Category: Daily Fishing Updates

January 17, 2012

How would John Harbord, Jon Ronloff, and Bruce Sabine fare after a seven billfish day yesterday? Would they have anything left in the tank after three excellent days of fishing both offshore and the inshore reefs? Would the billfish finally evade their crafty capture?


Striped Marlin, Black Marlin, and Sailfish released!

This is the classic Grand Slam and is by far the rarest feat in billfishing. Less than a dozen Grand Slams are reported worldwide in a given year and this performance will serve as the high water mark for years to come for Costa Rican sportfishing.

The Stripey was the first one to get snared by the mighty Wanderer‘s spread and John did great work to make this fight quick and efficient. Captain William kept the boat in perfect position for the contest and the angler kept tension like a pro.

Fantastic work by First Mate Alex who is always pumped up when big billfish come calling.


Next up was a very nice Pacific Sailfish which would be a highlight on any other day with any other anglers; for these hombres this Sailfish release was as routine as a free throw.

The final piece of the Grand Slam came in the form of this MASSIVE Black Marlin that came calling later in the day. This monster was huge and the look on Alex’s face tells the tale.



What a fantastic release photo…magazine cover anyone?

Once back in Garza Bay the Tampa-based fishing team was elated, and added this 145lbs. Brown Marlin release:


Legendary fishing by these FishingNosara Hall of Famers!


January 16, 2012

Bruce Sabine, John Harbord, Joe Ronnlof…Welcome to the FishingNosara Hall of Fame!


You know it’s a good trip when it starts with a Striped Marlin release. This was the second Stripey of the season and is a Hall of Fame fish all by itself.

Then the boys added six Sailfish releases to the scorecard including the unheard-of TRIPLE HEADER SAILFISH RELEASE!


Maybe it was the blue water moving close to shore. Maybe it was the years of fishing experience that John and Bruce bring to the water. Maybe it was First Mate Alex’ lucky white sunglasses. Whatever happened out there today, all the tumblers fell into place and unlocked the perfect day of fishing for these clients.


Of course all 7 billfish were released alive and well and ready to be caught again. Excellent teamwork by Captain William and First Mate Alex to maintain the safety of the billfish, anglers, and equipement.

Great work gentlemen…you have earned your enshrinement to the Hall of Fame!

January 15, 2012

The Tampa boys stayed inshore once again on January 15 and if you think that means they settled for small fish, then you have no clue about the kind of monsters that live on the reefs in Costa Rica.

This Broomtail Grouper appears to weigh over 50lbs. which would make it the largest Cabrilla caught since Matty’s monster back in November 2010. Sheesh, the lips on this fish probably weigh five pounds:


Joe followed up the largest Grouper we’ve seen this year with the smallest grouper we’ve ever seen. Ya might be able to get half a sandwich out of this little fella, but instead we threw this one back…maybe in another ten years he will resemble his departed big brother.

The blue water is beckoning these boys and they are planning to head offshore early tomorrow. Let’s keep an eye on these world-class anglers as they head out to challenge some top-notch billfish.

January 14, 2012

Bruce Sabine, Joe Ronnlof, and John Harbord are back! These excellent Tampa anglers narrowly missed getting inducted into the FishingNosara Hall of Fame back in November 2010 when they destroyed about 500lbs. of Yellowfin tuna on a single day.

On January 14 they kicked off their fishing trips with Captain William for an inshore fridge-filling fishing frenzy.


They caught a Yella fella and a white tuna, plus this nice Amberjack.


January 13, 2012

After releasing a big Blue Marlin last season, Ted and Linda Thompson returned to the Wanderer for a half-day of fishing on January 13 and once again did a little bill collecting.

First thing in the morning the Wanderer found a hungry Sailfish on the line and Team Thompson brought the behemoth alongside for a nice clean release.


Great work by First Mate Alex and Captain William to release the fish unstressed. The Thompsons are considering fishing some more days this week which certainly spells trouble for the local billfish population. Stay tuned!


January 13, 2012

Check out this great client submitted report for John Maysak:

“My friends and I went fishing with Captain Eduardo for a full day offshore trip aboard the Sportsman. We released 1 sailfish, saw another that never bit, and caught 3 bonito.”


“Eduardo and his mates worked incredibly hard to make the day a memorable one for all of us, so much so that we booked another full day trip next week! It’s easy to tell how much they enjoy their work and they are very good at it.”


“To top off the day mate Chano sold us some langoustines to cook for our dinner”



Photos by John Maysak, Washington, DC

January 12, 2012

The Wanderer took client Christian on a 2.5 hour sunset fishing trip on January 12 and delivered some great inshore action in short order. First he caught five Jack Crevalles and a Bonita as a warm up, then finished the trip strong by boating a 25lbs. Cubera Snapper. These clients were really excited when they got back to shore.


It’s worth noting that earlier in the day Captain David of the Explorer also reported good action on Jack Crevalles and a Cubera snapper. Our Captains are not selfish; they share fishing intelligence with each other which gives our clients that little extra edge when they hit the water. Excellent sunset trip by Captain William and the FishingNosara flagship Wanderer!

January 12, 2012

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.


January 11, 2012

The Explorer played host to a company outing starring El Jefe Javier Hernandez doing work on the inshore species that have moved into the area. Looking sharp in his dress whites, the GM of Nosara Paradise Rentals showed his mastery of marine marksmanship.


Javier nailed this nice Jack Crevelle in the late afternoon and piled the fishbox with several other nice catches. Nice evening of “work” for Javier!

January 11, 2012

We have received word of a MASSIVE Dorado caught on the Wanderer by client Jim Bates that may be the biggest of the season so far. Captain William reports that this monster weighed upwards of 50lbs. and by these pictures I think he may be underestimating a bit.


What an excellent gaff shot by First Mate Alex! For those who don’t know the goal is to strike the fish in the head as far from the filets as possible. This prevents blood contamination in the meat and ensures maximum meat yield.

“Thanks for everything Craig…we will back again. The house was great and my friends had a great time. The Wanderer was a nice boat and great crew. We saw lots of wildlife and caught dinner…not bad! Thanks again for all your hospitality  we will be back as soon as we can.” -Jim Bates