Fishing: It’s all about Relationships

I want to share with you the best holiday I have ever had with my family. With our son soon leaving for college, we decided we needed a family bonding trip. Christmas vacation was our opportunity. We had round trip tickets to Guatemala City (GUA), leaving from a cold east coast airport early Christmas morning. We were scheduled to spend seven days in the Central American country that no one in my family but I had visited before. Three days before we left, my wife went on the internet to learn about the country. Shocked by some of what she read, I had to reassure her that Guatemala was plenty safe when good judgment is exercised. The flight down was easy, and shortly after noon, in front of the airport, we were picked up by our contacts from Casa Santo Domingo.

We had opted to spend out first night in Guatemala at a restored monastery in the ancient colonial capital, Antigua, now a UN World Heritage site. The history, the food and the ambience were outstanding. This was going to be a special Christmas. After a fitful night’s sleep, we were picked up by David, in a Mercedes Benz van. A cooler of cold drinks, blankets and pillows served to keep everyone occupied for the 90 minute trip to the lodge. When we reached the lodge, a large gate opened and we drove into the compound. As it was 6 am, the staff met us with trays of orange juice. After a delicious breakfast we were aboard the Release (a 37’ Merrit; a classic day fishing boat) heading out to find fish. By 10 am we had our first sailfish raised, hooked and released. My son was having fun. Chico, our captain, couldn’t find the big concentrations of sailfish. After a half dozen Dorado, we worked over a school of 20 lb Yellow Fin Tuna. Everyone pulled in tuna until their arms felt like wet spaghetti. We all ate fresh Mahi Mahi sandwiches for lunch, and my children did their best to empty the cooler of cold drinks. The mates were great with our children teaching them little tricks of fighting fish and engaging in playful banter. My children all study Spanish, and the mates entertained them in both Spanish and English. All those hours of studying Spanish were getting some exercise in a casual conversational setting. By the time we arrived back at the dock, we were enjoying good family time, despite the shortage of sailfish. With tomorrow on the horizon, everyone was optimistic.

Upon entering the lodge compound, we were met by the staff with drinks and chicken wings. The wings tasted great, and the kitchen kept sending out more platters of wings and guacamole until we couldn’t eat another bite. That evening our children took over the pool table at the lodge, while my wife and I relaxed by the pool. Dinner was Mahi Mahi, fresh from our day of fishing and melt in your mouth sweet. The menu has everything a good restaurant from home would have: steak, pork chops, chicken and pasta. Hannah and I went to bed early, knowing that our children were being entertained by the staff, in a safe environment.

Day 2 we were with Capt. Jason Brice on the Makaira. Jason didn’t have a clue where the fish were either, as the Christmas holidays had allowed the sailfish to disappear without a trace. We searched for fish and settled for Dorado (Mahi Mahi) and Tuna. Just being aboard a 37 foot Rybovich, cruising on the clear, flat Pacific Ocean was relaxing. The temperature of the water was 86 degrees, and the air was close to that. Sun, laughter and good conversation made a slow day enjoyable. Fresh Yellow Fin sashimi with soy and wasabi never tasted so good. On our way back to the marina, Jason spotted a free jumping sailfish. We stopped and put out lines. Waiting, waiting and where was that fish. All of the sudden, here he was two hundred yards away, showing off. The sailfish proceeded to jump 15 times as we raced over to tempt him with our baits. He went under for a few minutes, and then exploded out of the water with one of the baits in his mouth. My daughter, who is brand new to billfishing, was up and she took the rod and started cranking. Not particularly smooth, she was getting calm and soothing advice from Jeffery the mate. She brought the fish to the boat and we took a picture with the fish, the family and our successful angler wearing a Santa hat. Jason came off the bridge to snap a beautiful shot. One fish can make a day and we went in to the slip feeling really good.

A brief aside about Jeffrey. He is one of the bravest mates on the ocean. Several years ago, I was fishing “Marlin on Fly” with my friend, Ranney. We had big teasers out and were set up to cast flies to teased up fish…the goal was blue marlin. My friend, Ranney was hooked up on a marlin of about 225 pounds, and the fish was going crazy. IGFA fly rules call for a twenty pound tippet, so we set the drag on our fly reels at 1 pound. That is all the line can handle, and the marlin don’t feel a lot of resistance. They spend their energy jumping, grey hounding and generally doing acrobatics around the boat. The angler is required to retrieve line when there is slack and allow the marlin to take line when she wants to. About 15 minutes into the fight, this marlin was jumping about 100 years directly off the stern of the boat, when she turned and started grey hounding towards the boat. Ranney was wedged into the starboard corner of the transom. Captain Chris Sheeder was at the helm of the Rumline. In a matter of seconds, this marlin had closed the space between itself and Ranney was coming airborne towards him as he retrieved line. Ricardo, the smaller of the two mates slid behind Ranney and grabbed him by the hips in an attempt to move him to the side. Nothing doing, as Ranney was retrieving line as quickly as the marlin was closing on the boat. As the marlin launched into the air, aimed directly at Ranney, Jeffrey moved between Ranney and this airborne, blue marlin harpoon. Jeffrey is as brave as any secret service agent protecting his charge. Fortunately, Captain Chris, deftly turned the bow of the boat to port, and the fish sailed over the corner of the transom, narrowly missing Jeffrey and Ranney. Ranney never stopped reeling in line until the marlin passed him, recording a release as he had the 9 foot marker well inside the guides of his fly rod. The fight continued, and I will never forget this act of courage as Jeffrey was ready to take the impact of the 225 pound blue marlin in order to protect his client. As I told this story to my family, Jeffrey smiled with modest pride. It’s all in a day’s work at Casa Vieja Lodge.

That night at the lodge we relaxed in the pool and had dinner with Jason Brice. He has fished for billfish all across the Atlantic Ocean, from Venezuela’s La Guairá Bank to Spain’s Canary Islands. Jason has almost as many stories as the Casa Vieja bar has varieties of rum. We had a nice, relaxing evening and a sound sleep. Those rooms at Casa Vieja are enormous and the beds are the best I have ever slept on. Maybe two days on the water helped me sleep like a baby.

Our third day and the customary knock on the door at 6 am was more than just coffee and juice. The Casa Vieja staff singing Happy Birthday with a birthday cake for my just turned 14 year old daughter. Here I am standing in my boxers, as my daughter is blowing out the candles on a shaved chocolate cake. That seemed like a good omen.

We were fishing on the Rumline with Capt. Chris Sheeder. This boat is a 43 foot Gamefisherman. Sleek, air-conditioned and very comfortable. We never left sight of land and those enormous volcanoes. The puff of smoke that sometimes comes out of one of the volcanoes reminded me of the birthday cake. We raised six sailfish and the birthday girl caught the first one. Another sailfish for each of the other children and it was the birthday girls turn again. No, she wanted her mother to catch a fish. This turned out to be the biggest sailfish of the trip and everyone was satisfied, especially me. As a family, we know how to push each others’ buttons and sparks can fly. But this trip was bringing us much closer together. This was just what we needed, before our first born leaves for college.

Back at the lodge, my wife and I swam in the pool between sips of rum cocktails and bites of appetizers. Our children were perfecting their pool shooting skills while college football bowl games played on the big screen TVs. I could get used to this lifestyle very quickly. We would sit down for our last scrumptious dinner of fresh fish around 9 pm. We were on vacation and time was almost irreverent. As Captain Jason Brice pulled up a chair to our table, the staff surrounded us. Not again! Flaming baked Alaska was placed in front of our birthday girl. We shared our desert with some of the other guests. As I pushed my chair away from the table, I knew we were a stronger family unit than we had been before Christmas.

Fishing is not always about numbers or the biggest fish. It is about relationships. When we leave this earth, what really counts are the relationships we develop. Family and friends, surrounded by the warm and friendly staff at Casa Vieja Lodge create meaningful memories. My son wants his graduation party held at Casa Vieja with his friends and their fathers. How can I say no?