March Madness in Guatemala
March of 2024 was a banner month for sailfish at Casa Vieja Lodge in Guatemala. That’s not surprising, because March is almost always a time of calm seas, perfect weather, and hefty fish counts, but this year there were a few days that were beyond exceptional.
Most notably, on March 9th, the Pica Más raised 88 sailfish, convinced 80 of them to bite, and brought 60 of them to the boat. It wasn’t like they were a complete outlier, though. The Hooker raised 75 and released 40 that day. Both boats also caught mahi, which enabled them to have the freshest lunch possible. I’m not sure that my arms and back could handle that type of constant strain, but I’m willing to find out.
Those weren’t the only great days. On March 24th, seven boats went out and landed between 19 and 36 sails each. The next day, the three boats that fished landed between 23 and 29. Over the course of the month, there were more “boat days” with double-digit releases than single digit releases. Where else can that happen?
The fleet also targeted other species, such as snapper, grouper and tuna. As noted above, mahi are a tasty bycatch. There were also quite a few striped and black marlin in the spreads. They’re not guaranteed, but they do show up with some regularity.
If you think that’s an aberration, you need only return to past years to see the incredible numbers that March can yield. For example, on March 28th of 2023, four boats landed between 21 and 39 sails. Shortly before that, on the 17th, The Hooker went 78/71/43, while the seven other boats that went out landed between 25 and 48 sails apiece. The Day before, the Makaira had 57, and three other boats had over 30.
Of course, past results are no guarantee of future success, but the March bite seems to be consistently good and reliable. If you don’t believe me, just check CVL’s historical reports.
Just be sure to book early! Remember, not only is March a well-known producer of huge numbers of sailfish, but it’s also when a lot of families have spring breaks that enable them to travel together. Email Hanna asap if you’d like to get the process started. You don’t want to miss out on a near-triple-digit day because you waited too long.
