Transition from Mate to Boat Captain- Marlin Mag- July 2018
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.
It was a good cast, and I held my breath. Bumped the fly. Waited. Nothing.
Just like that, the fish vanished. I never saw it. It was a blue, the mates said. A 300-pounder. I looked at Jordan and shrugged with a smile.
While this story may not have a glorious ending, it serves notice just the same: If you’re looking for billfish on the fly, Guatemala is the place to go. Ask around. You’ll get few arguments. The sailfish? They’re relatively easy. Catching five to 10 in a day is not unusual. And in recent years, no fishery the world over has produced more blue marlin on fly gear than this one.
Yet anglers have been fishing this little Central American country for only about 20 years. In that short span, Guatemala has played a pivotal role in shaping and perfecting the modern big-game fly techniques of today. Here’s how that came to be.
Read the Article in Fly Fishing in Saltwater, Mar / Apr 2011 (PDF)
Reproduced from “Fly Fishing in Salt Water- March / April 2011”
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