Guatemala: A tropical fishing paradise
It’s got friendly folks, perfect weather and so many sailfish you can even land ’em on a fly rod
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#3 There are world-class sportfishing lodges, captains and crews
Although Guatemala isn’t as well known among Canuck anglers as it should be, serious big-game anglers have been coming to the country’s Pacific coast long enough that there’s an excellent sportfishing infrastructure, with several world-class lodges, all operating safe, comfortable boats with experienced, professional, English-speaking crews. And all the gear you need is on the boat, for both trolling and fly fishing. Pictured above is our awesome crew from the KnotWork, a 35-foot Luhrs Flybridge. Left to right, that’s captain Carlos Alvarenga Alverez, me, my fishing compadre Phil Shook, and mates Alex Montenegro Fajardo and Jose Alvarenga Alverez (the skipper’s brother).
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For my adventure, I chose the all-inclusive Pacific Fins (above), in the town of Iztapa, about 90 minutes drive from Guatemala City’s international airport. Pacific Fins is right on the water, with air-conditioned villas and suites, all with sundecks facing the ocean. I’ve been to enough fishing lodges over the years to recognize when a place is well run, and this one is a gem. It offered outstanding fishing and lodging, including incredible local table fare (especially the seafood), and a pool, bar and cabana that looked a lot like a tropical poster I used to have in my university dorm room.