Tag: Marlin

February 27, 2012

John Murdaugh and his group come from a small South Carolina town but when these guys hit the water in Nosara they meant buisness big-time. On board the magnificent Wanderer with Captain William and First Mate Alex, these guy brought home a trio of fish that are all monsters in their own regard; taken together this is truly the trip of a lifetime.

This 50+lbs. Dorado was first out of the chute and John brought him in like an old pro. Next up was a mighty Pacific Sailfish who they caught and released very efficeintly…less than 15 minutes from hook up to release.

The final fight was from a MASSIVE Striped Marlin that came screaming through the baits like a banshee. The fight was a true test of angling mettle, but John Murdaugh and his team were apt to win the battle. Both billfish wereย  safely released as always…niceย  work by First Mate Alex.

I can’t wait to see the video from their pole camera but hopefully we’ll have in up here real soon.

A fantastic day of catching that will have the whole town of Hanahan, SC talking.

February 26, 2012

John Michael Burling and the boys finished off their fishing odyssey with Captain David on the 27 foot Super Panga Explorer. After fishing for a few day on the bigger boats, one could imagine that the fishing on the barroom brawler would be a let down…turns out they saved the best for last

First up on the hook was another nice Red Grouper weighing in at a good 15 lbs.

With dinner taken care of, this group set out for the deeper water and tried to best their wonderful Blue Marlin release from the previous day. The first curious billfish that came knocking was this awesome Sailfish, which when released was estimated to weigh over 120lbs.

The final victory lap came for these guys in the form of this massive Striped Marlin. Usually the Stripeys are the smallest of our Marlins, but this guy is a behemoth…it looks like it’s got shoulders!

All in all it was a great week of fishing for the Burling group with lots of good fishing stories to take back home.

February 25, 2012

Amazing news from the mighty Wanderer!

On Day 3 of their Costa Rican Fishing Adventure, John Michael Burling and his group hooked up one of the nicest Blue Marlin of the season. This fish tore through the spread hot and heavy picking off baits until First Mate Alex dropped a fateful pitch bait to the beast. Captain William spun the boat around and keep this monster on a short leash…too much slack and this baby would be a memory.

After a vigorous half-hour battle this Blue Marlin was ready to be released to do battle another day.

See you next time pal!

February 21, 2012

Captain David and Mate Carlos of the magnificent Explorer took another huge stride to cementing this Super panga’s reputation as the best pound-for-poung boat in Garza with client Greg Raab on February 21. The blue water break was a quick 5 mile ride off of the beach and Captain David put out the billfish spread.

This behemoth took hold around 2pm and screamed off about a hundred yards of line in a flash. Mate Carlos saw her a split-second before the strike, thus giving Captain David the advantage when it came to backtracking towards the torpedoing Marlin.

Upon release this fish was estimated to weigh a bit upwards of 300lbs. Most importantly she was released unharmed and unstressed, ready to do battle again.

Greg Raab also added a nice Red Grouper for the dinner table, but we know the fishing story he’ll be telling the boys back on Long Island Sound. Great work besting a real sea monster and true fish of a lifetime!

February 16, 2012

Dennis Seltsam came to Nosara with a singular purpose: Catch the fish of a lifetime! This Kentucky angler booked the Wanderer for a full day of Marlin hunting and I’d say the time spend traveling and trolling paid off.

Take a look at this beastie:

This Blue Marlin is estimate to weigh 250lbs. which isn’t exactly a record breaker, but look at that girth! This barrel-shaped torpedo gave Mr. Seltsam a heck of a fight but once again Captain William and the Wanderer prevailed victorious.

Great safe release as always by First Mate Alex!

Dennis will be working the inshore reefs tomorrow with Captain David on the Explorer and we’ll see if the good times keep rolling.

February 15, 2012

Amazing Striped Marlin release today on the Wanderer! Mississippi’s own Josh Luke and Emily booked a half-day on the mighty blue bomber and Captain William delivered the goods for these client.

This guy put on a show as Josh brought him alongside for the release. Excellent teamwork by First Mate Alex and Josh to ensure the safe handling and release of this majestic Marlin.

After four Striped Marlin releases yesterday, it’s clear that the Wanderer has the Stripeys on the run!

February 14, 2012

Our great friend Wayne Estes from Jacksonville has made multiple runs offshore with us over the years, but today’s “Valentine’s Day Massacre” will live on forever in FishingNosara history as the most productive day of Marlin fishing to date. Mr. Estes caught and released an unheard-of number of Striped Marlin.

The good-looking blue water was far away by our standards (30 miles) but Captain William’s gambit to go this far out paid dividends early and often. Things started off well with an early Sailfish release by Mr. Estes.

After the Sail was safely released the Wanderer was ambushed by wave after wave of Striped Marlin. The first one hit around 8:30 am and the Estes’ released one an hour for the next four hours.

That’s right, FOUR Striped Marlin release on a five-hour trip. Throw the early Sailfish in the mix and you have a exemplary day of Hall of Fame-caliber fishing.

Most importantly, all five billfish were safely and quickly released. We look forward to catching them another day.

What an amazing trip for the crew and clients! Great job by Captain William and First Mate Alex to deliver the trip of a lifetime to old friend Wayne Estes.

February 5, 2012

What a great trip for Colorado angler John Betz! He and the wife put in the hours necessary for bill fishing success and their temporal investments paid huge dividends.

The highlight of the trip with this incredible Striped Marlin (safe released as always), but Mrs. Betz backed up that monster with a beastie of her own: this beautiful Pacific Sailfish.

Another fantastic trip from Captain William and the world-famous Wanderer!

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 theย  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.

January 16, 2012

Bruce Sabine, John Harbord,ย 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!