Sea Fishing Costa Rica

[Vagabond]

Most of our time in Costa Rica was spent exploring the various types of rain forest (there are at least seven) seeing over 300 species of birds, together with some of the strange mammals there - sloth, howler and spider monkeys, peccaries, coatis and the like. Also some 20 ft American Crocodiles on the Pacific side. (Alligators are found further north, and Caiman further south) with plenty of iguana, various snakes and hundreds of lizards.

 

However, we did set some time aside for fishing - four days out with Capt Bobby MacGuinness of Golfito in SW Costa Rica (sounds an Irish name, but he's Costa Rican) We booked him on the recommendation of Capt Gene Kelly

 

CaptGene@montauksportfishing.com

 

After meeting up with Bobby the night before for a jar, we decided on three days after marlin/sailfish and one day after inshore fish such as snapper, trevally and roosterfish.

Lets look at the inshore fish first (we actually fished for them on day 3 of our four days).

 

Caught some baitfish first, then out to a rock off Punta Matapala - an hour's sailing from Golfito.

 

We fished with stand-up 25/30 lb class gear. Not long before action started, and I was into a good Roosterfish. No sooner was it brought to the boat and returned than Norma had a bigger one. Then I had a good trevally (Pacific Crevalle Jack), followed by my first Bluefin Trevally, and yes, no sooner was it aboard than Norma had a bigger one.

 

Reasserted myself when the snappers arrived - we were catching three sorts - Colorado Red, Dog Red, and Yellow. I had the biggest snapper - Norma's best snapper was only half the size.

 

How big - dunno, we took Bobby's estimates but soon realised he said the first English number that came into his head!

 

Judge for yourselves

 

 

Norma's very fine roosterfish - held by Irwin the wireman - a very accomplished crew member

 

 

 

My Bluefin Trevally - Norma had a bigger one but the skipper took her pic while I was playing a snapper, and it is a good photo of the camera strap blowing across the lens

 

 

 

"Him big red snapper Boss"

 

Anyone who has read Mitchell Hedges "Battles with Giant Fish" will know that phrase.

 

The story went thus.

 

MH "Good heavens, what have I hooked here"

 

Griffith, MH's Jamaican guide. "Him big red snapper Boss"

 

MH "Rubbish! Snappers don't grow this big"

 

Griffith, unperturbed, "Him big red snapper Boss"

 

On the next page is a photo, captioned "World Record Red Snapper"

 

We had three days after marlin/sailfish. We had a long discussion with Bobby as to the method we would use to give us fair sport with sailfish and a chance of one of the big marlin.

 

We trailed a "Pentagon spread" That is:- two hookless teasers, each one rigged from halfway along each of the two outriggers to ride about 30 yards behind the boat. From the ends of each of the two outriggers we had Konahead lures baited with a dead mullet running about 50 yards behind the boat. Finally there was a centre rod, again baited Konahead, running 70 yards behind the boat. Seen in plan, the two teasers and three baited lures formed a pentagon. All three rods were 50 lb class in case of a big marlin strike.

 

In addition we had two 25 lb class rods, each baited with a freelined mullet of about a pound, ready at each corner of the boat.

 

The theory is that a big marlin will probably take one of the baited lures, but a sailfish will simply swipe at them, and you sling him one of the freelined deadbaits whilst the crew try to keep him near the boat by winding the lures in.

 

So, away we went. I had indicated we preferred to fish at a low angle to the wavefront, rather than to crash through them. Marlin swim at right angles to the waves, so a lure trailed along the wavefront is more likely to be seen by more fish. A lot of skippers need pushing a bit to trail that way, 'cos it is less comfortable.

 

Anyway, Bobby needed no convincing, so we were soon (well an hour and a half's sailing) out in blue water, riding a beautiful long Pacific swell in a long lazy corkscrew roll.

 

We now discovered something about Bobby's English. It was perfect when sitting having a drink at the hotel. It was pretty good whilst we were trailing baits. However, it disappeared under pressure - like when a sailfish struck at the lures!

 

We soon got used to his pressurised English

 

"Go-go-go" when he saw a sailfish from his vantage point on the bridge.

 

"Let go" when he wanted the mullet free-spooled back to the following fish, and "Let's go" when he thought you should strike caused some initial confusion !

 

We found it better to use our own judgement as to when to strike - you let the line out until the bait was close to the fish, then held it there by thumb pressure until you felt the take. Let him run for six to ten seconds, then put on strike drag and hit him!

 

Another English phrase that surfaced was "No-no-no" when he saw me using my thumb to augment the drag. Skippers are used to novices burning their thumbs or thumbing too hard and snapping the line. After the first sailfish had been brought to boat and released we had a "frank exchange of views"

 

"Educated thumb" I said, showing him it was not burnt. "Trust my thumb"

 

"I do now" he said contritely.

 

Vagabond using his "educated thumb" to put a bit of pressure on a sailfish.

 

We had three sailfish that first day, two to me as I had won the "first strike" coin toss.

We packed up rather late - you get full value from Bobby and were speeding back to base when Norma yelled "Marlin, Marlin!!!"

 

Bobby never hesitated, put the boat in a big arc, yelled at Irwin in Spanish, and by the time we had completed the circle Norma had a ready baited rod thrust in her hands and the marlin was still there.

 

Norma dropped the bait in front of him, and he took it first time. Half an hour later an Indo-Pacific Blue Marlin was brought to boat and released, now Norma only needs a Black Marlin to have completed the Grand Slam of all five Pacific Billfish. That was a well deserved fish, as Norma had spotted that sickle tail cutting the surface over a hundred yards from the boat.

 

The next day I had a couple of sails, Norma had one and a couple of Skipjack tuna, and I had a goodsized Dorado. All billfish (and roosterfish on Day 3) were returned, but the dorado was kept to eat. Some of the dorado we had grilled for us at the hotel, some we traded with a guy in a canoe for fresh coconut milk (he chopped a hole in the coconuts with his machete there and then) and for a supply of smoked marlin. The fishing community kills about one marlin a fortnight for their own use - as in Mexico, it is illegal to sell marlin in shops so most marlin and all sailfish go back alive.

 

The last day Bobby said he would take us out to a good spot two hours sailing time. It takes an hour to get to Punta Matapala, and from there we belted out in a straight line due west for another hour. At the end of the hour a great mass of sea birds in a feeding frenzy appeared dead ahead. Bobby had it spot on !

 

Frenzied action saw us catch two sails each in a very short time. Then we targeted 5 - 8 lb tuna, but only for bait. Bobby thought there was a chance of really big marlin, so we trolled three thumping great baits for a couple of hours. Unfortunately no result, so we went back to the pentagon spread and finished the day with four more sails (two each, making the total four each for the day).

 

At one point we both had a fish on at the same time. The skipper suggested some group shots so here they are.

 

 

Vagabond and his fish - Norma still playing hers.

 

 

Norma's fish - such a big sail she can hardly see over the top of it.

 

Both the above, like all the other billfish were released - below is a picture of one of them recovering before swimming off

 

So we got a total of 14 sailfish and a blue marlin in our three days bill-fishing, plus a dorado and a few small tuna. Interestingly, only one of the sailfish hooked itself on the lures - all the others, and the marlin, were caught by casting freelined deadbait to fish we could see slashing at the lures or teasers.

 

Things didn't always go exactly to plan - my most vivid memory is of a sailfish completely ignoring my mullet and cutting four times with its bill at one of the teasers which had been wound back by the crew so it was hanging from the outrigger and was skipping the surface only ten feet from the boat. That was one single-minded, angry and frustrated fish!

 

The inshore fishing on Day 3 had produced plenty of action too - roosterfish, two sorts of trevally and three of snapper.

 

Not a bad four day's worth - I would definitely recommend Capt Bobby - pressurised English and all!

 

[ 06. January 2004, 12:52 PM: Message edited by: Vagabond ]

[Kieran Hanrahan]

Fantastic photos Vagabond. You lucky devils!!!

 

I remember taking an early morning swim on the pacific coast, and a big ray erupted out of a breaker three feet in front of me off the first "step" in the beach. The locals were not impressed and told me in no undertain manner to stop swimming first thing in the morning as large sharks cruise the first breaker looking for things to eat!!! Did you try any shore fishing?

 

Well done again, green with envy!

[Vagabond]

Kieran Hanrahan:

Did you try any shore fishing?

Did a bit of fly-fishing one morning on an estuary, hoping for mullet. No mullet but a number of strange fish (all small) took the fly (and I'm still searching my reference books to decide what they were) - there were three species - all some sort of grunt, but there are umpteen species of tropical Pacific grunt, most of which visit estuaries as juveniles. Had to give up as the tide came in, creating quicksands all over the place.

 

Yes, tropical beaches can be dangerous, especially if you don't know the beach. Quicksands, rip tides, stingrays in the surf, sharks in the breakers, stonefish in the sand, stinging jellyfish in the water. You need to be clued up and wary ! But wonderful places to be in nevertheless.

 

[ 06. January 2004, 01:06 PM: Message edited by: Vagabond ]

[Alan Taylor]

Vagabond:

Not a bad four day's worth - I would definitely recommend Capt Bobby - pressurised English and all!

Pure magic as usual mate

 

Funny thing though, while we were in Egypt and having a little angle from the jetty Sonja just came out with "I wonder where Vagabond and Norma are?" As happens too often with us I was thinking EXACTLY the same thing at the same time

 

Happy New Year

 

Alan(nl)

[Vagabond]

Alan Taylor:

while we were in Egypt and having a little angle from the jetty Sonja just came out with "I wonder where Vagabond and Norma are?"  

 

Happy New Year

 

Alan(nl)

...and a Happy New Year to you and yours - did you catch owt in Egypt ? Were you on the Red Sea side ? We went to Eilat (just over the border in Israel) some years back - good snorkelling and scuba diving. We were told it was a very safe venue. The week after we left a diver was eaten by a shark.....