Costa Rica Fishing Report from FishingNosara
Costa Rica Fishing Report Archive | FishingNosara
Captain David took clients Michael and Sarah out on the Explorer for a 2.5 hour morning trip. They found hot action at a very famous reef just off of Garza called Picha Padre. On this very short trip they caught a nice white tuna and three useful black tunas.
The Explorer always delivers action from big billfish to feisty inshore species. Another great performance from Captain David.
No post tournament letdown for FishingNosara! After a grueling weekend of tournament fishing and multi-charter days, our Captains and crews have kept their collective foot on the metaphorical pedal.
Captain David on the barroom brawler called the Explorer caught a white tuna, a 25lbs. Yellowfin tuna, and a 45lbs. Dorado. Excellent trip to the fish market!
Meanwhile on the blue beauty Wanderer the billfish were popping all day long. Captain William kept a steady hand on the tiller while First Mate Alex ran the cockpit like a champion. By days end the boys had released three beautiful Sailfish.
Seems like the bite is really turning on both inshore and out deep. Looks like this season is about to really get cooking.
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 wasย our chance to prove it.
Great work by Captain David and the whole FishingNosara family.
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.
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.
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 with expert ease.
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.
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.
Captain Jack and Matty, the FishingNosara Building Dream Team, took some time off from dialing-in the new Safari Carts long enough to join Captain David for a quick 2 hr. evening trip. In this short time Jack ripped in a nice 40lbs. Cuberra Snapper.
With dinner in the box, Matty ordered the appetizer in the form of a football-sized Yellowfin tuna. They are heading out again tomorrow with more meals in mind. Nice trip to the fish market!
The big score came on March 13 with client Dewey Gile who packed the fishbox with four nice Yellowfin Tunas. Adding a Marlin release to that day would be the trip of a lifetime right? How about TWO Blue marlins?
That’s right! Performing like a boat twice her size, the Explorer captured the flag this weekend. Lots of Yellowfins and a double Blue Marlin day…doesn’t get much better than that!
Jay is out on the Explorer right now but phoned in a morning report before heading offshore for trolling action. Right now he’s got a 20lbs. Cuberra in the box and three Congrios each weighing 15lbs.
The Congrio is a member of the eel family that yields a tasty white meat.
We were predicting a good day and sure enough the big Sailfish came calling. Our on the Wanderer Catherine Chase had a magnificent day on the blue water. They raised several Marlin and Sailfish, with four successful releases added to the scorecard.
March 5 brought one of our favorite clients Catherine Chase out on the Wanderer. Last year she worked over the Dorados, but nothing could prepare her for this magnificent day on the blue water.
Why bother explaining how Catherine and the boys pulled off the now-legendary Double Double Sailfish…just let the pictures do the talking:
All Four Fish Live Released
Please note that our crews have decades of combined experience handling these fish. DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS PHOTOGRAPH!!! While exciting, the double billshot can be very hazardous to fish, boat, and humans alike. Unless you also have a lifetime of experience on the water, don’t even think about it!
Meanwhile on the Explorer, Captain David and client David Mederos got a nice sailfish of their own.
As always, this billfish was safely released to fight another day.
After the Sailfish release, they experimented with fly fishing for Yellowfin tuna over the reefs…we are actively looking for fly fishing experts who want to try their hand on the Roosterfish, Cuberras, and even Billfish.