Inshore fishing in Guatemala

Inshore fishing in Guatemala for Roosterfish andaround, and can be caught - it does offer a less
other species is often overlooked in favour of theexpensive option for a charter day or "rest day" (or
famous bluewater fishing for pacific sailfish and bluehalf day), with a chance of bagging another trophy.
marlin.Like other jacks, these are mostly sportfish and not
The waters offshore are almost always calm andfor the table.
tranquil during the billfishing season of OctoberAn alternative means to fish the inshore waters is to
through May, but as the rainy season comes in, thefollow the shrimp boats.
weather offshore can become unpredictable, and soUsually there are clusters of shrimp boats working an
is an ideal time instead to consider some of the greatarea within a few miles of the dock, and the crew
fishing to be found within a couple of miles of shore.can find out the timings for the lifting of the nets
Within six miles of the Pez Vela marina there arethat then provides immediate action - as when they
three inlets that offer strong current flow anddo this, the nets are always followed by large
turbulent water that stirs up nutrients and starts theschools of competitive and aggressive fish -
food chain that eventually ends with large predatorypredominantly amberjacks.
fish sought by anglers and especially fly fishingIt can be close quarters fishing as the fish are
anglers.feeding right behind the stern of the shrimp boat and
Inshore waters offer the prospect of the muchpresent an easy target for a fly.
sought after Roosterfish.The water immediately behind the boat frequently
Although the immediate coastline does not provideboils as hungry jacks and others slice and dart into
ideal conditions for fishing for these gamefish, theythe buffet of small fish that has been presented to
can be found usually trolling around areas of strongthem. If you are looking for nonstop fishing action
current within a few miles of the Pez Vela marina.either on conventional or the fly - that may leave
Typically Roosterfish are pursued with either livebaityou exhausted and your tackle worn by the end of
or soft imitations cast around hard structure or rockthe fishing day - then this can be a cheap extra days
formations. As we don't have any significantfishing or a break from the offshore bluewater.
outcroppings or high reef for bait to concentrateInshore fishing for either roosterfish or jacks is often
close to shore, we resort to trolling either ballyhoo ordone from pangas or small open fishermen/centre
rapala lures and aim to cover more ground.console boats that are less capable of making the run
This results in fewer caught fish than some of theoffshore in search of the larger pelagic fish.
famous Rooster detinations - but the Roosters are