Rooster fish | Costa Rica Fishing Report from FishingNosara

January 9, 2014

Doc Hatton and the posse are back on the Wanderer and were welcomed with improved weather and a gaggle of hungry fish.

The battleground was less than a mile from Garza point and the Wanderer defended her home turf by building up a classic feeding frenzy. The first catch was a juvinile Yellowtail Snapper, followed up by a medium-sized Nurse Shark.

An inauspicious start indeed, however this is the first phase of stirring up a bottom fish bite. Sure enough the action coaxed some big fish up from their seafloor hiding spots.

This Broomtail Grouper is a real monster! Right behind it was another nice-sized bottom dweller:

The bite stayed strong and a group of Jack Crevelle swung by to investigate the fishy waters.

The final jewel in the Wanderer‘s bottom fishing crown was this nice Rooster fish.

We release this species, but with the massive Snapper and Grouper catches from earlier it is safe to say that Doc Hatton and his group will be well-stocked with filets this week.

December 27, 2013

Carter Peobody signed up the Wanderer for a quick 2.5 hour trip to the reefs and he had a singular focus in mind: Rooster fish.

Fishin’ accomplished! Great work by the master hunter Captain William to stalk this beauty and by First Mate Alex on the safe handling and release.

December 26, 2013

Jeff Allen already bested the offshore monsters on December 24, so for his follow-up trip the Wanderer stayed inshore to hunt another bucket-list fish…the sneaky Rooster Fish!

Just as with the Sailfish and Dorado, these great fish came in pairs.

Excellent hunting by the Master Captain William and nice fish-handling by First Mate Alex to ensure the safe live release of these beauties.

December 22, 2013

Ray Cote and his friends had a very productive half-day on the Wanderer; Captain William stayed inshore and trolled a criss-crossed stretch of ocean with Captain David of the Explorer. They stirred up quite a bite of fish as proven by these nice catches.

The first highlight was this whopper of a Cierro Mackerel…check back through all Cierro Mackerel catches and you can really appreciate the size of this monster.

Later in the morning a big Rooster fish found the bait and, with the Explorer looking on in the background, they released this grande gallo:

December 6, 2013

The Wanderer put on an inshore fishing clinic today with client Mike Pearce and his friends. The big splash was made with a quartet (that means FOUR) Rooster fish releases with the big one estimated well over 50lbs.

Safe releases all around by the incomparable First Mate Alex.

They also added some tasty eats in the form of a Dorado, a Yellowtail Snapper and a big Cubera Snapper on ice.

Fantastic fishing from the blue beauty and these excellent Canadian anglers.

December 1, 2013

Kestrel Dickerson and her family hail from the beautiful town of Grand Junction, CO and even though the fishing there is more of the river variety this family strutted their stuff on the blue water with the famous Wanderer.

Right off the bat their youngster boated this excellent Ciero Mackeral. Known for it’s zero-shaped spots and delicious filets, this fish is a real winner…nice catch son!

The grown-up had their turn when a pair of Dorados hit the baits and set up a heart-stopping Double Dodo Battle!

Hunting pairs of Dorados are infamous for zig-zagging to tangle the anglers…the fact that both fish made it to the cooler is a real testament to Captain William’s strength on the wheel and these anglers ability to keep cool under pressure.

Mr. Dickerson put the icing on the cake with a fantastic Rooster Fish release:

Great work by First Mate Alex on the safe release of this Rooster!

November 29, 2013

Lori Seiler and her posse of CCA Florida anglers put pressure on the big time reef dwellers on board the Wanderer. Captain William took them to a great bite of fish and the action stayed hot all day long. The first fish in the box was the rare and elusive Yellowtail:

This tasty specimen is excellent table fare and it is unusual to see one of this size.

They followed up with another rare species for our area with two nice Blue Trevally:

The highlight of the trip was the release of this gigantic Rooster Fish:

Now that is a monster of a trophy fish! Great work by First Mate Alex to safely released this treasure.

November 1, 2013

The Wanderer hosted some excellent clients today for an inshore assault. Lisa Quam got the ball rolling with this sweet Cierro Mackerel:

Steve Bonczyk really set the water on fire with this excellent Rooster fish release. This beast fought like a bear…look at that rod doubled over!

First Mate Alex handled this fish with great care to ensure a quick and healthy release.

Great work by some great clients and the baddest boat in Garza bay the Wanderer!

June 16, 2013

The action was just getting started for the Good Doctors as Captain David switched up tactics and dropped some deep rigs to the bottom. Look and what was lurking beneath:

This Cuberra Snapper is a full 50+lbs. and it was a monster to catch. If yesterday’s big Dorado wasn’t enough to keep these boys fed this Red Buick should fill up the rest of the refrigerator.

Sensing the need for appetizers, the Explorer put Yellowfin Tuna sushi on the menu with this very nice 25lbs. specimen. On a slower day this fish would be considered the highlight, but clearly the bite was on fire and Captain David kept the Explorer‘s presentation one step ahead of the fish.

The Explorer‘s fishboxes were so full that they smartly began to target catch and release species. This Rooster fish is a beautiful example of this species. What amazing markings!

Late in the day they hooked up an acrobatic Sailfish and got some great photos, however this one spit the hook after a short fight.

We’ll keep an eye out for these anglers as they take to the Wanderer for a few days offshore; perhaps this gal’s still out there waiting for them.

June 13, 2013

Eric and Amy Anderson are part of our first class of Coastal Conservation Association anglers from North Carolina.

We have been honored to partner with CCA NC this season to send loads of great folks to Nosara from the Tar Heel State, and we look forward to seeing more of y’all real soon.

The fishing was a little slow, but Captain David persevered and delivers some excellent action on three half-days with Eric and Amy. Howabout we let Eric and Amy tell it:

Craig/Matt,

“Wanted to send you both a quick note and let you know that my family and I really enjoyed our trip last week. The service your staff provided was fantastic. Everything from the airport transfers, the daily breakfast, car service to/from fishing, etc… was top notch.”

“Even though the fishing was a bit slow all week, I enjoyed my three full days with Capt. David on the Explorer. He worked hard each day in an attempt to put together something.”

I was able to catch my first Rooster, as well as my first Sailfish.

Mixed in was a few Mahi, a nice Yellowfin Tuna, a real nice AJ, as well as a number of other species.

David estimated the rooster at 25lbs., the Sailfish at 90lbs., and the AJ at roughly 45lbs.

Thank you again,

Eric & Amy Anderson