This Guatemala-based captain has more than 20,000 billfish releases to his credit.
Few places compare to Guatemala for numbers of billfish.
Capt. Chris Sheeder, who runs the charter boatRum Line out of Casa Vieja Lodge, has been fishing Guatemala for 12 years now and he’s got a long resume to show for it.
Over the years he’s fished with celebrities, professional athletes, legendary anglers and thousands of clients. His most recent fishing accomplishment occurred on January 16, 2013, when he released the 20,000th billfish of his career — a feat that only two other captains have accomplished in the history of the sport.
We sat down with Chris and got him to talk about his billfish career.
How long have you been running boats and did you ever think you catch over 20,000 billfish?
The thought never crossed my mind. I got my captain’s license when I was 21 and started running boats in Honolulu, where I grew up. We made more money catching tuna, wahoo and mahi-mahi, but I always seemed to be more interested in billfish, so much so that I eventually left Hawaii looking for greener pastures.
What was the day you caught your 20,000th billfish like?
It wasn’t so much about the day as much as the people I shared it with. The Jarvis family was on board, with three sons that are crazy about fishing. I have a soft spot when it comes to teaching younger people to fish because that’s what it is all about, getting younger people involved in this sport, showing them that outdoor experiences are so much better than anything on an Xbox. After taking the picture with that fish, all sorts of memories came popping into my head. All the different experiences I’ve had with so many different people and so many different fish.
What’s the secret to putting up such big numbers day in and day out?
There’s no big secret, or any groundbreaking thing that’s going to help you catch more fish. The biggest difference between “just fishing” and being successful at fishing is your ability to adapt and try something different. Don’t always fish the same way, same style, or use whatever worked last week until you’re blue in the face waiting for a bite! Things change and when the fish aren’t biting, it’s time to try something different, a new technique, a new spot… something. There are many days when the people who wait for fish to bite end up watching the people and crews that make the fish bite catch all of the fish.
How long have you been in Guatemala? Ever think about moving?
I’ve been in Guatemala for 12 years now. I don’t have any intentions of leaving. I do fish other spots in the offseason, but for the moment Guatemala is home. There just seems to be a perfect marriage of huge numbers of sailfish along with a pretty good blue marlin fishery. I do sometimes miss the big fish and try to get it out of my system as much as possible, but catching these mid-range blues on 20s, 30s and even fly-fishing gear is a blast.
Do you pay a lot of attention to water temp? What is the ideal water temperature for sails and for blues in Guatemala?
Of course… Water temperature is just one of many things we look for, along with water color, color change, current, bird and animal life. Anything between 84 degrees and 88 degrees is ideal for sailfish. Marlin like it a bit cooler, but they have a much broader comfort zone. You’ll find them in anything between 74 degrees to almost 90, with just above 80 degrees being optimal.
You’ve had some pretty insane days, what stands out as your all-time best day on the water?
That’s a tough one. The most impressive day might be, the day we caught two granders (marlin over 1,000 pounds) in Midway Island, or the day we caught 57 sailfish fly-fishing in Guatemala. My best day, however, was my first day marlin fishing. I was 11 years old and we were in Kona, Hawaii, aboard the Anxious with Capt. Ed Isaacs. I fought a fish that was well over 1,000 pounds for almost 4 hours, just to have the line break. Have you ever taken a toy away from a child? Try taking a grander away from a kid! I’ve been chasing that fish for my entire life.
Some guys are in this for the numbers, I’ve never gotten that from you, what is your motivation?
If you fish where there’s lots of fish, the numbers just seem to come. It’s the experiences I get to share with everyone that makes me feel good about doing what I do. How many family’s favorite vacation was spent on my boat, or how many guys went back to the office and got to brag to their friends about the fish they caught with us, or how many people caught their first billfish on our boat — I helped make that happen!
I know you do a ton of billfishing on the fly. Do you prefer the fly over the baits?
It’s definitely more exciting, but I don’t prefer one to another. I enjoy fishing and to me the method isn’t as important as enjoying the fishing day. The interaction between the billfish, the angler, the boat and everything is what it’s all about.