David “Sam” Clapp joins our Miami Sales Staff
PUERTO SAN JOSE, Guatemala – November 9, 2011
Casa Vieja Lodge is proud to announce the addition of David “Sam” Clapp to our Miami sales staff. Sam moved over from Jackson, Wyoming where he has been a fishing guide for over 20 years. Sam has guided in Montana, Idaho and the Florida Keys. Growing up on Long Island, New York, Sam’s passion was Stripers, Bluefish and Tuna etc. In the late 90’s Sam skippered his own 46’ Sportboat as an owner operator for over three years throughout the Bahamas. Chasing Blue marlin, Wahoo and a variety of reef species in hot spots like Cat, Crooked and Long Island. He later moved on to Golfito, Costa Rica with a 38’ Bertram which he skippered for four years. Billfishing on light tackle and fly quickly became his forte. He’s competed in numerous billfishing tournaments on fly and conventional tackle in Guatemala, Costa Rica and Venezuela. From driftboat to offshore gameboats, Sam has pretty much done it all!!! . We’re excited that he’s now jumped on board with Casa Vieja Lodge and know all our clients will be very well served with his expertise.
Casa Vieja Lodge is one of the world’s premier sportfishing lodges with the most experienced captains and mates in the Western Hemisphere. Casa Vieja's Sportfishing Fleet has earned recognition as the worlds top tagging and releasing gameboats year after year. Its modern bilingual sportfishing fleet has also been a pioneer in introducing the most anglers to fly fishing for billfish in the world. www.casaviejalodge.com
Press Contact:Casa Vieja Lodge
info@casaviejalodge.com
Tel: (800) 882-HOOK (4665)
Fax: (305) 854-4466
Fish with a Legend
Miami, Florida/Casa Vieja Lodge, Guatemala- Big-game pioneer and legendary billfish skipper Capt. Ron Hamlin will soon end his long and storied career as a charter boat captain, taking the helm of the Release Boatworks fractional ownership program where he will continue to chase his 30,000th billfish release.
Casa Vieja Lodge named one of the top “Hot Spots” by Peter B. Wright.
PUERTO SAN JOSE, Guatemala – October 7, 2011
Capt. Peter B. Wright best known as the top skipper with the most granders in history has picked Casa Vieja Lodge in the West Coast of Guatemala as the location to “hit right now” for its great fishing and easy access. Click here to see his top list or you can read his complete article here.
Captain Ron Hamlin named one of the most influential people in the sport of billfishing by Marlin Magazine
PUERTO SAN JOSE, Guatemala – October 6, 2011
Congratulations to Captain Ron Hamlin, named one of the most influential people in the sport of billfishing by Marlin Magazine, “30 years of Marlin The People” by Skip Smith. Click on the following link to read the complete article.
Ron’s ability to work with novice and the most experience anglers make him one of the worlds most sought after charter captains, with over 28,000 thousand billfish releases under his belt. Captain Ron and our entire Casa Vieja fleet have some limited peak season dates still available. Call for details and availability. Fishing reports at this early stage have been coming back with double digit raises and all indications are that 2012 will be another record breaking season!!!
Casa Vieja Lodge expands fleet
Casa Vieja Lodge adds Capt. David Salazar and Juan Cruz Anon to its Guatemalan management staff
'Captain Hook' - Capt Ron Hamlin
By Patrick Mansell
Capt Ron Hamlin is one of the most influential, highly regarded and successful skippers in
the history of gamefishing. He has guided his clients to more than 27,000 billfish catches.
Ron has enjoyed the highs of exceptional achievement, but he's also endured the lows of a
disturbing period that almost claimed his life. Patrick Mansell profiles this extraordinary captain.
"Bait and Switch" Fishing for Sailfish -- Blind?
By Captain Lawrence Euteneier
BlindFishingBoat.Com
Never being one to turn down a challenge, I jumped at the chance to take part in the production of an episode of the "Best and Worst of Tred Barta". Tred was curious whether my claim to be able to catch any fish using my sense of touch alone would hold true. Being blind since age eight and a professional fisher, it never crossed my mind that I may have bitten off more than I could chew.
The Guatemalan Chronicles:
The Making of a Billfish Mecca
By Mike Mazur
As Capt. Chris Sheeder quartered Rum Line into the choppy Pacific swells that warm April morning, I focused on my plan. If a sailfish appeared in the spread, I'd take it. If by chance a marlin showed, I'd relinquish it to my host and fishing partner, Jake Jordan. After all, he was a bit more experienced with the brutes. I started telling Jordan my idea, but before I could finish, a chorus of hollering rang down from the bridge. You guessed it: Marlin! Marlin! Marlin! Without thinking (and completely ditching my plan), I flew to the transom, grabbed the 16-weight and tossed the profile fly into the wash. Sheeder popped the boat in neutral, and upon command, I heaved a cast into the clear water right where the teaser had been yanked.
The Barta Billfish Camp
Come one, come all to the most unique trip your family and friends have
ever taken together. Mark your calendar 25 June to 01 July 2011
The Barta Billfish Camp at Casa Vieja Lodge, Guatemala. Everyone who
hears of the concept says "Wow! Why hasn't this been done before?" The Barta
Billfish Camp is unequaled anywhere on the planet.
Every morning, Tred, along with his cadre of the finest billfishing captains
in the world (Ron Hamlin, Jason Brice and the Sheeder Brothers) will give each
family group a short seminar prior to fishing. The mates will show the attendees
how they rig their ballyhoo and then everyone will do it. The captains will show
how they make the flies and attractors that catch the sails.
This camp is about participation, not how many fish you catch or about the
number of releases, but the quality of the fishing. Children will be allowed to tag
their parents fish and vice versa.
Evenings will feature short seminars and videos taken from the boats
showing everyone your skills and hopefully how you can improve your fishing
back home.
There's never been an opportunity like this before where the entire family
can learn the art and joy of billfishing from the rigging to hookup to boat handling
to the release. Tred and his captains love to teach. The captains have caught
tens of thousands of billfish in their lifetimes. Capt. Hamlin is on his way to
28,000 releases with over 10,000 tagged; Capt. Chris Sheeder has tagged over a
thousand blue marlin and his brother Mike is the top sailfish tagger for 2009. All
the captains want to give back, to share and to teach.
The boats are fully restored classics – Merritts, Gamefisherman, Whiticar
and Rybovich. It's not just limited to Fathers and sons, but Mothers and
daughters too. Recently Tred aboard the Rum Line, instructed the Turner
daughters (Mary Kate 15, Bridget 12 and Emily 8) to catch their first sailfish on
eight pound line.
It's not just about fishing – everyone is invited to visit the nearby town of
Pto. San Jose where the Lodge is building a new school for the 155 children that
was washed away in the 2010 flooding. Donations are always accepted
Then there's the trip back in time to La Antigua (cir 1532). This side-trip is
also included in the price of the package.
The schedule:
Sat, 25 June – Arrival in Guatemala City. Chauffeured vans take your
family the 108 km to the lodge. As you pass by the three volcanoes, you'll
experience the city turn into the country and farms all the way down to the
port. Arrival late afternoon at Casa Vieja Lodge, room assignments.
Arrival banquet starting at 7pmSun, 26 June thru Wed, 29 June
- Four full days of billfishing and having fun!Our boats are fully equipped with a captain and two mates, all your tackle,
baits, lures and flies. Lunches and boat beverages are included.Thu, 30 June - During the week – a tour of Antigua. What can you say
about a city that had running water and paved streets before the
Mayflower set sail? It's a full day tour of the ancient city including the
catacombs and cathedral in the former capital of the country.Awards banquet at the Lodge
Fri, 01 July - Departure to La Aurora Intl. Airport for your flight.
The price is $10,995 per family of up to four and/or friends.
The package includes:
- VIP airport reception and roundtrip transfers;
- Six nights deluxe accommodations;
- All meals from day of arrival to morning of departure;
- Four full days of instruction - billfishing with the greatest group of captains in the Americas;
- One full day of touring in Antigua
- Lunches on the boats and boat beverages
Do you want do reserve your spot for the adventure of a lifetime?
Call Tred at 970.328.5509 or Casa Vieja's main office line at 800.882.4665 and
say "yes, I want to go!"
Casa Vieja Lodge on Big Game Fishing Journal
Casa Vieja Lodge was featured in January/February issue of Big Game Fishing Journal. To view the article please click on the image below.
Casa Vieja Lodge on Playboy
Casa Vieja Lodge was featured in September's issue of Playboy. To view the article please click on the image below.
Highballs for Team Casa Vieja and the Rum Line crew!!! 9th Annual Flor de Cana Torneo International de Pesca
August 12-14, 2010
Capt. Chris Sheeder skipper of the Rum Lime, a 40’ Gamefisherman with mates Jairo De Leon and Yefri Garcia guided Team Casa Vieja anglers Jim Turner, David Salazar, Mike Sheeder and Franz Hoffman to win the 9th Annual Flor de Cana International Torneo de Pesca. Capt. Sheeder jumped on the lead on day one after starting 5 sails behind the leader boat, Rum Runner. The first day totals closed out with 27 releases for the Rum Line, 24 for the Rum Runner and 14 for the Gear Up. The start of the second day was much like the first. The Rum Runner started the morning hot and quickly released 4 sails to regain the lead before the Rum Line radioed in its first catch. Heavy cloud cover followed by a torrential downpour slowed the fishing to a crawl and then completely shut off that morning. Captains and anglers monitored radio for a couple of hours for any signs of life. As the sun slowly pierced through the clouds so did the sailfish bills through the water. But what no one had realized was that Capt. Sheeder had slipped away from the pack and gambled on a new spot. A roll of the dice that paid off handsomely as Capt. Sheeder called in release after release. The Rum Line regained a comfortable lead to win the tournament by day's end. The top three teams closed out with the Gear Up with 33 releases, the Rum Runner with 43 releases and Rum Line with 51 releases. The tournament broke all previous records with 30 gameboats releasing 228 billfish in this two day event.
Switch & Catch: Captains along Guatemala’s Pacific coast have the bait-and-switch down to a science.
July 2010
From SaltWaterSportsMan.com
Text by John Brown Lee. Photos by Richard Gibson
It’s late March in Guatemala, and I’m standing next to Capt. Ron Hamlin on the flybridge of the classic 40-foot Whiticar Finest Kind, doing one of my favorite things — bait-and-switch trolling for Pacific sailfish. Hamlin has tagged and released over 10,000 billfish during his long career, and he has probably forgotten more about this style of fishing than most captains will ever know.
Hamlin, photographer Richard Gibson and I stare at the baits from the bridge, and when a sailfish shows up, everyone in the cockpit moves instantly into a well-rehearsed routine; there’s no panic or pandemonium here. The fish rises to a hookless teaser riding on the face of the second boat wake, to the left. The mates grab the teaser rods as my wife, Poppy, picks up a 30-pound conventional outfit and pulls a waiting ballyhoo rigged on a circle hook from its pitch-bait tube and drops it over the transom.
Father & Son Billfish Classic Tournament
June 18-21, 2010
By Popular Demand
Casa Vieja Lodge is pleased to announce that we are bringing back the Fins ‘N Feathers Father & Son Tournament! Join us for what has been Guatemala’s favorite billfish tournament. Long known for the planet’s highest concentration of Sailfish, Guatemala is emerging as the future Blue Marlin Mecca along the Eastern Pacific Rim. Join the Casa Vieja Fleet at Marina Pez Vela for our annual event.
Casa Vieja Lodge welcomes both old and
new participants to the 2010 Father & Son
Billfish Classic Tournament. Participants will
fish three full days aboard the Casa Vieja
boats. Please remember that this is a family
tournament, the EMPHASIS IS NOT ON THE
COMPETITION, but rather for one and all to
have fun. We just hope the Seniors are able
to keep up with the Juniors in this fun
production arena!
TEAMS
Don’t let the name fool you. In the Casa
Vieja Lodge Father & Son Billfish Classic
Tournament, any two-generation team is
eligible for participation. There will be two
people per team. Boats will each host two
teams. The tournament committee will try
to assign teams to boats according to age
levels in the “junior” division. Entry into the
Tournament will be limited to 12 teams.
Prizes and Awards
As in the past, prizes will include trophies
for the top three teams. The winning team
will have name plaques on the newly
created permanent Casa Vieja Lodge Father & Son Billfish Classic Tournament Trophy.
The Grand Prize for the winning team will
be a VIP return trip for two days of fishing
for later in the year 2010!
PROGRAM OF EVENTS
Friday, June 18, 2010
- Arrive Guatemala City
- Chauffeured transport from Aurora Airport to Casa Vieja Lodge
- Welcome beverages at check in
- Captains and Angler meeting begins at 7:00pm at the Casa Vieja restaurant
- Dinner after meeting
- One Double room for each team reserved at the Casa Vieja Lodge
Saturday, June 19, 2010
- Breakfast begins at 6:00 am
- Boats leave the dock at 7:00 am and return by 5:00 pm
- Dinner served at Casa Vieja Lodge
- Nights at Casa Vieja Lodge
Sunday, June 20, 2010
- Breakfast begins at 6:00 am
- Last day of fishing. Boats leave the dock at 7:00 am and return by 5:00 pm
- Awards Dinner & Banquet at the Casa Vieja Lodge at 7:00 pm
- Last night at the Casa Vieja Lodge Monday, June 21, 2010
- Breakfast begins at the Casa Vieja Lodge served between 6:00 am and 9:00 am
- Chauffeured transport from Casa Vieja Lodge to Aurora International Airport
FOR MORE INFORMATION
About the Casa Vieja Lodge and Tournament Rules and
Entry Form please contact us through the following:
Phone: 866-846-9121 Fax: 305-396-4986
E-mail: Info@CasaViejaLodge.com
Web Address: www.CasaViejaLodge.com
Address: 2550 So. Bayshore Drive
ENTRY FEE: $2900 per team*
*Entry fee includes: ground
transportation between the Guatemala
City Airport, Casa Vieja Lodge and
Marina Pez Vela, 3 nights in 1 double
room and all your meals at the Casa
Vieja Lodge, 2 full days of fishing and a
chartiable contribution to building
schools in Pto San Jose poverty areas.
Basically your entrance fee includes
everything except airfare, tips and
Senior’s bar bill.
Download Tournament Rules & Application
Casa Vieja's Summer Getaways
Take advantage of our summer rates starting in July and running through October. While our typical packages are 5 days, 4 nights and 3 days of fishing on one of our classic boats; we can customize an itinerary just for you.
What a great opportunity to test out the waters that have been written about in every major publication! Fish with some of the world’s the top Captains and crews in. Sharpen your skills or catch your first Marlin.
Last summer’s Blue Marlin bite was “RED HOT”. The summer season can be a little rainy at times, but you’ll still have lots of shots at Sails and Marlin. Of course the ever-present Dorado in the 30 – 40 pound class are around every day and the Yellowfin Tunas are making their journey thru the area.
All the amenities of the world class Casa Vieja Lodge coupled with the world’s finest gameboats = great summertime fishing. The price is right, so take the whole family. Kids 14 and under stay, eat and fish for free when accompanied by a parent.
We still have boats available for the next couple weeks. You can still come on down for your trip of a lifetime. Remember that last year’s Marlin run heated up in April and was in full swing by May! Don’t miss your chance to be at Casa Vieja Lodge for a world class sporting vacation, call the office at (866) 846-9121 today for availability.