Guatemala Fishing Vacations
Guatemalan Fish Species and Calendar Seasons
Sailfish
While Guatemala fishing, the hard fighting sailfish is the local kings of our waters. Like all fishing, some months are better than others but when it comes to sailfish in Guatemala we seem to always have extremely good catchable populations very close at our doorsteps. The best months of December through May are our normal prime sailfish season. Fifteen to twenty fish per day is pretty much the norm with catches up to 50 fish a day being a distinct possibility. Pacific Sailfish average 80 to 100 pounds with some giant sailfish over 100 pounds. All sailfish are released to provide more fishing excitement for the next angler!
Marlin
Many blue marlin, black marlin and striped marlin are caught each year in our warm offshore Guatemala waters. These three species grow to absolutely incredible size and they are the alpha predators among our pelagic Guatemalan fish species. Various marlin species can show up in any month on the calendar and are always a distinct possibility to make a surprise visit to our baits. An interesting fact about Guatemala panga fishing is that many people believe that it would be impossible to catch one of these giants using a panga. Actually, nothing could be further from the truth! With a larger boat you don't have the maneuverability that we can achieve with a smaller boat. Instead of the marlin fighting against just the angler's rod and reel, with the smaller boat, the marlin is now fighting against the flexibility of the rod, reel and the quick maneuvering boat.
Dorado
Whether you call them dorado, dolphin, dolphinfish, or mahi-mahi they are a beautiful brightly colored high jumping fish that are a blast to catch and even better to eat. This is another species that is a distinct possibility to catch in our Guatemala fishing waters nearly year round. As the water warms, large schools of dorado will get even closer to shore and are often within just a couple miles of the marina. When a school is located, it is literally possible to catch them until your arms ache. Dorado are extremely fast growing with an average life span of only five years. Dorado can weigh up to ten pounds in only a single year of growth. Many dorado weighing over fifty pounds are caught every season in Guatemala.
Wahoo
The best way to describe a wahoo is that it is a long slender missile of an eating machine. Wahoo are famous for making short order of the best prepared lures and baits by chopping them to pieces with their wickedly sharp rows of teeth. You can find wahoo in our local waters just about every month on the calendar. They usually roam in our Guatemala sportfishing offshore waters in solitaire or small wolf packs and they often attack the baits with a charge from the deep straight up to the surface sending them 10 feet or more into the air. The ultimate excitement of seeing a wahoo skyrocket your lure is something that will live in your memories for a long time. The average size wahoo is 25 to 30 pounds but monster wahoo over 120 pounds have been caught by some lucky anglers.
Yellowfin Tuna
Looking to have a bulldog of a battle? The yellowfin tuna grows big and mean traveling in large schools in the Guatemala offshore sportfishing waters. When hooked these bulldogs stay deep while doing wide circles under the boat and daring you to try to bring them to the surface. Since they run in schools, often multiple hook ups are common and when that happens the "firedrill" is on. You can find tuna in our local waters just about every month on the calendar. The average yellowfin tuna is around 30 pounds with massive "allisons" over 100 pounds a possibility. Yellowfin are another of those offshore species cursed with the problem of being excellent on the table.