On June 11, 2026, Captain Alex Lewis set off for Guatemala with our good friend Mark Busch, ready for some serious offshore fishing at Casa Vieja Lodge. After landing, Alex skipped the long car ride and took a short flight to the lodge instead. Once he arrived and got settled, the crew served dinner to get everyone ready for a few action-packed days on the water.
For three days, the crew fished from 7 am to 4 pm using teasers and dead bait—a different setup than what we use in the Florida Keys, but with less fishing pressure and fewer boats competing for the same fish, dead bait works just as well there. The days were long, but the crew made sure no one went hungry: lunch was always fresh on the boat, whatever they caught that day plus chicken sandwiches or cheeseburgers, and Captain Alex said the fruit platters were some of the best he’s ever had—so fresh and sweet it almost distracted from the fishing! The lodge experience matched the effort on the water, too: at check-in, guests get a Yeti water bottle to use for the whole trip, a small touch that helps cut down on plastic waste.
Friday, June 12, 2026, began just right: a wake-up knock, breakfast downstairs, and a van ride to the marina to board The Hooker. The team went after sailfish on day one and had a great start.
Captain Alex, Mark, and our friend Digger were joined by Mark Burr, Andrew Burr, and Steven Ditto. They raised 21 sailfish, got 21 bites, and released 14. A solid way to start the trip!
Day two shifted gears to yellowfin tuna, at Mark’s request. Down in Guatemala, one of the go-to strategies for finding tuna is spotting spinning porpoises. These are small dolphins known for leaping and spinning out of the water, and yellowfin tuna commonly school up right underneath them, a well-documented pairing researchers are still studying but that anglers have relied on for decades. Find the porpoises, and you’ve usually found the tuna.
The tuna didn’t want to cooperate that particular day, but the crew wasn’t about to sit on their hands. Instead, they put out a blue marlin spread. The technique: run a teaser, and the second a fish pops up behind it, send back a bonita and hang on. It worked!
The team got two bites, with Steve landing the first blue marlin of the day and Mark Busch boating the second, and both fish estimated well over 300 pounds. On top of the two marlin, they also released three sailfish and kept one mahi. Another full, action-packed day offshore!
On day three, the crew returned to sailfishing, but the best moment wasn’t a catch. They spotted a sea turtle tangled in longline material and quickly worked together to free it and send it safely back into the water. Besides the turtle rescue, it was still a good day of fishing, with 23 sailfish bites and 13 releases. Captain Alex also noticed that, unlike in other places, the mahi there were found almost only on floating debris, and every one they caught was a gaffer or bigger.
Besides the fishing, the whole trip was top-notch. The lodge was comfortable and clean, the staff was friendly and helpful, and the crew always felt safe thanks to 24-hour security. When it was time to leave, a helicopter picked them up right at the lodge and flew them closer to the airport. On the way, Captain Alex saw a nearby volcano that had recently erupted, with lava still visible. It was a memorable way to end the trip.
Overall, it was a fantastic and successful trip. Captain Alex highly recommends Casa Vieja Lodge to anyone wanting to fish in Guatemala. It’s a family-run place, and as a family business ourselves, we understand how much hard work goes into keeping things running so well.
Ready to plan your own offshore adventure with us in the Florida Keys? Give us a call at 305-289-0071 or fill out our contact form, and we’ll help you find the right trip for your group!
