, sailfish, The Billfish Fooundation
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