This area is said to hold one of the highest concentrations of sailfish anywhere, and it is easily accessible. With numbers like 57 releases with a fly rod from one boat in ONE DAY, one can see why chances are greater of hooking billfish here on a fly than any other place on earth.
It wasn’t too many years ago that the thought of hooking, playing and releasing a sailfish on a fly was only in the minds of a few adventurous anglers out to test their skills and equipment. Now, it is not only possible for the average angler to entertain thoughts of fly fishing for sails, but catching and releasing these marvelous gamefish is a realistic expectation at the right destination. And the right destination is at Casa Vieja Lodge in the coastal city of Puerto San Jose, Guatemala.
The first step to successful sailfishing is having incredibly high populations of fish in the water (year ’round!), but to be as consistently successful as the Casa Vieja team is takes more than just a lot of fish: it takes skilled boat captains and talented two to three-man crews to find the fish, tease them to within casting distance, and help an angler bring it boatside for healthy release. These guys are fantastic, and really a part of what makes a trip to Casa Vieja so memorable! Casa Vieja uses the best sailfish captains and crews in Guatemala. They understand how to work with fly fishers, and appreciate the added challenge it takes to catch and release sailfish on a fly rod.
The adrenaline rush of sailfishing on a fly is indescribable, and addicting. One moment you’re relaxing with your friends and the crew, and the next instant a sailfish is spotted and the game is on! The crew hauls in all of the teasers and quickly throws out a hookless bait on a spinning rod, which they use to tease the fish in very close to the boat. You see the fish’s bill cutting through the water’s surface as it slashes behind the teaser. The moment the fish is within casting range, you have time to make one quick cast, aiming to accurately land the giant topwater fly as close to the teaser as possible. Once the fly is in the water, the teaser is pulled away from the fish and the hope is that the fish then turns and takes the fly (which they usually do). When they eat the fly, you set the hook, then hold on! The first-time billfish fly fisher is never prepared for the heart stopping jumps and rocket speed (sailfish have been clocked at over 50 mph) as it dissolves line and backing off your reel.
All of the flies, rods, and tackle are included with fly fishing packages at Casa Vieja Lodge.
Conservation:
For more than a decade, billfish conservation has been central to Casa Vieja’s philosophy. Casa Vieja Lodge is right at home in a country whose national policy make it illegal to possess a sailfish. Guatemala’s fishing laws are exemplary of a strong national marine conservation ethic and of a country which is the region’s leader in billfish protection. Although always under test by commercial interests, the future of billfishing in Guatemalan waters appears quite secure.
Headed out on your next adventure with us? The Fly ShopⓇ has you covered. As a thank you to our travel guests, enjoy 15% off all retail purchases for a year! — the perfect chance to gear up before your trip.
Whether it’s flies, leaders, apparel or a new rod and reel outfit, we’ve got everything you need to make your journey more comfortable, more successful, and more fun. (some exclusions apply)
