Unfortunately water and wind conditions have made offshore billfishing a fruitless venture for the last five days or so, but the Captains and crews of FishingNosara are not ones to throw in the towel when the going gets tough.
The boys have stayed inshore this week and satisfied their clients with big Jack Crevalles and other reef dwellers. Client John Wellborn booked the Explorer on January 12 and in addition to the requisite Crevalles, Mr. Wellborn found himself on the business end of a monster Cubera Snapper.
This meaty bulldog weighed about 30lbs. and should keep John Wellborn and his group full of fish for several days. Excellent job by Captain David of adapting to the difficult offshore conditions and delivering the goods for his clients.
FishingNosara is famous for our 2.5hr. Sunset fishing trips. These short excursions are a perfect way to acclimate novice anglers to the craft of Costa Rica sportfishing and also delivers a breathtaking view of the golden Pacific sunsets.
Claire and Chris Lehto joined Captain David on a sunset trip and made the most of the 2.5 hours: They caught three nice Yellowtail snappers and a meaty Cubera Snapper estimated to weigh 25lbs. Fantastic work in no time at all…another great sunset fishing trip for the Explorer.
Every trip is a fresh adventure on the Wanderer, as client Mark and his buddies got on a variety of fish that have been a bit scarce this season. First up, they boated a pair of Cubera Snappers weighing between 20lbs. and 30lbs.
They grabbed another rather exotic piece of meat in the form of this Cierro mackerel. Named for it’s zero shaped spots, this little fella is one of the best tasting fish in the sea.
Nice work by the Wanderer in proving that there is good action to be found all over the inshore reefs.
Chuck Darner and Bill Wilderotter finished their week of excellent fishing with Captain David and Mate Pipio on the Explorer and they dialed up a fish feast for the ages. David kept the barroom brawler on the fish while Pipio broke in the new forward casting platform…the result was a cornucopia of marine eatin’.
They started at 9am. The first fish was a 35 lbs. Dorado, then they backed that up with a 25 lbs. Cubera Snapper, a 25 lbs. Amberjack, and a nice White Tuna.
The Jacksonville anglers finished off their trip by adding a Macarela, two Jack Crevalles,ย and four beefy Bonitas. Excellent end to an amazing week in Nosara…these guys are on top!
The unstoppable Captain David has mastered the maneuverable 26-foot Explorer and has her dialed in. He got her back in the water just in time to score some nice ‘off-season’ trips.
With calm seas and sunny skies proving to much to resist, Duane Stanley and his wife decided in the morning to go first for a billfish and come back to shore to catch something to eat on September 19.
Captain David was up for the challenge and brought along First Mate Alex from the Wanderer to do battle with the big boys!
About 8 o’clock they had their first hit and it was a nice Sailfish. The fight was short and fierce with Mrs. Stanley on the reel.
They released this acrobatic species a few minutes later, then came inshore had a field day on multiple species.
First, two nice Yellowfins came up the water column to David’s cloud of irresistible Bonita chunks. Duane made quick work of them and put them on ice. Then a line popped off a little stronger, and everyone thought that a big fish had hit the popper.
When most people think of a ‘double strike’ it is when two lines go off at once…not two fish on the same lure! It’s almost as if the fish missed seeing the Explorer. This Big-Eye Jack and his little Yellowfin companion could not help but throw themselves in the boat.
All of that surface commotion woke up the slumbering reef beasts, and Duane followed up this oddball double catch with a true Hall of Fame monster.
This Cubera Snapper fought like a panther and Duane Stanley earned his Hall of Fame enshrinement by digging his heels into the deck and holding on for dear life. A sweat-drenched, knock-down, drag-out, bareknuckle fish fight ensued with Duane and the Explorer emerging victorious.
Duane wrote us the following email:
“The day was amazing, we had such a good time and those guys down there are great! What are the chances that Snapper makes it on the Hall of Fame?”
It was a great day of ‘off-season’ fishing for the Explorer and clearly the clients, crew and Captain were all pumped to be on the water. Hall of Fame fishing for sure!
Robert Barrett and his boys from Orlando, FL had a nice trip on the morning of August 9 on the Wanderer. They started on the bottom fishing with our Cuberra Snapper Tactic and guess what? They caught a 35lbs. Cubera Snapper along with three Yella fellas.
The good fishing continued offshore as they topped off the trip by releasing two nice Sailfish. The first one came in on the long shotgun line and David (on loan from the Explorer) billed and captured this beauty. Nice work by the young Mr. Barrett to keep this fish healthy for its release…even First Mate Alex was impressed by the boy’s strength in keeping the fish off of the gunwale:
The next Sailfish was business as usual for First Mate Alex:
Great performance, no? This super-productive day shows what is possible even this late into the season. Great work by the Wanderer and Roberto Barrett!
On July 20 Captain William and the Wanderer welcomed a group from the local hotel Tierra Magnifica for a morning trip to the inshore reefs. They had some excellent action highlighted by a 40lbs. Cubera Snapper.
They also put four Bonitas and a football sized Yellowfin Tuna in the fishbox before calling it an early day and heading in.
Offshore or inshore, the Wanderer always catches fish and keeps clients satisfied.
Huber and his group were back on the Wanderer and spent the dayย in the reef beating the heck out of the big bottom fish. They started out by trolling to for Bonitas to use as live bait and were quickly successful; in no time at all they were fully armed with eight juicy black bonitas, plus got a nice Amberjack.
As always Captain William and First Mate Alex sent the bait swimming to the bottom and the frenzy commenced. Hunter and the boys finally let up on the monsters but only after boating a 30lbs. Cubera,ย a 35lbs. Broomtail Grouper and a 20lbs Amberjack.
Wonderful day for the Huber group to follow up their great billfish performance. Let’s see what they have in store for their next encounter with the big bills in the coming days.
Richard Reiner had a nice day this morning with Captain David on the Explorer. They stayed near Garza Bay and bottom fished the reef under the Kingfish green water. Though they lost a nice Dorado, they did catch a nice 30lbs. Cubera Snapper and two 15lbs. Yellowfin Tunas.
They also caught this wee little Cubera but threw him back. Clearly this day’s haul will make for some fine dining back on shore. Great work Captain David!
The Wanderer has become the favorite choice for family fishing trips and novice anglers learning the craft of Costa Rica sportfishing because of her luxurious amenities and smooth ride. Today’s trip proved that she is also fit for a quartet of hardcore anglers to get down to serious business.
Rick and his posse booked the Wanderer for a full day of reef warfare and they stacked the fishbox full of casualties. Highlighted by a pair of 30lbs. Amberjacks and a 20lbs. Cubera Snapper, these fellas were dealing bending rods all day long.
Great catch for the dinner table to match their previous Sailfish release! As always the Wanderer is up to any conceivable angling challenge
