Tag: Double Sailfish

November 15, 2012

Our new buddy TJ Conrads brought his family down from Boise, ID to take aim at some big game. TJ is an interesting adventurer who wrote the book on traditional longbow hunting (hunting with a wooden bow and arrows that he literally makes).

For 30 years he has published Tradtional Bowhunter Magazine which is the leading voice in the field.

Mr. Conrads is also the author of the “Traditional Bowhunter’s Handbook” (left). 

He has hunted with bow and arrow all over the world, in every different place you can imagine. An outdoorsman’s outdoorsman, TJ was also thrilled with the idea of offshore Costa Rican fishing.

Fortunately the Wanderer never leaves port without a full quiver and Captain William set his aim offshore at the blue water beasties.

Things got off to a fast start with this bright green Dorado finding its way to the ice chest in the first hour of the half day trip.

This respectable Dorado clocks in around 25lbs. and will certainly keep the family fed for the week.

Captain William guided the Wanderer a little further offshore into billfish territory and on cue a mean pair of Sailfish took off with baits just after 10am.

TJ and the posse reeled ’em in while the crew coordinated the daring and difficult Double Sailfish Release.

Great safe fish-handling like always by the incomparable First Mate Alex, and truly a fishing feat for the ages by TJ Conrads and his family.

We look forward to seeing Mr. Conrads again down the road…can’t say the same for these fellas:

August 30, 2012

Our new friend Ross Boyce is a world beating angler who comes to us from Brisbane, Australia. His email to us was so good that we’ve decided to reproduce it verbatim:

Great day yesterday, although nearly didn’t get to go. Overnight Wednesday we had the obligatory thunderstorm but with the loudest and most continuous thunder I have heard in my life and the most intense rain here for quite a number of years in such a short time; so much so the bridge on the road to Playa Garza had water over the top of the railings. (In actual fact it was to the top, approximately 4 feet over the road.)
 
Left at 7.30 but because of the rain, the foreshore water was brown and full of debris for about a mile out or more which precluded us from any bottom fishing. So headed for about the 12-14 mile mark out to sea where the swell was varying from 6 to 10 feet. Absolutely no action for trolling from 8.30 to 11.00; by this time we were about 18 –20 mile out then Wham!

Absolutely full of action for the next 2 .5 hours – a total of 6 sailfish caught and released including two double hook ups!!! Huge adrenaline rush.

Carlos (deck hand) and Captain David were brilliant and professional in the execution of boat work, gear rigging and handling of the fish during the capture and release. GREAT JOB….


 
During the past 2 years I have charter fished on the Great Barrier Reef, other parts of Australia, King fish at Tairua East Coast of New Zealand, Yellow Fin Tuna at Key West Florida, and on this vacation Salmon at Quadra Island, British Columbia before coming to Nosara and can I assure you the operation here is First Class!


 
Further heavy rain and thunder are expected in the next 24 hours..so will have to wait on the weather for the next charter.
The last picture indicates 5 fingers of the number of fish; but my camera battery ran out..bugger.


 
Ross Boyce
Manly, Brisbane Australia
currently in Nosara..August 31st

July 30, 2012

Our new friends Dan and Darlene Houser turned in a fantastic performance today on the Wanderer, posting three total Sailfish releases including the very challenging Double Header Sailfish release!

The solo Sailfish came tearing through the flagship’s spread around 11am and Dan brought him home like an old pro. Check out the colors on this behemoth:

When not working over big billfish, Dan works in the upper ranks of the world of auto racing. Still I’ll bet he’s never seen a photo finish like this one.

These twin racers took the checker at 1:20pm and clearly Team Houser was stoked…I wouldn’t be surprised if Captain William burnt a few doughnuts on the way back to Garza.

Nice safe billfish handling by First Mate Alex to ensure the safe release of all three fish as usual.

Great work by Dan and Darlene on the unbeatable Wanderer!

July 18, 2012

Craig Sutton, Jr. came to Nosara to celebrate his birthday with his new fiancee Erica and found some time to get on the water with Captain David on the Explorer. With Carlos serving over on the Wanderer, it was up to Craig to function as angler and first mate for the unstoppable Super panga.

After missing on an early strike, the team recovered with a Double Header Sailfish release around 10:30am. Craig had to fight the first fish from a stationary boat as Captain David cleared the lines with one hand and hooked the second fish with his other hand.

“I’ve caught a lot a Sailfish, but this was the first one that talked to me,” Craig later commented. “He covered 25 feet in a single jump and it was all I could do to keep the line from falling into the water.”

After a quick release shot Craig billed the second fish; though not the behemoth of the first one, you can tell from the strain on Craig’s face that this fish was also a serious beast.

Like any good future husband, Craig also stopped to pick up dinner on the way home in the form of this nice 15lbs. Bluefin Tuna. 

May 21, 2012

After racking the biggest Cubera Snapper of the season over on the Explorer, Steve Creasey turned in another Hall of Fame – worthy performance on the mighty Wanderer. This Clearwater, FL based angler had five Sailfish in the spread and ended up releasing four of the mighty beasts.

The first three fish came calling all at once, and it took careful coordination between First Mate Alex in the cockpit and Captain William on the wheel to keep the three billfish from tangling.

Steve kept his cool and all three fish were no match for this crew. All billfish were safe released as always. 

He ended up the day with an additional Sailfish release and a tasty Dorado for the dinner table.

Steve is fired up and that spells trouble for the local marine population…he is only half-way through his fishing adventure and already has claimed two spots in the FishingNosara Hall of Fame. God knows what he has in store for the rest of the week. Stay tuned!

April 7, 2012

John Barrineau and his family were back on the Wanderer looking to top their three-for-three Sailfish performance from earlier in the week, and we are stoked to report that these Jacksonville anglers achieved another remarkable feat: The Double Sailfish Release!

This was just the tip of the iceberg for the trip as the Barrineau’s added three more releases to the scorecard.

What fantastic results this week for these Jacksonville anglers as once again the mighty Wanderer delivers on the promise of high-end Costa Rica sportfishing!

February 2, 2012

FishingNosara has been working for years to dispel certain myths about fishing in Costa Rica, namely that the fishery is world-class yet the boats and tackle are the exact opposite. Our reputation for top-notch tackle and aggressive fishing proceeded us when we received a call from Derrell McCrary.

Mr. McCrary was fishing on another boat in the  area back in December when he noticed that FishingNosara was catching monsters while he was catching minnows. He booked a full day on the Wanderer and this time we vowed that his fishing experience would be world class.

Captain William pointed the mighty Wanderer south and found the blue water break just 6 miles offshore. The spread was working early in the day, snaring a pair of nice Dorados (Mahi-Mahi) that weighed 30lbs. each. Here is one of the tasty green morsels:


After a brief spell of nothing biting, the 1pm Sailfish bite lit up and two hungry Pacific Sailfish came tearing through the spread. First Mate Alex coordinated the fights and the releases, notching the Wanderer‘s scorecard with three more excellent billfish releases including a double header Sailfish release.

This performance certainly exorcised the Costa Rica fishing demons for Derrell McCrary, but FishingNosara’s reputation wasn’t built on meeting expectations but on exceeding them. That is why after 7 great hours of fishing the mighty Wanderer still had a trick up her sleeve.

This 180lbs. Striped Marlin releases is the third of the month for Captain William and proves that the FishingNosara flagship Wanderer is indeed the top boat in the area; she is a vessel that flourishes where other fail.

November 28, 2011

On the morning of November 28 we received a report of five White Tunas and and some Bonitas from client Jeff Sampson from Colorado. Jeff has fished in a couple of times in Nosara before, but this was his first trip with Captain William on the famous Wanderer.

After the inshore harvest, they decided to go offshore and hunt billfish.

They had a few nice Sailfish in the spread throughout the day and released 3 of the beautiful behemoths before returning to Garza.

Great work by Mr. Sampson in displaying the patience and perseverance required for great billfish success…third trip is a charm!

November 19, 2011

Captain Josh Eldridge and his wife Jennifer are in Nosara celebrating their 6th wedding anniversary, so obviously the perfect way for the IGFA-certified charter captain from Nantucket to celebrate was with some high-powered billfish hunting on the Wanderer.


Captain Josh and his wife had a super nice day with five Sailfish releases (including a Double header) backed up by a 30 lbs. Dorado for the dinner table.


“We a great time with William and Alex!” -Captain Josh Eldridge via email

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.