| Meet the Captains - Capt. Lenny |
by Ed Kunze
March 2004
Captain Leonardo Villa Alvarez is a captain of unique knowledge and abilities. At the young age of 25 years, he is captain of the two most prestigious charter boats in the entire Ixtapa -Zihuatanejo fishing fleet.
He captains the 48- foot Shellback and the 35-foot Cabo, Soltar. How did such a young man get to be captain of two boats of this class? He earned it.
Lenny lost his father at the age of 7, and his uncle, Miguel Alvarez, took him in. Miguel is a world class fisherman, so Lenny started out working on the boats from day one. School was always the primary responsibility, but weekends and holidays were for fishing. At the age of 16, after Lenny graduated from Secundaria, he had the same choices as all kids in Mexico: Either go on to a prep school for college, a trade school, or join the work force. He went fishing.
By the time Lenny was 18, he was a full fledged captain. For Lenny, catch and release is the norm for sailfish, and many a client has been satisfied with a day of double digit releases. His best release record is an astounding 70 sailfish, for the same client, in three consecutive days of fishing! His clients have also taken wahoo to 65 pounds, a 70 pound dorado, blue marlin to 600 pounds, and a huge yellowfin tuna of almost 300 pounds. All of those fish are considered to be a once in a lifetime fish for even the very experienced blue water fisherman.
The 48-foot Shellback is a great boat for blue water fishing, or just luxury cruising. To spend a day on the water on the Shellback, with its huge wide beam, air-conditioned cabin with refrigerator and TV, two bathrooms, a shower, and staterooms is a luxury experience in itself.
The Cabo 35, Soltar, is a world class charter boat. (Did you know that “soltar” in Spanish means to release?) This particular model of the Cabo line is considered by many professionals as being the perfect fishing machine for big game and blue water fishing. With its array of modern electronics, live wells, speed, and first class gear, the Soltar has no peers.
How can Lenny run both boats? Well, there are not a lot of people who want to part with the $750 it takes to charter a first class boat, so he can be on one today, and then on the other tomorrow. However, when a couple of different clients want only the best, on the same day, Lenny captains the Shellback, and Miguel will then captain the Soltar.
Captain Lenny speaks excellent English, so if you want a first class experience, call him on his cell phone at 755-557-3132.
Ed Kunze is a charter boat captain himself and writes this column from his own expertise and personal knowledge of the captains and their boats. He lives in Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo year round and can be reached at 554-4876 or edkunze@prodigy.net.mx
For more information on Captain Ed and his boats go to www.sportfishing-ixtapa.com or www.zihuatanejo.net/seaandsand |
|
Contents | Previous | Next
|
|
