Who’s Who??
Kirsten, Christian, Kristen, try saying that three times fast!
Just kidding—but we do understand it can be confusing being in contact with such similar names in our office. That’s why this month we’re here for a friendly breakdown of who’s who around the (Miami) office:
The first person you’re most likely to talk to is going to be Kirsten Thomas, our Reservations Manager for the lodge, though you might not ever see her, you’ll definitely hear from her; she’s going to be your go-to source for all things booking and reservation related. Kirsten is going to make sure you get your perfect Casa Vieja Lodge fishing dates.
Next, you’ll most definitely be hearing from Christian Arnold, he’ll collect all your flight, passport info, and payment info so you can enjoy your dream fishing vacation. Christian is going to be the one to help you set up any special requests with the lodge ahead of time (room preferences, food allergies, etc.) and makes sure everything goes off smoothly, without any hiccups. He’s also one heck of a tech guy, he’s the one who helps keep us organized and up to date!
And last but not least, La Jefa herself: Kristen Salazar! Kristen, of course, is one-half of our iconic owner duo. Wife to Capt David and mom of Ava, Vera, Kira and Mika (and Archie!); Kristen has devoted the past ten years to working tirelessly in an effort to Casa Vieja’s best foot forward—and she’s definitely succeeded! You can catch her at Safari Club Shows or non-profit galas, but you’re more than likely to run into Kristen around the lodge with children in tow, or escaping to go fishing; definitely be sure to say hi to her when you do!
Three very similar names, three vastly different jobs around the lodge. All are just as equally important!
An Early Year in Review
This year so far fishing has been hot—and we mean sizzling.
After our third consecutive Hot Bite Day this month, we decided to crunch the numbers a little earlier than usual this year.
So far in 2024, our fleet collectively has had
15,799 sailfish raises
14,148 sailfish bites
9,531 sailfish releases
243 marlin raises
175 marlin bites
118 marlin releases!
That’s all been just in the past 4 months! Now let’s see the breakdown on how phenomenal the fishing has been so far in 2024 for Casa Vieja:
Afinity: 1,052 sailfish raises, 847 sailfish bites, 494 sailfish releases; 18 marlin raises, 13 marlin bites, 7 marlin releases, 3 striped marlin raises, 2 striped marlin bites, 2 striped marlin releases; 112 mahi-mahi, 8 grouper, 13 snappers, & 1 rainbow runner.
Finest Kind: 2,193 sailfish raises, 1,821 sailfish bites, 1,251 sailfish releases; 34 marlin raises, 22 marlin bites, 13 marlin releases, 2 striped marlin raises, 2 striped marlin bites, 2 striped marlin releases; 10 tuna, 230 mahi-mahi & 1 wahoo!
Islander (Chilero): 2,036 sailfish raises, 1,872 sailfish bites, 1,250 sailfish releases; 34 marlin raises, 27 marlin bites, 15 marlin releases, 5 striped marlin raises, 5 striped marlin bites, 5 striped marlin releases, 1 black marlin raise, 1 black marlin bite, 1 black marlin release; 7 tuna & 259 mahi-mahi!
Makaira: 1,998 sailfish raises, 1,848 sailfish bites, 1,328 sailfish releases; 46 marlin raises, 31 marlin bites, 25 marlin releases, 5 striped marlin raises, 5 striped marlin bites, 5 striped marlin releases; 2 tuna & 157 mahi-mahi!
Pica Más: 2,499 sailfish raises, 2,228 sailfish bites, 1,497 sailfish releases; 31 marlin raises, 22 marlin bites, 14 marlin releases, 5 striped marlin raises, 5 striped marlin bites, 5 striped marlin releases; 8 tuna, 2 rooster, 1 mackerel & 265 mahi-mahi!
Release: 1,731 sailfish raises, 1,571 sailfish bites, 984 sailfish releases; 18 marlin raises, 13 marlin bites, 10 marlin releases, 3 striped marlin raises, 3 striped marlin bites, 3 striped marlin releases; 4 rooster & 302 mahi-mahi!
Rum Line: 1,772 sailfish raises, 1,605 sailfish bites, 1,081 sailfish releases; 27 marlin raises, 18 marlin bites, 14 marlin releases, 5 striped marlin raises, 5 striped marlin bites, 5 striped marlin releases; 8 tuna & 242 mahi-mahi!
The Hooker: 1,959 sailfish raises, 1,842 sailfish bites, 1,350 sailfish releases; 24 marlin raises, 20 marlin bites, 14 marlin releases; 39 tuna, 2 rooster, 6 mackerel & 299 mahi-mahi!
Last Minute Openings:
- May 2-4: Afinity (39′) *lodging for 2 anglers
- May 7 & 8: Finest Kind (40′)
- May 14 & 15: Makaira (37′)
- May 30-June 2: Finest Kind (40′)
- May 31-June 4: Release (37′)
- June 10-12: Afinity (39′)
- June 18-21: Release (37′) & Chilero (38′)
- June 28-July 21: Finest Kind (40′) & Release (37′)
These are the available fishing dates, so any days of fishing during these dates will work. Your group will arrive the day before and depart the day after your fishing dates. Click the dates to book or call the Miami office (305) 854-4665.
April Fishing Report
April fishing has been on FIRE! Or as they say around the lodge, En Fuego!
We’ve seen some of our biggest numbers for this time of year ever. Already we’ve had a couple of Hot Bite Days, with the counts as high as the mid-fifties! Fifty-something Sailfish raises for just one day in April? Incredible. It happens every month in Guatemala!
Just yesterday (April 24th) we had one of our fleet get 73 sailfish raises, 69 sailfish bites, and 50 sailfish releases!
The good news is, there doesn’t seem to be any signs of the numbers slowing down anytime soon—thanks, El Niño!—so if you’re looking for some great bill fishing numbers this year, we recommend booking ASAP!
Below are a few fishing highlights (a combination of conventional & fly):
- April 1st-19th, the Finest Kind (40′ Whiticar)with Capt. Benji Bairez, had 506 raises, 434 bites, 278 sailfish releases plus 8 marlin raised, 4 marlin bites, 3 marlin releases, 1 tuna & 15 mahi-mahi!
- April 1st-21st, Pica Más (48′ Whiticar)with Capt. Nicho Alvarenga, had 417 raises, 387 bites, 269 sailfish releases, 7 marlin raised 7 marlin bites, and 7 marlin releases, 1 striped marlin raised, 1 striped marlin bites, and 1 striped marlin release, plus 1 tuna and 10 mahi-mahi, 1 mackerel & 2 roosters!
- April 1st-21st, the Rum Line (40′ Gamefisherman) with Capt. Terry Brennan, had 371 raises, 320 bites, 228 sailfish releases plus 10 marlin raised, 6 marlin bite, 4 marlin released, 1 striped marlin raised, 1 striped marlin bites, and 1 striped marlin release; plus 4 tuna & 33 mahi-mahi.
- April 1st-21st, The Hooker (48′ G&S) with Capt. David Salazar had 449 raises, 435 bites, 295 sailfish releases, 7 marlin raises, 7 marlin bites and 7 marlin released, plus 3 tuna, 19 mahi-mahi & 2 roosters and 6 mackerel!
- April 2nd-21st, the Makaira (37′ Rybovich) with Capt. Jeffrey Garcia, had 404 raises, 375 bites, 263 sailfish releases, 9 marlin raised 8 marlin bites, and 8 marlin releases, 2 striped marlin raises, 2 striped marlin bites, and 2 striped marlin releases; plus 21 mahi-mahi.
- April 2st-21st, the Release (37′ Merritt) with Capt. Sammy Baires, had 432 raises, 391 bites, 258 sailfish releases, 7 marlin raised, 5 marlin bites, 5 striped marlin released, plus 1 tuna, 18 mahi-mahi and 2 roosters!
- April 2nd-21st, the Chilero (Islander)(38′ Warren O’Neal) with Capt. Nico Melendrez had 466 raises, 429 bites, 297 sailfish releases, plus 7 marlin raises, 6 marlin bites, and 4 marlin releases, 2 striped marlin raises, 2 striped marlin bites, and 2 striped marlin releases; plus 3 tuna & 18 mahi-mahi!
- April 4th-17th, the Afinity (39′ Billy Knowles) with Capt. Franz Hoffman, had 276 raises, 227 bites, 152 sailfish releases, 11 marlin raises, 10 marlin bites, 6 marlin releases, 3 striped marlin raises, 3 striped marlin bites, and 2 striped marlin releases plus 12 mahi-mahi!
