Guanaja HOnduras ... Come on Down!

Pack up your fishing gear and come on down and fish Guanaja Honduras... what are you waiting for?

Fish Guanaja ... Can You Say MARLIN?

This "Bad Boy" was caught off the coast of Guanaja Honduras by Charles Gerke ....


HOLY SMOKES ... what a beauty! 300 pounds and 10 feet long ...

For information on Marlin fishing in the Bahamas, click here!

Fish Guanaja Honduras in 2009?

It was one year ago today that BigAl and I decided to investigate the tiny Bay Island of Guanaja ... so much has happened, but one thing is for sure ... the fishing in Guanaja is SUPER ... !

Fish Guanaja Loses a Fishing Resort ...

Castaways Resort in April 2008 before it was burned to the ground .....


It is with sadness that I report that one of the newer resorts on the tiny Bay Island of Guanaja located on the north coast of Honduras has burned to the ground.

The Castaways Resort had been unoccupied for the last few months due to the financial difficulties of the developer and apparently it was the victim of arson. According to my friend Guanaja Sharon, who blogs: http://featherridge.blogspot.com it happened on a quiet weekend morning when no one was about. You can read about details they have on her blog by clicking on her link.

I guess this small "jewel" of an island will continue to be home, to but a few folks.

Fly fishing in Guanaja

Fly fishing in Guanaja Honduras ... peaceful on the flats and nothing but the balmy breezes and the gentle waves. The barrier reef breaks up most of the big rollers by the time they get to the flats.

For a dose of world class bone fishing, try right off the bar at Graham's Place in Guanaja. Graham will even keep your beer cold while you pull them in!



Wouldn't it be fun to catch a bone fish?





Life is good in the Bay Islands of Honduras.

Fish Guanaja - The Fleet is In!

Fishing in Guanaja Honduras. As you can see in the picture below, this island retreat does have a commercial fishing fleet. Right now they are in port resting up for next season when they will cruise off and be gone for many weeks at a time.

Prior to Hurricane Mitch, commercial fishing was a mainstay to the economy in Guanaja, but after the big blow 10 years ago, it just never managed to recoup. Many of the boats were destroyed and the packing plants took a big hit also. You must remember, this is Honduras and things move at a slower pace down here.



Mostly these guys are looking for lobster, shrimp and crab, but they say that the price of fuel has skyrocketed down here as well as the rest of the world and it has gotten to the point where it is difficult to make a living. Many say they might not take their boat out next season.

Let's hope that something happens soon to reduce the price of fuel for these guys so they can go out and make a living.

Fish Guanaja - Butterfish Sashimi?

Fish Guanaja? Sometimes it works out better if you just buy it off a local fisherman! We caught up with our fishing guy in his dug out canoe ... too cool! He had some absolutely wonderful butter fish ... you know, that white, melt in your mouth fish that is terrific eaten as sashimi.


I have located some "rules of sashimi:

For the Japanese, sushi is a fun finger food. It's also steeped in time-honored traditions of cleanliness, which dictate that it should not be touched more than is absolutely necessary.

In the case of sashimi, you are not to touch the fish under any circumstance. But with raw nigiri, which is essentially the same slice of fish on top of a small ball of rice, you do touch the fish with the tip of the thumb to hold it in place.

Sashimi: These plain slices of raw fish with no rice are eaten with chopsticks, never held with the fingers. One tip of the slice is lightly dabbed in the soy sauce, not dunked. That end is touched first to the tongue, where the hint of salty flavor "awakens" the taste buds and revives the true briny flavor of the fish. Eat it all at once; do not try to tear off a bite.

Dipping sauce: Use the soy sauce as served. Do not mix wasabi paste into it. That is not done in Japan traditionally, and moreover, mixing adulterates the flavor of both ingredients, destroying their subtler nuances.

Pickled ginger: Pickled ginger is served alongside sushi as a refreshing palate-cleanser; one small slice is eaten between differing items to avoid the mingling of conflicting flavors. It is not intended to be added to the sushi or sashimi s an additional topping.



OK, here we are. Captain Bob is mixing up his special wasabi dipping sauce with everyone gathered around!

So if you happen to find yourself fishing in Guanaja and decide to slice up your catch for a little sashimi ... you'll know the "rules", but on second thought ... who cares ...bon appetite !

Fish Guanaja Honduras - How about Barry the Cuda?

Fish Guanaja Honduras ... the boys are getting their poles and lines ready .... what will they catch? A good fishing experience always takes planning ... right now they are checking everything over and maybe in the next day or two they will go out.

The locals tell us that a lot of barracuda are caught here. We know all about these "bad boys" from fishing in the Bahamas ... in fact we only use them for bait, but not to eat because they
have been known to carry ciguatera, a type of food poisoning. The main symptoms of ciguatera include gastrointestinal and neurological effects. Not a beautiful thing!

While this seems to be a problem over in the Bahamas, the locals swear it is not so around Guanaja. I don't know! I am still not going to eat any, but the test they use to see if the fish is infected is to cut the head off and lay it on the ground. If ants don't swarm all over it in a few moments then the fish is infected. If the ants are all over it then it is safe for consumption.

Like I said ....I don't know..... try it at your own risk!

Just a handy tip from one of the local fisherman in Guanaja.

Fish Guanaja Honduras - There are Plenty of Drinks Onboard!

This is our arrival picture that I took from the municipal dock in Guanaja Honduras. I hope that this isn't our fishing boat because other than beverages there isn't much fishing gear onboard! Of course, I am just kidding, but when you visit an island with no roads you have to expect that everything will travel by boat.


Actually, our fishing gear arrived intact and is neatly leaning in the corner of the living room waiting patiently for use. We can hardly wait!
Fish Guanaja Honduras, bonefish on the flats or tuna in the deep water, it is all up to you!

Fish Guanaja - We are Good To Go!

Fish Guanaja? You betcha! We are good to go. My husband has his important fishing gear all laid out to take with us. Party balloons for "balloon" fishing and a new trusty cedar plug for tuna.

The Corona, well, that will be gone before we leave so he will have to get a new one when he gets down there.

As you all know, many hours can be spent with the art of fishing ... the real deal is the catching part! Now this gear that is laid out has had luck for us in the Bahamas. We caught a personal best, 24 pound snapper, in the Abacos using the balloon technique. Actually it was quite easy once the balloon was blown up and tied ... the rest was just drinking beer and watching the party beast jump around in the breeze and waiting for the tug of the fish.

The cedar plug is another story all together. We were given the "inside info" on this unflashy lure from a clerk in Nassau, Bahamas. The cedar plug was magic! We ran into a school of tuna on our way to the Berry Islands and that lure absolutely smoked ...

The only party we had was the one where Mr. Tuna was the guest of honor!

Well, we are hoping that the fish down in Guanaja have all been to the same "school", pun intended, as the Bahamian fish! We are looking forward to fishing Guanaja. I'll keep you posted!

Fish Guanaja - Gearing Up!

Fish Guanaja? Time to gear up!

Having been down to this island paradise before, we know that most of the fishing done by the natives is with handlining using the spool method. What better way to show our appreciation to our local friends than to bring them down rods and reels?

So off we went to the nautical flea market on Marco Island and picked up these 4 rods and reels. We will take them down to Guanaja and when we get through fishing, we will leave them for our friends. The US is a land of plenty and sometimes we forget the less fortunate. New, these poles would probably equal 2-3 months pay for the average Honduran.

This is our way of thanking the folks of Guanaja for sharing their little island paradise with us.

Fish Guanaja, 5 days and counting!

Fish Guanaja - How about Next Week?

Fish Guanaja? How about next week?

Our tickets are booked and we have already started to collect a mini tackle box to take with us. We have talked with Captain Bob and he will be ready to fish when we get there... YIKES ... I'm excited! What kind of creatures are we going to pull up from those deep Caribbean waters?

I would like a Tuna ... sushi with wasabi is always good ... then steaks seared rare, YUM!

How about a large bill fish? I only want a pictures of this big guy ... I could tell the stories for years about landing one of these .....maybe a king and we could let's break out the smoker for some fish dip.

We'll have to see ...... follow along with our adventures. Fishing in Guanaja, I'll keep you posted!

Fish Guanaja - Stalking the Bonefish!

Fish Guanaja Honduras, from the deep blue sea to the flats were the turtle grass grows. There is really something for every type of angler.

I remember, as a kid, fly fishing with my Dad up in the cold mountain streams of Washington state. Holy cow, what fun! Gearing up to wade into the icy river water and afterwards cooking a trout on a open fire.... hot chocolate out of the thermos to keep the chill out of our bones...

Fast forward to the present day and you'll find me sneaking up on a bonefish on the flats in Guanaja wearing crocs to protect my feet, shorts, t-shirt and a hat to keep the sun out of my eyes. My fly rod in hand, wading through turtle grass, stalking a big bonefish. Many of these guys have never even seen an artificial fly ... just the opportunity to cast to these magnificent creatures is a treat.

Of course, I am strictly catch and release with bonefish, so there won't be any fish on the grill for dinner unless a permit wanders by and snaps up my fly. I guess we will just have to sit back and enjoy a cold Salva Vida and tell tall tales about the fish that got away!

Fly fishing in Guanaja is an adventure for everyone!

Fish Guanaja Honduras, an Islanders Story

Fish Guanaja, who better to know the real "scoop" than one of the locals.

Daniel said, that preparation is the key. First the water must be chummed to attract the fish. This is done by packing a used (or no linger in use) conch shell. They grind up small bait fish with sand and pack them into the shell. As the shell floats to the bottom, bits of the tasty fish/sand "stuff" floats out and the surrounding fish come running! Only a small portion of the chum actually floats out, but it keeps attracting the fish for some time.

Now is the time to get serious. The locals use a hand line along with a handmade jig made of yarn. I guess yellow yarn works best and they keep a supply of it at home just for their fishing excursions. Daniel swears that he and his brothers have caught up to 100 pounds of fish at a time using this method ... enough to feed several families.

Fish Guanaja? In this case, the simple method may be the best!