BILL DOSTER (3) CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE LOOKING TO INCREASE YOUR OFFSHORE IQ? SKIP THE LINE AND GO STRAIGHT TO GUATEMALA TO FAST-TRACK YOUR BILLFISH BONA FIDES. BY: SHAWN BEAN 60 SALTWATERSPORTSMAN.COM - NOVEMBER 2017 NOVEMBER 2017 - SALTWATERSPORTSMAN.COM 61 THE LODGE THE FISH — AND Spindrift, a twin-screw 38-foot Stolper, on smallmouth bass and soft plastics in The Middle America backs down; water floods the transom. Cleveland, Ohio; me, an avid indoorsman THE EXPLETIVES — Trench, reaching depths The mate collects leader with a back- who found his adventurous side later Last Rush: Welcome Variety: School Time: Luxury Digs: of 21,000 feet off the ARE FLYING. THE hand wrap. Chaos. Release. Fist bumps. in life. Thankfully, there’s Guatemala, a A sailfish takes a last Big dolphin hunt the A schoolie yellowfin Casa Vieja Lodge is coast of Guatemala, offers 200-POUND BLUE More expletives. strange but beautiful mix of Colorado and chance at freedom off same waters as tuna comes over the ground zero for billfish a migratory highway Fifteen minutes earlier, the anglers the tropics, a volcanic jungle nation on the transom, far left. the billfish, left. gunwale, above. action, far right. for pelagic species, MARLIN VAULTS and crew had been politely eating tuna mountain time. The fishing knowledge Pacific sailfish the most sandwiches. (The fillets were attached to one gains in this living classroom surpasses 4 FEET INTO THE AIR, plentiful among them. a 25-pound yellowfin a mere half-hour any lifetime magazine subscription or PERFORMING WHAT before.) Mark MacKenzie, a soft-spoken internet deep dive. One thousand readings Perfectly situated to take advantage of this A GYMNAST MIGHT but seasoned fisherman, looks up from is not as great as one doing. Eyeless ballyhoo are lined up perfectly, and yellowfins partner up, creating large his plate and sees a beak by the left bridge The coffee is darker than the sky like the stripes on a Yankees uniform, atop groups as they search for forage. The abundance, Casa Vieja CALL A HANDSPRING teaser. He points a crooked finger, mouth when the first cup arrives at your door at an ice-blue Yeti 65. They are waiting to be first hookup is unsuccessful and uncon- Lodge offers what’s FRONT SALTO WITH A still full of pelagic cuisine. “Marlin,” he 6 a.m. It’s June, and my hotel windows rigged, chin-weighted and tossed over the ventional: a 100-pound tuna that got arguably the most active billfish fishery on Earth. HALF-TWIST, BEFORE says, loud but not panicked. Capt. Nicho are sweating (you know how it goes with transom, the foot soldiers in today’s battle. itself tangled on a teaser rod. MacKenzie Alvarenga shouts in Spanish as mate indoorsmen and their air conditioning). After 30 minutes of trolling, the sails cranks on it, the bent butt in a rod holder. Exhibit A: Casa Vieja CRASHING BACK INTO Alexis Montenegro grabs the Shimano Casa Vieja is cozy and low-key, save for the strike. Across the VHF comes word that He barely eeks out a quarter turn of the reported 28,051 raises, THE WATER ONLY TO from the rod holder. The Tyrnos reel goes resort’s centerpiece: a grand, three-story Spindrift has a triple on. Williams and her handle with each push. The fish breaks off 23,535 bites and 13,949 into free-spool. Rod down, thumb on the palapa. Beyond the front gate, Puerto San two compatriots make short work of it. shortly thereafter, but there’s another doz- releases last year. LEAP AGAIN, ITS BILL line. Wait for it. Wait for it. Montenegro Jose is waking up. The gates on the tiendas With the leaders in sight, the fish thrash, en in the 20- and 30-pound range to come. The lodge in Puerto San POINTING EAST, THEN sets the hook and hands it off to Matt are still down. A mother rides sidesaddle their brilliant blue dorsals clearly visible, The tuna put up a solid fight — muscling Jose, Guatemala, enjoys Hickman, who’s about to catch his first on the back of a scooter, a baby cradled in even against the matching Pacific waters. their way down deep, then swimming in NORTH, THEN EAST a well-earned reputation billfish. (Please see opening paragraph.) one arm. In the first half-hour, they earn three circles — but eventually wear out, then the for producing fish and AGAIN AS IT TRIES If one wants to feel like a fishing legend, After a short ride to Marina Pez Vela, release flags. gaff sweeps in. catering to anglers’ the team splits in TO THROW THE one should go to Casa Vieja Lodge. While Salt Water Sportsman There is nervous water off the star- The captains are happy to indulge the comfort. Top-flight the Salt Water Sportsman team I traveled two: half on Spindrift and half on A-fin-ity, board bow. It’s a pod of spinner dolphin, yellowfin frenzy, but those stats mean captains and state-of- CIRCLE HOOK. with to Puerto San Jose, Guatemala, has a 39-foot all-wood Billy Knowles. Capt. too many to count, the calves the size little to them. Even sails don’t jack their the-art equipment leave lost count of its trophy catches, a few of Chico Alvarenga (Nicho’s brother) sits on of Labrador retrievers. They corkscrew heart rate. Marlin is the true prize, and us are relatively offshore newbs: Matt a padded diner stool at the helm. Upon out of the water, one after the other rightly so. It’s a knees-against-the-transom little to be desired when Hickman, pro-wakeboarder-turned-cor- leaving the marina, someone points out after the other — Planet Earth live. The (no fighting chairs here), stand-in-ankle- it comes to a first-class ner-office-executive with a few speckled an incoming Chiquita banana freighter, a captain switches up the tackle; he knows deep-water, engine-ringing-in-your-ears offshore experience. trout to his name; Megan Williams, raised boatload of bad luck. BEAN (MIDDLE); SHAWN (3) RIGHT); BILL DOSTER (FAR MARK MACKENZIE the yellowfin tuna are close by. Spinners kind of fight. Line peels away as it dives casaviejalodge.com 62 SALTWATERSPORTSMAN.COM - NOVEMBER 2017 NOVEMBER 2017 - SALTWATERSPORTSMAN.COM 63 On the Wire: Back Atcha: Rigged and Ready: Fair Fight: A mate leaders a Spindrift pours on the Fast offshore action An angler bears down as sailfish and prepares for coal in pursuit of a blue demands plenty of a marlin takes the game the release, opposite. marlin, below. baits, bottom left. deep, bottom right. below the boat. At the surface, it leaps overstuffed tuna rolls at our final meal, critical, but our success was not unique. and contorts. I reel down like a coffee which paired nicely with the micheladas Casa Vieja’s clients left with 13,949 grinder on an America’s Cup tri-foil that replenished the day’s sweat loss epic stories in 2016, and the window to avoid slack line. Over two days, we (tip: add a splash of Picamas, the local of opportunity remains. Guatemala’s released four blues and 28 sailfish, and hot sauce). peak season is November to June, which 18 yellowfins and four mahi went in Yes, the Salt Water Sportsman brain means you can experience once-in-a- BILL DOSTER (4) BILL DOSTER the fish box. The yellowfins made for trust and the excellent crews were lifetime almost anytime. 64 SALTWATERSPORTSMAN.COM - NOVEMBER 2017 NOVEMBER 2017 - SALTWATERSPORTSMAN.COM 65 .