| Fishing Guide / Author |
Fishing Reports for Local Area - Location |
    
Gary Graham (Bajafly)
New member
Username: Bajafly
Post Number: 175
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, August 14, 2004 - 9:07 am: | |
Quite a few boats went out this week, most of them with owners and their families, but there were a couple of clients who also came down. The fishing has been out about 30-35 miles. The weather is hot! Not much rain lately, just real calm. The fishing has been pretty good, considering it's low season. They have been raising10-15 sailfish a day per boat on the days they went out, with a couple dorado scattered throughout. Great conditions inshore for roosterfish.
Water Temperature 79-85
Air Temperature 82-86
Humidity 79 %
Wind Calm
Conditions T-Storms
Visibility 7 miles
Sunrise 5:49 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:26 p.m. CST
August 15, New; August 23, First Quarter; August 29, Full; Sept. 6, Last Quarter.
Baja on the Fly's Guatemala report by Brian Barragy and Lissa M. McFarlin.
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Gary Graham (Bajafly)
New member
Username: Bajafly
Post Number: 171
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, August 07, 2004 - 10:07 am: | |
Aug. is traditionally maintenance time, time to get boats, motors, radios, trolling gear and everything else ready for another whiz bang season beginning in early Oct. Still some good dates left for the upcoming season and now is the time to arrange your sailfish trip of a lifetime.
Water Temperature 79-85
Air Temperature 80-84
Humidity 79 %
Wind SSE 8 mph
Conditions T Storms
Visibility 7 miles
Sunrise 5:48 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:28 p.m. CST
Aug 7 Last Quarter, August 15 New, August 23 First Quarter, August 29, Full
Baja on the Fly's Guatemala report by Brian Barragy and Lissa M. McFarlin.
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Sailfish Villas of Guatemala (Sailfishvillas)
New member
Username: Sailfishvillas
Post Number: 4
Registered: 6-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, July 21, 2004 - 5:25 am: | |
Current Guatemala Fishing Conditions
Pacific Coast sport-fishing report
Week ending July 18th
Boats still need to travel out at least 35+ miles before coming across good patches of blue water. Fishing conditions this about the same as least week with few boats going out and returning with 2 to 5 sails and 4 to 12 Dorado's. Captains are reporting clear days with flat to mild seas which get a little choppy in the afternoons as the winds pick-up.
Water Temperature 79-85
Air Temperature 75-91
Humidity 90-95%
Wind:Calm mornings with windy afternoons
Conditions: Small chance of T-storms
Visibility: Over 8 miles
Sunrise 5:42 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:35 p.m. CST
Moon:
7 / 17 7 / 24 7 / 31 8 / 7
New First Quarter Full Last Quarter
Visit our web site at http://www.sailfishvillas.com |
Gary Graham (Bajafly)
New member
Username: Bajafly
Post Number: 167
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, July 17, 2004 - 8:33 am: | |
SAN JOSE, GUATEMALA
IN GENERAL: Typical summer action with few clients venturing out. Plenty of action for smaller tuna and dorado. Sailfish were a bit tougher to find for the few boats heading out.
Water Temperature 79-85
Air Temperature 80-82
Humidity 84 %
Wind SE 8 mph
Conditions Scattered Clouds
Visibility 7 miles
Sunrise 5:43 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:35 p.m. CST
July 17 New, July 27 First Quarter, July 31, Full, Aug 9 Last Quarter
Baja on the Fly's Guatemala report by Brian Barragy and Lissa M. McF
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Sailfish Villas of Guatemala (Sailfishvillas)
New member
Username: Sailfishvillas
Post Number: 3
Registered: 6-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, July 13, 2004 - 6:46 am: | |
Current Guatemala Fishing Conditions
Pacific Coast sport-fishing report
Week ending July 11th
Boats still need to travel out at least 40+ miles before coming across some patches of blue water. Fishing conditions this weekend not as good as the previous weekend with boats returning with 1 to 5 sails and 4 to 12 Dorado's and no tuna. Captains are reporting clear days with mild seas which get a little choppy in the afternoons.
Water Temperature 79-85
Air Temperature 75-91
Humidity 90-94%
Wind:Calm mornings with windy afternoons
Conditions Chance of T-storms
Visibility: Over 7 miles
Sunrise 5:42 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:35 p.m. CST
Moon:
7 / 17 7 / 24 7 / 31 8 / 7
New First Quarter Full Last Quarter
Visit our web site at http://www.sailfishvillas.com |
Gary Graham (Bajafly)
New member
Username: Bajafly
Post Number: 163
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, July 10, 2004 - 8:37 am: | |
IN GENERAL: Several boats ventured out last week, and they were after the abundant tuna. They ended up with lots of yellowfin tuna and even more dorado. The blue water is back and has moved in close with the run being about 12-15 miles. The weather has been nice with cloudy conditions, but no rain.
Water Temperature 79-85
Air Temperature 78-82
Humidity 84 %
Wind 5 mph from the East
T-Storms
Visibility 7 miles
Sunrise 5:41 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:35 p.m. CST
July 17 New, July 27 First Quarter, July 31, Full, Aug 9 Last Quarter
Baja on the Fly's Guatemala report by Brian Barragy and Lissa M. McFarlin.
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Sailfish Villas of Guatemala (Sailfishvillas)
New member
Username: Sailfishvillas
Post Number: 2
Registered: 6-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, July 07, 2004 - 7:49 am: | |
Guatemala's
Pacific Coast sport-fishing report
Week ending July 6th
Boats still need to travel out at least 35+ miles before coming across some patches of green water. These conditions are improving with boats returning with 1 to 3 sails and 10 to 20 dorado and tuna for those who travel out 50 plus miles.. Captains are reporting clear days with mild seas which get a little choppy in the afternoons. We had four charters out yesterday with the best boat getting 9 large dorado, 12 nice yellow-fin tuna with one sail that got away. The group stated that they could have gotten more but their arms got tired. Tropical climate (warm – continued into the evenings).
Water Temperature 79-85
Air Temperature 80-85
Humidity 85-90%
Wind Calm.
Conditions Chance of T-storms
Visibility 14 miles
Sunrise 5:34 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:27 p.m. CST
Check out our web site at http://www.sailfishvillas.com
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Gary Graham (Bajafly)
New member
Username: Bajafly
Post Number: 159
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, July 03, 2004 - 8:48 am: | |
IN GENERAL: For the last couple of weeks there have been very few boats out. The weather the last week has been nice with no rain during the day, and good overall conditions. The water condition close to shore has not been cooperating, so the runs to the fish have been long. The big news for the week is that 4 boats went out 45-50 miles and got into the tuna in a big way, reporting more than 220 hook-ups that were larger than the average the football-size tuna we normally see.
Water Temperature 79-85
Air Temperature 80-84
Humidity 89 %
Wind 12 mph from the North
Scattered Clouds
Visibility 7 miles
Sunrise 5:39 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:35 p.m. CST
July 9 Last Quarter, July 17 New, July 27 First Quarter, July 31, Full
Baja on the Fly's Guatemala report by Brian Barragy and Lissa M. McFarlin.
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Sailfish Villas of Guatemala (Sailfishvillas)
New member
Username: Sailfishvillas
Post Number: 1
Registered: 6-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, June 30, 2004 - 3:02 pm: | |
Flash, today June 30th, Red hot for Yellow-fin Tuna.
Boats coming in early with between 40 to 80 yellow-fin
tuna. The high boat was the boat of marina owner
Fernando Aguilar 35 Cabo with 120 tuna, that's right
120!!!
Current Guatemala Pacific Coast Fishing Conditions
Pacific Coast sport-fishing report
Week ending June 27th
The start of the rainy season as been severe and has
caused green water out to 35+ miles;however,
conditions are improving with boats returning with 3
to 5 sails and 10 to 20 dorado plus about 20
yellow-fin tuna. Captains are reporting clear days
with choppy seas. Tropical climate (warm – continued
into the evenings).
Water Temperature 79-85
Air Temperature 80-85
Humidity 85-90%
Wind Calm.
Conditions Chance of T-storms
Visibility 14 miles
Sunrise 5:34 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:27 p.m. CST
June 9 Last Quarter, June 17 New, June 27 First
Quarter July 2, Full,
The Boat of the Month
Tranquility, 31' Bertram
Updated: November 27, 2003
Crew:
Captain: José Mauricio Serrano with 6 years
experience.
Mates:
Awards: This boat has been out of the water for the
last 2 years. A few months ago it was returned to the
water and its crew has already begun winning dates of
local and national championships.
Standard fishing equipment:
For Sail fishing: 4 Shimano rods mated to Shimano two
speed TLD # 20 reels with 20 lb line.
For Marlin: 1 Tournament Graphite rod mated to a Penn
International II # 80 reel with 80 lb line.
Spinning reels: None.
Fly-fishing equipment: None.
Outriggers: 2 outriggers mated to Penn International
# 50TW reel with 200 lb line.
Fighting chair: No
The bait for Sailfish and Marlin is Ballyhoo
(sometimes mackerel for marlin) and the hooks used are
# 7 circle hooks.
Engines: Twin 330 hp. Cummings Marine turbo-diesels.
It is equipped with: 1 fish finder, 1 GPS, 2 VHF
radios, 1 compass, CD player, and head with freshwater
shower.
Food and drinks on board:
Drinks: Beer, soft drinks (assortment) and bottled
water (one case each). Will supply wine upon request.
An icebox is included with: fresh fruit (papaya,
pineapple, watermelon, melon, etc., depending on the
season), lunch and snack items (for making sandwiches,
ceviche and sashimi).
Snacks: An assortment of chips.
Check out our new Sailfish Villas offerings with the Tranquility. Guatemala Sportfishing at it's best! Visit our web site at http://www.sailfishvillas.com
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Gary Graham (Bajafly)
New member
Username: Bajafly
Post Number: 155
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, June 26, 2004 - 10:05 am: | |
IN GENERAL: With few boats venturing out this week because of a lack of clients it is hard to access conditions. The locals reported good action for sails less than an hour from the marina.
Water Temperature 79-85
Air Temperature 80-86
Humidity 89 %
Wind Calm
Scattered Clouds
Visibility 6 miles
Sunrise 6:37 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:34 p.m. CST
July 2, Full, July 9 Last Quarter, July 17 New, July 27 First Quarter
Baja on the Fly's Guatemala report by Brian Barragy and Lissa M. McFarlin.
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Gary Graham (Bajafly)
New member
Username: Bajafly
Post Number: 151
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, June 19, 2004 - 9:07 am: | |
IN GENERAL: Historically, few clients come down this way this time of year. The locals always enjoy this time of year when they have all the great sailfish action all to themselves. Inshore, this is a great time of year to explore beaches and esteros and see what turns up.
Water Temperature 79-85
Air Temperature 82-86
Humidity 66 %
Wind 5 mph from the WSW
Conditions Chance of T-storms
Visibility 5 miles
Sunrise 6:36 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:33 p.m. CST
June 27 First Quarter July 2, Full, July 9 Last Quarter, July 17 New
Baja on the Fly's Guatemala report by Brian Barragy and Lissa M. McFarlin.
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Gary Graham (Bajafly)
New member
Username: Bajafly
Post Number: 147
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, June 12, 2004 - 8:56 am: | |
IN GENERAL: Typical summer conditions with thunder showers the norm. Most of the boats remained at the dock with the crews sharing stories of yesterday’s exploits and tomorrow’s hopes. The fishing remained the same with few if any clients to take advantage of the extraordinary sailfishing just a few miles offshore.
Water Temperature 79-85
Air Temperature 80-82
Humidity 94 %
Wind Calm.
Conditions Chance of T-storms
Visibility 14 miles
Sunrise 6:35 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:31 p.m. CST
June 17 New, June 27 First Quarter July 2, Full, July 9 Last Quarter
Baja on the Fly's Guatemala report by Brian Barragy and Lissa M. McFarlin.
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Gary Graham (Bajafly)
New member
Username: Bajafly
Post Number: 143
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, June 05, 2004 - 5:23 am: | |
IN GENERAL: With full schedules of boat maintenance and no clients, the fleet remained at the dock this week. Conditions remained consistent with last week’s report. Rain – the lifeblood of our tropical climate – continued in the evenings. All our boats are now fine-tuned, cleaned up from normal wear and tear and ready to rip.
Water Temperature 79-85
Air Temperature 80-82
Humidity 94 %
Wind Calm.
Conditions Chance of T-storms
Visibility 14 miles
Sunrise 5:34 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:27 p.m. CST
June 9 Last Quarter, June 17 New, June 27 First Quarter July 2, Full,
Baja on the Fly's Guatemala report by Brian Barragy and Lissa M. McFarlin.
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Gary Graham (Bajafly)
New member
Username: Bajafly
Post Number: 139
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, May 29, 2004 - 9:06 am: | |
SAN JOSE, GUATEMALA
IN GENERAL: The action continues to hold up with great numbers for this time of year, despite the rains which have appeared every night. The boats that have gone out are averaging 16 of 23 releases on sails, and some boats have a much higher average. The action on dorado is still very good, with some impressively large ones coming in.
Water Temperature 79-85
Air Temperature 80-82
Humidity 94 %
Wind Calm.
Conditions Chance of T-storms
Visibility 14 miles
Sunrise 5:34 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:27 p.m. CST
June 2, Full, June 9 Last Quarter, June 17 New, June 27 First Quarter
Baja on the Fly's Guatemala report by Brian Barragy and Lissa M. McFarlin.
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Gary Graham (Bajafly)
New member
Username: Bajafly
Post Number: 135
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, May 22, 2004 - 9:09 am: | |
IN GENERAL: The action has been good this last week with boats able to average 17 of 27 releases on sails. The high boat went 27 of 39 on sails. Marlins continue to show up each week behind the boats, and there have been some large dorado. Overall, the weather has been nice, but while rain showers are becoming more common, they have not disrupted the ability to get out.
Water Temperature 79-85
Air Temperature 73-84
Humidity 94 %
Wind Calm.
Conditions T Storms
Visibility 6 miles
Sunrise 5:35 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:25 p.m. CST
May 27 First Quarter, June 2, Full, June 9 Last Quarter, June 17 New
Baja on the Fly's Guatemala report by Brian Barragy and Lissa M. McFarlin.
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Gary Graham (Bajafly)
New member
Username: Bajafly
Post Number: 131
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, May 15, 2004 - 9:22 am: | |
IN GENERAL: The conditions have been really nice with light winds, and brief occasional showers. The production this past week is a mirror of the prior week, with again the big news being lots of dorado. For sails, the few boats out were able to average 19 of 25 releases on conventional tackle.
Be sure to check out the current story on ESPN Outdoors about Guatemala on the Fly:
http://espn.go.com/outdoors/fishing/s/f_fea_AA_Guatemala_sailfish_fly_ Mintz.html
Water Temperature 79-85
Air Temperature 82-86
Humidity 74 %
Wind 5 mph.
Conditions Scattered Clouds
Visibility 6 miles
Sunrise 5:36 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:23 p.m. CST
May 18 New, May 27 First Quarter, June 2, Full, June 9 Last Quarter,
Baja on the Fly's Guatemala report by Brian Barragy and Lissa M. McFarlin.
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Gary Graham (Bajafly)
New member
Username: Bajafly
Post Number: 127
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, May 07, 2004 - 8:39 am: | |
IN GENERAL: This past week the burning question has been, “Where have all the anglers gone?” The fish are still here in great numbers, the conditions are nice, but the boats are not going out. The few that did get out averaged 17 releases of 22 hooked for sails on conventional gear, and 8 releases of 22 hooked on fly tackle. The dorado have shown up in huge numbers with 3 boats reporting a total of 170 hooked, which makes the sailfishing a little tough. Marlin also continue to show up with a steady frequency of a couple per week. Be sure to check out the current story on ESPN Outdoors about Guatemala on the Fly:
http://espn.go.com/outdoors/fishing/s/f_fea_AA_Guatemala_sailfish_fly_ Mintz.html
Water Temperature 79-85
Air Temperature 82-86
Humidity 70 %
Wind SSE 11 mph.
Conditions Scattered Clouds
Visibility 6 miles
Sunrise 5:38 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:20 p.m. CST
May 11 Last Quarter, May 18 New, May 27 First Quarter, June 2, Full
Baja on the Fly's Guatemala report by Brian Barragy and Lissa M. McFarlin.
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Gary Graham (Bajafly)
New member
Username: Bajafly
Post Number: 124
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, May 01, 2004 - 9:01 am: | |
IN GENERAL: Squirrelly weather contributed to tough conditions this week. The fly guys could only manage catches in the high single digits. While there were several blue marlin hooked up none were landed.
Water Temperature 79-85
Air Temperature 80-84
Humidity 94 %
Wind NNE 6 mph.
Conditions Scattered Clouds
Visibility 6 miles
Sunrise 5:41 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:19 p.m. CST
May 4, Full, May 11 Last Quarter, May 18 New, May 27 First Quarter
Baja on the Fly's Guatemala report by Brian Barragy and Lissa M. McFarlin.
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Gary Graham (Bajafly)
New member
Username: Bajafly
Post Number: 120
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, April 24, 2004 - 9:50 am: | |
IN GENERAL: Sailfish 101 went off without a hitch and the mission was accomplished. Five went in search of their first sailfish on the fly and they weren’t disappointed. On arrival day (Sun. 4/18) a weather front came roaring though and left grumpy seas for the first day. Regardless, by the end of the day all five had seen the quarry, but failed to complete the task. The second day brought somewhat calmer conditions and the group headed out with firm resolve to do better. That night at dinner three could celebrate their success and the other two could only watch while vowing to succeed the next day. Succeed they did and on the final night everyone could boast that they had caught their first sailfish on the fly and most had even done better than that with multiple catches recorded. During the four days the group averaged a remarkable three events (fish in the teasers) an hour during actual fishing time. We have already started planning our next series, don’t miss out!
Water Temperature 79-85
Air Temperature 78-94
Humidity 94 %
Wind SSE at 10 to 15 mph.
Conditions Mostly clear skies
Visibility 6 miles
Sunrise 5:49 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:16 p.m. CST
April 27 First Quarter, May 4, Full, May 11 Last Quarter, May 18 New
Baja on the Fly's Guatemala report by Brian Barragy and Lissa M. McFarlin.
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Gary Graham (Bajafly)
New member
Username: Bajafly
Post Number: 116
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, April 16, 2004 - 9:19 am: | |
IN GENERAL: The action has picked up again this week. Although there were
fewer boats out, those fishing averaged 20 releases out of 33 hooked sailfish on conventional gear, and on the fly side, anglers were able to release an average of 8 of 22 hooked sailfish. Also on the fly there was one roosterfish released out of seven hooked. The action remains very good by Guatemalan standards and outstanding compared to other locations. I am headed down April 18 for a week and can't wait. If it is
anything like Feb., I should have plenty of stories and photos to share. Bennett
Mintz and his buddy attorney David Hardacre couldn't resist the vacuum and are coming down with me to see if there are really that many sails in one place.
http://www.guatemalaflyfishing.com/sailfish101.htm
Water Temperature 79-85
Air Temperature 78-94
Humidity 94 %
Wind SSE at 10 to 15 mph.
Conditions Mostly clear skies
Visibility 6 miles
Sunrise 5:49 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:16 p.m. CST
April 19 New, April 27 First Quarter, May 4, Full, May 11 Last Quarter
Baja on the Fly's Guatemala report by Brian Barragy and Lissa M. McFarlin.
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Gary Graham (Bajafly)
New member
Username: Bajafly
Post Number: 112
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, April 10, 2004 - 9:25 am: | |
IN GENERAL: The fish are starting to make a strong showing again and the release numbers are moving up. Last week, the local fleet was able to average 12 releases of 17 shots on conventional gear, and 5 of 11 on fly tackle for sailfish. The more experienced boats of the fleet were experiencing 20 or better releases per day. In addition to the improving sailfish action, quite a few marlin were released and many boats had action on medium-sized yellowfin tuna and larger dorado in the 40-pound class. We had one boat inshore and they hooked 7 roosters, but were only able to land 1 in the 40-pound class.
http://www.guatemalaflyfishing.com/sailfish101.htm
Water Temperature 79-84
Air Temperature 82-86
Humidity 53 %
Wind SSW at 16 mph
Conditions Clear
Visibility 8 miles
Sunrise 5:53 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:16 p.m. CST
April 11 Last Quarter, April 19 New, April 27 First Quarter, May 4, Full
Baja on the Fly's Guatemala report by Brian Barragy and Lissa M. McFarlin.
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Gary Graham (Bajafly)
New member
Username: Bajafly
Post Number: 105
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, March 19, 2004 - 10:19 am: | |
IN GENERAL: Talk about the eye of the beholder. Depending on who you talked to, the fishing was great to just OK. High boat for the week checked in with an impressive 36 sailfish released compared to the fleet average of 10 a day. Either way, not shabby.
http://www.guatemalaflyfishing.com/sailfish101.htm
Water Temperature 79-84
Air Temperature 82-86
Humidity 94 %
Wind Calm
Conditions Clear.
Visibility 12 miles
Sunrise 6:07 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:14 p.m. CST
Mar. 20 New, Mar. 28 First Quarter, April Full, April 11 Last Quarter
Baja on the Fly's Guatemala report by Brian Barragy and Lissa M. McFarlin. |
Gary Graham (Bajafly)
New member
Username: Bajafly
Post Number: 101
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, March 13, 2004 - 6:17 am: | |
IN GENERAL: During the last week we hosted a party of four from Texas. The fishing was slower than normal due to a weather pattern pushing through. They were still able to release 24 sails in 3 days, and the guys all had a great time even with the bad weather. This group typically goes to Costa Rica each year, but remarked that overall, Guatemala was better and they are looking forward to a return trip. They loved the crew, boat, accommodations and food, with one guy remarking that he thought he gained 8 pounds while there. Inshore, there was no one out, so we don’t have a report.
http://www.guatemalaflyfishing.com/sailfish101.htm
Water Temperature 79-84
Air Temperature 77-84
Humidity 94 %
Wind SSE 4 mph
Conditions Scattered Clouds (SCT) : 8,000 ft.
Visibility 8 miles
Sunrise 6:21 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:11 p.m. CST
Mar. 6 Full, Mar. 13 Last Quarter, Mar. 20 New, Mar. 28 First Quarter
Baja on the Fly's Guatemala report by Brian Barragy and Lissa M. McFarlin.
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Gary Graham (Bajafly)
New member
Username: Bajafly
Post Number: 97
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, March 05, 2004 - 10:40 am: | |
SAN JOSE, GUATEMALA
IN GENERAL: This week we have a couple of new things to report – A party tried
the inshore activity early in the morning and they picked up a few wahoo right off the surf line. Wahoo catches are typically very rare in Guatemala. The second item that is a first for me to report is that the flyrodders who were out this week were able to have the same rough average of releases on sails as the conventional guys. In addition to the always great action on sails, three marlin were released. The dorado, which have been scarce this year, have started showing up, and if you are interested you can find them. The run to the sails continues to fluctuate daily. Some days they are in close, at about 15 miles, and the next day you have to run 30 miles to find the fish, but the fishing has been productive.
http://www.guatemalaflyfishing.com/sailfish101.htm
Water Temperature 79-84
Air Temperature 80-95
Humidity 53 %
Wind SSE at 9 mph
Conditions Scattered Clouds (SCT) : 1,800 ft
Visibility 8 miles
Sunrise 6:17 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:12 p.m. CST
Mar. 6 Full, Mar. 13 Last Quarter, Mar. 20 New, Mar. 28 First Quarter
Baja on the Fly's Guatemala report by Brian Barragy and Lissa M. McFarlin. |
Gary Graham (Bajafly)
New member
Username: Bajafly
Post Number: 92
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, February 27, 2004 - 10:46 am: | |
SAN JOSE, GUATEMALA
IN GENERAL: Over the past week, the fishing action has moved inshore with most boats 12-17 miles out. The local fleet averaged 18 of 33 releases on sails. The dorado also made a strong showing this week after being spotty the over the past several weeks. Inshore, once again no one tried the excellent opportunities over the last week. One client was scheduled to fish inshore in the late afternoon, but by 2 he was back at the dock after being worn out from the nonstop sailfish action in the morning. For his next trip down he indicated he was definitely bringing a friend along so he could get a few breaks from the constant action.
http://www.guatemalaflyfishing.com/sailfish101.htm
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Gary Graham (Bajafly)
New member
Username: Bajafly
Post Number: 89
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, February 06, 2004 - 8:56 am: | |
IN GENERAL: The action the last week has been steady. There were quite a few anglers out sampling the Guatemalan action on the fly, and they were able to average an excellent 6 releases on sails per day out of 14 shots in 8 trips out. On the conventional side, the average was somewhat better, 16 of 25 on sails. The high boat for the week had an exceptional hookup ratio, going 28 of 30. That is what we like to see. There were once again dorado and tuna present if you were looking for them. Inshore, we had no one out.
Gary Graham came down this week to start a 10 day hosted set of trips and on the first day out they had over 40 sails in the pattern behind the boat, so the bite, I am happy to report, is picking up again. Full stats on this week’s action will follow in next week’s report. Once again I would like to remind everyone that Gary is having a billfish clinic in early April, so if you want to hone your billfish skills or would like to try it for the first time, this would be a great opportunity for some intensive instruction . . . casting, hooking, playing and landing sailfish and potentially marlin on a fly.
Water Temperature 80-85
Air Temperature 80-84
Humidity 70 %
Wind Calm
Conditions Clear
Visibility 8 miles
Sunrise 6:30 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:04 p.m. CST
Feb. 6 Full Feb. 13 Last Quarter Feb. 20 New, Feb. 27 First Quarter
Baja on the Fly's Guatemala report by Brian Barragy and Lissa M. McFarlin.
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Gary Graham (Bajafly)
New member
Username: Bajafly
Post Number: 85
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, January 30, 2004 - 5:52 am: | |
IN GENERAL: Where have all the fish gone? The last week has been a tough one by
Guatemalan standards. The local fleet was only able to average 5 releases for 10 bites. The high boat for the week went 14 of 21, and one boat was able to release 9 of 17 on the fly. The action on dorado was steady. One marlin was hooked and lost. The tuna action is spotty. Inshore, there was no one out, so we have no report. Next week Gary Graham will be joining us in Guatemala for 10 days. We have some openings if you would like to come along. If you would like some intensive instruction to improve your skills, Gary
will also be conducting a billfish clinic in April.
Water Temperature 80º-85º
Air Temperature 78°-84º
Humidity 94%
Wind Calm
Conditions Clear
Visibility 8 miles
Sunrise 6:31 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:02 p.m. CST
Feb. 6 Full Feb. 13 Last Quarter Feb. 20 New, Jan. 27 First Quarter
Baja on the Fly's Guatemala report by Brian Barragy and Lissa M. McFarlin.
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Gary Graham (Bajafly)
New member
Username: Bajafly
Post Number: 81
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, January 09, 2004 - 9:23 am: | |
PLEASE NOTE: Due to electronic communications problems, we did not receive a report from Iztapa, Guatemala this week. Here are some excerpts from last week’s report:
IN GENERAL: . . . There were 4 boats out and they experienced some great action. The boats were able to average 16 releases out of 24 shots on sailfish, with the high boat for the week having a day where they released 31 of 45. We also had one boat go out for a half day of inshore fishing where they left the dock at 1:45 in the afternoon and returned a little after 5:30 in the evening and they were able to connect with 5 roosterfish out of 8 shots.
Water Temperature 80º-85º
Air Temperature 80°-84º
Humidity 77%
Wind N 14mph
Conditions Clear
Visibility 8 miles
Sunrise 6:29 a.m. CST
Sunset 5:50 p.m. CST
Jan. 14 Last Quarter, Jan. 21 New, Jan. 28 First Quarter, Feb. 6 Full
Baja on the Fly's Guatemala report by Brian Barragy and Lissa M. McFarlin.
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Gary Graham (Bajafly)
New member
Username: Bajafly
Post Number: 77
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, January 02, 2004 - 10:32 am: | |
IN GENERAL: During the week of Christmas, as can be expected, there was not a flood of activity. On Dec. 26-28, there were 4 boats out and they experienced some great action. The boats were able to average 16 releases out of 24 shots on sailfish, with the high boat for the week having a day where they released 31 of 45. We also had one boat go out for a half day of inshore fishing where they left the dock at 1:45 in the afternoon and returned a little after 5:30 in the evening and they were able to connect with 5 roosterfish out of 8 shots. Mr. and Mrs. Threeton were thrilled, since they were able to fly in from the U.S., head from the airport to the boat, and turn a travel day into a half-day of fishing filled with great action.
Water Temperature 80º-85º
Air Temperature 80°-84º
Humidity 100%
Wind North at 5 mph
Conditions Clear
Visibility 8 miles
Sunrise 6:27 a.m. CST
Sunset 5:47 p.m. CST
Jan. 7 Full, Jan. 14 Last Quarter, Jan. 21 New, Jan. 28 First Quarter
Baja on the Fly's Guatemala report by Brian Barragy and Lissa M. McFarlin.
And from all of us – a very Happy, Healthy and Fishy New Year!
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Gary Graham (Bajafly)
New member
Username: Bajafly
Post Number: 73
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, December 26, 2003 - 9:20 am: | |
IN GENERAL: While few boats fished this week, those that did get out found action that would be considered outrageous by most standards. With the season just beginning to ramp up, it feels like this is going to be a great season. While sailfish are the dominant catch, there are enough dorado and tuna to provide some variety. Back inshore the roosters are cruising around waiting for someone to toss them a fly.
Water Temperature 80º-85º
Air Temperature 78°-82º
Humidity 94%
Wind WSW 6 mph
Conditions Clear
Visibility 8 miles
Sunrise 6:20 a.m. CST
Sunset 5:39 p.m. CST
Dec. 30 First Quarter Jan. 7 Full, Jan. 14 Last Quarter, Jan. 21 New
Baja on the Fly's Guatemala report by Brian Barragy and Lissa M. McFarlin. |
Gary Graham (Bajafly)
New member
Username: Bajafly
Post Number: 69
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, December 18, 2003 - 4:34 pm: | |
IN GENERAL: As we get closer to the peak part of the sail-fishing season, the daily averages are going up. This week we had 13 boats out in 5 days of fishing. They were able to average 17 releases out of 24 shots on sailfish, with the high boat for the week releasing 39 of 52. There was also one lone marlin released. By Guatemala's standard the action is starting to get good, and compared with other locations the numbers are incredible! It is still a pretty good run to the action, but it is worth it. For those wanting to try fly-fishing for the first time, Guatemala offers enough opportunities that you will look like a pro by day’s end. Action on dorado and tuna is spotty, but consistently available. Inshore, there were no boats out. Stay tuned for better release numbers as we get into the first couple of months of 2004.
Water Temperature 80º-85º
Air Temperature 78°-82º
Humidity 73%
Wind Calm
Conditions Clear
Visibility
Sunrise 6:20 a.m. CST
Sunset 5:39 p.m. CST
Dec. 23 New, Dec. 30 First Quarter Jan. 7 Full, Jan. 14 Last Quarter
Baja on the Fly's Guatemala report by Brian Barragy and Lissa M. McFarlin.
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Gary Graham (Bajafly)
New member
Username: Bajafly
Post Number: 65
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, December 12, 2003 - 11:34 am: | |
IN GENERAL: The weather is beautiful and most of the fishing action seems be
25-30 miles out. We did not have a lot of boats out this week, but the action is steady. Boats seem to be averaging 17 shots at sails with 11 releases, and the high boat for the week released 19 of 32 on sails. There has also been steady action on dorado and small tuna if you are looking. Inshore, there were no boats out, so we have no report. We have some openings in Jan. if anyone has the chance to take a last minute trip. We have quite a few parties fly in on a Thurs. evening and out on Sun. with two full action packed days
of fishing.
Water Temperature 80º-85º
Air Temperature 80°-84º
Humidity 74%
Wind Calm
Conditions Clear
Visibility
Sunrise 6:16 a.m. CST
Sunset 5:36 p.m. CST
Dec. 16 Last Quarter, Dec. 23 New, Dec. 30 First Quarter Jan. 7 Full
Baja on the Fly's Guatemala report by Brian Barragy and Lissa M. McFarlin. |
Gary Graham (Bajafly)
New member
Username: Bajafly
Post Number: 61
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, December 04, 2003 - 9:35 am: | |
IZTAPA, GUATEMALA http://www.guatemalafly.com
IN GENERAL: The sea conditions in Guatemala are beautiful, with very calm seas and partly cloudy skies. The run to the fish is highly variable each day with the best action seeming to occur between 20 and 30 miles, with pockets of action much closer at times. Over the last week the fishing has remained hot or cold, mainly due to not enough boats out to keep the action located. Overall, the boats averaged 12 releases out of 19 shots on sails, and 1 for 1 on marlin during the 5 days that were fished by the 8 boats. One boat spent a partial day inshore, and was able to release a couple of roosters, a couple of mackerel and a couple of jacks.
Water Temperature 80º-85º
Air Temperature 84°-84º
Humidity 79%
Wind West at 7 mph
Conditions Clear
Visibility
Sunrise 6:12 a.m. CST
Sunset 5:33 p.m. CST
Dec. 8 Full Dec. 16 Last Quarter, Dec. 23 New, Dec. 30 First Quarter
Baja on the Fly's Guatemala report by Brian Barragy and Lissa M. McFarlin.
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Gary Graham (Bajafly)
New member
Username: Bajafly
Post Number: 57
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, November 29, 2003 - 9:44 am: | |
IN GENERAL: The fishing the last week in Guatemala has been hot or cold depending on the day. There were few boats out during the week, but those that were fishing averaged 22 shots with 13 releases on sails. On good days there were as many as 45-50 sails in the pattern per boat. Dorado action is steady with 5 per boat per day, and some boats have had good action on 20 pound tuna. Inshore, there was no one out again.
Water Temperature 80º-85º
Air Temperature 80°-86º
Humidity 62%
Wind SW at 5 mph
Conditions Clear
Visibility
Sunrise 6:09 a.m. CST
Sunset 5:32 p.m. CST
Nov. 30 First Quarter, Dec.8 Full Dec. 16 Last Quarter, Dec 23 New
For more Information on Baja on the Fly's Guatemala trips, go to:
http://www.guatemalafly.com
Baja on the Fly's Guatemala report by Brian Barragy and Lissa M. McFarlin.
|
Gary Graham (Bajafly)
New member
Username: Bajafly
Post Number: 53
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, November 13, 2003 - 11:47 am: | |
IN GENERAL: The run to the fishing grounds is still a long trip, averaging 40 miles, but the distance gets shorter each day. In the last week only 3 of the local fleet were out. Results were fairly good despite the weather which was not very cooperative in the afternoons. The boats fly-fishing were able to raise 44 sails and release 23, and the conventional gear boat released 6 out of 10 in one day. In addition, all the boats had some good action on dorado. Once again this week there was no one out trying the inshore waters, but every time someone does, they have great results with roosters in the 30- to 40-pound class.
If you are headed down to Guatemala, be sure to ask about a half day inshore trip on the day you arrive. You will not be disappointed. At the end of this week the wrap-up event of the 2003 Presidential Challenge will be run in Guatemala, so there will be a lot more boats out and the report next week should be interesting! Guatemala will also host the ILTTA tournament in the spring, March 14 -20, 2004.
Water Temperature 80º-85º
Air Temperature 82°-84º
Humidity 84%
Wind Calm
Conditions Clear
Visibility
Sunrise 6:02 a.m. CST
Sunset 5:32 p.m. CST
Nov. 16 Last Quarter, Nov 23 New, Nov. 30 First Quarter, Dec.8 Full
For more Information on Baja on the Fly's Guatemala trips, go to:
http://www.guatemalafly.com
Baja on the Fly's Guatemala report by Brian Barragy
|
Gary Graham (Bajafly)
New member
Username: Bajafly
Post Number: 49
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, November 06, 2003 - 1:49 pm: | |
IN GENERAL: In the last week, only two of the local fleet ventured out. One fly party went out for four days fishing, and one group of local anglers fished for a day. The fly
party experienced three really good days fishing, and had one day called due to bad weather. In the three days they had 37 sails come up to teasers and they caught and released 20 of them; they also caught seven dorado. The party of local anglers went three-for-three on sails and also caught a couple dorado. Inshore, there was no one out, but the fish are present.
Water Temperature 80º-85º
Air Temperature 73°-91º
Humidity 66%
Wind Calm
Conditions Clear
Visibility
Sunrise 5:59 a.m. CST
Sunset 5:34 p.m. CST
Nov.8 Full, Nov. 16 Last Quarter, Nov 23 New, Nov. 30 First Quarter
For more Information on Baja on the Fly's Guatemala trips, go to:
http://www.guatemalafly.com
Baja on the Fly's Guatemala report by Brian Barragy
|
Gary Graham (Bajafly)
New member
Username: Bajafly
Post Number: 45
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, October 30, 2003 - 4:47 pm: | |
IN GENERAL: The weather has been beautiful, very calm in the mornings with the seas building slightly all day. The blue water is about 17 miles offshore, but the water temp is off until you get about 45-50 miles out. This is where the action on sails, marlin, and dorado kicks in. Very few of the local fleet were out, but those that made the run had great action averaging double digit releases. One boat was able to connect with a blue marlin, and one boat barely missed a small but very active blue marlin when some 40-pound class dorado stole all the baits from under its nose. Inshore, we ran one trip in the last week and connected with 2 of 5 roosters in the 30-40lb class in addition to some
mackerel and jacks in a short 3.5 hour trip.
Water Temperature 80º-85º
Air Temperature 80°-88º
Humidity 66%
Wind East 11 mph
Conditions Clear
Visibility
Sunrise 5:56 a.m. CST
Sunset 5:37 p.m. CST
Oct. 31 First Quarter Nov.8 Full Nov. 16 Last Quarter Nov 23 New
For more Information on Baja on the Fly's Guatemala trips, go to:
http://www.guatemalafly.com
Baja on the Fly's Guatemala report by Brian Barragy
|
Gary Graham (Bajafly)
New member
Username: Bajafly
Post Number: 41
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, October 23, 2003 - 3:37 pm: | |
IN GENERAL: The weather has improved dramatically, and more boats are venturing out. In the past week, boats that went out had mixed results. The more experienced captains and crews were able to average 18 sailfish raised, and 12 sails released per day of fishing. The local fleet overall had 78 sailfish raised and 48 released in 3 days of fishing. A couple of marlin showed up, but either were not interested, or broke off before they could be released. The dorado are spotty at best. Inshore was a repeat of last week’s report with no one out trying the waters. The run out to the blue water was several miles
longer than last week.
Water Temperature 80º-85º
Air Temperature 75°-90º
Humidity 75%
Wind South at 9 mph
Conditions Partly Cloudy
Visibility
Sunrise 5:55 a.m. CST
Sunset 5:39 p.m. CST
Oct 25 New Oct. 31 First Quarter Nov.8 Full Nov. 16 Last Quarter
For more Information on Baja on the Fly's Guatemala trips, go to:
http://www.guatemalafly.com
Baja on the Fly's Guatemala report by Brian Barragy
|
LBKagel (Greatsailfish)
New member
Username: Greatsailfish
Post Number: 2
Registered: 10-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, October 20, 2003 - 3:40 pm: | |
Guatemala Sport fishing Reports - Sportfishing
The weekend of Oct.18th and 19th.2003
By: The Great Sailfishing Company
The blue water line has been moving out over
the past several weeks;however the fishing is getting GOOD!!. This Saturday and Sunday fishing
was between 40 and 50 nautical miles from the
coastline. The early mornings are very calm with
winds picking up after 2:00P.M. These are the billfishing results as reported by the sport-fishing boats captains. Overall rating for this weekend was GOOD.
Results for Saturday Oct.18th
1.Pica Pleitos 35ft. Cabo 12 releases out of 18
bites.
2.La Pelagian 37ft. Rybovich 18 releases out of 24
bites.
3.Gadiel 33ft. Tiara 1 releases out of 1 bite and one Dorado. Only went out for a few hours. Inshore
Results for Sunday Oct.19th
1.La Sirena 35 Viking 24 releases out of 50 bites.
2.La Pelagian 37ft. Rybovich 24 releases out of 42
bites.
3.La Piragus 31ft.Bertram 1 releases out of 1 bite
plus one 12lb. Dorado Only went out for two hours of inshore fishing.
Water Temperature 80º-85º
Air Temperature 85°-90º
Humidity 93%
Wind North at 2-4 mph
Conditions Overcast (SCT) : 1,800 ft
Visibility - 4ft.
Seas one meter or less
Fishing Tech.
On the way to the fishing area, Ballyhoo are
attached to sailfish rod leaders and a Marlin pole is made ready with a mackerel. When the fishing area is
reached the sport fishing boat slows down and gets
ready to troll. Both outriggers are extended and
drag hook-less lures, usually plastic shapes resembling squids. Four sailfish rods are deployed, two with their lines attached to the outriggers and two
placed in their holders at the back of the boat one at each corner, all dragging Ballyhoo. Additional rods,
including the Marlin rod, are placed nearby in case
they are needed. Once a sailfish has been raised and taken the bait, the captain slows down the boat and reels in the squid shapes on the outriggers always keeping an eye on the fish, one mate reels in the other lines as quickly as possible so they don’t snag and the mate in charge of the rod with the fish runs to it and gets ready to “set the hook”. Depending on the anglers’ preference, he or the mate can set the hook. If a double or triple hookup should happen, then it gets really exciting with anglers and mates shouting and running all over the boat trying not to bump into each other and entangle the lines. If the angler asks, the boat will back up closing in on the area where the bill-fish is swimming to shorten the time the bill fish is fought.
Boat of the week :
Piragua, 31' Bertram
Twin 210 hp marine diesel Caterpillar engines power
this boat. It is equipped with a depth finder, GPS,
VHF radio, fish finder, compass, CD player, and
head.
Standard equipment includes: a fighting chair, 4
Penn
rods with Shimano reels and 20lb. line, 1 special
Marlin rod with reel and 50 lb. line, 2 spinning
rods and reels with spinning tackle, outriggers. The bait is Ballyhoo and the hooks used are circle hooks.
Captain Manolo Díaz, with 10 years experience, runs
this boat. This multiple award winner won a record
in 2002 for bringing in a 225lb. Marlin on a fly rod
and 15lb. tackle. It also placed third in the 2002
Presidential Challenge.
All boats come with an ice box stocked with snacks,
lunch items and drinks including beer. Will supply
wine upon request.
For more information contact The Great Sailfishing Company at http://www.greatsailfishing.com
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Gary Graham (Bajafly)
New member
Username: Bajafly
Post Number: 37
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, October 16, 2003 - 3:32 pm: | |
IN GENERAL: Flat calm weather early morning makes the 25-35 mile ride out to the temperature break a breeze. The few boats fishing this week reported fair (by Guatemala standards) catches – a handful of fish per trip. Also, a few dorado have been showing up in the pattern along with an occasional blue marlin. The wind usually begins to pick up by early afternoon about 2 p.m. as the boats begin the ride back to the marina while the clients relive the day’s action.
Water Temperature 80º-85º
Air Temperature 75°-90º
Humidity 94%
Wind South at 3 mph
Conditions Clear
Visibility
Sunrise 5:54 a.m. CST
Sunset 5:43 p.m. CST
Oct. 18 Last Quarter Oct 25 New Oct. 31 First Quarter Nov.8 Full
For more Information on Baja on the Fly's Guatemala trips, go to:
http://www.guatemalafly.com
Baja on the Fly's Guatemala report by Brian Barragy
|
LBKagel (Greatsailfish)
New member
Username: Greatsailfish
Post Number: 1
Registered: 10-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, October 15, 2003 - 6:04 pm: | |
Guatemala Sailfishing Reports - Sailfish/Bill fish
The weekend of Oct.11th and 12th.2003
The blue water line has been slowly moving in over the past several weeks. This Saturday and Sunday fishing was between 20 and 35 nautical miles from the coastline. The early mornings are very calm with winds picking up after 2:00P.M. These are the billfishing results as reported by the sport-fishing boats captains. Overall rating for this weekend was fair.
Results for Saturday Oct.11th
1.Full Circle 31ft. Bertram 4 releases out of 6 hits.
2.La Pelagian 37ft. Rybovich 6 releases out of 6 hits.
3.La Classic 31ft. Bertram 4 releases out of 6 hits.
Results for Sunday Oct.12th
1.La Gadiel 33 Tiara 2 Medium Dorados - They only went out for a couple of hours inshore fishing.
2.La Pelagian 37ft. Rybovich 4 releases out of 8 hits.
3.La Classic 31ft.Bertram 6 releases out of 6 hits plus one 200lb+ Blue Marlin
Water Temperature 80º-85º
Air Temperature 85°-90º
Humidity 92%
Wind North at 2-4 mph
Conditions Scattered Clouds (SCT) : 1,800 ft
Visibility - 8ft.
Fishing Tech.
On the way to the fishing area, Ballyhoo are attached to sailfish rod leaders and a Marlin pole is made ready with a mackerel. When the fishing area is reached the sport fishing boat slows down and gets ready to troll. Both outriggers are extended and drag hook-less lures, usually plastic shapes resembling squids. Four sailfish rods are deployed, two with their lines attached to the outriggers and two placed in their holders at the back of the boat one at each corner, all dragging Ballyhoo. Additional rods, including the Marlin rod, are placed nearby in case they are needed.
Once a sailfish has been raised and taken the bait, the captain slows down the boat and reels in the squid shapes on the outriggers always keeping an eye on the fish, one mate reels in the other lines as quickly as possible so they don’t snag and the mate in charge of the rod with the fish runs to it and gets ready to “set the hook”. Depending on the anglers’ preference, he or the mate can set the hook. If a double or triple hookup should happen, then it gets really exciting with anglers and mates shouting and running all over the boat trying not to bump into each other and entangle the lines. If the angler asks, the boat will back up closing in on the area where the bill-fish is swimming to shorten the time the bill fish is fought.
Boat of the week :
Piragua, 31' Bertram
Twin 210 hp marine diesel Caterpillar engines power this boat. It is equipped with a depth finder, GPS, VHF radio, fish finder, compass, CD player, and head. Standard equipment includes: a fighting chair, 4 Penn rods with Shimano reels and 20lb. line, 1 special Marlin rod with reel and 50 lb. line, 2 spinning rods and reels with spinning tackle, outriggers. The bait is Ballyhoo and the hooks used are circle hooks.
Captain Manolo Díaz, with 10 years experience, runs this boat. This multiple award winner won a record in 2002 for bringing in a 225lb. Marlin on a fly rod and 15lb. tackle. It also placed third in the 2002 Presidential Challenge.
All boats come with an ice box stocked with snacks, lunch items and drinks including beer. Will supply wine upon request.
|
Carlos Morales (Sailfish)
New member
Username: Sailfish
Post Number: 3
Registered: 9-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, October 03, 2003 - 9:30 am: | |
Billfishing Report for Sept.28th.2003 - Guatemala
The blue water line has been slowly moving in over the past several weeks. This Sunday fishing was between 20 and 25 nautical miles from shore. The early mornings are very calm with winds picking up after 1:00P.M. These are the billfishing results as reported by the sport-fishing boats captains. Overall rating for this weekend was poor to fair.
1.Pica Pleitos 36ft. Cabo 5 releases out of 8 hits.
2.La Sirena 35ft. Viking 5 releases out of 9 hits.
3.La Gipsy 32ft. Blackfin 3 releases out of 6 hits.
4.Gato Felix 30ft. Cat. 2 releases out of 2 hits.
Water Temperature 80º-85º
Air Temperature 85°-90º
Humidity 92%
Wind North at 2-4 mph
Conditions Scattered Clouds (SCT) : 1,800 ft
Visibility - 8ft.
Our Pacific bill-fish/sailfish fishing charters fleet is docked at the new marina named the Pez Vela Marina. This new marina uses the same outlet as Guatemala's main Pacific port, Puerto Quetzal, and is located next to it. This is the only sport fishing boat marina, on the Pacific coast, that has calm saltwater access without going though the dangerous old outlet near Puerto Iztapa, where boats need to stop and wait for the right set of waves that will allow their "safe passage". When out on a family sport-fishing vacation or with a group of buddies, do not put them at risk by “shooting the outlet”. Use the new marinas outlet with calm waters.
The Boat of the Month - Facts
La Sirena 35ft. Viking
Twin 420 hp. marine diesel Caterpillar engines power this boat. It is equipped with a depth finder, 2 GPS, 2 VHS radios, fish finder, compass, CD player, air conditioned cabin, galley, and head. Standard equipment includes: a fighting chair, 4 Penn rods with Shimano reels and 20lb. line, 1 special Marlin rod with reel and 50lb. line, 2 spinning rods and reels with spinning tackle, fly fishing equipment, outriggers. The bait is Ballyhoo and the hooks used are circle hooks.
Captain Carlos Díaz, with 10 years experience, runs this boat. This boat won the 2002 Presidential Challenge and also set a record in 2002 for having hauled in a 500lb. Blue Marlin.
All boats come with an ice box stocked with snacks, lunch items and drinks including beer. Will supply wine upon request.
For more information contact us at info@greatsailfishing.com or visit our web site at
http://www.greatsailfishing.com
|
Gary Graham (Bajafly)
New member
Username: Bajafly
Post Number: 30
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, October 02, 2003 - 3:12 pm: | |
IZTAPA, GUATEMALA
Welcome to what we think is the Flyrod Sailfish Capital of the World! Iztapa, Guatemala, is now part of our ongoing up-to-date news. Located on the Pacific Coast, Iztapa is next to Mexico's
southern border. It's approximately 2 hours from Miami, 3 hours from Houston, 3.5
hours from Atlanta and 4.5 hours from Los Angeles.
Report covers the period Sat.-Thurs. (9/27 - 10/02)
IN GENERAL: The sailfish continue to be hanging edge of the blue water about
one hour’s ride from the marina, just enough time to get the gear ready for an
action-packed day. With the season barely underway, and only a few boats
heading out to the grounds, the results have been highly positive. It’s not exactly
wide open by Guatemala standards, however, the number of fish raised per boat
is in double digits with a handful released per day depending on the angler’s skill. Also, a few dorado up to 35-pounds have been showing up in the pattern along with an occasional marlin, giving the groups plenty to talk about on the ride back to the marina.. Looking for a fall getaway? With some special airfares being offered Guatemala could be the place.
Water Temperature 80º-85º
Air Temperature 77°-90º
Humidity 94%
Wind North at 3 mph
Conditions Scattered Clouds (SCT) : 1,800 ft
Visibility
Sunrise 5:52 a.m. CST
Sunset 5:52 p.m. CST
Sept 25 New Oct. 2 First Quarter Oct. 10 Full Oct. 18 Last Quarter
For more Information on Baja on the Fly's Guatemala trips, go to:
http://www.guatemalafly.com
Baja on the Fly's Guatemala report by Brian Barragy
|
Carlos Morales (Sailfish)
New member
Username: Sailfish
Post Number: 2
Registered: 9-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, September 29, 2003 - 12:20 pm: | |
Our group of Micheal Spencer and friends from
Georgia and Columbia went out on the La Piragua
31ft.Bertram for a good days fishing excursion. They
traveled out about 30 miles before coming upon good
blue water. During the day they raised 14 Pacific
Sailfish of which 9 took the bait and were released.
Mike explained that his friends from Georgia have
their own 29ft.cat. and do a lot of tuna fishing. They
had the pictures to prove it (some real nice 60 to
90lb. yellow-fins). This however was their first time
doing real billfishing. They had read a lot of
articles from Saltwater Magazine and stated that
Guatemala is for real!! Come back again guys and soon!
Water Temp. 80-85 degrees F.
Clarity about 8 ft.
Seas 1 to 1 1/2 meters
Weather partly cloudy
The La Piragua :
Twin 210 hp marine diesel Caterpillar engines power
this boat. It is equipped with a depth finder, GPS,
VHF radio, fish finder, compass, CD player, and head.
Standard equipment includes: a fighting chair, 4 Penn
rods with Shimano reels and 20lb. line, 1 special
Marlin rod with reel and 50 lb. line, 2 spinning rods
and reels with spinning tackle, outriggers. The bait
is Ballyhoo and the hooks used are circle hooks.
Captain Manolo Díaz, with 10 years experience, runs
this boat. This multiple award winner won a record in
2002 for bringing in a 225lb. Marlin on a fly rod and
15lb. tackle. It also placed third in the 2002
Presidential Challenge.
All boats come with an ice box stocked with snacks,
lunch items and drinks including beer. Will supply
wine upon request.
By Carlos Morales of The Great Sailfishing Company
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Carlos Morales (Sailfish)
New member
Username: Sailfish
Post Number: 1
Registered: 9-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, September 29, 2003 - 12:15 pm: | |
On the 28th of August, Larry and Tony Crosby along with their lifelong friend James Williamson of New York City came down to Guatemala for their second fishing trip. They stayed at the Villas del Pacífico Resort in one, one bedroom mini suite with kitchen, and one single room. They really liked the resort and explained that they all enjoyed going to the weekend disco and floorshow.
August 29th. They boarded the La Piragua (31’ Bertram) at about 7:00 A.M. at the new Pez Vela Marina. All of our boats leave from the new marina assuring a safe and uneventful passage to the Pacific. The other passage that some operators use is the old inlet, this is very dangerous with several accidents happening every year. Sometimes boats need to wait up to 30 minutes for the right set of waves before getting out to the Pacific. Because of the storms in Mexico causing a lot of green water, the La Piragua needed to go 50 miles before reaching blue water. The fishing was slow; however, they did catch and release two nice sized sails and brought back one Dorado. They also caught one Yellow-fin tuna that the crew made into a huge bowl of ceviche, which they really enjoyed. After returning to the hotel, getting refreshed and partaking of the large buffet they had drinks at the bar while enjoying a round of pool.
August 30th. On this day the La Piragua was set for a day of inshore fishing. The day produced five roosterfish, six Spanish mackerel and several Jacks. They retired early after another grand meal at the
Villas del Pacifico’s buffet.
On the 31st we all took a nice leisurely drive to the Spanish Colonial city of Antigua Guatemala, going from sea level to 5300ft in about an hour. On the way we passed by sugarcane fields near the coast, shade grown coffee plants in the mountains and by the base of three volcanoes. Once in Antigua sightseeing and shopping were in order along cobble stone covered street. The night was spent at Casa Santo Domingo, the premier hotel in Antigua Guatemala. It was a convent, dating back to 1547, which was converted into what is arguably the most beautiful hotel in the city.
September 1st. We could tell Casa Santo Domingo had worked its magic (candles and old-fashioned lamps, statues of saints and other Spanish Colonial relics, bird of paradise plants, fountains, etc.) last night.
We drove among the mountains from Antigua to Guatemala City in about an hour, taking one of the Crosby brothers to the airport. Afterwards, some sightseeing along the streets and avenues of the city was done before checking in at the Guatemala City Intercontinental Hotel, the premier hotel in the city. We said goodbye to our new friends then and wished them a safe trip back the next day.
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Gary Graham (Bajafly)
New member
Username: Bajafly
Post Number: 26
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, September 27, 2003 - 10:13 am: | |
IZTAPA, GUATEMALA
Welcome to what we think is the Flyrod Sailfish Capital of the World! Starting with this condition report, Iztapa, Guatemala, is now part of our ongoing up-to-date news. Located on the Pacific Coast, Iztapa is next to Mexico's southern border. It's approximately 2 hours from Miami, 3 hours from Houston, 3.5 hours from Atlanta and 4.5 hours from Los Angeles.
Report covers the period Sat.-Tue. (9/21 - 9/23)
IN GENERAL: The fish are here, if you can get around the short rain squalls. Water color and temperature (84-85 degrees) are perfect, and the boats have been fishing about 30 miles out. With our season just beginning, in the past week only two boats have been fishing. One had double digit releases on sails, and both had marlin in the pattern, but could not connect. Sailfish are showing up a lot more frequently over the past couple of weeks with double digit days. Dorado are still being caught on most trips, but are more scarce than usual, which leaves more time for sails and marlin. There has been no inshore fishing activity the last week. We have been scouting snook areas, but the fishing is slow inshore. Anglers looking for a new challenge should note that Continental Airlines has been running specials the past two weeks on fares to Guatemala.
Water Temperature 75º-90º
Air Temperature 78°-84º
Humidity 79%
Wind SE at 8 mph
Conditions Mostly Cloudy (BKN) : 20,000 ft
Visibility
Sunrise 5:52 a.m. CST
Sunset 5:58 p.m. CST
Sept 25 New Oct. 2 First Quarter Oct. 10 Full Oct. 18 Last Quarter
For more Information on Baja on the Fly's Guatemala trips, go to:
http://www.guatemalafly.com
Baja on the Fly's Guatemala report by Brian Barragy
|
Gary Graham (Bajafly)
New member
Username: Bajafly
Post Number: 22
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, September 24, 2003 - 11:13 am: | |
Welcome to what we think is the Flyrod Sailfish Capital of the World! Located on the Pacific Coast, Iztapa is next to Mexico's southern border. It's approximately 2 hours from Miami, 3 hours from Houston, 3.5 hours from Atlanta and 4.5 hours from Los Angeles.
Report covers the period Sat.-Tue. (9/21 - 9/23)
IN GENERAL: The fish are here, if you can get around the short rain squalls. Water color and temperature (84-85 degrees) are perfect, and the boats have been fishing about 30 miles out. With our season just beginning, in the past week only two boats have been fishing. One had double digit releases on sails, and both had marlin in the pattern, but could not connect. Sailfish are showing up a lot more frequently over the past couple of weeks with double digit days. Dorado are still being caught on most trips, but are more scarce than usual, which leaves more time for sails and marlin. There has been no inshore fishing activity the last week. We have been scouting snook areas, but the fishing is slow inshore. Anglers looking for a new challenge should note that Continental Airlines has been running specials the past two weeks on fares to Guatemala.
Water Temperature 75º-90º
Air Temperature 78°-84º
Humidity 79%
Wind SE at 8 mph
Conditions Mostly Cloudy (BKN) : 20,000 ft
Visibility
Sunrise 5:52 a.m. CST
Sunset 5:58 p.m. CST
Sept 25 New Oct. 2 First Quarter Oct. 10 Full Oct. 18 Last Quarter
For more Information on Baja on the Fly's Guatemala trips, go to:
http://www.guatemalafly.com
Baja on the Fly's Guatemala report by Brian Barragy
|
Gary Graham (Bajafly)
New member
Username: Bajafly
Post Number: 18
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, September 20, 2003 - 8:44 am: | |
IZTAPA, GUATEMALA
Please note the date. We are only providing weekly (not twice a week) reports for this area.
Saturday, September 20, 2003, Report covers the period Sat.-Fri. (9/13 - 9/20)
IN GENERAL: While our fall season won’t be under way for a few more weeks, all indications are that it will be another banner year. One group of seven from San Antonio, TX just couldn’t wait and came down for a “quickie” trip to check out the area and they weren’t disappointed. Regardless of the unsettled conditions they found plenty of sailfish, dorado and tuna hanging on the clean side of the color break. Double digit releases on one of the boats and almost as many on the other convinced the group this was a fishing hole worth revisiting when the season begins to rock. While there are only a few boats heading out these days the reports have been encouraging: a few blues, a black, bunches of tuna, dorado and enough sails to keep the clients hopping. Back inshore the off color water is making it tough to find the roosters.
Water Temperature 75º-90º
Air Temperature 77°-84º
Humidity 94%
Wind Calm
Conditions Clear
Visibility
Sunrise 5:52 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:01 p.m. CST
Sept 25 New Oct. 2 First Quarter Oct. 10 Full Oct. 18 Last Quarter
For more Information on Baja on the Fly's Guatemala trips, go to:
http://www.guatemalafly.com
Baja on the Fly's Guatemala report by Brian Barragy
|
Great Sailfishing Compa
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, June 14, 2003 - 3:08 pm: | |
Subject: Fishing report for June 7th and 8th
We had Dr.James Woods and father visit us from Amarillo,Texas and they went out all three days on the 32ft.La Gipsy. The waters were still rough because the Guatemala Pacific Coast had been hit hard for two weeks and few boats had been going out. Even the local tournament on the 7th. of June only had 4 boats going out around 40 miles. On the 7th James and father released 4 sails,however;Jim did have 3 on the fly that put up a short fight before spitting out the fly. The 8th of June was equal to releases and this day 4 sails where raised and bought in for James fly,however, all four spit the fly after a short fight. On both days the Gipsy had to go out 35 to 45 miles before arriving into good fishing areas. Both days proved good for tuna and dorado's with catches on both days. |
Capt. Brad Philipps
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, June 03, 2003 - 5:56 pm: | |
Fish Report - 26th May 2003 - Guatemala
The superb bite we have been fish for the entire month of May continued this week, with boats releasing anywhere from 10 to 40 sailfish a piece, only 15 to 20 miles from the inlet. The weather has been cool, with overcast skies and flat blue seas.
Monday the 19th saw Eros Cattaneo and Ken Hinsley of Alutecnos reels aboard the 'Pelagian'. The sailfish were snapping like wild dogs, and by the days end they had released 40 fish between the two of them, from 54 bites on the ballyhoo.
The 'Pelagian' stayed on the bite on Tuesday, catching Eros and Ken each their first sailfish on the fly, as well as another 25 sails on the baits while taking both above and below video footage, as well as swimming with the fish. The 'Classic' got in for some half-day action, going 10 from 12.
We all had a little break Wednesday and Thursday and were joined by Bob Stephens and a group from the Certified Observers Program on Friday. These COP's are where the future of release tournaments lie, as they act as "judges" aboard tournament boats, ensuring everyone plays by the rules. This group had completed it's formal training and were with us to get some hands-on experience aboard a billfishing boat. Not only were they to gain experience as COP's but as billfishermen too. The group was divided onto two boats, rotating designation as either angler or "observer". The 'Pelagian' ended the day with 20 from 26, and the 'Intensity' 17 from 30, still on the same group of fish only 17 miles from the inlet.
The COP's swapped boats on Saturday to get a feel for a different crew, boat and captain and went 14 from 20 aboard the 'Pelagian' and 9 from 24 on the 'Intensity'.
Sunday saw the COP's aboard the 'Intensity' giving the fly a go, releasing a healthy 5 from 12. The group aboard the 'Pelagian' went a very good 22 from 27 on the circle hooks and ballyhoo. On the 'Classic' a group of local clients went 5 from 8 on a half-day charter.
The overwhelming consensus was that the COP's experience at Fins n' Feathers had been a resounding success and that they would all be returning. Each COP got to witness an average of 40 billfish releases in their 3 days, more than they would see in an entire season up north. There is no substitute for on the water, real life billfishing and all came out tops, as well as getting to catch what was for many of them their first Pacific sailfish. We wish each of the COP's and the program much success, and look forward to next year and an even larger group.
Until next week, keep using those Eagle Claw circle hooks and let 'em go healthy.
Capt. Brad Philipps, 'Pelagian', Artmarina.
Fins 'n Feathers, Guatemala, www.artmarina.com
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The Great Sailfishing C
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, May 20, 2003 - 11:37 am: | |
Subject: The 2003 Guatemala Shoot-Out
Dear Charles,
My flyfishing trip to Guatemala for sailfish was excellent! From the moment my wife and I arrived, Carols and Les met us and took care of every detail about the trip. Not only did they provide us excellent transportation throughout our visit but also went way out of their way to make our trip enjoyable and even gave us an insightful guided sightseeing trip to Antigua.
The entire trip was perfect.
Here is a breakdown on how the fishing went.
FRIDAY - 2/8/03
Although this was my first effort to catch sailfish on a fly, I had read a number of articles and watched a couple of videos explaining the process. Jose, the deckhand, also offered some pointers. But there still is somewhat of a learning curve.
The first day I hooked 8 fish and landed 3. Two were lost due to equipment malfunction. On my 12 weight rod I was using a Rio flyline with a clear "wet tip". Twice the connection between the wet tip and leader broke due to the wet tip pealing away from the core line. I don't know if I simply had a defective line or if the line manufacturers are still working to develop products capable of taking the stress involved in sailfishing.
There were three fish of note during the day. One was hooked in the dorsel fin next to the back, a fact not learned until after a struggle which went for at least an hour. That particular fish also provided some unusual entertainment as upon hooking the fish it went left from the stern. Within just seconds I saw a fish greyhounding behind the boat going directly to the right. I could see the pink fly sliding the leader so I knew that the fish had been hooked by someone. But I didn't initially grasp that that someone
was me. My line was in the water going left and the fish was now
paralleling the port side of the boat rapidly passing the boat still
greyhounding. I had a lot of line catching up to do, and although we avoided a break off due to excessive bally, the reward was only a long term battle with that dorsel-hooked fish.
The largest fish of the day, and of the trip, was estimated at 100 lbs. It too took a substantial amount of time to bring to the boat. The deckhands did an excellent job in handling the fish after grasping leader.
The third fish of note took off at least 300 yards of backing. Jose, deckhand with 5 years experience, never caught a sailfish on a flyrod. I told him he was free to give it a shot if another fish was available after I had one hooked up. That happened, of course his fish went right and mine went left. The captain could not chase either one and we had to fight them from the stationary boat.
The second deckhand was constantly monitoring my backing and reporting the status to the captain. My Spanish is virtually non-existent, but I know that something involving "un piquito" in reference to my line means that the deckhand was in agreement that we were running short on line. Fortunately, before we had to make a decision, my line went slack as for the second time the Rio wet tip failed. Also fortunately the deckhand reeled in my 300
yards of spectra backing saving me a real tired wrist.
I still came away from the day a little worn. I had a growing blister on an index finger from reeling. Next time I will be sure that I have reels which have alternate left and right wind, so that you can give yourself a break. The lengthy battles during the day also left my arms fatigued. My wife who doesn't view fishing with much enthusiasm, had nonetheless chosen to ride with me one day. Since the seas were flat she came on the first trip. She was amazed to see sailfish swim by with their dorsal fins out of water. She also said she watched one sailfish free jumping while Jose and I were
battling our two fish. She couldn't believe the number of fish present and the constant action.
SATURDAY - 2/8/03
The seas were up and I was asked whether I still wished to go. I am sure that it could be too rough to go, but it would have to be a lot rougher than it was to forego another shot at so many sailfish.
The captain said we "raised" 30 fish. For some reason it was hard to get them to accept bait and switch. We only hooked 7 but we landed 4. I lost one to a broken tippit when the fish, against a slack line, simply
broke the tippit based upon the weight of the flyline. On another occasion my cast resulted in a line wrapped around the butt of the rod. One doesn't have the opportunity to fix such a mistake in the time given. While the tippit should have broke first, in fact the new flyline parted at the end of the shooting head. Again, I don't believe line makers are producing products up to the need. The flyline was a Scientific Angler Big Game 12 weight.
On the way in we lost an engine. So having fished two days on the Black Fin I was scheduled on the third day on a Bertram.
Other than the lost engine, the day was superb. Not as many fish took the fly as one would have liked, but the action was constant.
SUNDAY 2/9/03
The third day started out great. I was four for four before things got a little sloppy. I wrapped a flyline around the butt once again on a cast. You don't get a chance to fix that mistake. This time the tippit parted. I also began experiencing problems with hook-ups. I wasn't getting the break of the fish taking the fly and rapidly leaving the boat in one direction or another. When they swim out slowly, or barely swim off at all, it is hard to get a good hook set. I went through a number of takes with the hooks coming out quickly.
But the action was unbelievable. We ultimately hooked 15 fish and brought 8 to the boat. The largest estimated at 85 lbs, I think a fairly accurate estimate. My wife wanted to go to Antigua so we stopped fishing early with only about 4 and a half hours of actual fishing done. It is hard to believe that you can get that many takes and land so many fish within that period of time.
One exciting moment shall live with me forever. I hooked the sailfish which went about 75 yards straight astern of the boat and then began a half-in, half-out, of the water sideways, counter-clockwise circle. When the fish got back to about 9:00, where his circle initially started, he came directly at the stern of the boat. I have sailfished before and have also read a number of articles about it. So I knew that one should be aware that
sailfish can come into the boat. But, it is hard to believe how quick
things happen.
The information I have seen claimed sailfish capable of attaining 50 to 70 miles per hour, depending on whose numbers you use. This fish was half out of the water so undoubtedly its speed was much less. Still he was going fast. With only about 75 yards to cover until he got to the stern of the boat he made the distance very quickly. The deckhand grabbed me and pulled me to the side, and the captain hit the throttle. Nonetheless, the fish made it to the boat's stern. I felt a slight brush as the flat of his bill
hit the top of my thigh. Of course, after his "boat accident" he was a fairly docile fish to bring in from that point on.
ANTIGUA
Our visit to Antigua was very nice. I was surprised to see as many other tourists as there were. Prior to this point we had only run into
Spanish-speaking vacationers. Carlo gave us an excellent walking tour of Antigua which included coffee and desert and ultimately dinner, at which time Les joined us. The hotel we stayed in was also very quaint and memorable.
THANKS A LOT
Thanks a lot for putting together such a good trip. The fishing is so good that it makes it hard to even consider fishing anywhere else for any other type of fish. It is hard to believe that in just three days I hooked 30 sailfish and landed 15. Had I been using conventional tackle I have little doubt that I could have caught and landed all the fish I would have been physically capable of reeling in. The numbers I got on a flyrod are better than what conventional tackle would yield at virtually any other sailfish destination. Oh by the way, we also saw marlin but had a sailfish on at the time and didn't get the chance to pursue them.
It was an excellent trip, I can't thank you enough. Looking forward to doing it again.
Terry Schraeder
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The Great Sailfishing C
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, May 20, 2003 - 11:32 am: | |
Subject: Guatemala Fly Fishing
My flyfishing trip to Guatemala for sailfish was excellent! From the moment my wife and I arrived, Carols and Les met us and took care of every detail about the trip. Not only did they provide us excellent transportation throughout our visit but also went way out of their way to make our trip enjoyable and even gave us an insightful guided sightseeing trip to Antigua.
The entire trip was perfect.
Here is a breakdown on how the fishing went.
FRIDAY - 2/8/03
Although this was my first effort to catch sailfish on a fly, I had read a number of articles and watched a couple of videos explaining the process. Jose, the deckhand, also offered some pointers. But there still is somewhat of a learning curve.
The first day I hooked 8 fish and landed 3. Two were lost due to equipment malfunction. On my 12 weight rod I was using a Rio flyline with a clear "wet tip". Twice the connection between the wet tip and leader broke due to the wet tip pealing away from the core line. I don't know if I simply had a defective line or if the line manufacturers are still working to develop products capable of taking the stress involved in sailfishing.
There were three fish of note during the day. One was hooked in the dorsel fin next to the back, a fact not learned until after a struggle which went for at least an hour. That particular fish also provided some unusual entertainment as upon hooking the fish it went left from the stern. Within just seconds I saw a fish greyhounding behind the boat going directly to the right. I could see the pink fly sliding the leader so I knew that the fish had been hooked by someone. But I didn't initially grasp that that someone
was me. My line was in the water going left and the fish was now
paralleling the port side of the boat rapidly passing the boat still
greyhounding. I had a lot of line catching up to do, and although we avoided a break off due to excessive bally, the reward was only a long term battle with that dorsel-hooked fish.
The largest fish of the day, and of the trip, was estimated at 100 lbs. It too took a substantial amount of time to bring to the boat. The deckhands did an excellent job in handling the fish after grasping leader.
The third fish of note took off at least 300 yards of backing. Jose, deckhand with 5 years experience, never caught a sailfish on a flyrod. I told him he was free to give it a shot if another fish was available after I had one hooked up. That happened, of course his fish went right and mine went left. The captain could not chase either one and we had to fight them from the stationary boat.
The second deckhand was constantly monitoring my backing and reporting the status to the captain. My Spanish is virtually non-existent, but I know that something involving "un piquito" in reference to my line means that the deckhand was in agreement that we were running short on line. Fortunately, before we had to make a decision, my line went slack as for the second time the Rio wet tip failed. Also fortunately the deckhand reeled in my 300
yards of spectra backing saving me a real tired wrist.
I still came away from the day a little worn. I had a growing blister on an index finger from reeling. Next time I will be sure that I have reels which have alternate left and right wind, so that you can give yourself a break. The lengthy battles during the day also left my arms fatigued. My wife who doesn't view fishing with much enthusiasm, had nonetheless chosen to ride with me one day. Since the seas were flat she came on the first trip. She was amazed to see sailfish swim by with their dorsal fins out of water. She also said she watched one sailfish free jumping while Jose and I were
battling our two fish. She couldn't believe the number of fish present and the constant action.
SATURDAY - 2/8/03
The seas were up and I was asked whether I still wished to go. I am sure that it could be too rough to go, but it would have to be a lot rougher than it was to forego another shot at so many sailfish.
The captain said we "raised" 30 fish. For some reason it was hard to get them to accept bait and switch. We only hooked 7 but we landed 4. I lost one to a broken tippit when the fish, against a slack line, simply
broke the tippit based upon the weight of the flyline. On another occasion my cast resulted in a line wrapped around the butt of the rod. One doesn't have the opportunity to fix such a mistake in the time given. While the tippit should have broke first, in fact the new flyline parted at the end of the shooting head. Again, I don't believe line makers are producing products up to the need. The flyline was a Scientific Angler Big Game 12 weight.
On the way in we lost an engine. So having fished two days on the Black Fin I was scheduled on the third day on a Bertram.
Other than the lost engine, the day was superb. Not as many fish took the fly as one would have liked, but the action was constant.
SUNDAY 2/9/03
The third day started out great. I was four for four before things got a little sloppy. I wrapped a flyline around the butt once again on a cast. You don't get a chance to fix that mistake. This time the tippit parted. I also began experiencing problems with hook-ups. I wasn't getting the break of the fish taking the fly and rapidly leaving the boat in one direction or another. When they swim out slowly, or barely swim off at all, it is hard to get a good hook set. I went through a number of takes with the hooks coming out quickly.
But the action was unbelievable. We ultimately hooked 15 fish and brought 8 to the boat. The largest estimated at 85 lbs, I think a fairly accurate estimate. My wife wanted to go to Antigua so we stopped fishing early with only about 4 and a half hours of actual fishing done. It is hard to believe that you can get that many takes and land so many fish within that period of time.
One exciting moment shall live with me forever. I hooked the sailfish which went about 75 yards straight astern of the boat and then began a half-in, half-out, of the water sideways, counter-clockwise circle. When the fish got back to about 9:00, where his circle initially started, he came directly at the stern of the boat. I have sailfished before and have also read a number of articles about it. So I knew that one should be aware that
sailfish can come into the boat. But, it is hard to believe how quick
things happen.
The information I have seen claimed sailfish capable of attaining 50 to 70 miles per hour, depending on whose numbers you use. This fish was half out of the water so undoubtedly its speed was much less. Still he was going fast. With only about 75 yards to cover until he got to the stern of the boat he made the distance very quickly. The deckhand grabbed me and pulled me to the side, and the captain hit the throttle. Nonetheless, the fish made it to the boat's stern. I felt a slight brush as the flat of his bill
hit the top of my thigh. Of course, after his "boat accident" he was a fairly docile fish to bring in from that point on.
ANTIGUA
Our visit to Antigua was very nice. I was surprised to see as many other tourists as there were. Prior to this point we had only run into
Spanish-speaking vacationers. Carlo gave us an excellent walking tour of Antigua which included coffee and desert and ultimately dinner, at which time Les joined us. The hotel we stayed in was also very quaint and memorable.
THANKS A LOT
Thanks a lot for putting together such a good trip. The fishing is so good that it makes it hard to even consider fishing anywhere else for any other type of fish. It is hard to believe that in just three days I hooked 30 sailfish and landed 15. Had I been using conventional tackle I have little doubt that I could have caught and landed all the fish I would have been physically capable of reeling in. The numbers I got on a flyrod are better than what conventional tackle would yield at virtually any other sailfish destination. Oh by the way, we also saw marlin but had a sailfish on at the time and didn't get the chance to pursue them.
It was an excellent trip, I can't thank you enough. Looking forward to doing it again.
Terry Schraeder
|
Sarah Abate
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, May 01, 2003 - 2:46 am: | |
Fish Report - Guatemala - 28th April 2003
The fishing off the Pacific coast of Guatemala started on the slow side this week but the action was red-hot by Sunday. Boats were releasing around 20 sails a piece, with tuna, dorado and marlin making a showing too. The weather has been beautiful and seas flat calm.
Monday the 21st saw the 'MOW' release 1 out of the 2 fly bites they had, and 2 out of 3 the following day. The 'Intensity' went 3 from 6 on the sails on Tuesday, with 2 blues up on the Moldcraft softhead teasers we all use down here, getting a bite out of both, releasing one in the 300# range.
The 'Intensity' was the only boat out Wednesday and Thursday. They looked far and wide but things remained slow going 3 for 4 and 2 for 3 on the respective days.
Friday the 25th saw things pick up dramatically with a large group of fish found out to the east on an even larger area of bait. The 'Intensity' went 15 from 26 on the sails and the 'Classic' 4 from 7 on the baits before switching to the fly and releasing 1 out of the 7 bites they teased in. The 'Pelagian' chose to stay on a 10 mile pick they found inshore, going 13 from 16. You have to love those circle hook averages.
The fleet was all out 35 miles to the South East making the most of the bite on Saturday. The 'Intensity' went 18 from 24, the 'Pelagian' 13 from 23 and the 'Magic' 10 from 18, all on the sails.
Sunday saw the 'Pelagian' find a huge school of spinner dolphins on the bait of the previous days. The amount of bait, dolphin, bird and whale life was something in itself. The action was fast and furious for Roger Stoddard and son, Justin of Minnesota, and Brain Schmidt of Nebraska, catching 2 dorado in the 40 to 50# class, 3 yellowfin tuna and 25 sails from 35 bites. The 'Intensity' was also in the mix catching a 40# dorado and releasing 21 from 30 sail bites, the 'MOW' 14 from 24.
There is magnificent water inshore, the current is pushing our way and with the amount of life around, things look very promising for the week that lies ahead.
Until then, good fishing and release 'em in good health.
Capt. Brad Philipps, 'Pelagian', Artmarina.
Fin's n' Feathers, Guatemala.
www.artmarina.com
Fish Report - 21st April 2003 - Guatemala
The fishing has been good this past week, with boats having between 20 and 50 shots a day at sailfish. Quite a few blue marlin have been seen, as well as yellowfin tuna and dorado in the hatch to keep it interesting.
The 'Intensity' went 14 from 16 and the 'Pelagian' 13 from 23 on the sailfish on Monday the 14th.
Tuesday saw the 'Pelagian' way out to the west in search of a reported bite. The move paid off and in the last two hours of fishing they released 17 sailfish from 27 bites. The 'Intensity' stayed on the steady pick of the past days, going 14 from 21.
The 'Pelagian' cashed in on the previous days find rounding off a great trip for Artmarina's commander-'n-chief, Tim Choate and long time friend John Philips, releasing 25 from 39 bites, as well catching 3, 50lb class yellowfin tuna on the first pass by a spectacular school of spinner dolphins.
The 'Intensity' found a bite of it's own out to the east, going 9 from 21 on the fly with 30 up, and missing a shot at a blue in the 250lb range on the bait.
Thursday the 17th saw the 'Intensity' going 26 from 34 and the 'Classic' 24 from 49 on the baits.
The 'Magic' was mixing it up, releasing 10 from 24 on the baits and adding another 5 releases from 15 bites on the fly rod.
The bite continued on Friday with the 'Classic' releasing 22 from 37, the 'Magic' 15 from 27 and the 'Intensity' 12 from 28 as well as a jumpy 300lb blue marlin.
Things slowed a touch over the weekend with boats releasing between 5 and 12 sailfish a piece per day, but all in all another wonderful week of billfishing action. The waters looking good and with what we have seen, we are predicting that the fishing will stay very good right through August. Our very popular father and son tournament is scheduled for the weekends of June, so bring down your sons and daughters; it really is a great way to spend time with the youngsters doing what you both enjoy.
Until next week, good fishing and keep using those Eagle Claw circle hooks for your billfishing they really do keep both angler and billfish happy.
Capt. Brad Philipps, 'Pelagian', Artmarina.
Fins n' Feathers, Guatemala
www.artmarina.com. |
Les Kagel
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, March 27, 2003 - 2:21 pm: | |
Subject: Guatemala Sailfishing March 24 and 25th
On March the 24th our group out of Boston Mass. fishing on the 32ft.Blackfin La Gipsy released 7 out of 10 sails and brought back to the Villas del Pacifico Resort 25lbs of Dorado from the 2 Dorados' caught. On the 25th this same group released 17 out of 23 Pacific Sailfish and also caught one Dorado. Another day of great sailfishing out of Puerto Iztapa, Guatemala. Remember the Great Sailfishing Company out of Guatemala when planning your next deep-sea sportfishing adventure. www.greatsailfishing.com
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Les Kagel
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, March 27, 2003 - 2:05 pm: | |
Subject: Guatemala Sailfishing Report March 17
On the 17th of March,2003 we had three gentlemen from Ireland giving it a try on the 31ft.Bertram "The Full Circle". They went out at 6:45A.M. and returned at 4:30 P.M. and reported the release of 36 out of 45 sails, two 8-10lb. Yellowfin Tuna and two 7-10lb Bonitos. Once again the commit of "the best day of fishing ever" was heard. When planning to come to Guatemala and go sailfishing remember The Great Sailfishing Company @ www.greatsailfishing.com |
Jeffery Kinnard
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, January 28, 2003 - 11:47 pm: | |
Subject: Offshore fishing
I'm going to be in Belize for a missions trip during the week of 7/12 - 7/19 and am thinking about flying over to Guatemala for a couple days of offshore fishing afterwards. I was in Costa Rica two years ago for sailfish and had a blast. Is it worth the time and expense that time of year? Where would you recommend for simple "inexpensive" but safe accomodations and fishing? Do you have any pricing info for four anglers?
Thank you,
Jeff Kinnard |
Sarah Abate
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, November 20, 2002 - 1:14 am: | |
Subject: Fish report - November 18th, 2002
Fish Report - Guatemala - 18th November 2002
The fish have been here off Guatemala, we've been catching them and a new record number of releases were established for the PCCA.
Monday the 11th saw the first day of angling for the three days of the Presidential Challenge of Central America tournament. With anglers competing in teams of three and gathering from all over. 20lb test line and circle hooks were fished with the 11 boats quick to find the fish. The 'Piragua' went 19 for 28, 'Classic' 18 for 25', 'Aguadiente' 18 for 23, the 'Sirena' 16 for 23, 'Intensity' 13 for 23, 'Gypsy' 13 for 23, 'Pelagian' 10 for 26 (putting first-time billfishing angler, Paul Barber of Massachusetts, on his first ever sailfish), and the remainder of the fleet all in hot contention.
The following day saw continued good action with the 'Intensity' placing as "high-hook" going 18 for 26, the Gypsy 13 for 17 the 'Piragua' 12 for 15 and the rest of the fleet releasing between 12 and 10 sails a piece.
Wednesday the 13th loomed large with a hot bite found offshore in the afternoon and anglers vying for top honors. The 'Sirena' had an amazing day going 23 for 24 on the sails and catching a scrappy 150lb blue marlin, all on Eagle Claw circle hooks. The 'Pica Pleitos' went 18 for 34; the 'Intensity' went 17 for 36, the 'Piragua' 17 for 27 and the rest of the fleet following with similar release numbers.
By tournament end a new all time billfish release record had been set for the PCCA with anglers releasing a total of 426 billfish, well done to all!!! Top boat was the 'Sirena', closely followed by the 'Intensity' and the 'Piragua'. Top team was 'Mirage Yachts' with 49 releases, followed by 'Priority' and then 'Club Nautico de Guatemala'. Top angler was Manuel Matienzo, followed by Ernesto Vasquez and Jorge Rosaly.
The 14th saw boats back out with clients. Fins ‘n Feathers regular Bill Easum fished aboard the 'Pelagian', and we saw him catch his first 20:1 fish, a 95lb plus sail on 4lb line, well done Bill!!! “Texan friends” Larry Oliver and Jodi Danton who both went on to catch their first sails on fly, spin and conventional 20lb tackle joined him. Releasing 9 on conventional and Larry's on the fly the first day. The 'Magic' went an exciting 6 for 12 on the fly and had a blue marlin tease in, but misses the fly on two occasions. "Awesome stuff" was the word from all aboard.
Friday the 15th saw PCCA organizer, Joan Vernon, aboard the 'Classic' to release her 200th sailfish for the year. Congrat's to Joan, and all of them on Eagle Claw circle hooks. The 'Pelagian' had the "humm" going 4 for 5 on the fly and 6 on the baits and the 'Gypsy' 9 for 16, the 'Intensity' 5 for 14. Way to the east the 'Pica Pleitos' found another bite going 18 for 22 and giving us somewhere to run the following day.
We all found the bite the 16th with the 'Pica Pleitos', 'Big Sugar' and 'Pelagian' all releasing 18 sails a piece. The 'Classic' and 'Intensity' both released 17.
Sunday the 17th saw rough seas and greener water with boats not being able to get out to the bite and releasing between 2 and 4 a piece. But they are here and those circle hooks are continuing to up the ratios.
Until next time, let 'em go happy.
Capt. Brad Philipps, 'Pelagian', Artmarina. Fins n' Feathers, Guatemala.
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Robert Fallon
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, March 21, 2002 - 12:17 pm: | |
Subject: Guatemala Fishing Report
12 March "Enterprice" was our top boat with 10 sailfish releases and one released on fly; "Piragua" released 2 on fly and the local group battled schools of dorado and bonita with fly rods, great fun on 8 weight rods! "Gypsy" raised a nice blue marlin but lost her on the bite, they finished with 3 sail releases and 8 big dorado averaging over 35 lbs. Four of those were caught on spinning rods and fights lasted 35 minutes!
13 March History was made in Guatemala and the world when a local group fishing aboard "Piragua" caught and released a blue marlin on fly! Estimated to be at least 200lbs, the blue fought for 1 1/2 hrs and the tippet was 20lbs. This is the second blue caught on fly in Guatemala and one of the handful caught in the world. A big congratulations go to the captain of "Piragua", Monolo and mates Julio and Tito!!!
14 March Our group from Georgia fished their last day aboard "Gypsy" and landed 8 sails and 7 more large dorado. They will be back soon and remarked at how great their fishing trip was with us and how easy it is to get to Guatemala. Only a 3.5 hr flight from Atlanta!
15 March We welcome two more groups from the States. Fishing aboard "Che Cito", our group from Texas and Minnesota released 10 sails out of 12 bites. The sailkfish were seen swimming and jumping but there seems to be a lot of bait for them to eat because they are not real aggressive right now. The good news is we are catching them at 12-15 miles out. Our group from Tucson fished aboard "Piragua" and released 9 sails and 2 on fly while their friends were aboard "Aguadiente" and released 11 sails and one on fly.
16 March Top boat was our group fishing aboard "Sirena", our 35 ft Viking. They released 12 sails for 14 bites; "Piragua" released 4 on conventional and 2 on fly; and "Che Cito" released 4 sails. The water has been a clear green color that is ok but not great; deep blue water is way out.
17 March "Sirena" was agin top boat with 15 sail releases out of 18 bites, a great way for our guests from Minnesota and Texas to end their trip with us. They stayed at our private house and told me that my cook was "the best we have had on any of our fishing trips"! Our house has 4 bedrooms, a/c, pool and is very close to the Marina and the beach. If you want privacy and great food then give us a call! Our
"Piragua" clients released a blue marlin estimated at 350 lbs! This was the marlin week for "Piragua", the only two caught here in Guatemala this week. And their friends fishing aboard "Che Cito" all caught sailfish on fly! All of our boats are experienced with fly fishing and your chances here are the best in the world to land a sail on fly! Come on down! Remember we use circle hooks and release all billfish. We take care of our fishing grounds in Guatemala! |
Robert Fallon
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, March 13, 2002 - 2:41 pm: | |
Subject: Sailfish Guatemala fish report
March madness is alive in Guatemala!
Sailfish action is heating up just in time for an International Tournament hoted by the local boat owners Club Nautico. Here is the recent action with our charter boats.
6 March First day of Tournament saw very aggressive sailfish coming up to hit bait and teasers. Our boats had the following numbers. Enterprice released 22; Piragua 32; Bora Bora 32; Sirena 28; Aguadiente 11; and Gypsy fishing with clients released 14 on conventional tackle and 5 on fly.
7 March The second day of the Tournament continued hot and fishing was about 14 miles out. Enterprice released 26; Piragua 20; Aguadiente 29 and Gypsy came in with 30 sailfish releases.
8 March Action slowed down and the fish moved out to 34 miles for the best action. We saw many sails jumping and they were hitting our teasers but many weren't hungry and moved on. Che Cito frishing with our clients was top boat with 10 releases and 5 nice dorado; Piragua released 7 and Gypsy released 2 on fly.
9 March The Tournament began again with the fishing picking up for the day. Enterprice released 11; Piragua was tops with 18; Aguadiente 15; Che Cito 11; Bora Bora 10 and El Mana with 9.
10 March Sunday was the final day of the Tournament and Piragua placed second place. Congratulations to Captain Monolo and mates Julio and Tito for their success!!! Piragua released 8; Enterprice released 6; Aguadiente 11; Bora Bora 8; Che Cito 13; Gypsy was top boat for the day and released 17. Fishing aboard Gypsy were our clients Joseph and Harold Burgess; and John and Jim Willsen from Cedar Rapids Iowa. They also caught some great dorado for dinner.
11 March Our clients from Iowa fishing aboard Gypsy, finished their trip in high style with 25 releases including 3 doubles and one triple! They added 3
large dorado to their day. They are looking forward to their return soon!!
12 March Enterprice released 10 on conventional tackle and 2 on fly; Piragua released 4 on conventional, 2 on fly and the clients fly fished for bonita and dorado to finish their trip.
Sailfish Guatemala Sportfishing
www.sailfish-guatemala.com |
Capt. Bud Gramer
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, March 15, 2002 - 9:46 am: | |
Subject: Subject- Fish Report-Guatemala-7 March, 2002
Subject: Fish Report-Guatemala-7 March, 2002
Great Bite In Guatemala!!! Yesterday The Guatemala - Club Nautico-International Tournament started and the bite was RED HOT !!! We had had a good bite with boats seeing 20 plus sails a day.But the sails ganged up close and the bite was on. Sails feeding on the surface on balls of minnows in all directions. Boats all around fighting doubles and triples with sails feeding right next to you.
Some were finicky and sometimes you would have sails feeding on the surface around your ballyhoo and not get any bites!!Good to see this action again!!
Here are highlites for the first week of March:
March 1st="Magic"was 12 for 14 on sails using the Eagle Claw # L 2004 circle hooks and raised a nice marlin. "Man-O-War" caught 10 sails from 16 bites.
"Pelagian" went 8 for 13 on sails and "Classic" got 5 sails on Fly and 2 on spin gear. "Sirena" released 4 sails on Fly from 9 bites and "Enterprice" went 9 fot 10 on bally and 1 for 3 with fly.On "Intensity" we fished inshore in the morning then went off and got 5 sails.
2 March="Pelagian" caught 10 sails for 17 bites and released 2 Blue Marlin in the 400 pound range using Eagle Claw # L 2045 circle hooks ( 18/0s ) "Magic" got 2 sails on fly raising 18 sails plus a marlin. "Sirena" had 15 sails up to the MoldCraft SoftHead teasers we all use here.Little Hooker softheads with a strip or bally and no hook make good small teasers for fly fishing.
Today the sails didn't want the fly much. "Chesito" got 10 sails from 10 bites on ballyhoo though!! "Man-O-War" released 14 sails from 17 bites and "Enterprice" got 8 out of 12 sails."Bora-Bora" was 7 for 17.
3 March="Sirena" caught 22 sails from 28 bites while "Magic" raised 26 and got 3 sails on Fly from 9 bites.
"Classic" got 4 sails on Fly,2 on Spin amd a 34# Dorado on the Fly."Man-O-War" went 17 for 26 on sails with ballyhoo,and "Pelagian" got 13 sails for 20 bites.
March 4th="Man-O-War" was 13 for 17 on sails with bait and "Piragua" went 11 for 15.On Fly the "Gypsy" had 20 sails to the teasers but could only manage 1 release from 9 bites on the feathers. "Pelagian" got 13 sails with bait then got 2 on Fly."Magic" was 2 for 11 on Fly.
Fly fishing can be frustrating!!="Classic" was on fly too releasing 1 sail for 6 on fly and 1 on spin and had a nice Marlin adventure= 150# Blue-- perfect bite on fly but broke the tippet on the bite!!! They tossed a spin rod ballyhoo at him and he bit!!! BUT then he jumped and the fly and the ballhoo went flying and he got away
5 March="Pelagian" went 13 for 17 on bait and the "Man- O-War" got 10 out of 21 sails."Magic" released 4 sails on Flt from 8 bites--20 up."Gypsy was 9 for 15 on bait and 3 for 5 on Fly!!"Sirena" got 2 sails released on fly in a half-day.
March 6th=First day of tourney=most of us went out 40 miles to where the bite was good but the a few boats stayed close.
about 9:30 the bite at 12 to 15 miles went off and all of us out there ran back 25 miles= 65 mile run to be 15 miles from home!! -- Birds over Sails everywhere -- A large area and what a day="Classic" had the humm releasing 49 sails from 72 bites. "Perserverance" was38 for 55."Magic" 26 releases.
"Piragua" 32. "Pelagian" 26. "Enterprice", "Bora-Bora" and "Intensity" got 22 each and others with 15 to 20 sails released
each. "Gypsy" wasn't in the tourney but raised 58 sails and got 5 with fly and 14 with back up ballyhoo on spin.11 boats
in the tourney and 283 sails released for a one day average of 25+ sails released per boat!!! Average of 8 1/2 sails per
angler=Great start to a tourney!!
7March=Day two!!!-Sails are everywhere and the bite is on Puerto Rico's Bill Wood ( Caracola) is not stop working at the Tournament Control radio ( Great job,Thanks Bill !!) at the 3:00 PM lines out there are 274 sails released by the 11 boats for 25/day average for the 2 days."Classic" was hot again releasing 37 sails followed by "Chesito" with 36. We got 29 sails on"Intensity" while "Sirena" got 27 and "Pelagian" and "Enterprice" each got 26.The other boats in the tourney got fro 19 to 25 each and "Gypsy" went 30 for 45 on sails.
There were way more sails seen than would bite and lots of nice Dorados caught ( taking up tournament time today!!!) All over there were sails jumping and feeding all day. At times we would troll by three or more groups of feeding sails with
no bites and then get "Covered Up!!". These are the days we pray for and haunt us when the sails are not biting!! We do
get spoiled but enjoy it when it happens.
The most amazing thing is I only saw one bleeding sail for the 51 we released and not one floater was seen in this all circle hook tourney with over 550 sails released in one area in two days!!! Thank you "Eagle Claw" # L 2004-=We let 'em all
go happy and healthy!! I'll let you know how the tourney ends up next report.Meanwhile use those circle hooks please!!
Good Fishing to All,
Capt. Bud Gramer--"Intensity"--Artmarina--Fins & Feathers Inn
Guatemala |
Capt. Bud Gramer
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, March 08, 2002 - 1:14 am: | |
Subject: Fish Report--Guatemala--28 Feb.,2002
Fishing has been good and better.Nice water and scattered sails.One day 15 to 20+ raised then a day when boats are seeing 6 to 15 sails. Some nice Dorados and a few marlin seen and caught. Here are some highlites of past days:
20 Feb.="Piragua" got 16 sails released from 26 bites while "Gypsy" went 10 for 16 on sails and "Magic" got 6. "Classic" released 3 sails on fly.
21st of Feb="Piragua" again was hot going 14 for 19 on sails While "Gypsy" & "Enterprice" each released 7 sails. Others only got 3 or 4 each.
22 Feb= The Whitten Brothers Jeep crew took over the Inn. Richmond Virginia's Bobby & Jimmy Whitten brought sons and freinds and friends sons for a sailfish fest!!
Bobby was on "Man-O-War" and got his first ever Blue Marlin= a feisty 350 pounder on 50# test gear. On "Intensity" Jimmy Whitten"s son Harrison and friends Louis Stoneberner and his son Louis Jr.all got their first sails ever. "Pelagian" went 8 for 12 on sails but pulled hook on a nice Marlin. "Classic" was 4 for 9 on sails and jumped off another Marlin. "Magic" released 8 sails and "Sirena" & "Chesito" each got 4 sail releases.
23 Feb= "Magic" released 10 sails out of 12 bites while "Man-O-War" was 8 for 11 on sails and we got 8 out of 10 on "Intensity". "Classic" & "Pelagian" each released 6 sails and the other boats fishing had 3 or 4 sails.
24 Feb.= Where did they go??"Man-O-War" got 4 sails and "Pelagian" got 4 sails from 6 bites. A few others got one or none? On "Intensity"We found a little bite late and released 9 sails for 14 bites--with 6 sails released in the
last hour.
25 Feb="Sirena" got 13 sails out of 17 bites while and "Pelagian" went 11 for 16 on sails
26 Feb.="Man-O-War" got 8 sails for 13 bites and "Chesito" caught 5 out of 7 sail bites. "Sirena"=4 sails and "Pelagian" got 3 out of 7 and raised a marlin that said bye bye.
27 Feb.= Better bite-- "Piragua" caught 14 sails out of 16 bites using Eagle Claw # L 2004 circle hooks that almost all
use here. "Pelagian" released 5 sails on bait and 5 on Fly!! On "Intensity" we had the Boys from the Emerald Isle!! Martin Connoly and Philip McGarrity were here filming for their Irish TV fishing show "Reel Fishy".We caught 10 sails from 15 bites and got some good filming.Both Philip and Martin got their first sails using spin gear and really liked the Fin-Nor Ahab spin reel coupled to a Cape Fear rod we have. Philip and I went in the water with one of Martin's sails and I took some underwater shots of the sail and Philip while they were filming from above. Should be a good show!! "Man-O-War" caught 4 sails, "Chesito" got 8.
28 Feb= Hot bite offshore! "Pelagian" released 20 sails "Piragua" got 19 and "Magic" went 15 for 19 " Man-O War" released 11 sails for 18 bites. On "Intensity" we were fishing inshore near the beach and filming for the "Reel Fishy" show. Philip got his first Roosterfish ( a nice 28 pounder) and was amazed at the fight--Spouting lines from the John Wayne movie "Rooster Cogburn"--Philip said the fish fought like the "Duke" himself ! We also got some Mackerel and Jacks and Martin even got a nice jack on the fly rod!!! Lots of light tackle fun +great weather for filming= a good show for the folks back in Ireland!!
February closed out with great fishing!! Hope it keeps getting better. I'll let you know next report. In the meantime please use those circle hooks and let 'em go happy and healthy.
Good Fishing to All,
Capt. Bud Gramer-"Intensity"-Artmarina-Fins & Feathers Inn
Guatemala
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Capt. Bud Gramer
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, February 27, 2002 - 8:45 pm: | |
Subject: Father & Son Billfish Classic
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Capt. Bud Gramer
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, February 27, 2002 - 8:39 pm: | |
Subject: Fishy Report - Guatemala - 21 Feb, 2002
Sent: Friday, February 22, 2002 7:03 AM
Subject: Fishy Report-Guatemala-21 Feb.,2002
The water is still nice and the fishing has been up and down. 20+ sails raised per boat one day and 10 the next. Still better than a couple of weeks ag but we are waiting on the "Big Bite"!! Some nice Dorados around and some Marlin and a few Tunas.
Highlites of the past week=
14 Feb.="pelagian" raised 32 sails had 21 bites and released 10.Regular visitors Jaime Fullana and Dr. John Flynn (Puerto Rico) on "Intensity" got 10 sails to the boat from 18 bites."Enterprice" had 7 sails from 11 bites while "Man-O-War" went 6 for 10 on sails and "Sirena" had some learners releasing 4 sails for 12 bites.Some nice Dorados around too.
15 Feb.=A little slower--"Pelagian" got 4 sails from 9 bites."Sirena" was 4 for 8 on sails and got a 150# Blue Marlin. "Man-O-War" was 4 for 6 on sails. On "Intensity" we released 3 sails from 6 bites and had 3 Marlin come up= 600#er didn't bite--we broke 20# tournament line on a wild 400#er and Jaime released his 125th Blue Marlin,a 250-300 #er on 20# gear!!
16 Feb="Enterprice" had a rare Grand Slam with 3 Sails, A 200 # Blue Marlin, and a 150# Black Marlin. "Magic" also got a 400# Blue Marlin release. "Sirena" caught 5 sails,On "Intensity" we went 5 for 7 on Sails but missed a nice Marlin. "Gypsy" got 4 sails and "Classic" went 4 for 7 on sails and got 2 Yellowfin tunas.
17 Feb.="Classic" went 6 for 7 on sails ."Chesito" and "Gypsy" each got 4 and the rest of us got 2 or 3 sails.
18 Feb.=A little better---"Classic" found a few sails in the afternoon and got 12 releases from 14 bites. "Man-O-War" caught 6 sails while "Magic"& "Intensity" got 5 and 3 or 4 for the others.
18 Feb.="Classic" led the day with 19 sails released from 28 bites."Piragua" and "Intensity" each got 15 sails releases
from 18 to 20 bites on circle hooked Ballyhoo ( Eagle Claw # L 2004 of course!!)"Magic" got 12 sails and "Gypsy" went 7 for 17.
Sure is nice to fish in good looking water lately.I hope the sail start ganging up in their usuall manner! I'll let you know next report--Meanwhile as always I urge you to use Circle hooks and Let 'em go Happy and healthy !!
Good Fishing to All,
Capt Bud Gramer -- "Intensity" - Artmarina-Fins & Feathers Inn
Guatemala |
Capt. Bud Gramer
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, February 19, 2002 - 5:49 pm: | |
Subject: Fish Report -- Guatemala -- 13 Feb, 2002
Good News!!! The current changed and the cold green water is being replaced by some better water! Fishing has gotten back to good. Boats are raising 10 to 20+ sails a day. Some nice sized Dorados are around and Marlin have been seen and caught regularly the past days!! Here are the highlites since the last report:
8 Feb.= Slow with only the "Piragua" seeing more than 1or 2 sails--They released 5 sails out of 13.
Feb 9th=Nice water and action!! "Magic" got 11 sails to the boat from 12 bites on circle hook rigged ballyhoo (Eagle Claw # L 2004 s of course) "Pelagian" went 11 for 19 on sails. On "Intensity" we got 6 sails released including the first ever for Don Kenley Jr. of Albany, N.Y. He also got one of the big Dorados we boated= 35#s. "Man-O-War" got 5 sails from 12 finicky
bites and "Sirena" released 5 also. "Piragua" and The "Tequila" each released Blue Marlin around 200 pounds on 20# test gear.
10 Feb. = More Marlin! "Chesito" and "Magic" each released Blue Marlin with 20# gear 200 to 250 pound fish the two! "Gypsy" released 8 sails and "Pelagian" and "Classic" both released 7 sails. On "Intensity" we released 5 sails for 8 bites but sadly had a couple of bites from a small Marlin that didn't get hooked. There were lots of nice Dorados to go around!
11 Feb ="Chesito" got 7 sails from 12 bites and "Pelagian" released 7 sails also including 4 on 8# spin gear. "Man-O-War"
went 4 for 7 on sails and we did the same on "Intensity" There were some nice 30#+ Dorados around and a ton of Bonitos.
12 Feb= "Piragua" got 3 sails out of 5 bites but broke off a 300# blue on 20# test before going in at noon. "Pelagian" "Man-O-War" and "Intensity" each released 6 sails and "Gypsy" got 1 sail on spin,1 sail on fly and a 250# Blue Marlin to round out the day. More big Dorados around.
13 Feb= Nice water coming in - on "Intensity" we raised 24 sails had 23 bites and released 14. "Man-O-War" was 100% releasing 10 sails for 10 bites with Eagle Claw # L 2004 circle hooks!! Pelagian and Enterprice each got 7 sails and "Gypsy" released 3 sails on fly. The ocean was "Alive" with shoals of bait and busting bonitos of all sizes. Some sails feeding on the surface and lots of birds. I hope this is the coming of a big "Bite".
I'll let you know next report but Meanwhile - USE - those Circle Hooks !!! Let 'em go happy & Healthy to fight and breed again.
Good Fishing to All,
Capt. Bud Gramer - "Intensity" - Artmarina - Fins & Feathers Inn
Guatemala |
Capt. Bud Gramer
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, January 26, 2002 - 12:59 am: | |
Subject: Fish Report - Guatemala
Subject: Fish Report--Guatemala--24 Jan 2002
Well the fishing has been Up and Down.Green Water all around but some is clean Blue-Green.A couple of days
have been Great with 25 to 35 sails raised - some days have been good with 12 to 15 raised and some have been poor with 3 to 6 sails raised.A week ago the sails bit like mad dogs for a day in the green water then got finicky? Some Dorado--Jacks and Bonito to fill in the lulls though.
Here are highlites of the last days:
Jan 17th= Unexpected good bite!! "Classic" released 26 sails from 34 bites with the Ballyhoo rigged with Eagle Claw #L 2004 circle hooks ( 7/0 size for select bally) "Pelagian" got 12 sails on bait and 6 on fly!!
Jan. 18th= Slowed ---"Classic" managed 6 sails released from 12 bites
Jan 19th="Pelagian" went 10 for 16 on bait while "Sirena" caught 7 sails"Magic" got 6 out of 12 and "Classic" turned loose 4 sails for 6 bites.
20 Jan = Good bite again---"Magic" caught 21 sails for 29. "Classic" went 18 for 28 and "Sirena" was 15 for 27. On the "Pelagian" the released 13 sails for 23 bites ang "Gypsy" went 9 for 16.
21 Jan.=Off day?? "Sirena" got 6 out of 10 Sails. The "Classic" got 2 out of 3 and there were some "Skunked" boats.
22 Jan= So-So day - "Piragua" caught 6 sails for 12 bites "Pelagian" was 5 for 10."Gypsy" got 5 out of 9 sails and "Magic" released 3 out of 6.
23 Jan.= "Magic" fished the beach for "Roosters" and got 2 roosterfish, some Sierra Mackerels and Jacks. "Classic" got 6 sails to the boat from 12 bites.
24 Jan= Today was Slow - We were lucky on"Intensity" releasing 4 sails for 4 bites on Bally Including Mark Mason's (NY,NY) first sail ever. He joined his brother Bill Mason (Boston) and Bob Glass (New Jersey) who are regulars to Guatemala. They loved the Dorado Sashimi we made. The "Sirena" raised 4 sails to the MoldCraft SoftHead teasers and all 4 bit the fly and they released 2. "Piragua" caught 2 sails on ballyhoo from 5 bites. And a few other boats out didn't get as lucky!
The water is coming from the East and looking a bit better and the Temperature was up to 82 degrees. We are hoping this will get the fish going again. There are times when you are happy to see the Dorados, Bonitos & Jacks!!! Thank you!! I'll let you know what happens next report. Meanwhile PLEASE USE CIRCLE HOOKS!!!!!!!!!
Good Fishing to All,
Capt. Bud Gramer - "Intensity" - Artmarina - Fins & Feathers Inn
Guatemala
---------------------------
Fish Report - Guatemala - 17 Jan 2002
Slow fishing & green water. That about describes it. Very few sails seen. Averaging 4 to 10 raised if lucky. Sometimes only 1 or 2. Lots of nice sized Dorados and a horde of big Jacks around to keep you busy but very slow on the billfish. The water is cold and green in any reachable distance and direction. We are hoping that this water will move on as it usually does.
Here are some highlites since the last report:
8 Jan.="Pelagian" raised 7 sails releasing 1 out of 3 on Fly. "Classic" released 1 sail on fly and boated a 35# Dorado on Fly. Greg Miner and son Chad ( New Orleans,La) fished with us aboard "Intensity" and we released 4 sails out of 5 with ballyhoo including Chads first ever sail. They were very impressed with the new Spinning setup I have from Cape Fear= 20-30 spin rod w/ Fin-Nor Ahab #20 spin reel.Very light with lots of backbone.
9 Jan=Green water everywhere---"Pelagian" went 3 for 3 on sails using Ballyhoo rigged with the Eagle Claw # L 2004 circle hooks we all use here. On "Intensity" we caught 2 out of three sails. "Sirena" got a nice 35# Dorado on fly.
10 Jan= "Magic" went inshore fishing and had good action--35# wahoo.lots of Sierra Mackerels -Jacks-and Bonitos and released 2 roosterfish then came offshore and released 2 sails on fly!!! On "Intensity" we were teasing sails up with the Mold-Craft softhead teasers most use here - mostly the standard wide - range model but we use all sizes and shapes - Daisy chains of the Tough - hoo ballyhoo work well when the sails are feeding on small bait. We raised 9 sails to pitch the ballhoo to and released 6 of them. "Piragua" got 2 sails on fly and 3 on Ballyhoo. "Sirena" was 1 for 3 on fly.
11 Jan=The "Michigan Boys" fished with us on "Intensity" Ron Kraft joined Regulars Russ Yohn, Kevin West & Leo Mueller ( all from Detroit, Mich) for his first offshore fishing and caught his first sail ever of the 3 we released from 12 bites. "Gypsy" went 7 for 9 on the sails and "Magic" got 2 sails on fly and 1 on 8# spin gear from 12 raised to the teasers. "Sirena" raised 13 to the teasers and released 3 sails on fly and 1 on Ballyhoo. Everyone saw a lot of Dorados.
12 Jan.=very slow-- "Magic" released 2 sails on fly as did "Sirena" We didn't raise a sail on "Intensity" until 3:45 PM but Ron Kraft had the bite and caught it!! We had lots of practice on Dorados before that and had been releasing them for a while!!
13 Jan= Slow again--"Magic" raised 2 sails to the fly and caught them both!! "Sirena" caught 2 out of 3 sails and on "Intensity" we released 3 sails for 6 bites. Lots of Dorados, Big Jacks & Bonitos to keep you busy. At times we would just troll teasers cause the rascals were eating up all the ballyhoo!! The last days were very slow but "Sirena" released 8 sails on bait the 14th "Pelagian" got 4 on bait and 1 on fly on the 15th. And the water was still green. Only a couple of sails per boat yesterday. We are looking forward to the passing of the cold green water and seeing the fishing get back to normal.
I'll let you know how it goes next week BUT - Meanwhile USE those circle hooks!! I Just talked to a friend in Costa Rica who has made the switch and he said NO BLEEDERS!!!!!!
Good fishing to All,
Capt. Bud Gramer - "Intensity" - Artmarina-Fins & Feathers Inn
Guatemala |
Artmarina
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, January 18, 2002 - 12:36 am: | |
Subject: World Record Year
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WORLD RECORD YEAR BY PELAGIAN and CAPT. BRAD PHILIPPS
A new record number for a sportfishing vessel's total billfish releases in a year was set in 2001 by Artmarina's 37' Rybovich, Pelagian and her young captain, Brad Philipps. Based year-round at the Fins 'n Feathers Inn, in Iztapa, Guatemala, Brad captained Pelagian for every one of her 2,496 billfish releases. In 188 days of conventional charter fishing, Brad and his mates Kennedy Hernandez and Carlos Alvarenga averaged almost 14 releases per day. This average was reduced to an exact dozen a day when adding in the 72 released by fly fishing folks in their 20 days.
Seven marlin were added to the total of 2489 sails, five on 80 pound tackle, one on stand up 50 and one on 20. With the exception of those sails taken on fly tackle, all billfish were caught on circle hooks! The mind-boggling total of billfish raised in 2001 in Guatemalan waters by the Pelagian exceeded 4900!
Yet another underlining factor in this release total (excepting 6 blue marlin taken with either 80# or 50# gear) was that it was accomplished by anglers using 20 pound or less tackle with the IGFA required maximum of 15 foot leaders. The prior record of 2478 releases in a year had been taken primarily on 30# tackle, which beyond the advantage of more drag, allows for 30 foot leaders and thereby qualifies a release 15 extra feet from the fish! This record, previously held by the Capt. Hook since 1999 had also been set in these same waters off Guatemala's southern Pacific coast.
By the beginning of the summer's slowing charter days at the end of June, the Pelagian total had reached 1400. Brad fished barely 30 more days before November's stampede.
The month of December was fully exemplary of the highs and lows encountered by the Pelagian throughout the year. By the 1st, the total had climbed to 1,968. The 2nd found the fish only 12 miles from the inlet. Things looked good but the first fish raised was a huge marlin in the 700# range. The depression of it being lost after a bite as big as its body was short lived. Immediately thereafter, sail after sail was raised and interspersed with what became regarded as "interference" from 30 pound dorados. First-time billfishermen from Massachusetts, Rick Angelo and Glen Hacker unrelentingly released more than 20 by the time lunch was spread between several more releases.
To make a great day, phenomenal, another blue marlin, only a couple hundred pounds shy of her earlier big sister, jumped on a short teaser and Glen got the pitch bait's circle hook to hang and he released his first blue marlin. 44 released sailfish and a 500-pound marlin all taken within a 35 minute return to the Fins 'n Feathers dockside cocktail reception!
After a several day Christmas break, the Pelagian was back in the hunt. On the 27th, the crew hosted Guatemalan trade commissioners and first time anglers Waleska Sterkel and Dunia Miranda. Seas were considerably rougher than desired and the fish were thinned out by a dose of green water. The ladies bravely contributed 5 releases in a greatly shortened day. The release record, however, appeared to Brad at this point, to be fading out of reach.
The Pelagian and her captain, a South African native, got to welcome also South African born brothers, Warwick and Tristan Hunt, now respectively from New Zealand and Kansas City. There were 4 days for the final push. Time was short but at least the guests spoke the same fishing language! After a depressingly slow start on the first day, Brad raced to a call from the Classic, another Artmarina vessel. The fish had been found and in their first 3 days of extraordinary fishing, brothers Hunt had contributed 46, 34 and 33 releases to bring the Pelagian's total to 7 shy of the record. Ominously, in the afternoon of December 30, the wind began to climb into the 20s and the fear of an advancing cold front put some real doubts into 2001's last day of fishing.
After 207 days of fishing, however, on the last day of the year, once again blessed with calm and clear water, it came to a double header at a little past 9 in the morning for Pelagian to move the annual release record flag to a new level. By almost day's end, the anglers had added to the days tally a much more casual 16 sailfish releases. To bejewel this crown, the Pelagian's last fish of the year and taken by Warwick Hunt on 50# stand up, was a bedazzling 500# pound blue marlin, which was cut loose in perfect health. A fitting end to a record release year!
Artmarina's PELAGIAN, a 37' Rybovich | 
Although showing one of PELAGIAN's 2,496 released billfish, Capt. Brad Philipps, mates Kennedy and Carlos' last fish of 2001 was actually a 500# blue marlin! |
For additional information please contact:
Artmarina
1390 South Dixie Hwy. #2221
Miami, FL 33146
Phone (305) 663-3553
Fax (305) 666-6445
E Mail: fish@artmarina.com |
Capt. Bud Gramer
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, January 08, 2002 - 11:56 pm: | |
Subject: Fish Report -- Guatemala -- 7 Jan.'02
Happy New Year!!!!
The New Year's first week has been excelent. 25 to 45 sails raised per boat and a few Marlin seen. Some nice Dorados around also.The "Pelagian" closed out the Year with a final record setting 2496 billfish releases for the calendar year of "2001" congrats to Capt. Brad Philipps and Crew !!!
Highlites of the last days+
Dec.31= "Pelagian" ended the year with 23 sails released and also a nice big Blue Marlin release!! "Magic" got 20 sails from 43 bites and on "Intensity" we went 17 for 35 from 40 sails up. "Gypsy" got 15 sails for 25 bites.
Jan. 1,2002= On "Intensity" we raised 40 sails releasing 20 on conventional but lost a nice one on 8# spin after a long battle and we raised 2 Marlin but the got only one lazy bite which didn't get hooked. "Gypsy" got 23 sails to the boat from 31 bites on the Eagle Claw # L 2004 ( 7/0) circle hooks we all use here. "Pelagian" got 18 sails on ballyhoo and 1 on Fly. "Classic" got 7 on Fly and "Sirena" got 7 on ballhoo and 1 sail on Fly.
2 Jan.="Gypsy" got 21 sails for 41 bites and "Chesito" released 19 sails from 35. "Magic" released 4 out of 5 sails and raised a large Marlin in a half day outing."Classic" was hot on the Fly releasing 11 out of 21 sails that bit the fly!! "Sirena" was 5 for 15 on Fly and on the "Intensity" the "Elliot" crew from Chicago = Brothers Ed and Tom with Ed's sons Ed & Tim ( all are Artmarina regulars) got 4 sails on fly and one on spin gear from 20 raised. "Pelagian" had a good day inshore with 2 nice Roosterfish and Bonitos - Sierra Macks - Jacks and others including A Yellowfin Tuna and some Dorados right behind the waves?? Rare
3 Jan="Magic" was hot going 11 for 17 on sails with Fly!!! On "Intensity" we used up every bad luck method and only released 3 sails from 16 bites on Fly from 24 raised. You name it - it happened = One of THOSE days!!! "Sirena" got 4 sails on fly.
4 Jan=The sails were sleeping??"Pelagian" caught 5 out of 6 sails on ballyhoo. "Magic" released 5 out of 6 sails with fly and "Sirena" was 2 for 4 on fly. On "Intensity" The Elliot's luck changed and they released 5 sails on fly from 5 bites!!! a rare 100% day on fly!!
5 Jan=The sails awoke!! "Pelagian" got 14 sails for 22 bites on bally. "Sirena" released 4 sails with spin gear and 1 on fly. On "Intensity" Agentina's Carlos Blaquier (who released 15 sails with fly in one day himself = record, with me in 1999) had a good touch releasing 6 sails on fly from 11 bites from some finicky feeders -- we raised 20.
6 Jan=On "Intensity" we raised 25 sails and Carlos released 9 on fly from 14 bites!!. "Pelagian" raised 34 sails releasing 6 on fly and 3 with bait. "Classic" released 4 sails on fly and 2 on bait from 23 raised and "Sirena" got 6 sails with bait and 5 on fly from 28 raised and had a 300# Marlin up that wouldn't bite the fly!!!
7 Jan.=The sails moved far out= on "Intensity" we raised 13 sails and got 4 on fly from 8 bites - "Pelagian" was 2 for 3 on fly and "Sirena" caught 3 on spin and a sail release with 2# tippet fly gear--no gaffing for the record but got the leader to the rod tip for a "release". We were 55 miles out and those fish are moving away but the "Magic" stayed close with an underwater photographer and raised 15 sails to the teasers so we will all be back fishing at around 15 miles or so tomorrow for the "Next Bite" = We hope!!---I'll let you know next report - BUT meanwhile USE those Circle Hooks PLEASE!!!! Eagle Claw # L 2004 has the best closed design for healthy releases!!!!
Good Fishing to All,
Capt. Bud Gramer - "Intensity"-- Artmarina--Fins & Feathers Inn
Guatemala |
Capt. Bud Gramer
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, December 19, 2001 - 5:30 am: | |
Subject: Fish Report -- Guatemala -- 12 Dec 2001
Good Bite!!Great Bite!! Awesome Bite!! We had it all last week!!! The Sails were feeding on minnows and balling the bait! Sometimes they were everywhere around feeding on the surface as far as you could see.BUT at times they were hiding. Some nice Dorados here and a few Marlin seen and caught.The fish moved off to the west and got out of reach the last couple of days and we are awaiting the next "Bite" ---Here are the highlites of the last week.
6 Dec.="Pelagian" caught 18 sails for 23 bites and "Magic" went 18 for 35 on sails.the"Classic" released 15 out of 21 Sails and "Yellowfin" got 14. On "Intensity" the " Philly Boys"--Mike & Jim Driscoll, Dick Christy and Steve Frost had a good time with Mike Jim & Dick all getting their first sails ever out of the 10 we let go.
7 Dec.=The sails were all over feeding on the surface but we went by many groups that ignored our baits!! We saw many more than we raised."Piragua" got 23 sails released from 41 bites. "Pelagian" was 23 for 47 on sails."Man-O-War" had 22 sails to the boat from 44 bites and on"Intensity" Sailfishing 101 went well with the "Philly Boys" going 19 for 41 on the sails! "Magic" got 16 sails and on the "Yellowfin" They went 14 for 29. There were plenty of nice Dorados to go around also.
8 Dec.=It took a while to find the sails but the bite was Red Hot for a couple of hours.on"Intensity" at noon we were 9 for 14 on the sails but at 2:20 we had caught 36 sails for 74 bites from 88 raised total!! Thats 27 releases from 60 bites in 2 hours and 20 minutes!! Then we teased fish for the last half hour and the "Philly Boys" swam with the sails as they were teased by!!! Too Cool!!!
"Pelagian" got 3 sails on fly and 32 on ballyhoo from 60 up. "Magic" was 32 for 52 bites from 60 raised sails. "Sirena" stayed in close releasing a 400# Marlin on 20# test from 2 raised and released 12 sails too. Eagle Claw # L 2004 circle hook in the 7/0 size = Small hook BIG fish!!!
9 Dec.=Still Biting!! "Pelagian" released 1 sail on fly and 37 on ballyhoo from 66 bites total! "Sirena" got 34 sails for 52 bites.
"Classic" released 25 sails and "Magic" got 19.On "Intensity" we were teasing and pitching and released 16 sails on Ballyhoo
but didn't connect on fly.
10 Dec.=The sails moved far but Capt.Erikon the "Classic" found them getting 17 sails for 34 bites."Pelagian" got 18 released sails out of 35 bites. We went 14 for 20 on"Intensity" getting 11 sails to the boat in the last hour after running more than 20 miles to the area. Thanks for the call Erik !!!
11 Dec.=The sails have gotten too far away."Classic" & "Pelagian" made the 60 mile chase but they only got 3 or 4 sails released each for 6 bites. "Magic" got 5 sails out of 10 bites at 40 to 50 miles out.
12 dec.=We all split up searching in all directions. "Pelagian" released a 400# Blue Marlin with 80# Tackle and went 9 for
12 on sails. "Magic" was 7 for 13 on sails with Ballyhoo. and "Classic" went 70 miles out looking getting only 2 out of 4.
"Piragua" got 3 sails for 10 bites and on "Intensity" we were on the fly--raised 9 sails but only 3 bit the fly and Nick Smith (Wst Palm Bch) release 2 of them.
There wasn't any spot that had much activity. We saw some Jumpers and "Finners" but they were finicky. Maybe the sails are full!! I hope that is the case and they get hungry soon!!! I'll let you know next report. Meanwhile Please use those circle
hooks---Turn "em loose happy and healthy with Eagle Claw
# L 2004 circles = The best closed design for the fish!!
Good Fishing to All,
Capt. Bud Gramer--Artmarina--Fins & Feathers Inn
Guatemala |
Capt. Bud Gramer
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, December 06, 2001 - 11:29 pm: | |
Subject: Fish Report -- Guatemala -- 5 Dec, 2001
Fishing was RED HOT last week!!---50-60-70-80 fish raised and biting per boat per day!!20 to 47 releases. Sails balling the bait and feeding on the surface on all sides! We saw way more sails than were biting and some fish were finicky with all that food around but it was awesome again! The last few days has slowed to just great! Some nice Dorado around and a few Marlin seen and caught.
Highlites of the past days:
29 Nov: "Yellowfin" got 18 sails to the boat from 25 bites. On "Classic" and "Magic" they released 14 sails from 20+ bites. We were 11 for 24 on the "Intensity".
30 Nov: Hot bite!! "Classic" led the day going 44 for 58 bites from the sails. Eagle Claw # L 2004 circle hooks of course!! "Pelagian" got 38 out of 57."Sirena" released 26 sails and "Yellowfin" 22 "Magic" 21 and on "Intensity" 18 for 41 on sails. Everyone saw lots of nice Dorado too.Sometimes we had to leave an area to get away from them!! Some Problem??
Dec. 1st: Sails Galore!!--"Yellowfin" was hot releasing 47 sails for 64 bites.On "Intensity" we were 41 for 79 and raised 90 or more sails."Pelagian" was 37 for 79 on the sails including their # 2000 for the year!!! Congrats to Capt. Brad Philipps & Crew =Well done!!! "Classic"-"Magic"and "Sirena" all released 30+.
2 Dec: "Pelagian" got 44 sail releases out of 55 bites and released a nice Blue Marlin in the 600# range and had 2 bites from Marlin. All the Artmarina Clients are remarking about the lightness and power of our "Cape Fear" Hexagonal rods. When you are catching this many fish that extra Lightness really matters by days end, and the sensitivity and power helps in the hook ups.We all switched to them after I tried them for a year and now after the 2nd year they have proven to be great!!
3 Dec: Slowed a Little."Pelagian" got 25 sails for 35 bites. "Magic" went 15 for 30 and "Classic" released 12 sails.
4 Dec: The sails have scattered and a nice pick was had wherever. We all split up trying to find a hot bite. "Classic" did best going 17 for 38 on sails. "Yellowfin" was 16 for 25 .Jon Beacher (Chicago) came with us on "Intensiy" for his 40th Birthday celebration!! His New Shimano Stella Spin reel proved lucky as he released a sail with it on the first bite 2 minutes after we put out the lines!! Jon caught 12 sails out of 19 bites - "Happy Birthday" !!! "Pelagian" was 11 for 22 on the Sails and "Magic" caught 10 out of 15.
5 Dec: "Pelagian" caught 6 sails out of 8 bites on fly and released 10 sails on ballyhoo, raising 24+ sails to the MoldCraft SoftHead teasers. I really like the new Magnum Bobby Brown Special . "Magic" went 16 for 22 on sails with bally and released one on Fly too!! and released a 250# Blue Marlin out of 2 bites --- The big one got away!!! "Classic" was 13 for 21 on Sails and Capt. David Salazar had his first charter day here with the "new" (to here) "Man-O-War" a 1957 built Norseman that he completely redid. It was the "Eagle" charter boat in Ft. Lauderdale at "Bahia Mar" in the 70's and 80's and before--I fished the boat (fill in mate) in the mid 70's But it looks a whole lot better now!! They got 11 out of 15 sails. The "Yellowfin" was 9 for 15.
Sad to see the awesome bite slow but that's fishing.It was a hell of a week!! And the absence of "Floaters" with the hundreds of Sails released just goes to show you how good the circle hooks are working to SAVE the fish. How about it Mexico??? Hope they switch up there!! I'll let you know next week how the fishing goes but PLEASE - use the circle hooks--Eagle Claw hook # L 2004 has the best "closed" design of all the circle hooks we have seen.
Try 'em and let 'em go Happy and Healthy to fight and breed again.
Good Fishing to All,
Capt. Bud Gramer - "Intensity" - Artmarina - Fins & Feathers Inn
Guatemala |
Capt. Bud Gramer
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, December 02, 2001 - 12:57 am: | |
Subject: Fish Report -- Guatemala -- 28 Nov, 2001
Fish Report--Guatemala-- 28 Nov, 2001
Fishing has been very good since last report. 20 to 40 miles out. Nice water and 20 to 40 sails raised per boat daily. Some nice Dorados around a few Yellowfin Tunas and a few marlin seen.
Highlites of the past days:
24 Nov: "Pelagian" released 25 sails from 36 bites of 40 raised. "Yellowfin" got 20 sails for 29 bites out of 38 up."Magic" went 17 for 24 and "King Kat" turned loose 18 sails.
25 Nov:"Sirena" was hot releasing 24 out of 40 sails."Pelagian" went 15 for 17 on sails using the Eagle Claw # L 2004 hooks that almost everyone here uses.When all the Artmarina boats changed over to circle hooks in 1998 it took a little time for the other boats to change but after seeing our increased release to bite ratios most here have switched and the sails are much better off. Almost never see a "floater" now.We tried a few styles but the
# L 2004 has the best closed design resulting in the fewest "bleeders".Today 6 to 9 sails per boat for the rest of the fleet and good Dorado action and "Pelagian"& " Magic" both had Marlin up and a couple of bites but they got away.
26 Nov: 'Yellowfin" had the hummm going 27 for 36 on sails out of 40 raised."Magic" released 16 sails with ballyhoo and 1 on Fly.
"Pelagian" got 12 sails released with bait and 2 on Fly.the first sails on Fly for brothers Chandler and John Green.
28 Nov: Good bite today! Bill Massaro brought a big group down again this year "Taking Over" the Inn with 18 anglers-- Bill and Joe Frsicco with Bob Penza fished with us on "Intensity" and we released 19 Sails for 33 bites and had some nice Dorado Sushi for lunch."Pelagian" released 21 sails from 42 bites out of some finicky fish. "Yellowfin" went 20 for 32."Classic" was 14 for 22. "Magic" got 12 out of 20 and "Chesito" was 10 for 18 on Sails.
There was a lot of free bait to eat and the sails could be a little fussy at times.
The water and weather are good and there seem to be plenty of sailfish around.Hope they keep on biting! I'll let you know next week meanwhile use theose circle hooks please.
Good Fishing to All,
Capt. Bud Gramer- "Intensity"--Artmarina-- Fins & Feathers Inn
Guatemala
--------------------
Fish Report--Guatemala--21 Nov. 2001
Green water some Sailfish,Dorado & Tuna was the last week. 6 to 12 Sails seen daily some Yellowfin Tunas and some nice sized Dorado.The best water was in close= clean blue-green. We were out to 50 miles looking but no good water and the fish were all scattered out. At least the sails raised for the Presidential Fly Challenge Tourney were agressive. Not a lot seen but extra good percentages by the Anglers.
Highlites of the last week:
15 Nov: Practice day for fly--On "Intensity" Nick Smith & Joey Bluebaugh (West Palm Bch.) went 4 for 7 on sails
that bit the fly and we caught a sail on a teaser too! "Chesito" got 4 sails and some Yellowfin tunas. "Pelagian" released 2 sails on fly and one on Bait. "Classic" got 2 sails as did the "Yellowfin" along with Dorados and Tuna.
16 Nov: Day one of the tourney w/20# tippet on the fly gear. We raised 9 sails on the "Intensity" Nick & Joey getting 5 out of 6 bites on fly. "Classic" caught 4 out of 5 bites on fly while "Magic" raised 10 and released 2 sails for 4 bites.
17 Nov: On "Intensity" Scott Lund (Boca) and Jim Gill (West Palm Bch ) turned loose 6 sails on fly from 8 sails raised to the MoldCraft Soft-Head teasers almost everyone uses here. 16# tippet (supplied by Mason) was the tippet for the 2nd day.
"Classic" released 3 Sails and "Magic & "Pelagian" each got 1.
18 Nov: Last day of the tourney using 12# tippet. We normally use Eagle Claw # 1182 hooks in 5/0 for sails but today we went the lighter wire # 194 in 5/0 with the lighter tippet. Dan Heil did an awesome job going almost an Hour and a half on a tough sail that had thrown the fly and got snagged in the tail. I think he had 11#s of pressure on the 12# tippet. It was the only sail we got out of 5 raised on "Intensity"."Pelagian" led the day with 6 sails on fly from 7 bites boosting Joe Dowdell & June Thacker (Fla. Keys) to first place inthe tourney!! "Magic" released 4 sails on fly and "Classic" got 3 sails with the 12# Tippet. "King Kat" released 8 sails for 12 bites on Ballyhoo and "Enterprice" got 9 sails and raised a Marlin that didn't bite.
Presidential Fly Tournament Results:
Team "New Adventure" (Joe Dowdell& June Thacker) 1st
Team "Old Reliable" ( Nick Smith & Joey Bluebaugh) 2nd
Team "Releasers" ( Scott Lund & Jim Gill ) 3rd
Joey Bluebaugh was top angler with 7 sail releases
Joe Dowdell 2nd place with 6 and Scott Lund 3rd with 5
"Intensity" held on for top boat with 12 sails "Classic" was 2nd with 9 sails and "Pelagian" got 3rd place boat with 7 releases.
19 Nov: Joan Vernon who did all the work for the 2 Presidential Challenge tourneys and had to listen to the radio and write down the catches for the last week (Thanks Joan!!!!) got to go fishing herself and released 6 sails using 8# test and one on 12# gear aboard the "Classic". "Yellowfin" released 6 sails on bait in a half day outing and "Magic" got 2 on fly with Fins & Feathers assistant Manager Patty Resnick getting her first ever on fly!!
20 Nov: "Pelagian" had Scott Lund aboard and he got 4 sails on Fly from 5 bites and " Magic" was back to ballyhoo and hot releasing 15 sails out of 25 bites!!
21 Nov: "Magic" had 4 sails released and went looking for the Tunas and loaded up!! Sticky rice for the sushi Please!!!!!
It looks like the fishing is picking up. I'll let you know next report. Meanwhile use those circle hooks please and let "em go Happy!
Good fishing to all,
Capt. Bud Gramer--"Intensity"-Artmarina-Fins & Feathers Inn
Guatemala |
Joan M. Vernon
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, November 21, 2001 - 12:52 am: | |
Subject: Presidential Fly Challenge
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
The team of June Thacker and Joe Dowdell from Marathon, Florida, claimed victory in the 2001 Presidential Fly Challenge. This event concluded yesterday following 3 days of exciting fishing.
Anglers began the event using 20lb tippet on Day One, 16 pound tippet on Day Two and 12 pound tippet on Day Three.
June and Joe will represent the Presidential Fly Challenge at the Rolex/IGFA Inshore Championship next year.
PLEASE SEE OUR WEBPAGE FOR COMPLETE RESULTS.
For further information contact:
SPORTING TRADITIONS
Joan M. Vernon
P.O. Box 0007
205 East Enid Drive
Key Biscayne, Florida 33149
Telephone: (305) 361-9258
Fax: (305) 361-9923
E-mail: pezvelajv@aol.com
Webpage: http://www.preschallenge.com |
Joan M. Vernon
Unregistered guest
Rating: 
Votes: 1 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, November 21, 2001 - 12:41 am: | |
Subject: The Presidential Challenge of Central America
THE PRESIDENTIAL CHALLENGE OF CENTRAL AMERICA-GUATEMALA 2001
This is a qualifying event for the Rolex/IGFA Tournament of Champions. The winning team, EDGEWATER, from Long Key, Florida, won the event and will accept the invitation to compete in Cabo San Lucas next May.
All of the Sporting Traditions events will be represented in Cabo: including all three Presidential Challenge events [Panama/Costa Rica/Guatemala] plus the Isla Mujeres Ladies Billfish Tournament.
ALL OF OUR EVENTS REQUIRE THE USE OF CIRCLE HOOKS. WE ARE PROUD OF OUR ANGLERS AND SPONSORS FOR THEIR DEDICATION TO BILLFISH CONSERVATION AROUND THE WORLD.
The Presidential Fly Challenge is currently in progress in Guatemala. This is a qualifying event for the Rolex/IGFA Inshore Championship. Results are posted on our website:
www.preschallenge.com
For further information contact:
SPORTING TRADITIONS
Joan M. Vernon
P.O. Box 0007
205 East Enid Drive
Key Biscayne, Florida 33149
Telephone: (305) 361-9258
Fax: (305) 361-9923
E-mail: pezvelajv@aol.com
Webpage: http://www.preschallenge.com
Sun 11/18/01
THE PRESIDENTIAL CHALLENGE OF CENTRAL AMERICA - 2001
Fins 'N Feathers Inn, Iztapa, Guatemala
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WHEN: November 12-13-14, 2001
WHERE: Fins 'N Feathers Inn, Iztapa, Guatemala
PARTICIPANTS: 33 Anglers / 11 Boats - representing USA(5 states), Guatemala, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, St. Lucia
NUMBER OF FISH: 286 sailfish / 2 blue marlin / 1 black marlin - ALL CAUGHT ON EAGLE CLAW CIRCLE HOOKS & BERKLEY BIG GAME 20 POUND TEST LINE.
PHOTOS: William Boyce photos available upon request.
QUALIFYING EVENT FOR THE ROLEX/IGFA TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS
CONTACT: Joan Vernon (305)3619258 or Email: pezvelajv@aol.com
EDGEWATER WINS FINAL PCCA EVENT.
PICAFLOR/BALBOA CROWNED 2001 PCCA
LOWRANCE GRAND CHAMPIONS.
The final event of the 2001 Presidential Challenge of Central America Conservation Series recently concluded with the final event in Guatemala. Anglers from five countries traveled to this lovely Central American country to enjoy the world's finest sailfishing. The host hotel and marina was the famous Fins 'N Feathers Inn. Boats left the Fins 'N Feathers dock each morning at 7am and returned to the inlet by 5pm. The large concentration of sailfish was 50 miles to the southwest of the inlet making it necessary to cut short the actual fishing hours each day. The fleet released an impressive 289 billfish while putting in just 13 ½ hours of trolling!
The action on day one began at 9:09 am with Ben Martz (Team Edgewater) releasing the first sailfish from Sirena. Shortly after, at 9:50, Jim McCord fishing for the "Good Guys" team released a blue marlin! Imagine the excitement when Agie Vicente fishing on the Yellowfin released another blue at 11:28am. THEN… at 11:53am Jorge Rosaly turned another blue loose! To make things more interesting, Agie and Jorge are fishing for the same team….Club Nautico de San Juan! By Noon, 49 sailfish were released and the radio was going non-stop! By days end, 98 sails and 3 marlin were released.
Team Edgewater with anglers Paul Pfaff, Ben Martz and Jack Reveland, took the lead on Day One with 1700 points. Team USA, Bill Easum, Dale Siddall and Dan Heil, were right behind them with 1400 points followed by Grand Champion leaders, Picaflor/Balboa who turned in 1300 points. The angler race shaped up to be very close. Julio Mansylla edged Bill Easum for top daily angler by minutes. Teammates Paul Pfaff and Ben Martz are tied for third place angler.
The second day of the 2001 Presidential Challenge-Guatemala was a perfect Central American Day. Anglers left Fins 'N Feathers Inn shortly before 7am for the fishing grounds. The concentration of sails was still 50 miles away. Margie Adams(O Lucky 3) fishing aboard the Classic with Capt. Eric Lorentzen released the first fish at 9:41am. Considering the distance and short fishing hours, the fleet released an amazing 112 sails!
Edgewater led by Paul Pfaff and fellow anglers Ben Martz and Jack Reveland, continued to hold a commanding lead going into the final day of the 2001 PCCA competition. USA and anglers Bill Easum,Dale Siddall and Dan Heil moved to second place. Florical with anglers Andy Jacobi, Julio Mansylla and Ron Storm kept a steady pace and held on to third place.
Paul Pfaff led the Angler Division at the end of day two with 16 releases. Bill Easum and Carey Chen were in a tight race for second place. Each had 12 releases. We had a three-way tie for fourth place between Jim McCord, Ben Martz and Julio Mansylla all with 10 releases. Competition for the Grand Chamionships as well as the PCCA-Guatemala was very close at the end of the day and anglers were looking forward to hot competition on the final day!
And what a finish we had!!! The 2001 Presidential Challenge of Central America Conservation Series ended with a photo finish off the coast of Guatemala. Newcomer, Allison Richardson (Sea Aggies) led the pack with 6 sailfish releases. Picaflor/Balboa (Panama) anglers had a terrific day and claimed the Lowrance Grand Champion Team award. Anglers John and Monte Richardson and Travis Russell fished all three legs of this series and accumulated 7100 points to edge Team USA and anglers Bill Easum, Dale Siddall and Dan Heil. Third place team, La Gorda (Panama) and anglers Sherry Jumonville, Eduardo Gonzalez and substitute angler Bill Boyce, claimed third in the championship race.
Edgewater held their lead to win the Guatemalan leg of the Contender Boats Team competition. Led by top angler, Paul Pfaff, teammates Ben Martz and Jack Reveland turned in 4000 points. They are heading to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, to represent the PCCA-Guatemala in the ROLEX/IGFA TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS. Second place team USA had 3200 barely edging third place team, Bamboo and anglers Bill Canida, Carey Chen and Pancho Kerdel, by one fish.
PAGE TWO: PCCA-GUATEMALA 2001 PRESS RELEASE
The 2001 Grand Champion Angler was John Richardson, Bellville, Texas, who fished all three PCCA events for the Picaflor/Balboa team representing Panama. John won in a very tight race with fellow anglers Bill Easum, Port Aransas, Texas, and Sherry Jumonville, Key Largo, Florida. John took the Grand Chamionship by one point while Bill edged Sherry by minutes!
The Presidential Challenge of Central America is pleased to announce our 2001 support of the IGFA Library, the local Costa Rican conservation movement and the use of circle hooks. Along with The Billfish Foundation, we produced a Spanish version of the Ron Hamlin circle hook bait rigging video. We are also pleased that the outcome of our 2000 Sport Fishing Economic Conference in Guatemala produced the formation of the Pacific Alliance. This group is now actively networking to coordinate the conservation of billfish along the Eastern Pacific. We extend our gratitude to our sponsors and anglers who made this all possible.
THE PRESIDENTIAL CHALLENGE OF CENTRAL AMERICA - GUATEMALA 2001
FINAL RESULTS
CONTENDER BOATS TEAM DIVISION
1ST PLACE TEAM: Edgewater 4000 (Long Key, FL) - Rolex/IGFA Tournament of Champions
2ND PLACE TEAM: USA 3300 (California/Texas/Florida)
3RD PLACE TEAM: Bamboo 3100 (Jamaica)
1ST PLACE ANGLER: Paul Pfaff 1800 (Edgewater)
2ND PLACE ANGLER:.Carey Chen 1500 (Bamboo)
3RD PLACE ANGLER: Bill Easum 1300 (USA)
1st BOAT: Classic 4200 (Capt. Eric Lorentzen Fin 'N Feathers)
2nd BOAT: Pelagian 3700 (Capt. Brad Philipps Fins 'N Feathers)
3rd Boat: Piragua 3600 (El Capitan Marina)
2001 PRESIDENTIAL CHALLENGE OF CENTRAL AMERICA
GRAND CHAMPIONS
LOWRANCE GRAND CHAMPION TEAM
Champions: Picaflor/Balboa 7100 (Panama)
2nd Place: USA 6600
3rd Place: La Gorda 5800 (Panama)
GRAND CHAMPION ANGLER
Champion: John Richardson 2600 (Picaflor/Balboa, Belleville, TX)
2nd Place: Bill Easum 2500 (USA, Port Aransas, TX)
3rd Place: Sherry Jumonville 2500(La Gorda, Key Largo, FL)
Sponsored By:
LOWRANCE ELECTRONICS CONTENDER BOATS
BERKLEY BIG GAME LINE
Bacardi Capt. Harry's Fishing Supply Copa Airline Penn Reels Boone
Finlandia Vodka, Aftco, Biscayne Rods, Eagle Claw, MateSaver, Marlin Magazine
Nescafe, Sport Fishing Magazine |
Capt. Bud Gramer
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, November 17, 2001 - 2:29 am: | |
Subject: Fast--Slow--Rough--Good & Nice!
Fast--Slow--Rough--Good & Nice!
Thats how our fishing has been since the last report.
The weather was a little rough but we were seeing about 30 to 40 sails a day.Then after an unusually long bite in one area the current changed and the sails spread out.Luckily the weather got nice and after some searchiong a new bite was found for the Guatemala leg of the Central America Presidential Challenge tourney.Here are highlites of the past days.
8 Nov.= "Pelagian" went 25 for 34 on sails from 38 raised."Yellowfin" got 11 out of 16 sails and loaded up with Dorado for their group."Classic" got 28 sails to the teasers and released 7 sails on fly from 12 bites!! Jaime & Jose Fullana ended up their trip with us on "Inetnsity" with 20 releases of sails including 3 on 8# test spin gear out of 38 bites --40 up.
9 Nov.=Guy Harvey and children Jessica & Alex came with Guy's Brother Jono and his son Sam (they are from Australia) on the "Intensity". We got 12 sails up to the teasers and released 6 sails out of 9 that ate the circle hooked ( Eagle Claw # L 2004 in 7/0 size) ballyhoo pitch baits.Sam & Jono got their first sails. The boats spread out looking but the sails moved?? 3 or 4 sails released was the norm.
10 Nov.=The Boats were searching far and wide but no spot. 'Chesito" went 4 for 8 on sails. "Pelagian" got 7 bites releasing 2 sails. "Piragua" got 3 sails and raised a Marlin that didn't bite.On "Intensity" We went Rooster fishing and had great action. We caught 13 nice roosters to 30 pounds including a 24 pounder that Jessica Harvey caught for a pending Junior IGFA world record.We also got some big Jacks and Mackerel. Guy Harvey said after seeing a nice roosterfish chasing a bait" I've got a Painting from that! "Nice Day!
11 Nov.-We went for a half day of rooster fishing on "Intensity" releasing 4 and the other boats found some Sailfish biting! "Pelagian" went 7 for 10 on the Sails. "Chesito" released 12 for 16."Yellowfin" got 6 sails and "Classic" was 5 for 9 on Sails--but missed a Marlin.
12 Nov.= First day of Prez Challenge Tourney and the Sails are biting!Some Marlin too! 20# test only and all circle hooks for this tourney."Classic" led the day going 19 for 23 bites on Sails--"Pelagian" was 15 for 25 and "Piragua" went 11 for 18 on sails and released a Blue Marlin . "Sirena" got 10 sails -"Bora-Bora" and "Intensity" 8 sails each, "Chesito" & "Yellowfin" got 7 and 5 sails respectively and each released Blue marlin also!! "Magic" got 5 sails --There were 97 sails and 3 blue marlin for 11 boats today!!
13 Nov.--Still Biting--"Bora Bora" got 15 sails releases "Classic " & "Pelagian" got 14 each. "Piragua" went 13 for 28 and "Magic" caught 12 out of 19 sails. There were some Marlin seen today also but none caught.
14 Nov= A little slow but nice."Piragua" led the day with 10 sails."Sirena" and "Classic" got 9 sail releases. "Pelagian" got 8. "Intensity went 7 for 9 and "Chesito" got 7 sails and "Yellowfin" caught 6.
Presidential Challenge Results!!!
---"Classic" with Capt. Erik Lorentzen was top boat with 42 sails for the 3 days!!"Pelagian" was 2nd with Capt. Brad Philipps and 37 sails. "Piragua" with Capt. Manolo got 3rd with 36 sails.
Top Anglers= Paul Pfaff 1st with 18 sails--Carey Chen 2nd with 15--Bill Easum 3rd with 13 sails.
Top Teams=Edgewater 1st with 40 --USA 2nd with 33 and Bamboo 3rd with 31 sails. 33 anglers on 11 boats for 3 days caught 286 sails and 3 Blue Marlin!!
This was the Final Deciding Leg of the 3 series (Panama - Costa Rica - Guatemala) Presidential Challenge of Central America tourney in its 4th year -Thanks to Joan Vernon who has "Done it All " for this series= Thanks Joan!!!
The Grand Champion Results of the 3 tourneys= Team Picaflor (Texans John Richardson, son Monte and Russell Travis) was first overall again followed By Team USA and 3rd was La Gorda.
Grand Champion Angler was decided on the last day when John Richardson caught a sail late in the day to win by one sail over 2nd place( by time) Bill Easum and 3rd place Sherry Jumonville!!! After three tourneys with one hour to go these three anglers were tied with time the only difference and Bill Easum ahead on time!! But John had his bite on the "Intensity" and caught it to repeat again this year as Top Angler! Exciting finish!
That's it till next report--The Prez Fly Tourney starts Friday -- I'll let you know next week -- Meanwhile use those Eagle Claw Circle Hooks Please -- The best closed point design of all the circle hooks to let 'em go healthy and happy!!!
Good Fishing to All,
Capt. Bud Gramer "Intensity" - Artmarina - Fins & Feathers Inn
Guatemala |
Sporting Traditions
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, November 17, 2001 - 1:24 am: | |
Subject: Presidential Challenge - Guatemala
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
The 2001 Presidential Challenge of Central America Conservation Series concluded yesterday. The Lowrance Grand Champion Team of Central America is PICAFLOR BALBOA representing the country of Panama. Grand Champion Angler is John Richardson (Picaflor).
The 5th PCCA-Guatemala was won by Team EDGEWATER from Long Key, Florida. Top angler was Edgewater team captain, Paul Pfaff. Edgewater will represent the PCCA GUATEMALA in the ROLEX/IGFA TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, next year.
The 33 anglers fishing on 11 boats released 292 billfish in three days of fishing. Hours were shortened to 4 1/2 hours due to the concentration of fish being so far away.
ALL DETAILS ARE POSTED ON OUR WEBPAGE:
www.preschallenge.com
SPORTING TRADITIONS
Joan M. Vernon
P.O. Box 0007
205 East Enid Drive
Key Biscayne, Florida 33149
Telephone: (305) 361-9258
Fax: (305) 361-9923
E-mail: pezvelajv@aol.com
Webpage: http://www.preschallenge.com |
Capt. Bud Gramer
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, November 08, 2001 - 11:05 pm: | |
Subject: Fish Report--Guatemala--7 Nov 2001
Good News!! ------The Sails are still going strong. We have had 30 to 50 sails raised daily with 20 to 40 sails released per boat per day with ballyhoo and 8 to 12 sails per day on fly.Some nice sized Dorado around too.20 to 30 miles out. A few Marlin seen but no takers?
Highlites of the past days=
Nov. 1st=Tom Jasper( Rye,NY), Walter Bopp and Joe McCann ( Both of Greenwitch, Conn) came on the"Intensity" for their first billfish experience. We got 7 sails released from 11 bites= first sails ever for all three, Raised a 400# Marlin that didn't eat and got 3 nice yellowfin tunas. "Pelagian" got 8 sails for 16 bites and some Tunas and "Magic" with Capt. Jono Nicolas found some sails to the east and went 15 for 27 on the sailfish using the circle hooked ballyhoo and got some yellowfins too!!
2 Nov.=We all went east today!! "Pelagian" and "Yellowfin" each released 29 Sails."Magic" got 4 sails on Fly and 4 on Bait and On "Intensity" Ambassador Donald Planty joined the North East crew and we Released 13 Sails on Ballyhoo and Tom Jasper got his first sail on Fly.
3 Nov.= "Enterprice" got 12 sails from 25 bites and we did a half and half day on "Intensity" with Walter Bopp getting his first sail on fly. We teased up 30 sails & got 2 of 7 fly bites and 12 bites on ballyhoo pitch baits releasing 8 of them.
Nick Smith and his son Mike ( West Palm Bch.) fished with Capt. Erik Lorentzen on the "Classic" and Mike got his first sail on Fly from the 10 sails on Fly they released.
4 Nov.=Jaime and Jose Fullana ( regulars from Puerto Rico) were here on the "Intensity" We raised 59 Sails and released 37 using the Eagle Claw # L 2004 circle hooks and 4 of those were released by Jose using 8# spin gear ( we use the light wire # L 2004 EL hook for light tackle)."Pelagian" with Capt. Brad Philipps raised 48 sails and released 32 of them. On the "Yellowfin" they released 40 out of 49 bites from 60 sails up!!! "Classic" raised 38 to the teasers getting 24 bites on Fly and the Smiths got 11 sails to the boat with the long rod!!!
5 Nov.= Still Biting!!! Jaime & Jose released 35 sails from 48 bites from 53 up on "Intensity" including 3 on 8# spin by Jose.
"Magic" got 32 releases from 42 bites on bait and "Pelagian" was in Sailfish "101" and the students went 25 for 40 on sails from 50 raised--When you get lots of bites the learning goes faster!!! On "Classic" Nick & Mike Smith finished their trip with 12 sails on fly from 23 bites out of 32 raised. Good first fly fishing for Nick's son Mike= 3 days and 33 sails released on Fly!!! (we average 4 releases on fly per day) Talk about hitting the jackpot!!!
6 Nov.= "Pelagian" went 27 for 39 out of 45 sails raised and We got 23 sails out of 33 bites on "Intensity". "Magic" released 16 sails and on "Classic" Jake Jordan's fly schoolers Suzanne and Herb Goldstein (Winter Park, Fla) each got their first sails on Fly out of 7 sail releases from 14 bites from 27 raised to the teasers= good teaching Jake & Erik!!
7 Nov.=The Bite goes on!!! We had the Humm on the "Intensity" Jaime & Jose Fullana invited local anglers Julio Mansylla and Che Koscino and we had plenty of sails to go around= 34 sails released from 46 bites."Yellowfin" released 21 sails for 27 bites and "Classic" released 8 sails on fly while "Magic" released 16 sails from 20 bites.
This bite is sure keeping going---even for here!!! I will let you know next report how we fare. Meantime try those circle hooks if you are not using them already and let 'em go happy and healthy !!
Good Fishing to All,
Capt. Bud Gramer--"Intensity"-Artmarina-Fins & Feathers Inn
Guatemala |
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