Spring break is kids fishing time. 12 year old Evan had his first day offshore today, along with grandpa and his dad. “Capt. I have never caught a big fish before and am interested in catching species, and would love to catch a dorado!” Well the dream fulfiller “Decisive” came through in style... 20 dorado, multiple sailfish for all aboard, and a 400lb bill-less blue marlin for the happy chap (one of 4 we saw). I’d say the young man was spoilt on his first day Billfishing! 

My little Lyndsey... special times together with Daddy, sharing the wonders of the fish-filled Pacific Ocean!
My little Lyndsey... special times together with Daddy, sharing the wonders of the fish-filled Pacific Ocean!

A fun day with our long time friend and reel sponsor Eros Cattaneo and his son Matthias with Darren enjoying his time on the leader as always. Taking kids fishing is the best! 

They were snapping yesterday and we piled it on... we released 53 sails and a striped marlin, one boat, one Captain! 

A big, bad, beautiful, bull dorado... if they got to just half the size of your average blue marlin we'd all be in trouble! 

Fishing with friends, safari legend Johan Calitz. Always wonderful to share each others worlds...had a great day...we released 23 sailfish from 31 bites yesterday, and caught a slammer dorado for fresh sushi dinner! Some very big sails around and quite a few nice blue marlin...we will see ours today!

The Billfish Report is counting down its Top 10 Billfisheries of the Year and our #1 Billfishery is Guatemala. Criteria for our Top 10 include fish numbers, variety of billfish species, average size of fish, length of season and number of boats fishing. With over 12,000 Billfish Reports submitted to us in 2016 from around the World, to even be considered for our Top 10 makes a fishery one of the best!

By Hook Harmeling

DREAM HOLIDAY!
Dear Cindy and Brad

A huge thank you from Laurette and I. You opened your home to us, fed us like royalty and showed us just what a wonderful place Guatemala is. To experience the Mayan ruins, birding, catching and swimming with sail fish, climbing a mighty 14,000 ft volcano and walking down the streets of a historic town, all in 6 days. Chaps this was a trip that you will battle to better. Thanks for making us feel like we are part of your wonderful family. Looking forward to seeing you guys in the motherland. Our house is always open to you as well as our camps and of course the fire pit.

Take care and hope the season continues to produce.

Lots of love to you all.

Mark and Laurette Haldane - ZAMBEZE DELTA SAFARIS, MOZAMBIQUE

I would just like to thank you both again for an amazing experience. I really had a fantastic time. I hope that one day I'll be able to come and visit you again.

Thanks again for your amazing hospitality, the last few days where just incredible.

Kind regards,

Andrew Walker

SOUTH AFRICA

From his boat Decisive, Capt. Brad Philipps released 66 blue marlin in 2016. 

Continuing his remarkable string of billfish-release records, Capt. Brad Philipps is being recognized by The Billfish Foundation as 2016’s Top Overall Release Captain and the Top Pacific Sailfish Release Captain (which he’s won 16 of the past 17 years).

The Guatemala skipper has released more billfish — more than 30,000 to date — than any other captain anywhere.

By Doug Olander - SPORT FISHING

Even Jack released an amazing number for the Year Competition with 429 Billfish, Jack came in second for most overall Releases.

For the TBF year from Nov 1 2015 until Oct 31 2016, he released the following:

429 total Billfish to include:

366 Pacific Sails almost all with Capt. Brad, including 71 Sails and 1 Blue on 1 day in March (He caught his age that day). 

48 Striped Marlin, 1 with Capt. Brad, the rest in Cabo

12 Blue Marlin, 3 with Capt. Brad

1 Black Marlin 

2 Spearfish

That my Dear is one heck of a year!!!

Best Regards to all, c u in Miami,

Jack Duvall - USA

DARREN PHILIPPS won three awards from TBF for it's yearly competition. Top Sailfish Release Angler 8 years old and below, Top Sailfish Tagging angler 8 years old and below, and OVERALL RELEASE YOUTH AWARD , all kids 18 and under…well done my boy, the hard work and learning to hook the fish yourself paid off big time! Over 100 sailfish and 3 blue marlin for you for this year, your angling career is getting off to a flying start! Thank you to our friends, Lisa and Clint Everett, and Joe O'Brien, for including Darren in many of the days you fished with us in Guatemala, very special!

We finally got the word we were waiting on... LISA EVERETT has won Top Overall Release Lady Angler for the 2016 International Tag and Release competition for the Billfish Foundation! This is her third time and this was the best year ever for her with 332 sailfish releases and 10 blue marlin!

THE BILLFISH FOUNDATION

Villa great and the food and service was top. Back to Texas.  

Jack Duvall - USA.

Darren got to take Lyndsey and his buddies out fishing as a belated birthday party on Sunday Oct 9th. What fun to see these kids have such a blast, while enjoy the wonders of the offshore world! We saved two turtles from a dis-guarded longline, caught a few sailfish, tried our skills at hi-diving off the ‘Decisive’ miles out in the deep Pacific blue and Darren sealed it all off, by releasing his first blue marlin, a 300 pounder on his favorite Alutecnos standup rig with the help of his buddies!

Not sure life gets much better for a happy group of 8 year olds!

Darren got to take his sister and buddies out fishing as a belated birthday party yesterday. What fun to see everyone have such a blast, while enjoy the wonders of the offshore world! We saved a few turtles from a dis-guarded longline, caught a few sailfish, tried our skills at hi-diivng off the ‘Decisive’ miles out in the deep Pacific blue, Darren sealed it all off, by releasing his first blue marlin, a 300 pounder on his favorite Alutecnos standup rig with the help of his buddies! Not sure life gets much better for a happy group of 8 year olds!

We released 31 sails their first day and a nice blue marlin to end it yesterday, for Adam Clements, and friends of Texas! Wives, also caught blue marlin, sailfish and yellowfin tuna aboard 'Intensity' on which they fished for a day. Great people and wonderful trip! They are all enjoying Antigua Guatemala with us for two nights now, so they are truly experiencing the whole Guatemalan Billfishing Adventures experience!

We released 31 sails their first day and a nice blue marlin to end it yesterday, for Adam Clements, and friends of Texas! Wives, also caught blue marlin, sailfish and yellowfin tuna aboard 'Intensity' on which they fished for a day. Great people and wonderful trip! They are all enjoying Antigua Guatemala with us for two nights now, so they are truly experiencing the whole Guatemalan Billfishing Adventures experience!

The rooms were immaculate and comfortable.

Meals were delicious and well portioned.

All needs and expectations at the Lodge were met and exceeded.

The boat crew, as always were top notch.

Brad, as expected, put us on the fish and allowed us to learn at a rapid pace this elete style of fishing.

Dear Brad and Cindy-

I don't even know where to start with my praise and thanks for an amazing four days fishing aboard Decisive.  I consider it an honor to fish with Brad Philipps.  He and his crew of Kennedy and Johnny are quite simply the best in the world at what they do.  The Decisive is the perfect boat for Guatemala. Our trip was filled with double digit days of sailfish on the flyrod.  Yellowfin tuna to 65 pounds.  And as always much laughter and friendship.  Just a spectacular fishing trip!!!

The entire business from start to finish was impeccable. You run a top notch enterprise on all levels. The fishing of course is the best in the world but your hospitality, friendship, accommodations and organization are second to none.  The food was absolutely delicious and all of the smiling friendly faces at the lodge were a delight.  Cindy Philipps orchestrates every detail to perfection and makes it all look seamless.

I can say without reservation that any angler seeking the best opportunity to catch these magnificent fish and be taken care of with the personnel and accommodations available at Guatemalan Billfishing Adventures should look nowhere else. You are the best there is.

If ever I can help as a reference I would be delighted to email or speak with any potential fishing group.  Thank you again for the experience of a lifetime  and of course we will be back again next year.

All the best-

Tracy M Baker MD

Miami Florida

What incredible fishing...‘Decisive’ with Capt. Brad Philipps, released 943 billfish for the month of January alone! That’s as good as it gets…nor have we heard of anyone releasing this many billfish in a single month…26 days of fishing, averaging 36 releases a day, which included 8 days on the fly rod. Top days for the month, saw 84 releases, with a 78 release day, a 70 day, some 60 plus release days, as well as a 48 sailfish and 2 blue marlin release day. We finished it off releasing 60 sailfish from 89 bites yesterday…with Darren in on the weekend action also, thanks again to Lisa and Clint...nothing like sharing the weekends with your 7 year old son ‘working the wire’...gotta love starting them young! So much for El Nino and all the other hype, still the most consistent fishery out there...only in Guatemala!

RELEASED my 30,000th BILLFISH today...(Having logged over 1000 blue marlin releases, a couple hundred other combined species of marlin, a few swordfish and spearfish and over 28,000 sailfish releases). To do what nobody has ever done before is something very special! A big thank you to all the anglers who have fished with me over the years, the industry pro’s and company’s who have supported in helping with my career, the two best mates in the world, Kennedy Hernandez and Jhonny Garcia, together we have accumulated close to 7000 combined fishing days off Guatemala alone, and of course my wonderful wife Cindy for all she does behind the scenes so I can keep fishing and my little one’s Darren and Lyndsey for making it all so worth while! Well done to our anglers from Maryland, USA, Karl Zierfuss, Bob Loughry and Hank Draper for sharing in the day and a thank you for letting my 7 year old son, Darren catch the 30,000th fish. From humble fishing beginnings in Africa this is a massive milestone to have accomplished, and something for which I am most blessed! More details to come, but now it's time to celebrate!

Three generations of 'Coopers' fishing on 'Decisive'...always special to share trips like this. We released 14 sails from 19 bites today and were unlucky to miss 2 blue marlin! 

Guatemalan Billfishing Adventures - Fish Report – February 2015 

We are experiencing some truly great fishing this season off Guatemala. Everyone that has made it down to get offshore with Capt. Brad Philipps on his 40ft Gamefishermen 'Decisive' keep telling us how good it is and that they can't wait to come back.

The fishing has been non-stop. We started the year with Mo Smith and sons releasing 50 sails on bait and fly on the 2nd of January we had many great days on the water. Soon thereafter saw 'Decisive' win the Jake Jordan Fly fishing Invitational with 34 sailfish and a blue marlin released in 2 days of fly fishing.  Every group of anglers is a highlight for us and everyone caught fish. Dr. David Cordes released 20 sailfish in a day on fly-rod and bait, Aaron Adkins and his 8 year old son released 36 sails in a day from 40 bites, the fishing just seems be getting better and better.

The fishing is hot we had another 20 plus release day today...these rods are earning their keep...no set of offshore tackle has probably caught more billfish over the past 10 years, and great tackle makes for great days on the water.....thank you Alutecnos! 

We won the Jake Jordan Fly Fishing Invitational Tournament!

'Decisive' raised well over 100 sailfish and 2 blue marlin fishing the fly over the past three days. Our single angler released 37 sailfish on the fly rod and 21 on the spinning rod for another spectacular trip with Guatemalan Billfishing Adventures

We trust this finds all of our anglers in great health and that our northern hemisphere friends are enjoying a splendid summer while those on the other side of the world are enjoying a wonderful winter. It's hard to believe that it's August already, before we know it we'll have the boat back in the water after some nice upgrades and touchups and we will be back at it for another wonderful season ahead.   Brad decided to give the fishing a rest this off-season and has been very busy guiding safari clients in his beloved Africa. 

Brad conducted a 16 day hunting safari in the far NW province of South Africa in June for well know Panamanian angler Robert Novey. Robert went on to fulfill a life-long dream of bagging an old lion, a lioness, big sable, 2 kudu, eland and a variety of other game. Conservation through sustainable ethical hunting is a big part of wildlife management in Africa!

Cindy, Darren and Lyndsey joined Brad the end of June and are experiencing a wonderful time together. Africa is just so special and time spent with the children in nature, learning about the wildlife and different peoples, cultures and places, together with family and friends is simply irreplaceable.

We really enjoy sharing our local knowledge while hosting our fishing friends on their African adventures. The Burr family of Jacksonville Florida joined us in July for a photographic safari, with much other excitement thrown in. We enjoyed a wonderful time together at Kristi's Kamp in Makalali Game reserve and also at Kings Camp in Kruger Park, where we saw leopard 7 days in a row and the Big Five almost daily! They went on to enjoy Cape Town, cage diving with great white shark's and the splendors of the Cape. The feedback we received from our friends was phenomenal and they can not stop raving about the wonderful vacation they enjoyed. Our South African off-season pilgrimage is a yearly highlight so if anyone is interested in joining us in the future please let us know, it'd be our pleasure to help make anyones 'African Dream' a reality.

The first week of August we hosted David Cordes, another of our angling friends on a hunt on the Botswana border of the Limpopo Province in South Africa. David enjoying a wonderful time and is already planning another safari.

Bookings are rolling in and we are expecting a great fishing season ahead. Guatemala is still the best place on the planet to chase large numbers of sailfish and other exciting species. It's easy to get to and has so much to offer in every regard. Times are good in Guatemala. Nothing beats the years of experience we have in the game when it comes to ensuring you have the fishing trip of a lifetime. We are the longest standing sports-fishing operators in the country. There has been loads of progress in many regards in Guatemala. Times are good. Our new boutique hotel in Antigua has received rave reviews and many anglers are adding an extra night in Antigua on their way out to enjoy the attractions of everything the 'Old City' has to offer. The 'Decisive', the 'Billfishing Inn', our loyal crew and staff are all as good as they have ever been, so we can't wait to get back at it doing what we enjoy most and what is after all what we are so well know for....Billfishing Adventures of Lifetime........the best in billfishing!!!

NEW FISHING SEASON End of October 2014 to End to May 2015 September will see Cindy and the kids back in Antigua Guatemala, returning to school and taking bookings for the upcoming fishing season. Brad spends the month in Tanzania guiding his friend and client Tracy Baker on the hunt of a lifetime in one of the worlds wildest and most remote of locations. How lucky he is to get to share all these adventures to such amazing places with such special people!!!

Rees Poag, Colorado

Marc Winchester, Raleigh, NC

We've been fishing the fly the last few days, nice steady bite and constant action. Released 5 sails on fly and 5 on bait yesterday with some 40lb dorado in the mix also.

By Captain Brad Philipps

Always a happy boat.....we found some fish late in the day and released 14 sailfish in the last two hours of fishing!!

Palm Beach buddies, Jay Cochran and Jay Dewing, saw over 140 sailfish in the teasers while fly fishing the past 3 days, getting 55 bites and releasing 30 sailfish on the long wand. Flat seas, fish everywhere balling bait, sunny skies, coordinated teamwork and a great time together with good anglers and great guys!!!

'Decisive' raised 48 sailfish on the teasers fishing the fly, getting 23 bites and releasing 14 yesterday. There is a huge area of sailfish moving in from the west, balling bait, cutting on the surface and free jumping everywhere. It looks like we are going to have a good few weeks of fishing ahead of us!!

18 sailfish releases today with a blue marlin that would not eat. Missed a very nice blue yesterday and another that would not eat, lets hope it's the start of some blue marlin action!!!

Released 24 sailfish and some nice yellowfin tuna yesterday to finish off a great trip for Aaron Adkins, well see u back in January Aaron!!!!

The Cook family of Atlanta, had a great trip releasing a big blue marlin, loads of sails, yellowfin tuna galore and some slammer dorado!!!!

'Decisive' released 67 sailfish over the past three days, with many 40lb plus dorado and nice yellowfin tuna thrown in the mix for Bob Leonard and friends from Florida. 

Our day started with us finding 3 Olive Ridley turtles wrapped up in an abandoned longline, it was great to see them swim away after freeing them!!!!!

Then it was back to the action.......our happy anglers, Sandy Greene, sons Chandler and John and Wyoming outfitter, Tommy Toolson had another unreal trip, seeing 50 sailfish today mixing it up on bait and fly gear catching a total of 25 sailfish today with two blue marlin up that would not tease. They saw 92 sails in the three days they fished catching 53 of them!!

Happy Birthday Sandy!!!!!

Curtis Thorpe, Scott Parker, Brent Scheps and Jack Sheneman, of Texas, just wrapped up an amazing trip!!!! 176 sailfish raises, with 90 sailfish releases fishing on fly, with backup bait, over three days, plus some big dorado and yellowfin tuna. A cool group of guys sharing some special times!!! Pelagic, Berkley Fishing, Eagle Claw Fishing, Bluefin USA

The fishing is red-hot off Guatemala!!! 'Decisive' raised 80 sailfish today while fishing the fly, releasing a total of 41 (12 on fly and 29 on the backup bait), for nonstop action. It's a big big area of fish, flat seas and blue water, it just doesn't get much better!!!

'Decisive' raised 54 sailfish to the teasers today while flyfishing, releasing 8 sailfish on fly and 21 on the backup bait, as well as a 40lb dorado and a yellowfin tuna. There is a huge area of fish off the Guatemalan coast right now, it looking like there is a great month or two of fishing ahead!!!!!

Boats released as many as 51 sailfish today off Guatemala. Flat seas, 25 miles to the bite, some nice blue marlin around also. We have a last minute cancellation and 5 open days starting this Thursday the 27th February. If anyone wants to get in on the action for a last minute deal, drop us an email at info@guatbilladv.com

We are back at it on 'Decisive', releasing 24 sails from 27 bites today off Guatemala, great LAZER TROKAR HOOKS averages for our angler Jack Duval of Texas. They have been biting for several weeks straight already so it is great to be back in the mix and we look forward to a great season ahead!!!! 

Drop us an email to reserve your dates, as we are looking forward to seeing you all with us to ensure you enjoy that special billfishing trip together with family or friends.

Fish Report - January 2013 - Guatemalan Billfishing Adventures

2013 has started as one of our best years ever, the fishing has been red-hot on the 'Decisive', with many big release days.

Our long-time friend of Jacksonville Florida, Denny Doyle ended 2012 with 60 sailfish releases on the 31st of December and saw the new year in releasing 37 from 47 bites on the 1st of January. The next day we switched to the fly-rod and Denny released 10 on fly and 18 on the spinning rod, for a wonderful trip.

Jim Kean with sons Tod and Mike and their friend Bryan Treu joined us the 3rd mixing it up releasing 6 sails on fly and 27 on bait their first day and 13 sails the next.

Jack Duval of Texas was with us the 5th through the 7th releasing 23 from 27 the first day, 19 from 26 and 14 from 16 his last, great averages Jack!!!

Mike and Nadine McGuiness of Seattle, fished a trip we donated though Round-Table the 10th and 11th, having a blast releasing a total of 46 sails form 56 bites, and some large dorado.

Jim and Lynne Owens brought their Lousiana friends, Dale and Lyn Lloyd down to share in the spectacle. Releasing 29 sails from 37 bites on the 18th, 38 from 47 the next day and 5 from 6 their final day for another unbeatable trip in flat seas, perfect weather and close in shore.

Sportsmans Channels, Fly-Fishing the World, TV show was with us the 21st through the 24th, we took the time to put together what is going to be a great show, with a marlin bite on fly, yellowfin tuna on fly and a bunch of sailfish to make for an action packed show. We took the time to show the crew some of Guatemala's wonderful sights and they had a blast and we are all looking forward to seeing the show. We'll let you all know when it airs!!

The 26th to the 28th saw John and Patsy Hundley of Florida, joined us on their annual trip with their daughter, son and grandchildren for a wonderful trip, releasing 3, then 11 and finishing off with 19 from 22 bites.

Robert Mills put a company trip together for Callumet, showing Jennifer Straumins, James Billenguee, Tim Bamhart, Mike Bertuccio an unreal trip, releasing 25 sails their first day, along with some yellowfin and large dorado and 18 sails the next day to leave very happy campers in deed.

With fishing like this our bookings are filling, but we do have the Mar 1, 2, 3; Mar 25, 26, 27 open, and have dates in April and early May that anglers can take advantage of. It's going to be a special season for us.

Until next report, tight lines, Eagle Claw circle hooks and healthy releases.

Capt. Brad Philipps

''Decisive''