GRAND SLAM IN GUATEMALA

Great fishing and the trip of a lifetime

- JOHN COLEY

Sometimes, especially when it comes to fishing, it's best to take full advantage of the opportunities that present themselves. When my son, JT Coley, a freshman at North Carolina State University, asked about going on a fishing trip for spring break, it was music to my ears. We both immediately said, "Let's go back to Casa Vieja Lodge"; we had been in 2018 and loved it. We checked the dates for his break, and as luck would have it, there had been a cancellation for that same week in March. I fired off an email saying we were interested and had been there before. The next morning, I was in a business meeting when my phone rang. I saw it was a call from the lodge's booking office in Miami, so I stepped out of the room and took the call. On the other end was Kirsten Thomas, who said I was her first call for the cancellation because we were repeat customers. She said that Capt. David Salazar's usual boat, Poco Loco, was in the yard for maintenance but asked if we would be OK fishing with him aboard The Hooker. I said of course, and could barely contain my excitement. A couple of nights later, JT and I had a chance to Google the amazing history of this boat, all of her world records, and that a book had been written about her travels around the world. And to fish with David, a very well-respected captain who is also the owner of the lodge, would surely be an amazing