Tag: Sailfish

January 20, 2011

The Wanderer lit it up today with a pair of great trips featuring a big Sailfish release and lots of fresh fish filets for our friends.

Mark and Melody Mukon booked a full 8 hour day on the big blue battlewagon and these Connecticut anglers were looking for billfish and meat for the cooler; frankly they got all they could handle!

The day got off to a slow start but the 1pm Sailfish bite has been on like clockwork this week and sure enough this mighty Pacific Sailfish challenged Mr. Mukon and the Wanderer to a fight.


Captain William spun the Wanderer into a position of power while Mark put a swift 15 minute beating on this billfish. First Mate Alex executed a perfect bill and release, and this monster swam away free and will be ready for another scrap soon.


That awesome fish turned out to be the plug in the dam because once it was released the Wanderer was beset on all sides by hungry Dorados. Perhaps they were lured in by Melody’s freshly-purchased Pink FishingNosara hat…hmmmmm that particular color of hat always seems to bring good luck to a boat.



The feeding frenzy that followed brought in four nice Mahi-Mahis ranging from 25lbs. to the 60lbs. whopper pictured with Captain William.


Melody and Mark Mukon added this feisty little Wahoo to the shopping cart just as they checked out from the fish market. They have two more full days of fishing planned this week…look out fish, the Mukon’s are just getting started!

January 18, 2012

Another great client-submitted report from John Maysak:

Here are the pictures of my trip with my friend Barth on Nice n’ Tight with Captain Eduardo.

I was lucky enough to be on the rod and bring this big girl to the side of the boat for a clean release after an hour and fifteen minute epic hard-fought battle with lots of boat maneuvering help from Eduardo.


This fish measured 13 feet tip to tip with a girth somewhere north of 80 inches and we estimated her at 500 pounds!

Don’t let the diminutive Nice n’ Tight fool you! She is a wolf in sheep’s clothing whose bite is much worse than her bark.

Pura Vida,

John Maysak

January 17, 2012

How would John Harbord, Jon Ronloff, and Bruce Sabine fare after a seven billfish day yesterday? Would they have anything left in the tank after three excellent days of fishing both offshore and the inshore reefs? Would the billfish finally evade their crafty capture?


Striped Marlin, Black Marlin, and Sailfish released!

This is the classic Grand Slam and is by far the rarest feat in billfishing. Less than a dozen Grand Slams are reported worldwide in a given year and this performance will serve as the high water mark for years to come for Costa Rican sportfishing.

The Stripey was the first one to get snared by the mighty Wanderer‘s spread and John did great work to make this fight quick and efficient. Captain William kept the boat in perfect position for the contest and the angler kept tension like a pro.

Fantastic work by First Mate Alex who is always pumped up when big billfish come calling.


Next up was a very nice Pacific Sailfish which would be a highlight on any other day with any other anglers; for these hombres this Sailfish release was as routine as a free throw.

The final piece of the Grand Slam came in the form of this MASSIVE Black Marlin that came calling later in the day. This monster was huge and the look on Alex’s face tells the tale.



What a fantastic release photo…magazine cover anyone?

Once back in Garza Bay the Tampa-based fishing team was elated, and added this 145lbs. Brown Marlin release:


Legendary fishing by these FishingNosara Hall of Famers!


January 16, 2012

Bruce Sabine, John Harbord, 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!

January 13, 2012

After releasing a big Blue Marlin last season, Ted and Linda Thompson returned to the Wanderer for a half-day of fishing on January 13 and once again did a little bill collecting.

First thing in the morning the Wanderer found a hungry Sailfish on the line and Team Thompson brought the behemoth alongside for a nice clean release.


Great work by First Mate Alex and Captain William to release the fish unstressed. The Thompsons are considering fishing some more days this week which certainly spells trouble for the local billfish population. Stay tuned!


January 13, 2012

Check out this great client submitted report for John Maysak:

“My friends and I went fishing with Captain Eduardo for a full day offshore trip aboard the Sportsman. We released 1 sailfish, saw another that never bit, and caught 3 bonito.”


“Eduardo and his mates worked incredibly hard to make the day a memorable one for all of us, so much so that we booked another full day trip next week! It’s easy to tell how much they enjoy their work and they are very good at it.”


“To top off the day mate Chano sold us some langoustines to cook for our dinner”



Photos by John Maysak, Washington, DC

December 23, 2011

The billfish have been thick the last few weeks so when client Mike Brown booked a full 8hr. trip on the Wanderer that there would be some billfish action. Captain William pointed the flagship south and headed offshore to the blue water break.

The Sailfish came in hot and heavy just after 1pm and they began attacking in waves. Mike and his posse had a shot at 4 sails and ended up with two safe releases.


They also had a curious Marlin whack the teaser but the fish did not eat this time. In addition, they lost a nice Dorado.

However the Christmas season is about relishing what you do have not what you are missing, and Mike Brown’s group had two amazing billfish release.

December 14, 2011

Our buddy Jeff Grosshandler of Namaste Oasis has been in town fishing with his uncle for the last week and their trip on Wednesday brought another beautiful Pacific Sail to the Wanderer.

Though Mr. Grosshandler has fished with us many times in the last two years I believe this is Jeff’s first Billfish. This is truly a mighty trophy fish for the Hoboken, NJ based angler. Looks like Jeff has the eye of the tiger!

Welcome to the bill collector’s club Jeff!

December 13, 2011

Frank Keres returned to shore with a big smile today. He booked the Wanderer for a offshore billfish hunt and his persistence was rewarded with not one but two fish of a lifetime.


Around 1:30pm the first big fish came calling and it was a gigantic Sailfish. A great short fight and perfect release ensued; little did Frank and his group know that this monster was just the tip of the proverbial iceberg.


Not 15 minutes after releasing the sailfish, ‘El Cachudo Grande’ (Big Marlin in gringo) came barreling through the spread. The fight was intense but Mr. Keres managed to keep the fish calm and motivated toward the Wanderer.


Captain William expertly kept the angler in a position of strength while in the cockpit First Mate Alex billed and released the fish with his trademark fearlessness.

Excellent work by the Keres group and the mighty Wanderer!

December 12, 2011

Our great friend Jeff Grosshandler and his uncle Arthur enlisted Captain William and First Mate Alex for an offshore billfish hunt today on the mighty Wanderer. They set off for the blue water and had two good shots at Pacific Sailfish.

These guys are used to fishing the brutal waters of the Northeast Atlantic where a 120 mile trip to deep water is the norm. Quite a change of pace to ride for 15 minutes and be in 600 feet of water!

The first one spit the hook, but his buddy gulped the ballyhoo from the long shotgun line and the fight was on!


The mighty Sailfish bucked and danced, tail-walking and grey-hounding  the whole way but Arthur Grosshandler kept tension on the line as Captain William expertly backed the Wanderer toward the fish.

A brief fight ensued and First Mate Alex professionally handled and released this beauty unstressed and unharmed.

“We had a good fight and my uncle and I had a great time. Alex and William really are a great team, Alex very much impressed my uncle….he was smiles ear to ear. Plus the weather was great and hopefully we will get some more on Wednesday.” -Jeff Grosshandler

We’re looking forward to it…can’t say the same for the fish though!