The Sailfish Capital of the World

Casa Vieja Lodge specializes in making a trip to Central America as easy as possible, whisking you away from the airport and delivering you to a fishing paradise where all your needs are taken care of. It is a great place to take the family, your fishing buddies, or your hardcore tournament team to practice.

The 90-mile ride to the coast and the town of Puerto San Jose goes quickly as you peer at smoldering volcanoes and vast tropical plantations of coffee beans and sugar cane.

As you pull into the lodge, you’ll feel as if you’ve discovered a tropical oasis. The Casa Vieja staff will greet you with fruity rum drinks and directions to your room. The entire staff, from drivers to servers and bartenders, are always willing to help with a genuine smile.

It must be mentioned that the staff comes to your door each morning for your personal wakeup call with a fresh pot of Guatemalan coffee, cream and sugar. A delicious hot breakfast is only moments away, and the boats in the marina are only a five-minute ride in the lodge van. Air conditioning, hot showers and complimentary Internet are standard, and guests can also cool off in the pool or play some pool in the open-air rec room. There is a large flat-screen TV in the lounge area for a sports update or you can access the lodge’s in-house spa services for a massage. If you still have energy after a long day of fishing, there is a new gym with state-of-the-art equipment right on the property. The food is five-star quality with plentiful portions and, of course, plenty of cold cocktails to drink.

“The whole lodge is just fishy and a couple of notches above your standard fishing resort,” notes Ali Hussainy of Local Knowledge. “I’ve been lucky to fish a variety of places and CVL is one of the nicest.” More importantly, the Casa Vieja sportfishing fleet is loaded and ready just down the road from the lodge. Did we mention that Casa Vieja’s fleet of boats is a thing of beauty and function? Capt. David Salazar, his wife Kristen, and their crew have assembled and restored some of the finest, classic sportfish boats, many with a rich history of their own.

Not only is Casa Vieja Lodge one of the best places anywhere to chase stunning numbers of sailfish, but at Casa Vieja Lodge, you are fishing with some of the best captains and crews in the world. They routinely set new records for fish caught and raised while fishing the loop currents that provide food for an unending flow of Pacific sailfish. There is a cyclical current just off the coast that traps bait fish and keeps them in the area. These baitfish are closely followed by the gamefish and as a result, Casa Vieja Lodge is in the perfect position to tap an incredible fishery that gets very little fishing pressure. They also catch plenty of marlin, dorado, and tuna along the way, but the star of the show is the potential for sheer numbers of sailfish.

Capt. Chris Sheeder, who runs the Rum Line, says, “I think fly fishing is my favorite way to catch sails. We have dialed in a system that enables anglers of any experience level to succeed. The best part is that the fish ends up very close and fired up. When he sees the fly, it’s game over and it all goes down right at the back of the boat.”

Of course, the crews are adept at putting their guest anglers on fish using a wide variety of tackle. Conventional, spin, or fly, the Casa Vieja fleet can put you on the fish using your favorite method. Professional fishing teams often come to practice bait-and-switch tactics because of the potential for an incredible number of shots each day. Practice does make perfect and getting multiple billfish bites to hone your technique is priceless when the chips are down.

If you would like to set up a trip to Casa Vieja Lodge or learn more about their services, check out the Casa Vieja Lodge website, Facebook page, or drop them a line. I promise you, they will help you anyway they can and will make your adventure the fishing trip of a lifetime.

For more information book checkout CasaViejaLodge.com