Almost a Decade of Kicking Plastic
“The largest consumption of single-use plastic water bottles is on our fleet. We average about 6 bottles a day/person. That equates to 60,000 a season just on the boats, add the consumption at the lodge, and we are at 80,000 plastic bottles. That’s just wrong for the environment we rely so heavily on.”—Captain David Salazar
Here at Casa Vieja Lodge, we’d say conservation and the reduction of plastic consumption are just two of our core values. We’re so serious about it in fact it’s become a major part of how we function in our day to day.
What does that mean?
First things first, upon your arrival, you’ll receive a complimentary 18oz. YETI Rambler, included in your stay—and yours to keep. This bottle will be your main receptacle for water consumption throughout your stay. Best of all, these bottles can be custom-engraved with your name or team’s name on-site!
Around the Lodge, we have Elkay Water Fountain and Bottle Filling Stations installed, where clients can refill their YETI Ramblers anytime during their stay. This water goes through a 4-stage filtration system, including a UV purification process and our solution to pure, clean (and delicious) drinking water at Casa Vieja Lodge.
When out fishing aboard our boats, you can refill your same Rambler from the YETI Silo, our 6-gallon water cooler that keeps your water cold for hours. Tried and true to the YETI name, your Rambler can stay in direct Guatemalan sunlight while you fight billfish and keep that same ice-cold beverage.
By the end of the 2024 season, we have saved over 60,000 single-use plastic bottles! 60,385 to be exact, according to our Elkay Water Fountain numbers…And upon some quick math, that means about 17,000 of those bottles were Sports Drink bottles! From making a super easy switch to the powdered Sports Drink mix and sending them pre-mixed to the boats each day, we’ve managed to cut out our plastic consumption even more.
Another small but impactful way to help Kick Plastic is simply to encourage your friends and family, or other guides, outfitters, and lodges to do the same!
Please join us in our everyday efforts to Kick Plastic by remembering your custom Casa Vieja Lodge YETI everywhere you may roam. And don’t forget to send us a pic of your CVL YETI “in the wild” for a chance to be featured in our social media!
Big Party? No Problem!
We want to host your next getaway!
What’s the big occasion? A milestone birthday? Family Reunion??
Come celebrate with us!
At Casa Vieja Lodge, we specialize in creating unforgettable memories for every group—no matter the occasion…which is why you should let us host you and your loved ones on your next vacation! Our little piece of paradise offers the perfect mix of relaxation and adventure, perfect for creating memories that last a lifetime!
How ever you’re down to celebrate your special occasion, we’re happy to help. Want to spend all of your days with us fishing? By all means, we’ll gladly have you out fishing for your entire trip. Want to mix it up a little? Have a lay day by our relaxing pool, tour a coffee plantation on an ATV, or visit a cool beach bar and grill…you can do any of that, and more, your trip to Casa Vieja Lodge is completely yours to customize!
Take the stress work out of planning your own special trip, just tell us what you’d like to do, and we’ll plan it all for you! You only have to wake up, get ready for your day, and walk out your bedroom door…the rest is on us. From the minute you walk out of the airport, straight to the lodge, we handle it all.
Casa Vieja Lodge is the perfect choice for any sort of getaway, whether it’s a romantic (but competitive) fishing week for two, an annual family vacation, or even a corporate event our lodge will accommodate you all seamlessly!
With top-tier accommodations, gourmet dining, and customizable packages, Casa Vieja Lodge ensures your entire group enjoys a seamless experience.
____ _________ (43′ Merritt)
Don’t forget, we’re bringing back our boat naming contest for the fleet newcomer: the Isla Más!
You have from now until April 6th at Midnight (EST), we’re opening our emails/DMs/phone calls—however you want to get your boat name idea to us—we’ll take it! For now, if you have an idea for a boat name you’d like to submit, please click HERE!
March Fishing Report
What a CRAZY March it’s been!
Not only have we seen some of the best numbers we’ve ever seen during March, we also marked a MAJOR Casa Vieja Lodge milestone…
We already hit HALF of our total billfish release numbers from ALL OF 2024. That’s right! We’re not even a full quarter through 2025, and we’ve already managed 10K Sailfish Releases!!!
Do you think we can lap last year’s numbers and DOUBLE our releases in 2025?? Stay tuned…
Only 3 months on the fleet and already our new boat, the Isla Mas has been making waves; this 43′ Merritt—who’s currently taking over for The Hooker during its’ ongoing renovations—has already proven to be a fishing machine, just check out those numbers below!
Altogether this month we saw 5,351 sailfish raises, 4,631 sailfish bites, and 3,125 sailfish releases!!! As for marlin, we saw 102 raises, 70 bites, and 37 overall releases! On top of that, one of our fleet, our Poco Loco caught 12 rainbow runners in a single day!!
If you’d like to check out how amazing we’re doing so far this year, click over here for the Fishing Counter on our homepage! There you’ll see our total Billfishing Release numbers so far from 2025, plus past years as well!
Below are our fishing highlights (combination of conventional & fly):
- March 1st-26th, Chilero (38′ Warren O’Neal) with Capt. Nico Melendrez had 632 raises, 567 bites, 375 sailfish releases, plus 9 marlins raised, 6 marlin bites, 4 marlin releases, 2 tuna, 20 mahi-mahi & 2 yellowfin!
- March 1st-26th,Finest Kind (40′ Whiticar)with Capt. Benji Bairez, had 674 raises, 582 bites, 373 sailfish releases, 15 marlins raised, 11 marlin bites & 7 marlins released; plus 2 tuna & 8 mahi-mahi!
- March 1st-26th, Isla Mas (43′ Merritt) with Capt. Carlos “Caluco,” had 427 raises, 382 bites, 279 sailfish releases, 11 marlin raises, 5 marlin bites, 4 marlin releases; plus 14 mahi-mahi & 1 yellowfin!
- March 1st-26th, the Makaira (37′ Rybovich) with Capt. Jeffrey Garcia, had 631 raises, 583 bites, 439 sailfish releases, 5 marlins raised, 4 marlin bites, and 3 marlin releases, plus 46 mahi-mahi!
- March 1st-26th,Pica Más (48′ Whiticar)with Capt. Nicho Alvarenga, had 715 raises, 631 bites, 402 sailfish releases, 11 marlin raises, 9 marlin bites, 4 marlin released, plus 19 mahi-mahi!
- March 1st-26th,Poco Loco (44′ Nickerson) with Capt. Jono, had 546 raises, 448 bites, 308 sailfish releases, 14 marlin raised, 11 marlin bites, 6 marlin released; plus 43 mahi-mahi, 12 rainbow runners & 2 mackerel!
- March 1st-26th,Release (37′ Merritt) with Capt. Sammy Baires, had 488 raises, 445 bites, 294 sailfish releases, 3 marlin raised, 1 marlin bite; plus 2 tuna & 11 mahi-mahi!
- March 1st-26th, Rum Line (40′ Gamefisherman) with Capt. Terry Brennan, had 638 raises, 532 bites, 350 sailfish releases, 11 marlin raised, 7 marlin bites, 5 marlin released; plus 15 mahi-mahi!
- March 10th-26th,Afinity (39′ Billy Knowles) with Capt. Franz Hoffman, had 191 raises, 158 bites & 103 sailfish releases, 10 marlins raised, 9 marlin bites and 2 marlin releases; plus 11 mahi-mahi, 1 red snapper, 1 yellowfin & 5 groupers!
