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SUBJECT: # 2773: My most memorable day of fishing
Submitted by Michael J. Barnett (216.23.35.126) from GEORGIA on 11/2/04 2:07:00 PM
I have been privileged to fish for many of the world’s great gamefish over the past 50 years. I have fished in 20 States from the Florida Keys to Hawaii to Alaska to New Hampshire, in 6 Canadian provinces from Nova Scotia to Alberta, and in other foreign countries from Belize to Argentina to New Zealand. Last February, while fishing off the coast of Guatemala, I experienced my single most memorable day of fishing. My friend James Yates and I had traveled from our homes in South Carolina to Puerto Iztapa to fly fish for Pacific sailfish at the relatively new Sailfish Bay Lodge, about which we had received glowing reports from my trusted travel agent Scott Ruprecht (www.sportfishingworldwide.com). After raising no sailfish the first day (they said it was the first time in 8 months that had happened), we landed 2 the second day and 7 the third day, all on flies. Our fourth and last fishing day was the most amazing I’ve ever experienced.
We left the jetties in the early morning aboard the 32’ Black Fin “Maverick” with local Capt. Lon and his friendly, expert crew. Although many sailfish are caught in this area as near as 3 miles offshore, our Captain had received an overnight report of a distant hot spot from one of the 3 or 4 other Captains who regularly fish these waters, and who trade valuable information among themselves. Based on that tip, we headed toward an underwater canyon about 40 miles offshore, where the bottom drops off from 300 ft. to 2,000 ft. As we looked back ashore, we could see 2 active volcanoes with smoke drifting from their summits high above the jungle. The sea was dead calm, as it had been the previous 3 days, and we had to thread our way through miles of Olive Ridley sea turtles. They are the smallest of the sea turtles, about 2 ¼ ft. in length and about 75 to 100 lbs., and they are endangered. They seemed to be staging to come ashore to nest, because we passed hundreds of them sunbathing on the surface, and we had seen their tracks on the beaches. I counted as many as 18 in sight at one time, many with shearwaters standing like white sentinels on the turtles’ dry backs.
When we arrived at the area of the underwater canyon, the mates put out the trolling baits (without hooks, since we were fly fishing), and we immediately began what became a full day of endless, rising sailfish. As the mates expertly teased each rising fish (or sometimes a pair of fish to as many as 4 at a time) to the back of the boat, my friend and I took turns casting to, hooking, fighting, losing, landing and releasing big sailfish. The action was almost continuous, and each of us was thankful for the time to rest and take photos while the other fought fish. The sailfish were spectacular fighters, readily taking our top water flies and then racing toward the horizon in a series of great leaps. Several came out of the water and tailwalked in a complete circle about 30 ft. in diameter, until they literally crossed back over the trailing fly line. One large sailfish made a turn back toward the boat after its first jump, and it’s second leap landed it on the starboard side of the cockpit, halfway in and halfway out of the boat. I yelled, “He’s coming in!” as I danced backward and my friend dove for the cabin door, but fortunately the fish’s next lunge took in back into the sea.
By the end of the day, we had raised 55 sailfish, had 43 strikes, and landed 22 on our fly rods. The Captain said this was a new lodge record for fly fishermen. The largest fish was about 110 lbs. and the smallest about 60 lbs.—most weighed about 75 to 80 lbs. We were using 12 to 14 weight fly rods (one of which my friend broke on one of his first sailfish) with 16 to 20 lb. tippets, weight forward floating fly lines, and at least 300 yds. of backing. When I go back, I’m going to stick with a fast action 13 weight fly rod with a 20 lb. tippet. It takes too long to haul the fish up with the smaller or more limber rods or lighter lines, especially when a fish decides to sound to 100 ft. or more straight down.
We enjoyed not only the fishing, but also the magnificence of the surrounding ocean. We saw numerous schools of porpoises of 3 different species, including one school of spinner dolphin that must have been a half mile wide and 2 miles deep, with dozens of the leading mammals making their characteristic, spinning leaps as the school moved. We often saw sailfish swimming alone or in pairs across the calm surface with their sails out of the water, pointing into the air. Once when we had a sailfish hooked and leaping away from the boat, we looked down to see another swimming calmly across the stern with its fin out of the water not 30 ft. from the boat. There were a number of birds working in the area including pink-footed shearwaters, jaegers, red-footed boobies, and an occasional phalarope. Once, we saw a large airplane buzz one of the 6 or 8 other boats in sight, and we watched as it then came by and buzzed us. It turned out to be a U.S. AWACS plane (we got a pretty good photo of it with a telephoto lens), and we speculated that it had picked up our radio traffic and come to investigate for drug smuggling. The other boats in the area were also having a great day. We often saw black diesel smoke billowing from as many as 2 or 3 of the other boats at a time, as they backed down on their own hooked sailfish. Occasionally we spotted manta rays leaping out of the water, and on the way back to shore that evening, a humpback whale jumped out of the water ahead of us twice.
I highly recommend Sailfish Bay Lodge (www.sailfishbaylodge.com). The fishing is consistently excellent, the accommodations are good, and the food and service are outstanding. We enjoyed great local seafood daily at the lodge and on the boat, including dorado, jumbo shrimp, and lobsters, with plenty of fresh fruit and other delicacies. The cost of the trip per person for 5 nights and 4 days of fishing with only 2 fishermen on the boat was $3,155.00, plus about $650.00 in airfare from SC, plus tips. The cost would be a little less if more fishermen shared the same boat.
Michael J. Barnett 9/16/04
- 11/4/04 12:50:00 PM
Submitted by
Neil Smith (64.94.14.68) from NORTH CAROLINA says Thank You
Great report! Enjoyed your writing.
- 4/20/05 12:49:00 AM
Submitted by
TarponWes (70.240.188.234) from TEXAS says Belize
I certainly enjoyed your sailfish report. Which lodge(s) have you fished in Belize? A fishing buddy and I are booked at Boca Paila for mid-June hoping to catch permit and bonefish, maybe even a snook or tarpon to boot! I appreciate any advice/suggestions. thanks, Wes Pullen