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Live the Pacific Fins Experience

M.A.R.L.I.N – Wow!

We would not expect most anglers to know about the incredible marlin fishing in Guatemala. As a destination, Guatemala has mainly promoted it’s sailfishing for the last 20 years. And rightly so – it is the best in the world.

“We are down at the Lodge as this is being sent out. We came down for Pacific Fins “Marlin Guarantee.” We accomplished it in one day. We have our own boats. Fish all over the globe. This is the absolute best trip we have ever done. The whole thing is exceptional.”Jose Garcia, Jr.

Day 1: 8 Marlin raises, 7 bites and 3 Blues released! 7 bites is amazing.
Day 2: 27 Sailfish raises, 21 bites, and 17 releases.
Day 3: 4 Marlin raises, 3 bites and 3 releases. 13 Sailfish raises, 8 bites and 6 releases.
(GRAND SLAM DAY: 1 Black 600 lb., 1 Blue 500 lb. and sailfish!)

Guatemalan Marlin Guru – Christian Siebold

For a consistent weekend angler in Guatemala his personal goals for sailfish were achieved. He needed a new challenge. Our friend and Niels Erichsen’s fishing partner, Cristian Siebold had decided to focus primarily on Marlin fishing (especially the months August – November). During a period of more than 2 years, he has been sharing his weekend stats with us, helping us prove Guatemala IS A MARLIN DESTINATION.

He tested all written theories on marlin fishing and experimented with his own new Guatemalan Style. Christian will compete with a Guatemalan team in this year’s Bisbee, on “The King and I”. His boat is traveling to Cabo as we write this.

Our mates have personally fished with Christian this summer to learn more from him!

Marlin fishing statistics from Captain Cristian Siebold – only fishing Saturdays
**These numbers do not include other marlin released by other fishermen on the same boat during the same days of fishing.

Fishing style – stand up 50-lb. class with lures:

STATS
Total Days Fished from July 2015 through September 2016 = 28 days
Total Marlin released = 38
Total Bites = 52
Average Marlin Released Per Day = 1.4 Marlin
Total Days Without a Marlin Bite = 4
Marlin Mix = 10 Black, 2 Stripe, 26 Blue
Greatest Accomplishments:
July 2015 – Grand Slam (Blue, Stripe, Sailfish).
August 2015 – Two Blues at the same time, both released, only one fisherman and one mate on board.
December 2015 – Marlin Grand Slam (Blue, Black, Stripe). Biggest marlin = 600 lbs Black.
September 2016 – 4 of 4 same day. 3 of 3 same day (following Saturday).

Risk Takers – Pacific Fins

Over the last few seasons Pacific Fins has marketed our “Marlin Guarantee.” We took a big (perceived) risk the last few seasons by offering it. The number of calls we received from clients and industry friends with comments like “you guys are nuts, you are going to get killed on this deal, this is one ballsy move,” etc. We were willing to take the chance for our clients to get them excited.

We are the ONLY operation in Guatemala (and the world for that matter) who GUARANTEES MARLIN. Our Marlin Guarantee takes place in the months of August, September and October. If we don’t perform it is a significant financial penalty to Pacific Fins.

Now with 2 seasons of data under our belt with our own anglers one thing is clear – We are performing and the clients are getting their Marlin – the whole purpose of this promotion. Every single group FOR 2 YEARS has caught their Marlin except for 1. They came back 6 months later for 50% cost of the trip and caught two!

Book Now!

If you can get away in the next few weeks you still have time for the Marlin Guarantee in Oct 2016.

Clients are already booking August, September and October 2017. Grab your dates today!

So is Guatemala the new hot spot and the most underrated destination on the planet for Marlin? We believe it is.

For additional information and availability at Pacific Fins Resort:

Phone: 1-888-700-3467
Website: www.pacificfins.com.gt

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Conservation of Billfish

For the last year, we have been updating you on the advances Guatemala’s Sailfish Commission has achieved for the benefit of our beloved fishery. With the new elected government, new liaisons and new friendships had to be worked on. Everyone from Club Nautico, the lodge owners and sportfishing tour operators have participated directly or indirectly to keep the project moving smoothly towards its goals.

Within the last couple of months, major milestones have been accomplished and the momentum The Guatemalan Sailfish Commission is obtaining will yield immediate results for all anglers within Guatemala AND Central America.

Briefly mentioning the successes obtained:

United Nations Fund for Biodiversity has officially categorized Sportfishing in Guatemala as a key activity within the Sustainable Tourism Initiative for the next 10 years. The first study regarding Sportfishing Economics for Guatemala and its impact within the local economy has been assigned and preliminary results are demonstrating huge financial benefits for the country. The most relevant issue here being SUSTAINABLE TOURISM – Catch & Release! Achieving this recognition is the beginning of a very interesting path for worldwide conservation issues and Guatemala is leading the way.

– Guatemala’s Ministry of Fisheries has requested that Central America’s Governmental Agency for Fisheries include Sportfishing Tourism as a Core Regional Development Topic, with the direct support of Guatemala’s Sailfish Commission. OSPESCA and its lead officer, Mario Gonzalez meets with Guatemala’s Top Officers within the ministry to discuss the potential for a REGIONAL project for the Conservation of the billfish within all of Central America.

“The model for conservation Guatemala has adopted through the Commission and the Tourism sector should be the benchmark for the region,” stated Mr. Gonzalez.

“We will evaluate all political aspects regarding this initiative in order to obtain regional status for the Commission.”

Every bit of support adds up when talking conservation. The Guatemala Sailfish Commission is doing a great job locally, but being able to export these ideas throughout the Central American Pacific coast is key for the future.

As stated by Dr Nelson Ehrhardt from The University of Miami and lead scientist for the Central America Billfish Association (CABA), “I am sure we have a huge and unique opportunity to achieve regional milestones that we have never dreamed of in regards to conservation of the billfish. Hopefully, all governments will understand the positive economic impact sportfishing tourism will provide to their local economies.”

Niels Erichsen devotes much of his off time leading the way with Guatemala’s Sailfish Commission. He understands Pacific Fins’ future depends on high catch & release indexes and billfish are the key element!

For additional information and availability at Pacific Fins Resort:

Phone: 1-888-700-3467

#1 For Fly Fishing

Guatemala is the knock-down, drag-out world champion when it comes to fly fishing for sailfish! With more raises and releases than anywhere in the world you will have the best opportunity for success in the bluewater off Guatemala’s Pacific Coast.

The anticipation of landing that first sail on fly is a great feeling. As you cruise these fertile waters and suddenly hear our mates scream “vela, vela, vela” (sailfish, sailfish, sailfish) your bluewater fly fishing baptism has begun.

Your heart drops in your stomach. You jump to your feet. Your knees begin to quiver. This is saltwater angling that gets into your blood!

The mates will tease that sail within casting distance and yell “cast! cast! cast!” The sailfish is NOW eagerly awaiting your fly. You launch that giant pink and white fly through the air with perfection. The water boils. The sail ate your fly! He’s hooked up and your reel is now screaming as the line is being taken.

The rest is history.

Fly fishing for sailfish is not difficult. It is certainly easier then fly fishing the flats for bones, permit and tarpon which require much longer casts. Just like anything else – it requires a little discipline. Anglers must be patient, listen sharply to the commands of the mates, cast at the appropriate time, and position the rod at the correct angle to set the hook.

Let’s face it. You won’t be perfect every time – there are several moving parts involved. So you need a fishery that is prolific. And Guatemala is that destination where you can have upwards of 10 – 20 shots per day at sailfish averaging 80 – 110 lbs.

Our area is teeming with billfish.

The captains and mates at Pacific Fins are among the finest in the world. They’re experts when it comes to locating, teasing and fly fishing for billfish.

For additional information and availability at Pacific Fins Resort:

Phone: 1-888-700-3467

 

Guy Harvey Mag

Nice write up about The 1st Annual Guatemala Billfish Invitational held at Pacific Fins by Guy Harvey Magazine in the Summer 2016 Issue.  Grab a copy of the magazine today for the FULL article.

“The Guatemala Billfish Invitational was held April 8-12, 2016 and was hosted by Pacific Fins Resort. The first-year event pulled together the ‘who’s who’ in the fishing industry. Captain Wild Bill Wichrowski, from Discovery Channel’s hit show Deadliest Catch, Capt Scott Walker from Into The Blue, Peter Miller from Bass2Billfish…..”

Corporate Fishing Tournament

The top brass from Seguros Agromercantil – one of the fastest growing private insurance companies in Guatemala – rewarded their brokers by coordinating a very unique R & R activity event coupled with an Insurance Industry Fishing Tournament.

They selected Pacific Fins as their partner and gave us the privilege to host the group for two nights. For many of the anglers, the tournament resulted in their first ever sailfish release. 3 boats released MARLIN! Dorado were plentiful and everyone enjoyed the freshest sashimi possible. The Summer season provides a lot of variety in Guatemala for eager anglers.

After fishing, the happy group of anglers relaxed by our pool to cap a fantastic corporate event. We congratulate Team Chechos for their 1st place finish! It is the second 1st place finish for Chechos in only a few months. They also won the 1st Annual Guatemala Billfish Invitational.

If you would like to hold a company fishing tournament at Pacific Fins let us know. We can customize it especially for your group. It is a great way to build camaraderie with your team. 1-888-700-3467

Sailfish Insanity in Guatemala

By Todd Bazemore

If you want to catch large numbers of large sailfish there is no better place on the planet than the pacific coast of Guatemala. A recent trip to the Pacific Fins Resort in Iztapa, Guatemala gave me the opportunity to experience firsthand why so many place Guatemala at the top of their fishing bucket list. In conducting my pre-trip research I kept coming across fishing reports that contained numbers which seemed impossible, but after catching and releasing 74 sailfish in three days of fishing, I’m a believer!

Read the rest of the story right HERE: http://www.onthewater.com/sailfish-insanity-guatemala/

 

Fishing on a Budget

In addition to our “Performance” and “Luxury” Packages we have an “Economy” Package that has been a big hit with clients over the last 2 seasons.

Two-day fishing packages start as low as $1,875 per person fishing 4 per boat.

We use our beautiful 35′ Strike Boat Aguardiente for Economy Packages. That is the only difference!

You will still receive all the other wonderful amenities Pacific Fins Resort has to offer. We only have ONE boat for these packages per week! We encourage you to start looking at this ASAP if interested.

This is a great cost savings for those anglers wanting to experience our incredible offshore fishery who may not have been able to make it in the past because of price.

Our US Office is happy to help answer any questions to determine if this package is right for you, your family or your buddies! 1-888-700-3467

April/May Report 2016

Connie Turner, Clarence “Lucky” Shawver and Rick Shawver arrived for their first visit to Pacific Fins.  Fishing on Gypsy for 3 days they had 33 raises, 29 bites and 18 releases. They also raised 1 marlin.

Rachel Booker, Mike Flowers and Brian Booker arrived for a 1 day charter. Fishing on Maverick the raised 25, had 18 bites and 8 releases. They also had 1 marlin bite.

The David Barnes group returned after fishing with us in August 2015.  David, Glen Chaves, Charles Mixon and Niel McTague fished 4 days on Gypsy and Maverick raising 164 sails, had 112 bites and released 77.  Also releasing 2 marlin and catching 3 dorado!

Stacey and Johnny Mack Powers fished Chechos for 1 day raising 15 sails, had 13 bites, and released 9. They also caught 6 dorado.

We knew it was going to be good, we didn’t know it would be this good!

On Monday, we finished The 1st Annual Guatemala Billfish Invitational held at Pacific Fins and we are still on Cloud 9.  The purpose of the tournament was to raise awareness for the conservation efforts by The Sailfish Commission in Guatemala. In the last 2 years we have made huge strides protecting billfish in our region.

Anglers raised 501 sailfish, had 383 bites and released 179!

With the tournament being such a huge success we already have dates for 2017!

Arrive: April 28

Fish: 29, 30, May 1 (3 days fishing, 4 nights)

Depart: May 2

Anglers are starting to confirm for next year’s tournament already and we suggest looking into this soon. DEMAND WILL BE HIGH. Call us at 888-700-3467 or email us.

In addition to the celebrities and clients who joined us, the local media was present, our tourism board – INGUAT, the head of The United Nations in Guatemala attended, along with the Vice Minister of Fisheries and other Government officials!

The kind words from everyone were humbling:

“Some trips stick with you, this one will.”Captain Wild Bill Wichrowski, Deadliest Catch, Discovery Channel

“Thank you so much for the opportunity to come down and support such a wonderful cause. I am honored to be able to work with you to make a difference in such a special place.”Rob Kramer, President, IGFA

“Rocked the tournament to 1st place, great job by all involved, looking forward to the 2nd annual!Doug Shenk, Client

“So great to be a part of this movement.”Peter Miller, Host, NBC Sports “Bass2Billfish”

“Thank you for the trip of a lifetime!”Capt Scott Walker, TV Show, “Into The Blue”

“I had a wonderful experience of food, fellowship and fishing!” Dr. Chris Stearns, Client

“What an epic trip at Pacific Fins. It gets better and better each time.”Ozzy Delgado, Guy Harvey Magazine

“A unique experience. To see the local fishery and also to understand the conservation efforts that are going on here. We expect to see a lot of sailfish here for years to come.”Mat Jackson, Grundens, Sponsor

“This is my 3rd trip to Pacific Fins. This place has truly touched my heart.”Terry French, Extreme Chef, Food Network

“The hospitality at Pacific Fins is wonderful.” Cory Lowe, Backbone Media

“The 1st Annual Billfish Invitational at Pacific Fins was fabulous. The best of everything, the host Niels, fishing, food and hands on service by the captains and staff. But the most important part of it all was that it benefits the Guatemalan Sailfish. We have already signed up for next year.” – Stacey & Johnny Mack Powers, Clients.”

The Hinman group fished 1 day on Chechos raising 19, with 16 bites and releasing 12 sails.

The Erichsen group also fished a day on Chechos raising 10 sails, with 7 bites and released 5.

For their first visit to Pacific Fins Dr. Michelle Flemmings and husband Dr. Ralph Battels fishing 3 days on Chechos raised 65 sailfish, had 45 bites and released 39.  They caught 4 dorado, raised 2 marlin, had 2 bites and released 1!

Lewis and Mariann Scherer arrived for their first visit and fished on Gypsy for 3 days. They had 81 raises, 69 bites and 42 releases. Plus 1 marlin!

Dr. Bo Whitehead, his wife Brandi Whitehead and Dr. John Boon arrived again for the 3rd year for a day charter fishing with their group of doctors and nurses – Esteban Arredondo, Linnea Bowman, Sara Halfmann, Sylvia Diaz, Don Griffith, David Boswell and Candice Daniels after finishing their mission work. They fished on Chechos and Sirena and raised 39, had 28 bites and released 5 sails. They released 1 marlin too!

Mission workers Mike Humphrey, Lauren Lepper, Stephanie Frey and Kunal Patel spent a day relaxing and fishing a half day on Maverick. They raised 8, had 6 bites and released 4 sailfish.

Dave Clendening, Charles Frees, Chad Garland and Robert Hunt arrived for their first visit to Pacific Fins.  Fishing 4 days on Maverick they raised 139 sails, had 116 bites and released 71.  Also releasing 1 marlin and catching 15 dorado!

Stacey and Johnny Mack Powers returned once again fishing on Chechos for 3 days. They raised 50, had 43 bites and released 35 sailfish.

The Zane Christopher group arrived for their 6th year. Fishing for 3 days on Gypsy, Maverick and Chechos – Zane, Graham Pereira, Raymond Knotts, Vasilica Bitere, Larry Ennis, Felix Buta, Stewart Gambrell, Tim Hattaway, Michael Melton, Jim Hughes, Michael Sweeney and Eric Yarbrough raised a total of 112, had 89 bites, and released 61 sailfish!  They also caught 18 dorado.

Winter Fishing Stats!

First of all we want to thank everyone who made it down to Pacific Fins to fish and stay with us this past winter season. For those of you who gave it strong consideration and were not able to make it – hopefully the below stats will help encourage you to make a visit in the future!

This year was magical. The numbers were so insane at times that we were concerned when posting no one would believe us!

Clients Visited From The Following Countries:
Brazil, France, Nicaragua, UK, Canada, Sweden, Colombia, Russia, Australia, Norway, Mexico, Germany, Ecuador, Honduras and The USA (+Puerto Rico).

Best Month (Averages):
PER BOAT, PER DAY
Raises (52) – March 2016
Bites (43) – March 2016
Releases (31) – March 2016 (November won the last 3 years, but March takes the Title)

Most Sailfish RAISES in 1 Day (One Boat) – (Conventional/Light Tackle):
(98) – Wiatt Group – Jan 2016

Most Sailfish BITES in 1 Day (One Boat) – (Conventional/Light Tackle):
(93) – Dupre Group – Jan 2016

Most Sailfish RELEASES in 1 Day (One Boat) – (Conventional/Light Tackle):
(62) – Dupre Group – Jan 2016

Most Sailfish RAISES – Group
(375) – Begnaud Group – Feb 2016

Best Average on FLY per day – Single Angler
(12) – Dr. Stan Shoemaker – Jan 2016

Most Sailfish Releases on FLY – Group
(46) – Stigliano Group – March 2016

Best Sailfish BITES Average PER DAY – (Conventional & Light Tackle)
(78) – Dupre Group – Jan 2016

Best Sailfish RELEASES Average PER DAY – (Conventional & Light Tackle)
(54) – Dupre Group – Jan 2016

Most MARLIN Raises During Trip
(7) – TIE – Stigliano Group, TaxSlayer Group – March 2016

Most Marlin Releases – (Conventional)
(4) – Elias Group – Feb 2016

GRAND SLAM!
Jan 12th – Bodine Group – (2) Blue Marlin, (1) Striped Marlin + (17) Sailfish in ONE day

Biggest Marlin
500 lbs – Frey Group – March 2016

Oldest Client To Release a Sailfish
91 years old – Captain Jim Toabe – Nov 2015

Most Visits
(4) – TIE – Ozzy Delgado. Johnny & Stacey Powers.

Outdoor Brands Who Selected Pacific Fins For Photo Shoots
GoPro, SMITH, Grundens

Most Roosterfish Caught
(4) – Ben White Group – March 2016

Most Well-Rounded Trip
(343) sailfish raises, (249) bites, (111) releases conventional, (46) releases ON FLY, (7) marlin raises, (2) marlin releases – Stigliano Group – March 2016

200+ Sailfish Raise Club – 1 boat in 3 days fishing
(232) – Elias Group – March 2016
(214) – Sola Group – March 2016
(209) – Dupre Group – Jan 2016
(209) – Buckley Group – March 2016

Full Winter Season Average (Conventional/Light Tackle):
PER BOAT, PER DAY
Raises: 34
Bites: 29
Releases: 20

WOW!

That’s right! Over the last 8 months (Oct 2015 – May 2016) clients averaged 20 sailfish releases per boat, per day!

**For all the other amazing numbers clients put up this year check out the fishing reports on our website.

Marlin Guarantee!!

Guaranteed Marlin or Fish For FREE!

Everyone thought we were nuts last year by offering “The Marlin Guarantee.” Clients thought we were nuts. The magazines thought we were nuts. But here we are in 2016 and going to do it again!

What was the success rate? We only lost 1 bet! Yes, that is correct. Every group of clients who took part in the Marlin Guarantee from August – October 2015 had at least 3 marlin bites, except for one group. (Please see the note from the client that didn’t get the bites below. They had 2).

If you WANT MARLIN think about visiting us August, September, or October 2016. What do you have to lose? We GUARANTEE it.

In addition to the months of August, September and October being very good for sailfish, dorado and yellowfin – we think they are outstanding for marlin!

In fact, we are so confident in our fishery that we are willing to bet on ourselves. We are pushing our chips “All In” with the following MARLIN offer below.

If you book our most popular package: 3 days fishing, 4 nights in the months of August, September or October 2016 we guarantee your boat will get at least 3 Marlin Bites on conventional tackle over the length of the trip!!

That’s right. 3 bites by the man in the Blue, Black or Striped suit over 3 days fishing! And if you don’t get 3 bites we are willing to do the following:

1 to 2 MARLIN BITES:
50% of the value of your trip will be put towards a future trip at Pacific Fins (and it is transferrable).

0 MARLIN BITES:
100% trip value! Your party comes back for a FREE 3 days fishing, 4 night trip.

David Barnes Group Only Had 2 Marlin Bites

And the deal was for them to come back at 50% the cost with 1-2 bites. Here is a note from that group:

“I went with three of my friends to Pacific Fins last August and fished for four days on Maverick and Gypsy. Well, to make a long story short, we caught sails and dorado and had 2 marlin bites. That entitled us to a 50% reduction on a future trip.

The trip was amazing and the lodge was great, so that made it a “No Brainer.”
We rebooked for 4 days fishing the week of April 3 through the 8th. When we returned we did exceptionally well raising well over 100 sails and releasing 75. We also released a 300 lb MARLINand several dorado. It was another trip of a lifetime.

I just wanted to let you know that we really enjoyed ourselves and Pacific Fins stepped right up and honored their guarantee – no questions asked!”

Thanks again,
David Barnes

NOTE: This offer is for the intact group to return together. For example, if you have 4 anglers – it is NOT 4 individual trips.

***To get additional information on the rules of this offer and to check availability:

Phone: 1-888-700-3467
Website: www.pacificfins.com.gt