Fishing Trip In Guatemala

Still operating a little "under the radar", Guatemala is fast becoming recognised as "The Billfishing Capital of the World" - especially for sailfish.

The coastline and ecosystem support vast quantities of bait year round and warm eddies hold large pods of sailfish between 2 and 50 miles from port. Guatemala holds many official (and unofficial !) records for Pacific Sailfish including most in a day on the fly (57), most on conventional in a day and most in a season..............so it is non stop catching as well as fishing ! The blue water that holds bait and in turn attracts and holds the large numbers of sailfish can be as close as 2 miles from the dock during the dry season (October - May), but could be over 40 miles or two hours from the dock at other times - depending on deep ocean currents and weather patterns.

When the blue water has pushed further out, it is important when considering a fishing trip to Guatemala to pay close attention to the type, size and comfort of the sportfishing boat that you are planning on using. If the fishing is as far as 45 miles before "lines in" - at 20 knots that means a two hour ride (each way !) - so it can be a smart decision to pay a little more for a slightly larger boat with a comfortable and quiet salon - so you may rest and travel in some comfort - the salons usually have capacity to "rest" four anglers comfortably.

There is also good action for Dorado and Tuna if you want to bring something home for the table in the evening. You may also have the opportunity to hook up to Blue Marlin in considerable numbers during the season. Inshore you may find Roosterfish, Wahoo, Cubera Snapper/Pargo and Amberjacks to bust your arm !

Prime season runs from October until June - although the fish are resident all year round, and releases of 40 or more fish have been recorded in every month - but this is the dry season, when the wind is calm and the air is warm, so preferred for its comfortable fishing conditions.

The bluewater is found in a rnage from two to fity or so miles from the marina, although most often in the prime season it starts consistently at around 20 miles - a deepwater canyon that is 25 miles wide and with dropoffs from 1000 ft to 5000 ft. It is here that strong currents from east to west turn back from the coast of El Salvador, and form a giant natural occurring eddy system that holds vast quantities of bait and attracts pelagic fish in huge numbers.

All billfishing is catch and release using exclusively circle hooks - another reason why the fishing remains so consistent and the fish so prolific. The only real challenge or threat to these magnificent fish and remarkable fishery is the continued presence of longliners fishing outside the territorial limit of Guatemala. The sportfishing coalition and Guatemalan fishing organisions are activly and continually lobbying the authorities - both in Guatemala and in Costa Rica (where landing billfish for meat remains legal). We are grateful to the foresight of the Gutamelan authorities to outlaw the killing of all billfish many years ago.


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