Intensity Sport Fishing
The Worlds #1 Billfish Release GameBoat
LET'S GET YOU FISHING
For over 20 years, the Intensity and its crew have offered fly and conventional angling clients the finest billfishing in the world. We consistently receive the highest recommendations and reviews from both novice and experienced anglers alike. We invite you to come aboard the Intensity to make your own fishing dreams a reality.
YOUR HOST RESORT
Welcome to the Waypoint Lodge, where sunsets are celebrated every afternoon with refreshing drinks. Located in a secure residential community only 10 minutes from the marina and a 90-minute drive from Guatemala City, the Waypoint Lodge offers unique accommodations in a lush tropical setting. You’ll stay in individually decorated rooms with local textiles and furnishings. Each room is equipped with air-conditioning, comfortable beds for a good night’s rest and a private bath with plenty of hot water. Anglers and their guests are welcome to disconnect in the lodge’s resort swimming pool surrounded by manicured lawns and flowering plants, or to reconnect with friends and the office via complimentary Wi-Fi service.
Come dinnertime, you will gather around the bar serving, among other things, our signature “Canaso” cocktail along with a selection of hors d’oeuvres while swapping fish tales in the open-air rancho. Dinners are a multi-course affair celebrating the finest in Guatemalan cuisine and feature fresh, locally sourced organic ingredients. Villa Intensity prides itself on ocean-to-table dining. Signature dishes include dorado ceviche, giant prawns marinated in a ginger and sweet chili sauce, pan-fried dorado topped with toasted almonds in a butter and wine sauce, and succulent grilled Caribbean lobster with fresh drawn butter.
For the land lubber, USDA prime meats are always available. And if wish, pair your dinner with a carefully selected New Zealand white or South American red wine. Next, you’ll enjoy a delectable dessert and local Antigua coffee and aged rum. The next morning, enjoy a hearty breakfast before fishing. Come lunchtime, grilled chicken sandwiches, burgers, fruit, and chips are customary provisions on board the Intensity. Mahi-mahi and tuna catches can also quickly turn into the perfect lunchtime ceviche or sashimi.
ABOUT THE INTENSITY
Built by DCN, (the Costa Rican-based builder credited with building early Gamefisherman boats), the 37-foot Intensity is a custom-built boat with a wide-open cockpit that makes it ideal for up to four anglers, and for fly fishermen taking billfish on fly. It was formerly owned by Tim Choate of Artmarina, the company that pioneered sportfishing travel to Guatemala, and was the number one requested game boat at Fin ‘n Feathers Lodge. With Capt. Bud Gramer, it caught the first triple header (three fish by three anglers) of sailfish on fly in March of 2001. Among the previous captains are Ross “Flash” Clark and Chris Sheeder, who turned the keys over to his younger brother in 2006.
The Intensity is powered by two Cummins Diamond series 450 hp diesel engines that make her fast (30-plus knots at cruise) and maneuverable. She’s also comfortable and dry. The boat is equipped with state-of-art electronics, communications and all safety equipment and GoPro cameras to catch those breathtaking images for future bragging rights. Ready for battle, the Intensity is equipped with the finest standup conventional tackle, including 16- to 20-pound for sailfish, and 30- to 50-pound custom outfits for marlin and tuna. Additionally, we offer 20-pound spinning gear for sailfish and dorado and 14- to 16-weight fly fishing tackle for those wanting to experience even more fun with billfish. Or bring your own favorite tackle to fish with. Our mates are some of the world’s best at pitching baits and teasing and releasing billfish. Over the years the Intensity has recorded an average year-round daily release rate of 18 sailfish.
The Intensity is one of a dozen or so sportfishing boats docked at San Jose Marina, the only major marina on Guatemala’s Pacific Coast. It operates year-round.
A WORD ABOUT CONSERVATION
Guatemala is a leader in billfish conservation, which has played a big part in making this area a favorite destination for offshore fishing enthusiasts from around the world. Guatemala was the first country to embrace and enact laws requiring the mandatory use of baited circle hooks in its offshore fishery. It also has a strict “no kill” billfish policy. Because of these policies, it has been able to sustain its reputation for the most sailfish releases in the Pacific every year since records have been kept. Capt. Sheeder proudly contributes to conservation research by keeping accurate records and data on his average yearly 1,500 to 2,000 billfish releases.
Meet the captain
Originally from Hawaii, Mike Sheeder is the youngest member of the famed Sheeder sport-fishing team, the younger brother of Chris Sheeder. His fishing education began at an early age with Neil Isaacs, who regularly took him, his dad and big brother Chris marlin fishing off Kona. He graduated from California Maritime Academy in 2002 and holds a US Coast Guard “unlimited all seas” license and numerous accreditations as a merchant marine veteran. He started fishing professionally as a 16-year-old on weekends in Kewalo Basin, known for where the world’s largest blue marlin was caught.
In 2006 he moved to Guatemala, taking over the helm of the legendary 37-foot Gamefisherman, Intensity. Equally adept at catching billfish and other species on light-to-heavy tackle and fly, Sheeder has consistently taken top honors in tournaments since he began fishing out of Port San Jose, Guatemala. In 2008 he was nominated as Marlin magazine’s “Captain-of-the-Year” for posting phenomenal catches like 70 sailfish releases in a day; five blue marlin in a day, and a sailfish on two-pound fly tippet that at the time was only the second one ever to be caught on fly. In his off-season, Capt. Sheeder navigates container ships through the Straits of Hormuz. No other captain in Central America has Mike’s experience fishing and running boats in international waters.
"Captain Mike" is great at teaching people of all ages and backgrounds to fish. Book a charter on Intensity today!
COME FISH THE SAILFISH MECCA OF THE WORLD!
When you’re looking for to a destination that consistently provides most shots at catching Pacific sailfish every day, nowhere else comes close to Guatemala. Located along the Central American “billfish highway,” Guatemala’s Pacific coast offers legendary fishing for sailfish, and also striped, blue, and black marlin as well. Underwater mountain ranges less than 10 miles from the dock keep the fish around all year, and skilled captains like Mike Sheeder of the Intensity often produce billfish Grand Slams. In Guatemala, it’s not uncommon to see skippers proudly flying more than 40 billfish release flags at the end of the day.
OCEANS TEEMING WITH FISH
Sail fishing off Guatemala is world-class, but so is fishing for dorado (dolphin), yellowfin tuna, wahoo and three species of marlin. Catching 15 out of 25 sailfish plus scores of dorado and tuna is routine. And when the waters are teaming with bait, as is usually the case, the catch rate can climb to three or more times that number. Guatemala holds the single day record of 124 sails released on conventional tackle and 57 on fly. No other fishing destination approaches the billfish numbers found off Guatemala.
The reason for Guatemala’s productivity has to do with its mountainous offshore bottom structure and the currents that interact with it, sending oxygenated water or upwellings to the surface. Currents moving east from Mexico and west from Panama collide off Guatemala, creating enormous nutrient-rich eddies that attract and hold baitfish, which in turn attracts gamefish. Everywhere you look, there is marine life. Not just sailfish, but whales, spinner dolphin, sea turtles and diving marine birds. Best of all, about 75 percent of the time this marine show happens in flat seas.
Calm conditions make Guatemala the ideal spot for first time fly fishermen wanting to catch billfish, or new-to-offshore fishing families seeking an introduction to the sport. In short, anyone who doesn’t like rough sea conditions will find the ocean off the Port of San Jose a pleasure. Sailfish, black and striped marlin, wahoo, tunas, and dorado are caught year-round. However, the peak billfish season is October through June. The summer months are tops for dorado and inshore species such as roosterfish, Cubera snapper and grouper on light tackle.
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1200 Anastasia Ave, Suite 415,
Coral Gables, FL 33134
herb@intensitysportfishing.com
855-BILLFISH (245-5347) • 305-632-4372
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