Pez Dispenser

If you’re traveling to catch a new species, unless you’re exclusively a trophy hunter and you’re willing to blank, go someplace where you’re going to get a lot of bites.

That may seem obvious, but you’d be surprised how often travelers disregard it. They’ll go to a fishery that has “some” smallmouths or “some” muskies and target those lesser fish, rather than either targeting the predominant species or going someplace that actually has numbers. Then they’re surprised that they don’t succeed.

Of course, there’s a sliding scale. If you’re going after muskies, a lake like St. Clair, where you can fully expect to catch a few per day under prime conditions, is the best you’re going to do. If you’re going for redfish or crappie, a handful a day isn’t a particularly good experience.

That’s why we chose Guatemala for what was effectively our first foray into billfishing. Not only was the travel easy and the food and accommodations at Casa Vieja Lodge first rate, but we knew we’d get multiple shots at sailfish (aka “pez vela”) every day. That meant if we lost one it wasn’t the end of the world. We had no real understanding of quite how good it would be – over the course of three days we landed 37 leaping billfish and raised a ridiculous 57. We caught 23 on the first day on the water, including a remarkable 6 doubles. During one of those doubles we had a third fish in the spread just looking for something to chew. That prosperity took the pressure off of us. We’d forget whose “turn” it was and just grab a rod when one was ready. Even my parents semi-reluctantly took turns.

It also meant that we were more able to get involved in the fishing. On Day One, we let the mates Daniel and Tony do the bait-and-switch and hook up, then hand us the rod to fight the fish. On Day Two, we had them teach us the process, with mixed results. If we’d only been getting a bite or two a day, we might not have wanted to take that chance.

So when you’re planning that first trip, go where they live in groups. Don’t put a lot of effort into a once-in-a-lifetime deal where the odds aren’t stacked in your favor. You might have so much fun that you decide to make it more than just once. We’re headed back in a couple of weeks with another couple.