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Some days on the water are special. Others make history.
Casa Vieja Lodge experienced a couple of those unforgettable offshore days this past March. This month, we hit not one, but two new records for our top fishing daily totals (plus one very honorable mention).
To start off, on March 1st, we had an incredibly exciting day as we set a whole new lodge record for single day release totals! We ended the day with an insane 506 Pacific sailfish releases!!!
By the time the fleet returned to the dock on the 1st, it was clear the numbers had surpassed anything we had seen before. The final count—506 sailfish released—now officially stands as the highest daily total in Casa Vieja Lodge history. For the anglers who were here that day, we thank you so much for your contributions—we’re making fishing history that will be talked about for years to come, and we literally could not do it without you. Thank you.
The previous lodge record of 473 sailfish from February 13th, 2025, had already been an extraordinary benchmark, but has been ultimately knocked out of its first place spot…all the way down to third.
Third?? Yep, you read that right.
This March we hit another milestone moment where we unseated our previous all time total, not just once, but a second time barely more than two weeks later! On March 18th we ended our fishing day with a whopping 497 total sailfish releases!
Our official Top Three Daily Totals:
- 3rd—473 sailfish releases, February 13th 2025
- 2nd—497 sailfish releases, March 18th 2026
- 1st—506 sailfish releases, March 1st 2026
Lastly, but not least at all, coming in just shy of the top 3, we hit our fourth-highest record day this month, as well! On March 17th, the luck of St. Paddy’s day was strong with us on the water as we hit a whopping 423 total sailfish releases!
We know that’s a lot of numbers to absorb in one sitting, but bottom line is this: Casa Vieja Lodge, is stepping into Legendary Status. Records are being written, and this year is far from finished. If you’ve been thinking about booking your trip, this is your sign!
Making Serious Waves!
As the seasons shift from spring to summer, Casa Vieja Lodge doesn’t stumble in continuing to deliver our iconic offshore action. Summer fishing in Guatemala always means at least three things: calm seas, warm mornings, and unforgettable days.
Summertime also brings around some of our favorite annual traditions. Our Trophy Husbands Tournament returns for its fourth round of friendly competition! We’re never sure what the best part of this weekend is: the amount of laughs we get in, or the impressive numbers of sailfish we release.
Planning for Fourth of July? Trade in boring old backyard barbecues for blue water and billfish. Instead of sweating over a grill, enjoy a long weekend full of sunshine, sailfish, and cold drinks by our swim up pool bar.
And when school’s out, Casa Vieja Lodge becomes an incredible destination for family trips. Young anglers get their first taste of offshore fishing, seasoned fishermen chase personal best days, and everyone returns home with plenty of stories to bring back home.
Summer holidays aside, let’s talk marlin. Every year from April through August is when we see our largest uptick in Blue Marlin release numbers. And on top of that, it’s when we see our biggest blue marlin, period! We’re talking between 200-400lbs! And you don’t even need to ask, we always have a 50lb pitch bait marlin rod on every boat ready to go.
Whether you’re planning a quick summer escape, a holiday weekend, or a tournament adventure, spring and summer are a fantastic time to experience what makes Casa Vieja Lodge one of the world’s premier sailfishing destinations.
The billfish are here, the water is warm, and the bite is on. See why anglers keep coming back to Casa Vieja Lodge year after year!
March Fishing Report
March was one for the books, anglers. Truly!
Overall this month we saw 8,403 sailfish raises, 7,310 sailfish bites, and 4,925 sailfish releases! PLUS 24 marlin raises, 9 marlin bites, and 7 marlin releases!
If you’d like to see these incredible numbers for yourself, check out the seriously cool Fishing Counter on our homepage! There you’ll see our total Billfishing Release numbers for 2026, plus the last several 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 706 raises, 651 bites, 473 sailfish releases, plus 2 marlin raise, 1 marlin bites, 1 marlin releases, 6 tuna & 9 mahi-mahi!
- March 1st-26th, Finest Kind (40′ Whiticar) with Capt. Benji Bairez, had 964 raises, 773 bites, 521 sailfish releases, 5 marlins raised, and 3 marlin bites, and 2 marlin releases; plus 11 tuna, & 5 mahi-mahi!
- March 1st-26th, Makaira (37′ Rybovich) with Capt. Jeffrey Garcia, had 754 raises, 722 bites, 493 sailfish releases, 1 marlin raised, plus 8 tuna & 5 mahi-mahi!
- March 1st-26th, Pica Más (48′ Whiticar) with Capt. Nicho Alvarenga, had 1,136 raises, 1,021 bites & 679 sailfish releases, 3 marlins raised, 2 marlin bites, 1 marlin released, & 1 tuna!
- March 1st-26th, Poco Loco (47′ Nickerson) with Capt. Carlos Alvarenga, had 595 raises, 524 bites, 355 sailfish releases, 1 marlin raised, plus 16 tuna & 8 mahi-mahi!
- March 1st-26th, Rum Line (40′ Gamefisherman) with Capt. Terry Brennan, had 821 raises, 732 bites, 502 sailfish releases, 3 marlin raises, plus 4 mahi-mahi!
- March 1st-26th, The Hooker (48′ G&S) with Capt. Jono Arena, had 1,268 raises, 1,059 bites, 707 sailfish releases, 1 marlin raised, 6 tuna & 3 mahi-mahi!
- March 1st-23rd, Release (37′ Merritt) with Capt. Sammy Baires, had 768 raises, 697 bites, 439 sailfish releases, 2 marlin raises, 1 marlin bites, 1 marlin releases, plus 4 mahi-mahi!
- March 3rd-26th, Afinity (39′ Billy Knowles) with Capt. Franz Hoffman, had 375 raises, 311 bites, 218 sailfish releases, 1 marlin raised, 3 tuna, 1 mahi-mahi & 4 grouper!
- March 1st & 16th-22nd La Chingona (43′ Merritt) with Capt. Jose Alvarenga, had 252 raises, 213 bites, 142 sailfish releases, 1 marlin raised, plus 1 tuna!
