December 28, 2020 - Pacificfins Resort

WOW! What an event. The question that echoed throughout the tournament… “How did you manage to pull off such a successful event during these times?”. It’s called team work and a lot of support from our guests competing in the 5^th Annual Guatemala Billfish Invitational.
When we started to put this year’s tournament together for this April of 2020, we knew that it was going to be a good one. But… what we didn’t expect is that it was going to be postponed due to the pandemic. Professional and novice anglers from the US and neighboring countries made the journey to Guatemala wanting to be a part of it.
Tournament highlights included celebrity guests, Uncharted Waters Peter Miller and Unfathomed George Gozdz. The week’s festivities kicked off with a little twist. Oceana Resort hosting the first night’s event – ‘the welcome party’. Anglers got the opportunity to get acquainted with each other and meet their boat Captain.

The Guatemala Invitational started by George Gozdz and Peter Miller being invited to the press conference, organized by the Tourism Board of Guatemala. During the press conference Niels Erichsen, Managing Partner of Pacific Fins presented how important billfish conservation is in the region. Juan Manuel Cobar, Manager of Billfish Conservation Project informed on the event details that was about to begin. The highlight of the conference was when the Director of Tourism Board recognized the event as the start of new normality to make Guatemala a safe place regarding COVID 19 prevention on tourists visiting.He also recognized Peter and George as Ambassadors of Guatemala tourism due to their involvement with people as positive leaders in the fishing industry.

Tournament Results

Team Brooklyn Fishing Club takes top honors on boat Sirena. Fishing with Captain Rosendo Velasquez. The crew released a total of 63 Sailfish. Photo: Victor Lucia, Dan Rosenblatt, Michael Fortinberry, and Amal Salameh.

Second place overall goes to team Gypsy. Fishing with Captain Joel Fajardo. The crew released a total of 52 Sailfish and reaps the rewards with some cash! A twist we did this year, a daily fishing calcutta was introduced into the tournament. Making team Gypsy $3850 richer by winning two days out of three. Photo: Danny DiFabio, Raymond Douglas, Josh Greene, and Tim Willis.

**eam Maverick takes third place overall. Fishing with Captain Nestor Garcia. The crew released a total of 50 Sailfish. Photo: Niels Erichsen, Chad Heinsohn, Ozzy Delgado, and Juan Manuel Cobar.**

The tournament in 3 days, generated a total of 395 Sailfish releases and 856 bites.
We want to THANK all our participating anglers for making this a special one yet. We were happy to see all having a great time, meeting and making new friends. From the kick-off party and Poolside Celebration to the neighboring resorts who took part in the Invitational, to the awards presentation at the final dinner and all the parties and fishing in between, this is definitely a tournament that any novice or serious angler needs to be a part of. We are pleased to support the Billfish Conservation Project and the week-long festivities that generate much needed funds for a worthy cause – A total of $12,000 was collected.
In addition, we are going to be posting on our social pages pictures that were taken during the event. 2021 dates will be: December 9th through the 13th. Trust me… YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS IT!

A Special Award For A Special Person

A lot happens behind the scenes that people don’t see or hear. Much hard work and preparation goes into these events. It can be stressful at times, but in the end, the results are all worth it.
It is with great pleasure that we present Niels Erichsen with a special award. We want to recognize the person whose work has had a truly outstanding impact in conservation and in the lives of many.
We THANK YOU Niels Erichsen!