Shep On Fishing: Dave Showell expanding operation from Absecon to Guatemala

Showell acquired a 25-foot Carver inboard equipped with a Volvo deisel. He worked out a connection with Dennis Wheeler, owner and captain of Parlama Sportfishing in Marina Pez Vala on the Pacific Coast. Showell had the boat loaded on a truck Wednesday and sent to Miami, from where it ships to Guatemala. Showell had to take the flybridge off before packing the boat at the yard in Absecon for what he estimated to be a 2,000-mile journey to its new berth.

Showell has a strong and long connection to Guatemala. He was a Peace Corps Volunteer there from 1977-79 and married wife Judy, a Guatemala native, before returning home. Wheeler said he also served in the Peace Corps from 1965-68 in Guatemala.

Showell said Friday he has been working on this kind of an arrangement for 20 years. The idea is to set up more economical charters for what he described as the "world's best sailfishing" in Guatemala. He expects the trips to be affordable at around $600. The Parlama fleet has two 23-foot cuddy cabin outboards and a "super panga" running exploratory trips to the Caribbean off Guatemala. The new boat will be reflagged and named "La Tijerta Del Mar" (magnificent frigate bird, according to a statement from Showell).

Charters can be hooked up locally by calling Showell at 609-484-0409, while Wheeler handles the other end, or visit The Press' Web site for more information."This can be a trip for the average guy," Showell said. "It is super fishing, and the ocean is calm."

When contacted in Guatemala by phone Friday afternoon, Wheeler could not help tossing in a barb about the weather. Knowing about the ton of snow we have here, he happily reported it was in the 70s on the Pacific Coast of Guatemala.