Month: August 2011

August 27, 2011

The Wanderer and Explorer both had outstanding results this season; though we are slightly sad to see the season go, we are already gearing up to make 2012 another banner year! Both boats have been pulled from the water and the all-important work of off-season maintenance has begun.


The Wanderer will be entering her third year of service (man, time flies! It seems like yesterday we sent the Wanderer to Nosara) and she is set for a major refit. First up we will be doing the basic annual maintenance and painting that an every-day boat like this demands, plus we will be patching a few small rough spots in the fiberglass near the pulpit.

You can see Captain William and First Mate Alex prepping the area for Matty and Craig, Jr.’s arrival next week. Once that is finished we will be cutting the existing top and replacing it with and aluminum/clear vinyl top. This will retain the general functionality of the spotter’s tower while saving several hundred pounds of useless weight.

Stay tuned to the FishingNosara blog for pictorials as this project unfolds. Meanwhile Captain David is speedily prepping the Explorer to get back on the water ASAP. The next few months will be a ‘soft’ off-season, meaning that if their is a break in the rainy weather then the Explorer will be on standby to go fishing.


Captain David is nearly complete with redoing the bottom paint and some light maintenance to the cockpit. Good thing, because we have 10 clients booked in September and more in October who will be watching the skies hoping for a crack at some world-class fishing. Like a high-powered jet fighter on a carrier deck, the Explorer is standing by on ‘hot-ready’!

Likewise the FishingNosara Blog isn’t taking the season off…in addition to keeping you abreast on our off-season expansion plans (more houses, more Safari Carts, more crazy boat projects) readers can also expect an induction of a new Hall of Fame class, our highly-anticipated FishingNosara Year in Review, and the introduction of the FishingNosara Master Angler series (shhhh…it’s still a secret)

Until next time, tight lines y Pura Vida!


August 24, 2011

With the rains coming and the season almost over, Captain David welcomed client Marc Carson for North Carolina for a five-hour fishing trip and he came away with some excellent Yellowfin Tuna and a nice Sailfish release.


Great work by Captain David to squeeze every drop out of the Explorer‘s maiden season.  Look our for this legendary boat to raise the bar even higher in 2012.


August 21, 2011

Craig Sutton and Danny “Shake and Bake” Baker were honored to welcome Lifetime FishingNosara Hall of Famer Señorita Richmond Phipps to the Wanderer for an excellent trip that covered the entire fishery both offshore and inshore. Sra. Phipps got things going early and taught the boys exactly how Costa Rica billfishing is done.

They obviously learned a thing or two because Danny followed up Richmond’s catch with a beautiful Sailfish of his own.

As the day wore on the Wanderer proceeded inshore to see what tasty morsels they could pull off the reef. Craig and Danny bent a few rods and piled the fishbox with a Yellow Tail Snapper and a Gilguero Snapper.

Great work by a true FishingNosara legend, the one-and-only Richmond Phipps!

August 20, 2011

Our new friend Wade Boyken from Merritt Island, Florida began his first of multiple days of fishing on the Wanderer with a huge day of Sailfish strikes.  Captain William took them offshore where the Sailfish bite has been absolutely incredible the last few weeks.

Check out these great Sailfish releases:



By the end of this trip the Boyken bunch released 3 nice Sailfish. Wade has more trips coming this week. Stay tuned!

August 19, 2011

On August 19 US Representative for FishingNosara Craig Sutton was on the Wanderer for an afternoon billfish hunt with Captain William and First Mate Alex. Joined by Danny Baker of Virginia Beach, they started off with a nice-sized Dorado (about 30lbs.) and then started raising Sailfish left and right. Out of nine potential strikes the boys managed to catch and release three beautiful Sailfish.

August 18-21, 2011

Beach Marine Gone Fishing’ Tournament – August 18-21, 2011

Lots of great kids and their families made it out to Beach Marine in Jacksonville for the Gone Fishin’ Tournament. A free trip to Costa Rica went to the aggregate winner of the Redfish and Flounder divisions.

Also on Saturday the Hook the Future Foundation was in full force with youth fishing seminars and some valuable giveaways, plus Capt. Don Dingman himself was filming for an upcoming episode of Hook The Future.

Remember to do your part to hook the future and take your kids fishing. You’ll be glad you did!

August 17, 2011

It’s been raining for the last few days but yesterday the weather finally lifted and client Mark Carson took to the Explorer for a half-day fishing with Captain David. They got a few Bonitas for use as strip bait then headed offshore to where the swarms of Sailfish were before the rains (see August 8-12).


Though not as thick as before, Mr. Carson still caught and released a nice Sailfish. It’s good to see that the rain didn’t impact the fishing too much and we think that the next few days may provide one of the last weather windows for a few months. Good perseverance by the Explorer.

August 12, 2011

Jeff and Brian Bickel had such a good time on the Wanderer that they signed up for an additional day of fishing with Captain William and First Mate Alex. After going 4 out of 6 on Sailfish a few days ago, the Brothers Bickel were looking to improve upon an already legendary performance.

The Wanderer went back out to Sailfish Alley and started pulling the high-speed lures over the blue water break. Around 10am the first strike came in the form this big Yellowfin Tuna on a C +  H Black/Orange lure.


The bill collectors came calling in the early afternoon as several hungry Sailfish started tearing through the spread.

Sailfish hunt in pairs and First Mate Alex has perfected the art of the double header hook-up. Alex quickly sets the hook when the first one hits and Captain William angles the fish so that the backside of the spread can remain deployed.

With an angler keeping the first fish honest, Alex then drops back a pitch bait to the other Sailfish and the double header is on! Many clients have achieved this feat in the already-history-making 2011 season, but very few managed to pull the feat off twice on one trip!

Make room in the Hall of Fame for the Bickels! Excellent job by Captain William, First Mate Alex, and the famous Wanderer.

August 11, 2011

The Wanderer is on fire this week with the scorecard showing lots of Sailfish releases heading into a full day trip with Dr. Robert Barrett and his crew from Orlando, FL. While on the way out to the blue water, Captain William spotted the telltale splash of a spinning porpoise school and we all know what that means…Yellowfin Tuna Frenzy!


The Florida boys deployed our arsenal of Williamson Jet Poppers into the mass of bubbling water and started pulling Yella Fellas in at a rapid-fire pace. They knocked out fourteen Yellowfin Tunas before moving on to the deep water.


The offshore Sailfish boulevard is still thick with pelagics as evidenced by Robert Barrett’s two monstrous releases. Great trip by Dr. Roberto and the posse…tons of good-eatin’ Yellas and a pair of world class billfish as well!