We will start to announce all of the special guests and sponsors that will take part in this year’s Billfish Invitational. For all of you “Cigar Aficionados”, we are happy to invite, Rodriguez Cigars to the 9th Annual Guatemala Billfish Invitational.
“This year for the 2024 Guatemala Billfish Invitational, the Rodriguez Cigar Company, will be providing the anglers with an exclusive rum and cigar tasting experience! We will be pairing exquisite rum with vintage cigars from the Rodriguez family collection. Also, during the event, Rodriguez Cigar will be making an exclusive product release”. – Danny Difabio, Owner Rodriguez Cigar.
In 1947, the Rodriguez family began the masterful art of cultivating tobacco on their private plantation in the town of Siguaney. The tobacco plantation was called, La Finca De Carmencita. Located in the villas province of Cuba. La Finca De Carmencita specialized in growing, aging, and curing filler tobacco leaves for numerous manufacturers throughout Cuba.
By 1952, La Finca De Carmencita employed over 20 workers and grew over 120,000 pounds of tobacco annually.
Eight years later, the Cuban government nationalized the private plantation and the Rodriguez family was forced to immigrate to the Unites States.
In 1971, the Rodriguez family found a new beginning on the beautiful island of Key West and established the Rodriguez Cigar Factory.
“Nautical Pathfinder is proud to the present our Grandslam trophy to Pacific Fins. This award is only given to the most elite fishing charters around the world. Charters must earn a score of 90 or above to obtain.
Our grading system is based on 6 key elements – service, Safety, Education, Experience, Professionalism, and Communication. Pacific Fins crushed the grading scale (95) and is truly a must visit charter for avid and serious anglers. The management and staff make this place feel like home!
If you are looking for a special fishing experience, look no further, Pacific Fins is the place to be.” – Zak Miller, Owner of Nautical Pathfinder.
What is Nautical Pathfinder? Nautical Pathfinder was created for those seeking adventure, self-growth, and interaction with nature. At Nautical Pathfinder, we produce an Exclusive list for anglers worldwide to experience the best fishing charters this world has to offer. Only the top-graded charters make our list. In doing so, we help charters improve their services as needed and keep the fishing industry thriving. We want to produce a great experience for both the angler and the charters.
Curious about Guatemala’s fishing scene in May? I’ve always been asked if the bite is as good as January through March. My answer is always the same… you can’t go wrong fishing in Guatemala any time of the year. Plus, let the numbers below be the answer.
It was an action-packed May at Pacific Fins. We had groups from the Gale Force Twins, Amanda and Emily Gale, George Gozdz Unfathomed hosted trip, and One More Bite’s Matt George.
Sailfish gave our guests banner days. Some days we raised 20+ fish and some days up to 70. You know when that happens guests become a little more inspired to try out a sail on the fly.
Marlin activity has stayed consistent and it will continue through the summer months. Congratulations to all the anglers who had big smiles on their face, as they released their first-ever blue marlin.
May Fishing Report :
May 1st – 31st: Chechos – 475 sailfish raises, 428 bites and 241 releases (7 on FLY!). Blue Marlin: 7 raises, 5 bites, and 3 released. Dorados: 9 (1 on FLY) and 9 Yellowfin Tuna. (21 days of fishing).
May 2nd – 31st: Knotwork – 539 sailfish raises, 439 bites and 227 releases (2 on FLY). Blue Marlin: 8 raises, 7 bites, and 6 released. Dorado: 17. (19 days of fishing).
May 1st – 31st: Maverick – 463 sailfish raises, 416 bites and 227 releases (6 on FLY!). Blue Marlin: 10 raises, 7 bites, and 3 released. Dorado: 12. Yellowfin Tuna: 3. Roosterfish: 3 and Wahoo: 1 (15 days of fishing).
May 1st – 30th: Gypsy – 146 sailfish raises, 129 bites and 84 releases. Dorado: 5. (7 days of fishing).
May 3rd – 29th: Libertad – 109 sailfish raises, 97 bites and 70 releases. Blue Marlin: 2 raises and 2 bites. Dorado: 4. (5 days of fishing).
May 4th – 5th: Uno Mas – 15 sailfish raises, 11 bites and 10 releases. Dorado: 2. (2 days of fishing).
May 18th: Fishy Business – 22 sailfish raises, 20 bites, and 10 releases. Dorado: 1. (1 day of fishing).
TOTAL MAY NUMBERS: 1688 Sailfish raises, 1496 Bites, 917 Releases. 28 Blue Marlin raises 22 bites, and 12 are released. Sailfish on Fly: 83 raises, 46 bites, 15 released. 50 dorados, 12 yellowfin tuna, 3 Roosterfish, and 1 wahoo.
The HOT fishing streak continues. April produced stellar fishing and May numbers are not far behind.
Blue marlin and striped marlin continued to be the talk around the docks. When this much action is taking place, there is always the opportunity to release a “Billfish Grandslam”. Seasoned guest, Roy Clark, released a beautiful stripey on Fly. If you want marlin, they will continue through the summer months.
Dorado and yellowfin tuna are here and don’t expect them to disappear anytime soon.
With summer around the corner and the subject of where to travel during summer break, traveling to Guatemala is more affordable than many other spots around the world. Guests have expressed after you factor in fuel, hotel, and meals, traveling to Pacific Fins is a much more affordable vacation.
So, whether it’s for summer or the upcoming season, we highly suggest you book soon. Many have started to reserve into the months ahead and you don’t want to miss out on an experience of a lifetime.
April Fishing Report :
April 1st – 30th: Chechos – 568 sailfish raises, 497 bites and 289 releases (4 on FLY!). Blue Marlin: 7 raised, 5 bite, and 3 released. Striped Marlin: 6 raises, 5 bites, and 2 released. Dorados: 41. Rooster Fish: 1 and Yellowfin Tuna: 2 (23 days of fishing).
April 4th – 30th: Knotwork – 538 sailfish raises, 433 bites and 289 releases. Blue Marlin: 6 raises, 5 bites, 4 releases. Striped Marlin: 2 Raises, 1 bite, and 1 release. Dorado: 33. Wahoo: 1 and Yellowfin Tuna: 5 (23 days of fishing).
April 1st – 30th: Gypsy – 335 sailfish raises, 254 bites, and 163 releases (3 on FLY!). Blue Marlin: 3 raises, 1 bites, and 0 released. Striped Marlin: 3 raises. 2 bites and 1 released. Dorado: 34. Yellowfin Tuna: 7 and Rooster Fish 3. (10 days fishing).
April 4th – 30th: Maverick – 595 sailfish raises, 520 bites and 306 releases. Blue Marlin: 2 raises, 2 bites, and 1 released. Striped Marlin 6 raises, 5 bites, and 4 releases. Dorado: 22. Yellowfin Tuna: 2 (1 on the FLY) and Rooster Fish: 1. (22 days of fishing).
April 1st – 25th: Libertad – 423 sailfish raises, 358 bites and 245 releases. Blue Marlin: 7 raises, 4 bites and 2 releases. Striped Marlin: 1 raised, 1 bite, 1 released. Dorado: 21 and Yellowfin Tuna: 3 (13 days of fishing).
April 21st: Uno Mas – 25 sailfish raises, 18 bites, and 12 releases. Striped Marlin: 1 raised, 1 bite and 1 release. Dorado: 2 (1 day of fishing).
April 8th-24th: Mijooo – 108 sailfish raises, 93 bites, and 66 releases. Blue Marlin 2 raised, 0 bites, 0 released. Dorado: 6. (4 days of fishing).
April 20th: Mojo – 16 sailfish raises, 14 bites and 8 releases. (1 day of fishing).
TOTAL APRIL BILLFISH NUMBERS: 2608 Sailfish raises, 2187 Bites, 1378 Releases. 27 Blue Marlin raises, 17 bites, and 10 released. 19 Striped Marlin raises, 15 bites and 10 released.
Back to Back Champions!
The exciting annual fishing competition in Guatemalan waters reached its climax with Pacific Fins, Juan Manuel Cobar, as the undisputed national champion of 2024.
The national tournament stands out as one of the most challenging events in the region, with eight days of fishing spread over January, February, March, and May to determine the national champion.
The tourney is one of the most competitive to date. It showcased the talent of local anglers, with an intense battle that extended to the final day of the eighth and last leg of the 2024 National Sailfish Release Tournament. Uncertainty made participants wonder who would achieve the supreme title and, in turn, secure their place among the six fishermen who qualify to attend the ILTTA World Championship 2024, scheduled for October in Cabeza de Toro, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
Last year, another well-known angler made history by winning his first National Championship, our very own Niels Erichsen.
The final results of the tournament confirmed Juan Manuel Cobar as the worthy Champion, accumulating a score of 25 points in the last leg. He pulled ahead in the last leg by releasing 8 sailfish, reaching a total of 103 points and securing first place.
Cobar’s exceptional performance stands out, having won three of the eight legs, giving him a significant advantage in the leaderboard.
In the Amateur category, Gonzalo Ruiz took first place with 86 points.
The overall team title went to boat “Mijooo”. The team is composed of Juan Manual Cobar, Rodrigo Guzman, and Pablo Sechel.
Register to win the most coveted award in Guatemala. Plus, win a spot for the Offshore World Championship in Costa Rica.
Last year’s tournament generated 1534 sailfish raises, 1267 bites, and 764 Sailfish were released. 17 blue marlin raises, 11 blue marlin bites, and 5 released. Countless dorado (201) and 2 big yellowfin tuna. Making this tournament the largest in the history of Guatemala!
The theme for 2024 is to create awareness for the benefit of conservation of sailfish, being a resource of great importance for the country.
In this event, like the previous ones, we had different celebrities of international stature and personalities that contributed to sport fishing in the region. The tourney will consist of three days of fishing and will have anglers from all over the world.
This tournament allows amateurs and professional anglers to compete to be the team that releases the most sailfish, marlin, and brings in the heaviest dorado and yellowfin tuna.
The prize structure for 2024 has been updated: Top Professional Team (1st, 2nd & 3rd), Top Amateur Team (1st, 2nd, 3rd), Top Captain, Top Pro Lady Angler, Top Amateur Lady Angler, Top Marlin, Dorado and Yellowfin Tuna. Plus, everyone’s favorite, a Calcutta for those brave enough to bet on their skills and luck.
Last year’s event was the biggest yet. We had 10 lodging locations at capacity. It’s no surprise with such high anticipation that always builds throughout the year. So, if you think last year’s event was one for the record books… just wait till this December.
We started to receive reservations a year in advance, which we highly recommend for those that want to participate in this year’s event, to contact us and secure your spot. Due to limited capacity, you don’t want to be left out of this fun, but competitive tournament.
Look at that report! January and February tallies were awesome, but we also expected March to be strong as well. How strong? you’ll see it shortly.The sailfish bite was out of this world. I know it sounds cliche, but guests had rod-bending action throughout their entire visit. Take long-time repeat guest, Byrd Miller and his family broke their one-day record: 103 sailfish raises, 89 bites, and released 62.
I am going to go out on a limb and say… by far in March, Guatemala was the go-to destination if you wanted to wrangle a blue marlin. Marlin activity was strong and then you throw in striped marlin, and you got yourself a Billfish Grandslam.
Dorado is still here in big numbers. We have seen lots of spinners around, but none marking tunas yet. That will change very soon and you’ll want to be here when it goes off.With so much action offshore, many decided to check out the inshore scene. The beach waters have been clear and with the right tides, Roosterfish greeted everyone.
Planning your visit for March 2025? We highly advise you to lock in your dates, as it’s already filling up.
March Fishing Report:
March 1st – 31st: Chechos – 552 sailfish raises, 435 bites and 270 releases (10 on FLY!). Blue Marlin: 11 raised, 6 bite, and 5 released. Striped Marlin: 1 raised, 1 bite, and 1 released. Dorados: 49. Rooster Fish: 2 (26 days of fishing). March 1st – 31st: Knotwork – 610 sailfish raises, 449 bites and 303 releases. Blue Marlin: 5 raises, 3 bites, 3 release. Striped Marlin: 1 Raises, 1 bite, and 1 release. Dorado: 52. (26 days of fishing). March 1st – 31st: Gypsy – 502 sailfish raises, 378 bites, and 245 releases (9 on FLY!). Blue Marlin: 16 raises, 12 bites, and 9 releases. Striped Marlin: 2 raises. 2 bites and 2 releases. Dorado: 67 (1 on FLY!). Rooster Fish 35. (27 days fishing). ONE DAY WITH GRAND SLAM March 1st – 31st: Maverick – 452 sailfish raises, 408 bites and 244 releases. Blue Marlin: 12 raises, 10 bites, and 2 releases. Striped Marlin 3 raises, 3 bites, and 3 releases. Dorado: 61. Rooster Fish: 32. (26 days of fishing). March 2nd – 31st: Libertad – 452 sailfish raises, 378 bites and 243 releases. Dorado: 43. (14 days of fishing). March 1st: Uno Mas – 15 sailfish raises, 10 bites, and 8 releases. (1 day of fishing). March 1st – 30th: Sirena – 71 sailfish raises, 46 bites, and 21 releases (3 on FLY!). Dorado: 3. (4 days of fishing). March 1st: Tranquility – 9 Rooster Fish. (1 day of fishing). March 30th: Mojo – 7 sailfish raises, 5 bites and 4 releases. Dorado: 10. (1 day of fishing).TOTAL MARCH BILLFISH NUMBERS: 2661 Sailfish raises, 2109 Bites, 1038 Releases. 44 Blue Marlin raises, 31 bites, and 19 released. 7 for 7 for Striped Marlin.
A big CONGRATULATIONS to anglers, William Brookshire and David Rembert II for releasing a Billfish Grandslam (Sailfish, Striped Marlin & Blue Marlin). Congrats to team Gypsy for a job well done.
Great time for Preston McElheney and his entire group of 16. There is nothing more important than spending a fishing excursion with family and friends. The group had the time of their lives. Their numbers were 457 sailfish raises, 385 bites, and released 240.
January’s fishing report was nothing short of stellar. Is February going to be the same? You better believe it!For those who love Fly fishing, there were plenty of shots this month. Captain Jimmy on Gypsy racked up the numbers and so did other Captains in our fleet.Marlin activity started to heat up and it will continue through Spring. I don’t know about you, but when I hear the word marlin, it gets my full attention. Compared to last year, striped marlin has shown up in better numbers. This gives many anglers the variety and opportunity for a Billfish Grandslam (Sailfish, Striped Marlin, & Blue Marlin).The tasty dorado is still chomping on the bit and keeping anglers busy. Yellowfin tuna have been around as well, but no big ones yet. That will change very soon.If the fishing is this good, what will March surprise us with? It’s to be an action-packed report.
February Fishing Report:
February 1st – 29th: Maverick – 297 sailfish raises, 268 bites and 189 releases (1 on FLY!). Blue Marlin: 1 raised, 1 bite, and 1 released. Striped Marlin: 1 raised, 1 bite, and 1 released. Dorados: 30. Yellowfin Tuna: 8 (21 days of fishing). February 2nd – 29th: Chechos – 364 sailfish raises, 301 bites and 182 releases (2 on FLY!). Blue Marlin: 5 raises, 2 bites, 1 release. Striped Marlin: 3 Raises, 3 bites and 3 releases. Dorado: 47. Yellowfin Tuna 3. (26 days of fishing). February 2nd – 29th: Gypsy – 198 sailfish raises, 149 bites, and 80 releases (23 on FLY!). Blue Marlin: 3 raises, 2 bites, and 1 release. Dorado: 16. (11 days fishing) February 2nd – 29th: Knotwork – 133 sailfish raises, 97 bites and 66 releases. Blue Marlin: 3 raises. Dorado: 25. Yellowfin Tuna: 3. (11 days of fishing). February 1st – 29th: Libertad – 138 sailfish raises, 111 bites and 72 releases. Dorado: 14. (8 days of fishing). February 2nd – 24th: Uno Mas – 152 sailfish raises, 123 bites and 91 releases. Blue Marlin: 4 raises. Striped Marlin: 1 Raise, 1 bite, and 1 release. Dorado: 15. (12 days of fishing). February 2nd – 28th: Sirena – 134 sailfish raises, 102 bites, and 66 releases (6 on FLY!). Blue Marlin: 5 raises. Dorado: 21. (10 days of fishing). February 2nd – 29th: Tranquility – 92 sailfish raises, 81 bites and 56 releases. Dorado: 23. Yellowfin Tuna 2. (7 days of fishing). February 5th: Mijooo – 13 sailfish raises, 7 bites and 2 releases (2 on FLY!). Yellowfin Tuna 3. (1 day of fishing). February 21st: Mojo – 9 sailfish raises, 7 bites and 4 releases. Dorado: 2. (1 day of fishing).
The Billfish Unicorn, one in a million, or an albino sailfish? Whatever you want to call it, it’s a sight you will never forget. Big day for guests, Paul Renfro and his group for releasing a rare “leucistic” sailfish (proper scientific name). Mr. Renfro and his group were fishing on our new boat, Libertad (40′ G&S).
It’s been non-stop since the start of the new year. Back-to-back trade shows in Dallas and Nashville. Now… preparing for the Miami International Boat Show, February 14th through the 18th (Booth # MB5022).
January’s bite was as it was supposed to be this time of year, awesome! The sails came to play and so did a lot of the guests. With that many numbers around, many brought out the Fly rods.
We also had our share of blue marlin bites. Dorado keeps on being strong and yellowfin tuna was hit or miss.
January Fishing Report:
January 16th – 31st: Maverick – 204 sailfish raises, 188 bites and 128 releases. Dorados: 72. (14 days of fishing). January 4th – 28th: Chechos – 482 sailfish raises, 406 bites and 260 releases (1 on FLY!). Blue Marlin: 5 raises, 2 bites, 0 releases. Dorado: 114. (21 days of fishing). January 2nd – 28th: Gypsy – 502 sailfish raises, 438 bites and 278 releases (15 on FLY!). Blue Marlin: 3 raises, 1 bites and 0 releases. Dorado: 89. (19 days fishing) January 2nd – 27th: Knotwork – 523 sailfish raises, 429 bites and 309 releases (2 on FLY!). Blue Marlin: 2 raises, 1 bite and 1 release. Dorado: 31. (21 days of fishing). January 5th – 20th: Sirena – 137 sailfish raises, 103 bites and 56 releases (12 on FLY!). Blue Marlin: 1 raise, 0 bite and 0 release. Dorado: 13 (3 on FLY!). (9 Days of fishing). January 12th – 15th: Mojo – 64 sailfish raises, 52 bites and 31 releases. Dorado: 10. (3 Days of fishing). January 7th: Tranquility – 19 sailfish raises, 17 bites and 13 releases. Dorado: 3. (1 Day of fishing). January 12th: Mijooo – 37 sailfish raises, 30 bites and 22 releases. Dorado: 2. (1 Day of fishing).
I hope everyone had an amazing holiday and a Happy New Year. We are still on a high from last month’s Guatemala Billfish Invitational.
December was one for the books for sure. We are now prepping for the hunting/sportfishing trade show season and Dallas, Texas is first. If you are in the area, please visit us at the DSC Convention, January 11th – 14th, Booth #355. We are excited to see and hear from so many who are looking forward to traveling in 2024.
THANKS TO YOU! Our fleet has been non-stop. The blue marlin bite has also been good. Anglers who never had the opportunity to check off from their bucket list got to experience it. Always a great sight to see the excitement in their faces releasing their first fish.
There was no shortage of Dorado during December. I always make a joke about it, as during the Invitational, anglers were trying to break off 20-30lb fish, so they could concentrate on the sails. Where else around the world do you hear that?
The tournament in 3 days generated 1534 sailfish raises, 1267 bites, and 764 Sailfish releases. 17 blue marlin raises, 11 blue marlin bites, and 5 released. The fishing report below does not include these numbers. So this shows you how good the numbers in December were.
December Fishing Report:
December 2nd – 7th: Maverick – 90 sailfish raises, 69 bites and 49 releases. Dorados: 51. (5 days of fishing). December 2nd – 31st: Chechos – 464 sailfish raises, 417 bites and 259 releases. Blue Marlin: 4 raises, 2 bites, 0 releases. Dorado: 173. (26 days of fishing). December 2nd – 31st: Gypsy – 402 sailfish raises, 440 bites and 235 releases (4 on FLY!). Blue Marlin: 6 raises, 5 bites and 4 releases. Dorado: 211 and 3 Rooster fish. (23 days fishing) December 2nd – 31st: Knotwork – 302 sailfish raises, 219 bites and 164 releases (6 on FLY!). Blue Marlin: 4 raises, 3 bites and 1 release. Dorado: 118 and 1 on FLY!. (18 days of fishing).
We are hosting our first women’s fishing tournament. The goal of this tournament is to bring lady anglers together to catch fish, but most importantly have fun on the water! Get your friends together and enter as a team (4 anglers) or enter as an individual and meet new anglers. Each boat will include a captain and two mates. No experience is required.
Blue marlin, sailfish, dorado, and yellowfin tuna will be the main attraction.
Ladies will be competing for beautiful hardware from our friends at Kingsailfish Mounts.
Awards:
Top Billfish Release Team (1st, 2nd, 3rd)
Top Billfish Release Angler
Top Dorado
Top Yellowfin Tuna
May 3rd – 6th, 2023. This is an all-inclusive package with 3 nights and 2 full days of offshore fishing during prime time.
Price: $3225 per person
Due to limited space and high demand, we highly recommend to secure your spot!
For more info, you can contact us at: 888-431-5556 or Ozzy Delgado at [email protected]
