Guatemala Fishing Report – Greatsailfishing ! December 7th 2009

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La Quema del Diablo

This is a time of year that hopefully everyone is in good spirits as we approach the festive season. There are few peoples that enjoy a good celebration than the indigenous Guatemaltecos – and why stop at one ?? La Quema del Diablo (The burning of the devil) is a day that dates back as far as the 18th century, and is a combination of the pragmatic (take out household detritus and burn it) and culture whereby the act of burning represents the purging of evil. It is centered in Antigua in front of the Convent of Conception as locals erect an effigy of Lucifer and set it ablaze…………accompanied by fireworks that start around 6pm and continue pretty much uninterrupted all night as the crowds move from the North of the city to the “Old Capital” just outside Antigua proper.
It is not a coincidence that the Fiesta immediately precedes the Fiesta de La Virgen de Inmaculada Concepción Fas it also represents the struggle of the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception with the devil throughout her life. The Virgin is a very special saint for Guatemala - she was declared patron Saint of Guatemala City as early as 1738, and patron Saint of the Americas by Charles III in 1756. From the start of December until Semana Santa (Holy Week), there is no shortage of festivities to observe if you care to take a break from fishing for a day.
The Collard group arrived from the snow of Rhode Island a little apprehensive as they were to start fishing immediately after the full moon. Many anglers (and Captains) hold the opinion that during the full moon phase, the predatory fish are able to pursue their quarry during the night and hence are less aggressive for an easy meal during the day. Certainly the day did start out a little slow – and the fish that rose to the teasers were lazy and picky. You could feel the billfish hitting the bait with their bill as to play with it rather than to consume it. Timing was everything.
It took considerable skill and feel to determine when the sailfish had tired of playing and was ready to eat ……..and so to set the hook. On the positive side, this play provided plenty of practice (they raised 27 sailfish that day) without necessarily enduring the fight on every occasion.

See the SST report here

There has been a steady improvement in the marlin bite over the course of the last week, with fish raised most days. Even better, the blue water – while moving quickly and changing sometimes dramatically from day to day has remained mostly close in – lines in at about 15 miles and most action occurring at less than 20 miles from the dock. Just enough time to finish the coffee before the action starts !
The snow has started to fall and stay on the ground in the Northern US States - so now is a great time to book in for a fishing trip to the calm waters and sunshine of Guatemala while we still have dates available ! Get our FREE Angling Guide to Guatemala