What To Bring Fishing To Guatemala

Fishing-Guatemala welcomes many anglers each year to Guatemala to experience the remarkable fishery for sailfish and blue marlin.

Over our eight years of experience, we have heard and seen most things,but one of the most often asked questions is "what should I pack to make my trip as comfortable as possible."

This is an important consideration today-when you not only have to pay for your seat to fly down to Guatemala, often you are required to pay a fee to check bags.

Even if you are fortunate to travel with an airline that still offers at least one complimentary bag (especially on international flights, it is still much easier and efficient to travel light whenever possible.

When coming specifically to Guatemala fishing, some things to consider would be :

* Usually charter operators have better and more appropriate fishing equipment for the species you will be targeting than you will have in your arsenal. If you have a favourite rod and/or reel by all means bring it and use it, but do not feel obliged to do so

* The Pacific beaches of Guatemala, particularly proximate to the marina and port that host the charter fleet are made of black volcanic sand that is "hostile" to the feet - it can reach excessive temperatures early in the day, so most anglers spend little time on the beach, so beachwear is not a very productive use of your packing capacity

* There is a steep inshore rolloff close to shore that causes large and constant waves. These waves make beach fishing just about impossible, so don?t waste time packing gear that you would hope to use from the beach. Things that you definitely should think about bringing as priority items

* Sunglasses, preferably high quality polarized ones. You can spend a lot of money on good quality sunglasses, and it is tempting we know to compromise to less expensive shades.

Consider this however;the local crews on the charter boats operating out of the Pez Vela Marina probably make about $5k/year in disposable income, yet you will see that every one of them is sporting high quality polarized sunglasses (Costa del Mar tend to be the overwhelming favourites).

It is true that they spend a good deal of their life out on the ocean, and so these are of more intrinsic value to them than you, but it also shows the significance and value of great sunglasses.

If you do decide to bring them with you, don't forget to make a parallel investment in "crocs" or similar accessory to make sure your purchases don?t take a trip to the bottom;even we can't fish sunglasses up from 600ft of water !

* High perfomance fishing gear that has vents and are able to wick moisture. The venting allows you to make the most of any breeze that is available - if you aren't normally accustomed to wearing this style of shirts, you will be amazed at the cooling effect that they can have, and the comfort that they can add to your day out on the water.

The newest of these shirts also have a material that wicks moisture (aka sweat) away from your body and enhances evaporation, further cooling the body.

They are relatively expensive, but again worthwhile for a comfortable day on the water in the hot heat of the midday sun wrestling with sailfish !

* A good hat, or bring more hats if you can to see which work best for you. As a minimum you should bring a hat that protects as much of your face and neck from the burning sun as possible.

It is easy to forget when you are out fishing that the sun is beating down on your head while you are fighting fish, you are cooled by the breeze, and often by the waves coming back over the transom as the captain backs down on fish...but it is still there, and you must remember to cover your head as much of the time as possible.

You may want to consider a "guide hat" that has extended coverage for the whole neck-they are often sported by guides who sight fish on flats, as the close reflection from the surface naturally hits the neck and face, but they can also be valuable when fishing offshore from a boat for the same reason.

* Finally - sunscreen. Higher factor is better. Zinc is good. More is better. Apply often and liberally. If it says waterproof and "lasts all day", assume it will wash off your face pretty quickly and it needs applying every two hours.

You just can't be too careful or protect yourself too much from the sun when you in a boat fishing in Guatemala.