Client Testimonials

From the time we met Tom at the airport until he dropped us off for our flight home, Tom and his staff made us feel like we were the most important clients he has ever booked. The fishing, accommodations, meals and transportation were more than expected. We found the super panga to be very well suited to our style of fishing- close to the action. I have been on more than a few similar "adventures" and there is usually something that could be improved on. Not so in the case of Panamax Sailfishing Vacations.

Mark and I want to thank you once again for a great time! We just can't get enough of Guatemala. We are of course hoping to return in the fall.

Once again, thank you so much for making our vacation special. As always, you coordinated the perfect trip for us! Thanks friend!

Tom, there are not enough superlatives in the English language to tell you how much I enjoyed our trip. Casa Vela with its pool, palapa, A/C rooms, kitchen, beautiful grounds, etc, was beyond my wildest expectations. Que Vela! is a great center console boat and was the perfect fishing platform for Pez Velas. Victor is one in a hundred as a mate, hard-working, personable, and eyes like an eagle. And you went beyond the call of duty, from our first meeting at the airport. Your knowledge of the country, the people, your command of Spanish, your excellent cooking, your easy going nature, and of course your hard work to find the fish, made for a fabulous trip!Rest assured that you'll see us again next season.

Welcome to Guatemala were the first words out as Capt Tom greeted us at the airport. What an understatement!! This has been the best fishing trip in my life. I like many anglers have fished Costa Rica, Mexico and the Gulf Coast, this tops them all. The accommodations, the food and oh my god the sails were all over the top. I can't wait to return.

It was a wonderful experience fishing with Tom out of Guatemala. He taught us the ropes and by the third day we were hooking up our own Sailfish and he was the consummate guide for the area. Should I also mention that he is also a great cook?? I did not expect to eat so well and have the best fishing I could ever imagine. I would highly recommend a week in Guatemala for the best Sailfishing on the planet !!

"I had an absolute blast fishing with Tom out of Que Velas Marina in Guatemala. The number of sailfish we caught and watched work in the baits was absolutely amazing. I caught my first sailfish with Tom and my friend caught his first blue marlin. Overall great time!"

"I have been fishing offshore for several years now and have been fortunate enough to fish with a variety of captains on numerous types and sizes of boats. I have to undoubtedly say that my trips with captain Tom Boice on the Que Vela have always been my favorites. Tom gives anglers a truly hands on experience with some of the best Pacific sailfishing in the world.

He is a patient instructor and has taught me much about raising, hooking and releasing the acrobatic and beautiful Pacific sailfish. I would definitely recommend any angler from a beginning billfisherman to a seasoned veteran to take a trip with Tom."

"My first memories as a kid are fishing in the Gulf Stream with my Dad off of south Florida. For 6 years in a row now, my Dad and I are still making memories fishing together with Tom Boice on "Que Vela" off of the Pacific Coast of Guatemala out of Puerto Quetzal. Through my experience running an offshore charter fishing operation here on the Georgia Coast, I know what it takes in terms of planning and effort to maintain a first class fishing operation like Tom has organized based upon his many years of living and working in Guatemala. Of course, being in the hottest spot for billfish in the world helps! We know we can always count on having a great fishing experience and overall good time with Tom and look forward to our annual trip to Guatemala more than any others."

Well, here we are Tom, back in Canada and all settled back into the routine of our somewhat twisted - complex lives again yearning to go back to Guatemala on another retreat! Mark and I want to thank you for the amazing adventure we had with you as our friend and guide. Thank you for showing us the magnificence of this country along with the indigenous Mayan sites and culture. The active volcanoes, Lake Atitlan, and colonial town of Antigua were incredible. Mark and I have our favorite highlights of our visit to this country with you as our guide, and I think our top fave was the mini expedition you arranged was touring the various sites and villages nested in Lake Atitlan. We both loved our accommodations in Puerto San Jose, Panajachel, and Antigua. The arrangements you made for our week stay were incredible and we loved your choices for our holiday! Having said that, you are an amazing person and a knowledgeable and loyal ambassador of this beautiful cultural country. There is no other way to see this magnificent cultural country without someone like you!

Anyone who loves the sea, deep sea fishing (especially billfish), beautiful countryside, a captivating foreign culture (especially the latin), and excellent rates should consider fishing with Capt. Tom Boice out of Pez Vela Marina, Port San Jose, Guatemala.

I have been fishing there with my sons and other friends for six years. I am now 75, and after a lifetime of fishing can truly say I saw, hooked and released more sailfish during my time there than all the other years off the Florida East Coast and Keys, Bermuda, the Bahamas, and Cape Hatteras together.

Tom fishes a 28 foot Super Panga center console that is well equipped with electronics and, especially, good tackle. This is a good sea boat and lets you be right where the action is. Tom normally fishes four lines-two outrigger lures with ballyhoo, and two naked ballyhoo flat lines just behind two teasers. All are fished short and the greatest thrill of all is to have a big sail come right up behind a teaser and then bring the naked ballyhoo to it. We used 30 lb test line with 80 lb leaders and all circle hooks. which have let us release all sails unharmed. If you are experienced you can do it all with Tom-rig baits, work the lines, hook the fish and release them. If not, he will guide you through the basics until you are comfortable doing it on your own.

We always stay with Tom in a beautifully furnished private home with a pool, outside thatched roof cabana/dining area, in a gated community of other homes. Downtown San Jose is only minutes away with good restaurants. El Capitan, a favorite of mine, is also close by with its huge thatched roof and lava sand/dirt floor.

Tom Boice, also a U. S. Resident and Colorado native, has lived in Guatemala for twenty-three years. He is fluent in Spanish and has an excellent working knowledge of Guatemala and its history. His home in Panajachel overlooks one of the world's deepest and most beautiful fresh water lakes, with three towering volcanoes in the background. It is a place that should be visited and is only a few hours from San Jose.

I have many wonderful memories of fishing on Tom's Superpanga, but one is permanently engraved. My oldest son, Al, Tom and I had just set the lines one morning when a sail took each outrigger line and another immediately came into the flat lines. We had three very large sails. At one point they all three made a spectacular leap together, outlined by the volcanoes. We were able to fight and release all three. That particular event could only have been shared on a boat like the Pez Vela with a friend and Capitan like Tom Boice. I will never forget it-nor will Tom and Al.

Contact Tom on his website. He can arrange transportation to and from Guatemala City, or you can do it on your own as we do. The accommodations are beautiful, the weather is beautiful, the women are beautiful, the sailfish are plentiful and beautiful, and the rates unmatched by any others. If you wish, contact me and I will be happy to tell you anything I can about Guatemala fishing with Tom Boice.

"As a charter captain off of the Georgia and Florida coasts, I can say from years of running offshore fishing trips that the experience I have had fishing with Capt. Tom on "Que Vela" are as good as they get. Tom's charter operation is well managed yet the total fishing experience is so familiar and comfortable that I feel like I am "fun fishing" with friends back here at home. Also, every time I get on Tom's boat I know that we are likely to see more billfish in a single day than I typically see in an entire season in Georgia."

"Captain Tom Boice put me in position to help me catch my fist sailfish on "Que Vela." I enjoy the fishing experience with Tom and my trips to Guatemala so much that I plan to make the trip every year and am always looking forward to the next trip as soon as I finish my last.

Just want to thank you, again, for a wonderful trip. The fishing was terrific, the food great and having you as a tour guide and interpreter was the icing on the cake. If any potential customers wish to contact me for a reference, please have them call me. Thanks, again.

Best fishing trip ever! After researching various Guatemala sail fishing charters, I chose Panamax. I chose it for various reasons; one-to-one attention, boat, on-shore housing. We were not disappointed.

After landing in Guatemala City, Tom was waiting for us with an air conditioned vehicle and all the cold drinks we could ask for. The drive to the coast was about an hour and 45 minutes long. Tom, having been in Guatemala for over 25 years was a great tour guide.

On day one we woke at 5:45am, had a great breakfast and excellent coffee then off to the dock and started heading to the fishing grounds at 7am. After a 2 hour run to the “blue water” about 30 miles out, we put out our ballyhoo and the action was on, did not quit for 5 hours. 23 take downs with 17 sailfish boated and released.

Tom and Victor are all about catching large numbers every day. As fast as a fish was released, all lines are back in the water and the fishing continued. Victor, prior to our arrival each morning, had 36 ballyhoo already rigged up and ready to fish. The boat is very comfortable and easy to fish out of. Tom spends his day up in the crow’s nest with a keen eye looking for sails. After two days of non-stop action, we opted to stay close to shore and target dorado. Even so on that day we still landed 4 sails and 9 dorado.

Both Tom and Victor are very concerned with releasing sails and use a circle hook to ensure that no sails are killed. I like that!

The weather, food, drinks, fishing, Tom and Victor were excellent. My plan is to return annually and bring different friends each time to share this gem of a trip.