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The fact that Guatemala is home to perhaps the best sailfish fishing in the world is hardly news. For a bite from this part of the world to be headline-worthy, it must really be incredible. What transpired in early March 2026 was just that—a historic bite witnessed by many of the charter operations and the guests fortunate enough to have booked the days.
On March 1, the Sailfish Oasis lodge set its all-time single-day sailfish release record. Capt. Jono Nicholas and the crew of Allure II released 81 sailfish out of 101 bites. They raised 120 sailfish. Over the course of three days fishing, the group of four anglers released 154 sailfish.
Capt. Chris “Kiwi” van Leeuwen has owned Sailfish Oasis since 2009. He provides some historical context about the state of the fishery. “It’s so good to see Guatemala continuing to produce incredible numbers after all of these years. Last season (2025) was one for the books. We had consistently good days throughout the early part of the year with 20 to 30 release days, sometimes up to 40,” van Leeuwen describes.
“This season, it just went up a gear. Starting in late February and into the middle of March, we had a body of fish that consistently produced 40 to 50 to 60, and even some 70 and 80, even 90-plus release days. Capt. Jono broke our lodge record with 81 releases from 101 bites! Our previous lodge record was from January 2017—73 releases from 104 bites. It’s just incredible to see this fishery that is so well-managed continuing to thrive.”
Likewise, March 2026 was among the most prolific months in the history of Casa Vieja Lodge. Also on March 1, Casa Vieja’s fleet released an incredible 506 sailfish. That is the single most daily releases in the famed lodge’s history. On March 18, Casa Vieja anglers released 497 sails—the second-highest tally ever. All told, Casa Vieja’s fleet released an incredible 4,925 sailfish in the month of March 2026, raising a whopping 8,403 sailfish and getting 7,310 bites.
“What we experienced in early March was the kind of fishing that reminds everyone why Guatemala remains the sailfish capital of the world,” says Casa Vieja owner Kristen Salazar. “Days like that are why anglers travel from around the world to fish these billfish-rich waters.” For context, here are Casa Vieja’s individual boat stats for March 2026: Hooker, a 48 G&S with Capt. Jono Arena, turned loose 707 sailfish; Pica Mas, a 48 Whiticar with Capt. Benji Bairez, released 679 sails; and Capt. Terry Brennan on Rum Line released 502.
The body of fish was witnessed across the fleet. Martin Crotty owns The Big Buoys Guatemala, a lodge that runs two 31 Bertrams. “On March 1, Typhoon released 58 sailfish. The next day, they released 51,” he says of the boat run by Capt. Josue “Coco” Hernandez. “On our other boat, our guests were a 72-year-old angler and his wife. They caught 37 by noon and said, ‘That’s enough!’”
Guatemala is home to great fishing throughout the year. The ability to complete trips that release 90 or 100 sailfish over the course of three days fishing can happen here across the calendar. That said, many consider the period from December through March to be peak sailfish season, and 2026 was the second year in a row that early spring has delivered epic bodies of fish and prodigious release days.
The fun thing about this type of volume is not just the numbers of fish raised and released, but also the fishing dynamics introduced. It’s not just a bunch of singles; these numbers provide the chance to wrangle triples and packs of four, five or more. It’s also ideal for anglers targeting sailfish on the long rod. Capt. Mike Sheeder and angler Dr. Helen Tang released 19 sailfish on fly using IGFA-legal 20-pound tippet, setting the new “unofficial” record for daily billfish releases on fly by a female angler.
Sure, it’s fishing. And yes, who knows what next year has in store. But if you’re planning to add some early spring Guatemala action to your 2027 fishing lineup, you might consider booking those dates sooner than later.
