FishingNosara | Costa Rica Fishing Report from FishingNosara

Ship of Fools Tournament Recap – March 27, 2011

FishingNosara made a great splash at the Ship of Fools Tournament held in our home port of Garza, CR. This tournament focuses on Marlins and Sailfish and features some of the best captains in the area plus attracts big money fishing teams from around the world.

With bragging rights on the line, we decided to up the ante by enlisting Captain David and the Explorer which put us on the smallest boat in the field. The more conventional choice would have been Captain William and the 32′ Wanderer, but the blue beauty was already booked by clients Kenny, Woods, Morgan, and Dave.

The Explorer roared out of Garza with authority on the morning of March 26 with fresh lines, new baits, and AC/DC’s “Hells Bells” blasting from the newly-installed stereo system.

The awkward glances from the other boats turned into admiration as the 26′ Super Panga lit up the scorecard with this Sailfish release, the first of the tournament.

By midday several other boats were reporting billfish releases and the Explorer slipped down the standings a bit. However, the boat reporting the most billfish releases was not one of the other tournament boats…it was the Wanderer!

We took this shot from the Explorer while Alex, William, and the boys on the Wanderer were reeling in a Marlin fresh after releasing a sailfish. By the end of the first day, the Explorer was in the middle of the pack and the Wanderer would have been winning (if they had been entered in the tournament, that is).

The second day was similar to the first. We had a nice Sailfish release early in the morning, then missed on a few nice fish. The Explorer caught a nice Roosterfish but unfortunately this tournament did not offer any points for that species.

In the end, the Explorer finished in fourth place with 200 points. The Wanderer would have unofficially come in second with 825 points over the two days.

Most importantly was that all the boats and crews came to respect a 26′ Super Panga capable of catching monster fish over 20 miles offshore. We have been saying that this boat has the capabilities of a 40+ foot craft since the beginning, and the Ship of Fools Tournament was our chance to prove it.

Great work by Captain David and the whole FishingNosara family.

March 25, 2011

Captain Jack continued to put a dent in the Sailfish population on March 25 aboard the Wanderer. Around noon this massive beast screamed off about 300 yards of line in two seconds. Jack kept him taught while Captain William backed down to the bucking Sailfish.

After a 7 minute fight, this fish was released.

March 24, 2011

Captain David on the Explorer is doing great things for all our clients big and small. Check out this great Cubera Snapper these little dudes pulled in on a three hour sunset cruise on March 24.

These sunset cruises are a fantastic way for youngsters to learn the craft of sportfishing without committing to a full day out on the ocean.

March 23, 2011

As the Ship of Fools Tournament neared, the scrimmage match with the Explorer came at a perfect time. Basically the Wanderer was not about to let the litte brother eat all the food.

After Jack’s first sailfish catch on the Super Panga, Captain William came roaring up from behind and immediately put a nice Sailfish on the hook. A short fight and a quick release later and the score was nearly tied with the Explorer holding a slim lead in the form of a Bluefin tuna and a White tuna.

When Alex returned the teasers to the water he noticed that a curious Marlin had popped up about 50 yards behind the boat. He immediately pitched a rigged ballyhoo to the blue monster and set the hook.

So the Wanderer won the scrimmage, but the ability to share spots and tactics certainly helped FishingNosara find its way to the leaderboard come tournament time.

March 23, 2011

What better way to prepare for the Ship of Fools Tournament than a little intersquad scrimmage between the Wanderer and the Explorer.

On the Super Panga was Captain David, Craig, Matty, and Jack who had their sights set on Sailfish. Sure enough after the daily mopping of stray tunas on the ride out Captain David set the TLDs out in a classic Bait-and-switch high speed spread.

Around 10 am the first bill started shopping the baits, first the short line, then the long outrigger, and finally settling on a bonefish rigged on the shotgun line. The line screamed off and Jack locked in for the fight. In shockingly efficent fight, Jack brought the Sailfish home in 8 minutes. Great work by boat, angler, and Captain.

Meanwhile, the Wanderer was not about to let the litte brother eat all the food. They came roaring up behind the Explorer and immediately put a nice Sailfish on the hook. A short fight and a quick release later and the score was nearly tied with the Explorer holding a slim lead in the form of a Bluefin tuna and a White tuna.

So the Wanderer won the scrimmage, but the ability to share spots and tactics will no doubt help FishingNosara find its way to the top of the leaderboard this weekend.

March 22, 2011

On March 22 Rick Solomon and his family were on the Wanderer and caught the fish of a lifetime. This beauty was good enough to land them a spot in the FishingNosara Hall of Fame. Check out this Blue Marlin!

What a fighter! It is not often that First Mate Alex almost gets pulled in by a fish…good thing David had his back. Despite the strength of this fish, it was live released to battle another day.

March 20, 2011

March 20 was Matty and Jack’s turn on the Wanderer, and a special day for Captain Jack. He was the main man on the Wanderer Construction yet this day marked his first time back on the boat he built.

Satisfied with the boat’s health after a year in the water, we stayed inshore in the morning to load up on more Yellowfin than we knew what to do with.

At noon they were joined by Craig and William Kidd of North Carolina for some offshore trolling. Mr. Kidd reeled in this magnificant Dorado estimated to weigh 50 lbs. The strike came just before 5 pm…Long day, but well worth the wait.

March 19, 2011

The Explorer was on the hill getting its monthly upkeep today (and getting some slick new rod holders on the transom), so it fell the Wanderer to pick up the slack…and boy did they ever!

First up, Captain William found an awesome Dorado bite around 2 pm and stayed on it until the box was stuffed with three nice greenies. Alex pulled some incredible gaff shots on these monsters.

With the meat on ice the blue beauty tried to add a trophy fish to the trip to make it perfect. Around 5 pm the moon came up and right behind it was this massive Sailfish. Great work on the billshot and release as always.

With all the excitement surrounding the Explorer, the Safari Carts, the new shop, and all the other projects around here it is possible to forget that the big dog in this yard is the big blue billfish battlewagon….Wanderer!

March 18, 2011

Jack and Matty along with clients Jim and Bryan were out on the Explorer getting geared up for the Ship of Fools Tournament this weekend. With a scoring system that rewards big billfish and multiple inshore species in a weighted fashion, this local tourneo is THE bragging rights event of the season.

To prepare, we are tightening up our Cuberra Snapper tactics in a way that also permits for solid Yellowfin action. This way we can fill up the scorecard in multiple ways. Matty nailed this one late in the day on a 2.5 hour evening trip.

March 17, 2011

There were three trips booked on the Wanderer on March 17 and all of the clients caught fish and had a great time. First up this little dude turned out to be a Yellowfin Tuna’s worst nightmare:

Later in the afternoon the Yellowfin bite intensified and the catches kept getting bigger:

Finally in the evening, the big red monster came calling and the boys on the Wanderer knew how to handle the beast. This is clearly one of the bigger Cuberra Snappers of the season so far. What a great day from Captain William and First Mate Alex!