Fantastic action for FishingNosara Hall of Famer George Shipley on the Explorer. Waaaaaaay back in February 2011 Mr. Shipley earned enshrinement with the first double billfish day in the history on the then-new Super Panga.
Looks like he remembered the formula!
This double release was the highlight of the day that also featured a three solo Sailfish releases:
Plus a real nice Wahoo:
Add a late-day Dorado and you have a feast for the Hall of Famer.
Excellent work by Captain David and Mate Kevin to deliver the goods for this awesome angler.
Beau Braid and his boys laid down a groundbreaking performance on the flagship Wanderer…how does FOURTEEN Sailfish releases sound to you?
They were swarmed by Sailfish from the start of the trip all the way until the last line was reeled in.
The multiple hook-ups started just after 1pm. They had a double hook-up followed by a triple hook-up.
This is one of the most hectic hookups in all of fishing but these fish did not stand a change because of Captain William’s calm demeanor on the wheel and First Mate Alex’ laser precision in the cockpit.
Beau and the boys experienced yet another Triple hook-up:
The fourteen Sailfish releases were backed up by five beefy Dorados. Safe to say these guys have plenty of filets for the week.
As a final send-off, the Wanderer was greeted in Garza Bay by this majestic Baleena (Humpback Whale). Great shots from Captain William of thes amazing creature in the wild.
Here’s the email we got from Beau: “Thanks Craig! We had an awesome trip. Everything was great, and the fishing even better. Once I get some pictures together I will send some good ones to you. But I know William got a lot of good ones too”
North Carolina’s own Chad Langley, Kevin Poole, Brad Simons, and Ben James put in a solid week of fishing on the pangas before stepping up to the flagship Wanderer on February 4.
Captain William put the blue beauty out in front of a pack of Sailfish and these boys pulled off four incredible releases.
The peak of the bite saw a triple-strike, however one of the Sails spit the hook…still you wanna talk about an exciting moment, this is it!
This was the final Sailfish release of the day and just might be the biggest of the bunch.
Nice fish-handling by First Mate Alex to see that all of these sweet Sailfish swam off safely.
They added a trio of swollen Dorados to round out an excellent angling performance.
I don’t know what it is about these North Carolinians but they sure can fish!
Tilford Smith and his boys had a big time on board the Wanderer with reports of big Dorados, bigger Sailfish, and the super-big-time Double Sailfish Release!
Mr. Smith got things off to a quick start with this Sailfish release (above), then the boys got down to business.
Captain William has a sixth sense with Sailfish and the mighty Wanderer was on her game this day!
They each released a Sailfish, then the magical double strike occurred just after 1pm.
Safe releases all around by the incomparable First Mate Alex.
They also boated a pair of nice Dorados for the dinner table, illustrating that the Wanderer is truly the best all-around vessel in Garza Bay.
Jeff Allen and his buddy started the first of their two days on fishing on the Wanderer with a BANG! When you get on board and First Mate Alex has the lures lined up like rifle shells you know that something big is bound to happen.
Double Sailfish release less than an hour into the trip!
After the safe releases these boys would go on to put a pair of Dorados on ice for the dinner table.
Excellent trip by the boat that always comes out swinging!
Roger Bowgen brought his family to Nosara from the bitter cold of Connecticut and not only did they get treated to a week of tropical sunshine, but also had a mammoth day of Sailfish releases on the flagship Wanderer.ย
The note attached to the fishing booking sheet read: “Son’s Birthday…target billfish”
Captain William took this family to Sailfish City. As usual the furious action kicked off early and didn’t relent until the end of the day.
Happy Birthday! Young Mr. Bowgen broke the ice with this excellent Sailfish at 9:30am, then it was sis’ turn to battle a blue water behemoth.
With a little help from the birthday boy she released this thick Sailfish around 11am.
Another sneaky Sailfish came calling and met the same fate as his brethren…a safe release by the super First Mate Alex.
After lunch the adults got their turn when aย pair of skywalking Sailfish took the bait.
These two sails were nearly simultaneous released, however this beast on the port side was too fired up to hold on to for long.
As a final curtain call, Team Bowgen executed the very challenging Double Sailfish release late in the day.
No help required for this pair of seasoned Sailfish scrappers…Under First Mate Alex’ supervision they pulled off the double release like old pros.
The Bowgen’s got more than just great release photos from this trip: Check out the big Dorado and tasty Yellowfin put on ice by these Northeastern anglers:
Excellent work by the flagship under the command of Captain William!
Here’s and email we received from Roger:
Good morning Craig!
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Before 2013 disappears completely over the horizon, I just wanted to drop you a note and say thank you to you and your crewย in Nosara. You have a first class, professional,operation in Costa Rica and as you know from the photographs/blog we had an amazing trip.
ย
Both Captains and Mates are to be congratulated. For my son, his 21st birthday will never be forgotten
ย
Best wishes for a healthy, happy and prosperous 2014!
Tom Kerl and his group had a blast on the Wanderer today with a total of four Sailfish releases!
Tom got things started with this fireballing Sailfish that put on a show about 20 feet from the back of the boat.
After the safe release of the Sailfish, the Wanderer‘s spread was attacked by a hunting pair of swift Sails.
First Mate Alex supervised this veteran anglers while Captain William put on a boat-maneuvering clinic; keeping two Sailfish on the line and separated from each other is no small feat, but for Captain William this is a walk in the park.
These Sailfish are a little big for the famous Double Sailfish release, so First Mate Alex cautiously released each fish separately.
Later in the day it was time for the Miss’ to step up to a mighty Sailfish and she had no problem executing this release. Notice from the photo that Alex is impressed that she is fighting the Sailfish standing-up, foregoing the Wanderer’s fighting chair.
After four trophy fish releases, the only thing left to worry about was dinner, which Tom brought home in the form of this 20lbs. Dorado.
Great memories, great photos, and great dinner…that’s a perfect day on the mighty Wanderer.
Newland Crocker is a dyed-in-the-wool fisherman from the Tar Heel State and it was an honor to host his group on the mighty Wanderer for a landmark day of fishing. They got off to a fast start with a wonderful 250lbs. Striped Marlin release.
Not to rest on their laurels, these North Carolinians added three Sailfish release including a very challenging Double Sailfish release:
What better way to round out a day of trophy releases than to bloody the decks and fill the icebox with this very tasty 35lbs. Dorado?
Excellent fishing as always from the boat that is ruling Garza Bay.
While half of Chuck Harris’ group were knocking out bottom fish with Captain David on the Explorer, the rest of them headed offshore with Captain William on the Wanderer to see what was biting in the blue water. The flagship found her way to Sailfish City and released this lovely pair of hunting buddies:
It wasn’t just about the trophy fish, as the boys got on a small school of Yellowfin Tuna later in the trip, highlighted by this 30lbs Yella fella: