The best boats in the area gathered in Playa Gaza for the annual Ship of Fools Tournament from April 12-13, 2024.
Fishing was slowing leading up to the tournament, with overcast skies limited Sailfish strikes to just a few chances per day. However on tournament day the skies cleared and the temperature rose, leading to productive outings on the leaderboard.
All five FishingNosara boats were in the field of 13 boats.
The Adventurer was crewed by Nosara Paradise Rentals staff and they scored a great Sailfish release and backed-it up with some tasty (thought non-scoring) meat fish.
The Explorer found one nice Sailfish release on day one:
Returning FishingNosara Hall of Famer Sloan Rogers and his boys from North Carolina had a great weekend of scoring on the mega panga Harvester.
On the big battleship Discoverer, Craig Sutton was joined by Matty and Bridget Jorn for a six Sailfish performance.
Craig also scored this 88+lbs. Yellowfin Tuna which was sufficient to win the Calcutta.
The top team boat was the Wanderer with Florida anglers Steve Dziadul and Greg Short getting on the podium with a wonderful third place finish.
As always there was a great party in Garza to commemorate the event, and we can’t wait to get back to it next year.
Discoverer edged out by a familiar face; Calcutta-winning Pangas
Tough Scoring and a Razor-sharp finish tell the story of the 2023 Ship of Fools Tournament.
The Kahuna finished in first place with 850 total points. One of the mates on this boat is Alex Moreno, former Captain of the Harvester.
Captain Carlos on the Discoverer took second place, with a 25 point Dorado score defining the gap between podium positions.
Angler Jimmy Nichols’ crew scored five Sailfish releases and a Marlin release on the big battleship.
They also boated a Yellowfin Tuna which held off the hard-charging La Bonita.
Each of the two tournament fishing days had a largest Yellowfin Tuna Calcutta, and both were won by the FishingNosara panga fleet.
On the Explorer, Heidi and Jim O’Callaghan scored a 83.8 lbs. Yellowfin Tuna on day one (above), and Matty Jorn scored this 93.5 lbs. beast during the second day on the Adventurer :
Discoverer:
Explorer:
As always, the anglers gathered in Garza to celebrate a great weekend of fun fishing, despite the slow action.
The 27-foot barroom brawler Explorer emerged victorious in the 2022 Ship of Fools Tournament.
Captain Antonio topped the leaderboard with 925 points, edging out the second place boat via the earliest-catch tiebreaker.
It was an excellent weekend as the FishingNosara team brought home 1st place hardware for the fourth time in the last five tournaments.
Texas anglers Rickie and Bonnie Crews fought bravely in the face of these sea monsters, and have added a most-unique prize to their trophy room.
We have always said the the Explorer proves that you don’t need a big boat to catch big fish in Costa Rica, but this victory shows that the pocket-sized dynamo can also best a field full of much larger and more powerful boats.
Also it cements Captain Antonio as a rising star in Garza. Longtime FishingNosara anglers know that Antonio worked his way up from panga driver to mate to Captain over the last few years.
“Captain Antonio showed a lot of hustle,” Mr. Crews pointed out after the event. “Always changing baits and moving to different spots was the key to our success today.”
The rest of the FishingNosara team dotted the Top 10 of scoreboard with the Discoverer in 4th place, Wanderer in 6th, and the Harvester in 7th. Also two of our boats brought home a little bacon due to Calcutta wins.
The 2021 Ship of Fools Tournament is in the books, as Captain William of the Wanderer brought home the gold for the FishingNosara team on April 10th and 11th, 2021.
Georgia anglers Bob Pease and Pat Vincent scored 5 Sailfish releases (100pts. each) and a big Dorado (25pts.) on day one.
On the second day they added a Blue Marlin release (300pts.) and a Sailfish release. They also nagged three Dorados over 25lbs. during the weekend, good for 25 pts. each.
“I’m so happy for Bob,” writes Pat. “he’s fished this tournament and finished second a couple of times. Mostly I’m happy for Captain William who fishes every year and has finally won it himself. Can’t say enough about good things about Captain William, he is a smart, competitive, methodical fisherman. We worked a small patch of water for three days, it was twenty miles south of where everyone else was fishing but it was right where we needed to be.”
With the Wanderer’s total of 1075pts., Captain William won this tournament by a landslide.
Second place was secured by fellow FishingNosara skipper Captain Fico Bran on the 27-foot Explorer. This the second win in three years for the young Captain, who is now clearly the one to watch in future tournaments.
Though it was their first time fishing in the tournament, Martin Cooper and his great group of anglers from Northeast Florida had to overcome a slow first day (50pts from two Dorado).
They rallied on day two with a blistering 800pt. performance (Two Marlin releases and Two Sailfish releases).
The other FishingNosara boats were in the hunt throughout the tournament. Defending champion Captain Alex Moreno (Harvester) missed third place by a razor-thin 50pt margin.
The Harvester did with the Biggest Dorado Calcutta for the tournament on the shoulders of this 50lbs. monster:
The 32-foot Discoverer and the 23-foot Adventurer tied for 6th place with 475 points each. This was the first time that the sneaky 23-footer entered the tournament, but that didn’t stop the Adventurer from posting the first Marlin release of the tournament at 9am on the first day.
We are still compiling photos and videos from the whole event, and will be updating this space soon, so stay tuned!
For the fifteenth straight year the Ship of Fools Tournament attracted Costa Rica’s top anglers to Playa Garza; for the second time in three years the FishingNosara team took home the hardware.
Captain Alex Moreno on the 32-foot mega panga Harvester topped the leaderboard with 1700 points (11 Sailfish releases, one Black Marlin release, and one Blue Marlin release) during the two day event.
“Alex is the dude,” exclaimed Captain Patrick Humphrey of Ft. Lauderdale. “He has the best eyes I’ve ever seen and fishes as aggressively as we do in South Florida.”
Captain Humphrey runs trips for Lady Pamela II Sportfishing in Hollywood, FL. He was joined by wife Jennifer, daughter Amelia, and angling legend Patrick Irwin.
The Ship of Fools Tournament is one of the last true billfish release tournaments in Costa Rica. Each scoring fish must be billed and photographed by hand (no snatch-leader releases) which increases the difficultly tremendously.
On the first day of the tournament, eleven boats set out from Playa Garza and set up shop twelve miles offshore in 2100 feet of water.
Captain Alex was first boat to the spot and put three Sailfish releases on the board in the opening hours of the first day. As the rest of the field lagged behind, the mega panga hooked up a Blue Marlin for a two hour fight.
After the photograph and safe release a second Marlin entered the spread, this time a big bad Black. Captain Patrick belted up for the battle of a lifetime, conquering the fish in two-plus hour fight that saw eight leader grabs before the successful release.
“I had a trip planned for Hawaii in the winter to cross Black Marlin off my list,” said Patrick, smiling. “I guess that’s off”
Their total of 1000 points is a single day record for the event, and lost in the shuffle is that they scored the ultra-difficult Billfish Grand Slam.
The second day was just like the first, with the Harvester scoring early and often. They snagged seven more Sailfish release including one at 3:59pm, one minute before lines-out.
The Harvester’s haul is an all-time best for this tournament, eclipsing the winning score of 1200 posted two years ago by FishingNosara teammate the Explorer.
For Captain Alex it is the culmination of perseverance through years of adversity in this event. In 2011 as mate on the Wanderer he recorded 14 Sailfish releases during prefishing only to get zero during the actual event. In 2016 he had the thing won until the camera with all the proof-photos fell overboard late on the second day.
“I’m incredibly proud of what Captain Alex has done with the Harvester,” beamed Craig Sutton, founder of FishingNosara and architect of the mega panga design. “He pushed himself and his boat to the edge during months before this event.” (ed. note: The Harvester ran 47 trips in February and March)
“He has honed his instincts and advanced his craft,” Sutton continued. “Captain Alex has paid the price to reach to top of the mountain.
The FishingNosara team looks forwarded to challenging the Harvester in the 2020 Ship of Fools Tournament next April and to competing with Alex in the 1st Annual FishingNosara Invitational in early August 2019.
If you and your best anglers are ready to compete, the FishingNosara US office can be reached at 9045912161 USA or FishingNosara.com
It’s a great feeling to announce that the Explorer finished in first place at the 2017 Ship of Fools Tournament.
The fish were scarce and soft biting on the first day of the tournament. Craig scored the first and only Sailfish of the day on the Explorer around 8:30am, and the rest of the day was spent listening to the reports coming in over the radio.
At the end of the first day one boat had scored a Sailfish and a Striped Marlin (400 points total), another boat had two Sailfish (200 points total), and five boats all reported a single Sailfish (100 points)
On the second day Captain Fico hatched a brilliant scheme to propel the Explorer to the top of the leader board.
The whole tournament was fishing a blue water break 16 miles offshore, but Captain Fico felt that the fish were closer in.
The Explorer was the last boat out of the bay and as the 300hp boats disappeared over the horizon, Fico pulled back the throttle on his 75hp at the 12 mile mark.
The spread was out for less than an hour when the first Sailfish came calling, and Craig put the heat on him during a quick 10 minute fight.
After the lead boat reported a Sailfish release bringing them to 500 points, Harris ‘El Matador’ Savin put the Super panga in a first place tie with a feisty Striped Marlin release around 915am.
An hour later, the biggest fish of the tournament challenged Craig to a fight.
This Blue Marlin is easily 450lbs. and put every ounce of his strength into a fight that lasted over an hour.
With the lead in hand Harris added another Sailfish at 1pm and Matt put another 100 points on the board with a release at 2pm.
The ascension of the Explorer on the final day is indicative of the crew’s rise to greatness. Last year Captain Fico took the helm of the Super Panga after proving himself on the 23-foot Adventurer.
Captain Fico – 2014
During that same time Mate Elias was security guard / panga boat driver / substitute mate serving the other FishingNosara boats.
Mate Elias – 2015
It is a great feeling to see this dynamic duo sitting on the top of the hill in Garza’s most prestigious tournament.
Wanderer:
The flagship welcomed back Bob Pease and his crew of hard-fighting Georgia anglers with the hope of duplicating their success from the Dreamstater Tournament last December.
His team scored a nice Sailfish during their prefishing day, however the ocean was not as cooperative on the tournaments days with three total Sailfish releases.
Captain William got a MASSIVE Marlin on the line late in the first day of fishing, but it put up a worthy fight and managed to shake the hook and escape.
Harvester:
Captain Alex welcomed multiple-time FishingNosara Hall of Famer Hubble Keller to make a run at the hardware and they also caught lots of great fish, just on the wrong day.
They nabbed TWO Double Sailfish releases on their pre-fishing day plus a nice Dorado for the dinner table.
The Harvester scored a Sailfish on the first day of the tournament, putting her in a 5-way tie for 3rd place.
Hopeful for a big run on Day 2, Captain Alex got a Sailfish in the early morning and another around noon.
The late bite yielded a third Sailfish for the day, leaving the Harvester just off the medal stand with a 4th place finish.
Discoverer:
The Discoverer had trouble finding the billfish, however clients Pat and Don Vincent did win the Day 1 Calcutta with this monstrous Dorado:
Even better was that Pat chose to donate the winnings to the Garza School and also gave the filets to our team dinner on Friday night…class act!
In the end this is really what tournament fishing is all about: Great folks from all over the map coming together and making new friends.
Captain Fico and Mate Elias deserve all the credit for the catches, which were posted by anglers Craig Sutton, Matt Jorn, and Harris ‘El Matador’ Savin.
This is the culmination of years of effort and setbacks; our first time participating in this event was 2012 and despite many attempts our best finish was third place.
The growth of FishingNosara from a single boat in 2009 to where we are today (5 boats, 100 trips a month) has been a blessed effort costing much blood, sweat, and tears.
Next month we will begin issuing invitations for the Dreamstarter Tournament scheduled for December, and of course we will be back in force for the 2018 Ship of Fools Tournament next April.
The FishingNosara team competed in the 2016 Ship of Fools Tournament on April 9-10 and we are stoked to announce that once again Captain William and Bob Pease put the Wanderer in the money:
More importantly, all four FishingNosara boats were in the running for a top spot throughout the weekend.
The tournament began early in the morning on April 8 as Garza Bay was buzzing with excitement.
Captain Fico on the upstart Explorer was leading the team after the first day with seven Sailfish releases report by Roger Bowgen and his group.
Captain William and the mighty Wanderer snagged six Sailfish plus a last-minute Dorado; meat fish serve up a potentially tie-breaking 25 points and would this one would turn out to be essential.
Captain Alex and Hubble Keller on the mega panga Harvester were slotted right behind with six Sailfish released and caught a nice Dorado:
They actually released three more Sails, however the camera with those pictures got accidentally sent to Davy Jones’ Locker.
Matt, Craig, and Paula from the US Office rounded out the team’s results with four Sailfish released on the Discoverer.
On the second day was a big decision: head North to try to catch the tail end of the swarm of fish that was yielding double-digit releases a week prior, or cut South and try to anticipate the next school.
The Discoverer and Explorer went North, and that decision proved to not be the right one as only four fish were caught between the two boats.
We took advantage of every bite, but there just weren’t enough fish to stay at the top of the scoreboard.
The Harvester and Wanderer went South and they hit paydirt with multiple Sailfish and Marlin releases…Marlin are worth triple the points of a Sailfish in this tournament.
Captain Alex kept his momentum up from a productive first day and captured several more Sailfish releases.
Captain William scored the big fish of the day with Bob Pease’s epic 2 hour fight ending in a MASSIVE Blue Marlin release.
The Wanderer made up for the time lost fighting the big fish by closing the day with a Double Sailfish release.
This flurry of billfish action late on the second day propelled the Wanderer into the money for the third time in four years.
On Sunday was the legendary Ship of Fool’s Fiesta at Pacifico Azul in Garza:
Great food, great music, and great times were had by all the teams and all of the Garza community came out to celebrate.
On top of the scoreboard this year was the Old Squaw:
Followed up by the High Roller:
The Largest Tuna prize went to Siempre Algo:
As always the events were run masterfully by the Tournament Staff including Marlin Bill, Angie, and the Judges.
We look forward to competing in the 2017 Ship of Fools Tournament and once again seeing FishingNosara boats challenging for the top spot.
The FishingNosara Tournament Series continues this December as we are entering all four boats into the Dreamstarter Tournament:
If you have what it takes, get your best anglers together and reserve your spot in this event.
The Ship of Fools Tournament is the annual throw-down between the local boats based out of our home port of Garza, CR.
Twelve boats entered the hotly contested tournament this year and the fish cooperated with a record number of release over the two day affair.
FishingNosara was represented by returning Three-time Hall of Famer Bob Pease and his hard-fishin’ crew from Northeast Georgia.
These guys are sharp anglers and more importantly brought a fun attitude to the competition.
April 16, 2015 – Pre-Fishing
The boys hit town just in time to get a day of pre-fishing in to get reacclimated to the fishery.
They tried to ask this Sailfish where the rest of his friends hang out.
They made it back to shore just in time to catch the Captain’s Meeting at Marlin Bill’s.
April 17, 2015 – Day 1
The Wanderer was fueled, iced, and primed for battle when Bob and the boys came aboard at 6:15am.
Late night rains swept through the area on the night of the 16th, and Captain William knows that this pushes the nutrient-rich blue water offshore. The Master Captain slammed down the throttles and wasted no time getting to the fishing grounds.
First Mate Alex was on his “A” game as the FishingNosara flagship scored 11 Sailfish releases on the first day, bringing the Wanderer‘s total to 1100 points.
April 18, 2015 – Day 2
The pressure to perform was on as the final day of the tournament found the Wanderer in a dead heat for First Place with the Mojito.
Right behind the leaders were Garza stalwarts Sportsman and High Roller.
The blue beauty kept lighting the lamp with five releases in the morning, starting bright and early at 7:45am.
The afternoon brought more good action as the Wanderer pushed the total to 20 Sailfish released.
Bob and the boys were all smiles back on the beach.
Once the scores were tabulated and the photographs verified, the results of the 2015 Ship of Fools Tournament were posted:
Mojito first place. 21 Sailfish
Wanderer second place. 20 Sailfish
High Roller third place.11 Sailfish
Sportsman fourth place. 14 Sailfish
April 19, 2015 – Fiesta
This year’s tournament was the best in recent memory with a dozen paid entrants making the trip.
Playa Garza was lit up for the Sunday night fiesta featuring food, live music, and the awards ceremony.
Great work by the mighty Wanderer to bring home the hardware, and special thanks to the ladies of Fish N Chicks to put on this excellent tournament.
We’ll be back for the 2016 Ship of Fools Tournament!
Are your ready to represent FishingNosara in Garza’s most prestigious tournament?
The 5th Annual Ship of Fools tournament will be held April 8 – 10 in Garza Bay.
In the past, the US Office fished this tournament with multiple Top 3 finishes and a Top Angler Award for Craig Sutton.
The competition is fierce this year with all of the area boats participating, plus a few ringers are rumored to show up from nearby Playa Carillo and Playa Samara
So we are putting out the call to all you FishingNosara Hall of Famers out there (and future Hall of Famers)…we need you to drop what you are doing and get ready to represent.
This year we want to bring home the hardware!
Check out the video of Craig accepting the 2012 Top Angler Award:
We are offering slots for two teams of up to 4 anglers. Package includes:
*Three Full Days of Fishing on the 31-foot Harvester or two full days fishing on the 28-foot Explorer
*Lodging in Two Bedroom House for 5 nights (April 7 – 11)
*Entry into the Ship of Fools Tournament and all related Captain’s meetings / Fiestas
*Round Trip Liberia Airport Transfers
*Matching FishingNosara Incite Fishing Jerseys for the team
Total Cost: $3850 for Harvester, $2650 for Explorer
(does not include airfare)
We only have two more spots open, so get your crew and call Craig to get your spot!
A look back at previous Ship of Fools Tournaments:
2015:
The Ship of Fools Tournament is the annual throw-down between the local boats based out of our home port of Garza, CR.
Twelve boats entered the hotly contested tournament this year and the fish cooperated with a record number of release over the two day affair.
FishingNosara was represented by returning Three-time Hall of Famer Bob Pease and his hard-fishin’ crew from Northeast Georgia.
These guys are sharp anglers and more importantly brought a fun attitude to the competition.
April 16, 2015 – Pre-Fishing
The boys hit town just in time to get a day of pre-fishing in to get reacclimated to the fishery.
They tried to ask this Sailfish where the rest of his friends hang out.
They made it back to shore just in time to catch the Captain’s Meeting at Marlin Bill’s.
April 17, 2015 – Day 1
The Wanderer was fueled, iced, and primed for battle when Bob and the boys came aboard at 6:15am.
Late night rains swept through the area on the night of the 16th, and Captain William knows that this pushes the nutrient-rich blue water offshore. The Master Captain slammed down the throttles and wasted no time getting to the fishing grounds.
First Mate Alex was on his “A” game as the FishingNosara flagship scored 11 Sailfish releases on the first day, bringing the Wanderer‘s total to 1100 points.
April 18, 2015 – Day 2
The pressure to perform was on as the final day of the tournament found the Wanderer in a dead heat for First Place with the Mojito.
Right behind the leaders were Garza stalwarts Sportsman and High Roller.
The blue beauty kept lighting the lamp with five releases in the morning, starting bright and early at 7:45am.
The afternoon brought more good action as the Wanderer pushed the total to 20 Sailfish released.
Bob and the boys were all smiles back on the beach.
Once the scores were tabulated and the photographs verified, the results of the 2015 Ship of Fools Tournament were posted:
Mojito first place. 21 Sailfish
Wanderer second place. 20 Sailfish
High Roller third place.11 Sailfish
Sportsman fourth place. 14 Sailfish
April 19, 2015 – Fiesta
This year’s tournament was the best in recent memory with a dozen paid entrants making the trip.
Playa Garza was lit up for the Sunday night fiesta featuring food, live music, and the awards ceremony.
Great work by the mighty Wanderer to bring home the hardware, and special thanks to the ladies of Fish N Chicks to put on this excellent tournament.
We’ll be back for the 2016 Ship of Fools Tournament!
2012:
FishingNosara participated in the 2012 Ship of Fools Tournament held over the weekend of April Fools Day. A record turnout of twelve teams entered this year, each vying for cash prizes and of course bragging rights for the year.
The tournament is held in our home port of Garza, Costa Rica and this small contest among the local Captains always gets attention from some of the highest-dollar fishing teams in the Pacific.
Big boats like Safari and Kingfisher II have been known to monitor the radio and catch locations from the Ship of Fools Tournament as part of their preparation for the IGFA Billfish Cup and Presidential Challenge.
Sure enough this year we spotted the Flamingo near the 14 mile ledge scouting for the upcoming big-money tournaments.
The attention on Garza is not only focused on the water; a major portion of the proceeds from the tournament and raffle go directly to Garza to help improve the conditions of the beach community.
Everyone owes Captain Joe Chatham a big ‘thank you’ for making this tournament happen and for keeping the focus on Garza.
Last year FishingNosara chose the newly-launched Explorer as our weapon of choice and although the team performed well (read last year’s recap) it was clear that we needed to bring bigger guns to this fight.
For the 2012 event we had all hands on deck: The flagship Wanderer with clients Chris and Carolyn Dicola and the bar-room brawler Explorer with Craig, Matty and Captain Jack.
The roster from the spirited Captain’s meeting at Marlin Bill’s reads like a who’s-who of great Costa Rican Fishing: High Roller, Tek et isi, Reel Deal, Kingfisher, Endless Summer, Aimee Marie, Cowboy, Siempre Algo, and the Sportsman.
“I think we can do alright,” Matty offered after seeing the list.
“I think we’re gonna kick some ass.” Jack countered.
There was reason for the confidence; Chris DiCola had caught multiple Sailfish on two separate trips during the week on the Wanderer, and Captain David had a massive Blue Marlin within 4 feet of the boat that very day.
Day 1 – March 30, 2012
The Explorer blasted out of Garza at 6:30am sharp pumping the traditional tournament fishing anthem (‘Hells Bells’ AC/DC) at maximum volume. The Wanderer caught up around the 10 mile mark, and both slowed to a troll around 15 miles out.
As the boats settled in the radio reported a nice morning bite: The Sportsman released a Sailfish and lost two Marlins, the Reel Deal reported two Sailfish releases, plus every boat was getting bites.
Except the Wanderer and the Explorer.
The Explorer chased some free jumping Sailfish but couldn’t convince them to eat, then has a mysterious billfish whacking the teaser, but no hookup.
Over on the Wanderer it seemed that Chris DiCola’s fishing karma tapped out after the great pre-fishing because they did not get a single nibble for the first half of the day.
Tension grew. Baits were changed, the spread was adjusted. Anxiously the crews watched and waited.
ZING! At 12:30 a line popped off on the Explorer like it was hooked to an anchor. Craig belted up to fight the massive beast but shortly realized that this was no billfish…it was diving deeper instead of shooting to the surface.
After a quick fight this 47lbs. Dorado surfaced alongside the boat and Captain David was strong on the gaff shot. This monster’s head was the entire width of the fishbox and the tail was too long to close the lid.
This fish was a triple-whammy for the Explorer: It broke the ice for the team, scored 25 crucial (and potentially tie-breaking) points, and was certainly in the running for the biggest Dorado Calcutta.
At 2:30 another strike was reported on the Explorer as Craig Sutton efficiently fought this nice Sailfish.
Mate Pipio showed no fear in the billshot, even though a moment of extra time was required for the photo (with the tournament marker in the picture) this fish swam away unstressed and unharmed.
The call came on the radio for lines out of the water at 4:30 and the Explorer and Wanderer fell into formation for the 15 mile journey home. On the strength of Craig’s released Sailfish and Dorado the Explorer had 125 points; the Wanderer was one of six boats with 0 points.
Jack and Matt were thoroughly bummed, and Craig already had his mind on switching over to the Wanderer for the final day of the tourney. Chris DiCola was miserable although he had done nothing wrong; not a single fish touched a bait all day on the Wanderer.
The poor showing hung like a cloud on everyone, except for the indomitable spirits of the FishingNosara crew.
Mate Pipio was joking and jiving on the radio, and Captain David managed to convince Matty to carry the Dorado to shore rather than use the Explorer’s cooler. This created a comic scene on the beach with hombre grande slinging the beast over his back, dragging its head through the sand all the way to the scale.
Things were obviously loose on the Wanderer as Captain William buzzed the Explorer at close range while First Mate Alex faux-paddled the 31’ beast towards Garza.
We took the big Dorado back to the campus where Cumi showed that it’s not just the boat crews who know how to filet a fish. We shared the filets with the guys who were all smiles.
Craig, Matty, and Captain Jack took the cue from the crew and came back the next day in a lighthearted mood and a dedication to enjoy the day no matter the scoreboard.
With the pressure off, it was time to just go fishing.
Day 2 – March 31, 2012
Matty and Captain Jack were the first team out of Garza on the Explorer, but it was Craig Sutton over on the Wanderer who made the first big splash. The big blue beauty reported her first Sailfish release of the day (and the tournament) at 8:15am.
Craig was just getting started as another Sailfish came in hot at 9:30am. This behemoth was also no match for the Wanderer and was cleanly released after a 15 minute fight.
The bite cooled off around noon and the radio chatter told many sobering tales: lots of Sailfish spitting out the hooks and Marlins breaking the lines, also mechanical troubles befell both Reel Deal and Cowboy.
On the Explorer Matty pulled the hook from a bucking Sailfish while it’s hunting buddy was also hooked up. Both hunters escaped and this error cost the barroom brawler two 100 point fish.
Craig donned the lucky sunhat hoping to stimulate a big bite, and sure enough the fish of the tournament came calling at 12:45 over on the Explorer.
A 350lbs. Blue Marlin came tearing through the spread laterally from underneath the boat. It grabbed the short line bait and after a mighty 15 foot leap it pulled off almost 200 yards of line in a flash.
Captain David slammed the throttles down and backtracked this Marlin like a bloodhound, moving the Explorer so quickly that water began bubbling over the transom. Jack dug into the gunwales and began winning line back from the monster.
Captain Jack showed his years of angling experience as he fought this world-class creature on a TLD 30 with only 100lbs. test line. How these fish can tell which bait is on the smaller reels I will never understand.
On two occasions Mate Carlos had his hand on the leader knot and twice the mighty glowing fish pull away.
On the third attempt and with the 100lbs. monofilament leader tight as a guitar string, both Captain David and Mate Carlos seized upon the bill of the mighty beast and held on for the ride.
Mate Pipio was fearless in the handling of this leviathan and got him back in the water safely.
This is Captain Jack’s first ever Marlin (he caught his first ever sailfish in the 2011 Ship of Fools Tournament) and the 300 points that came with it propelled the Explorer back into contention.
The Wanderer was nearby and just a few minutes after Jack’s Marlin release Craig hooked up his third Sailfish of the day at 1:40pm.
Almost immediately after the release another mighty Sailfish challenged the Wanderer and was also subdued by Craig and First Mate Alex. It was released after a quick fight at 2:11pm.
Craig had put 400 points up for the Wanderer. The Explorer sat in 5th place with 425 points on the strength of Craig’s Sailfish and Dorado from day one and Jack’s Marlin release. Siempre Algo and Sportsman were in the lead with 550 points.
The Wanderer and Explorer stayed together for the final two hours of the tournament, crisscrossing a stretch of ocean in a figure-8 pattern hoping to land the fish that would put FishingNosara in the money.
Destiny came calling at 4:05 with less than a half hour to go in the tournament’s final day.
The long shotgun line on the Wanderer screamed off as a mystery billfish got hooked up. Despite the crew’s best effort this fish was too big to catch and escaped without rearing its head.
Craig and Alex agree that was certainly a Marlin and would have been the tourney-winning fish.
Simultaneously the Explorer was mugged by a high-flying Sailfish and it was up to Matty to redeem himself by not letting this one escape.
With the money on the line Matty found his footing and slowly but methodically brought her alongside for the release.
This photo is time-stamped at 4:22 pm, eight minutes before the deadline. With 525 points, the indefatigable Explorer was in the money. Also, Matty won’t have to spend the next 11 months having nightmares about losing the two Sailfish earlier in the day.
The Wanderer and Explorer returned to Garza with triumphant full-speed approaches and were the final boats to return to the bay.
The party raged on shore and everyone gathered to welcome the crews home. Garza was brimming with excitement, as evidenced by the raging fiesta the next night.
Captain David accepted the Third Place prize and Craig accepted the Top Angler award for his quintet of Sailfish releases.
In whole it was a great weekend for the whole team. We were humbled by uncharacteristically bad performances on the first day, found our stride on the second day, and ended up catching the most important fish with just minutes to spare after most of the boats had called it a day.
The team’s performance in the 2012 Ship of Fools Tournament lays a foundation for future tournament success; these guys are the hardest fishing guys in Garza and their collective experience level is fast approaching that of some of the legendary Captains in the region.
That experience combined with a ‘Never Surrender’ attitude and a true appreciation for the craft of sportfishing means there is clearly a bright future for the FishingNosara team.
2011
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 was our chance to prove it.
Great work by Captain David and the whole FishingNosara family.
FishingNosara participated in the 2012 Ship of Fools Tournament held over the weekend of April Fools Day. A record turnout of twelve teams entered this year, each vying for cash prizes and of course bragging rights for the year.
The tournament is held in our home port of Garza, Costa Rica and this small contest among the local Captains always gets attention from some of the highest-dollar fishing teams in the Pacific.
Big boats like Safari and Kingfisher II have been known to monitor the radio and catch locations from the Ship of Fools Tournament as part of their preparation for the IGFA Billfish Cup and Presidential Challenge.
Sure enough this year we spotted the Flamingo near the 14 mile ledge scouting for the upcoming big-money tournaments.
The attention on Garza is not only focused on the water; a major portion of the proceeds from the tournament and raffle go directly to Garza to help improve the conditions of the beach community.
Everyone owes Captain Joe Chatham a big ‘thank you’ for making this tournament happen and for keeping the focus on Garza.
Last year FishingNosara chose the newly-launched Explorer as our weapon of choice and although the team performed well (read last year’s recap) it was clear that we needed to bring bigger guns to this fight.
For the 2012 event we had all hands on deck: The flagship Wanderer with clients Chris and Carolyn Dicola and the bar-room brawler Explorer with Craig, Matty and Captain Jack.
The roster from the spirited Captain’s meeting at Marlin Bill’s reads like a who’s-who of great Costa Rican Fishing: High Roller, Tek et isi, Reel Deal, Kingfisher, Endless Summer, Aimee Marie, Cowboy, Siempre Algo, and the Sportsman.
“I think we can do alright,” Matty offered after seeing the list.
“I think we’re gonna kick some ass.” Jack countered.
There was reason for the confidence; Chris DiCola had caught multiple Sailfish on two separate trips during the week on the Wanderer, and Captain David had a massive Blue Marlin within 4 feet of the boat that very day.
Day 1 – March 30, 2012
The Explorer blasted out of Garza at 6:30am sharp pumping the traditional tournament fishing anthem (‘Hells Bells’ AC/DC) at maximum volume. The Wanderer caught up around the 10 mile mark, and both slowed to a troll around 15 miles out.
As the boats settled in the radio reported a nice morning bite: The Sportsman released a Sailfish and lost two Marlins, the Reel Deal reported two Sailfish releases, plus every boat was getting bites.
Except the Wanderer and the Explorer.
The Explorer chased some free jumping Sailfish but couldn’t convince them to eat, then has a mysterious billfish whacking the teaser, but no hookup.
Over on the Wanderer it seemed that Chris DiCola’s fishing karma tapped out after the great pre-fishing because they did not get a single nibble for the first half of the day.
Tension grew. Baits were changed, the spread was adjusted. Anxiously the crews watched and waited.
ZING! At 12:30 a line popped off on the Explorer like it was hooked to an anchor. Craig belted up to fight the massive beast but shortly realized that this was no billfish…it was diving deeper instead of shooting to the surface.
After a quick fight this 47lbs. Dorado surfaced alongside the boat and Captain David was strong on the gaff shot. This monster’s head was the entire width of the fishbox and the tail was too long to close the lid.
This fish was a triple-whammy for the Explorer: It broke the ice for the team, scored 25 crucial (and potentially tie-breaking) points, and was certainly in the running for the biggest Dorado Calcutta.
At 2:30 another strike was reported on the Explorer as Craig Sutton efficiently fought this nice Sailfish.
Mate Pipio showed no fear in the billshot, even though a moment of extra time was required for the photo (with the tournament marker in the picture) this fish swam away unstressed and unharmed.
The call came on the radio for lines out of the water at 4:30 and the Explorer and Wanderer fell into formation for the 15 mile journey home. On the strength of Craig’s released Sailfish and Dorado the Explorer had 125 points; the Wanderer was one of six boats with 0 points.
Jack and Matt were thoroughly bummed, and Craig already had his mind on switching over to the Wanderer for the final day of the tourney. Chris DiCola was miserable although he had done nothing wrong; not a single fish touched a bait all day on the Wanderer.
The poor showing hung like a cloud on everyone, except for the indomitable spirits of the FishingNosara crew.
Mate Pipio was joking and jiving on the radio, and Captain David managed to convince Matty to carry the Dorado to shore rather than use the Explorer’s cooler. This created a comic scene on the beach with hombre grande slinging the beast over his back, dragging its head through the sand all the way to the scale.
Things were obviously loose on the Wanderer as Captain William buzzed the Explorer at close range while First Mate Alex faux-paddled the 31’ beast towards Garza.
We took the big Dorado back to the campus where Cumi showed that it’s not just the boat crews who know how to filet a fish. We shared the filets with the guys who were all smiles.
Craig, Matty, and Captain Jack took the cue from the crew and came back the next day in a lighthearted mood and a dedication to enjoy the day no matter the scoreboard.
With the pressure off, it was time to just go fishing.
Day 2 – March 31, 2012
Matty and Captain Jack were the first team out of Garza on the Explorer, but it was Craig Sutton over on the Wanderer who made the first big splash. The big blue beauty reported her first Sailfish release of the day (and the tournament) at 8:15am.
Craig was just getting started as another Sailfish came in hot at 9:30am. This behemoth was also no match for the Wanderer and was cleanly released after a 15 minute fight.
The bite cooled off around noon and the radio chatter told many sobering tales: lots of Sailfish spitting out the hooks and Marlins breaking the lines, also mechanical troubles befell both Reel Deal and Cowboy.
On the Explorer Matty pulled the hook from a bucking Sailfish while it’s hunting buddy was also hooked up. Both hunters escaped and this error cost the barroom brawler two 100 point fish.
Craig donned the lucky sunhat hoping to stimulate a big bite, and sure enough the fish of the tournament came calling at 12:45 over on the Explorer.
A 350lbs. Blue Marlin came tearing through the spread laterally from underneath the boat. It grabbed the short line bait and after a mighty 15 foot leap it pulled off almost 200 yards of line in a flash.
Captain David slammed the throttles down and backtracked this Marlin like a bloodhound, moving the Explorer so quickly that water began bubbling over the transom. Jack dug into the gunwales and began winning line back from the monster.
Captain Jack showed his years of angling experience as he fought this world-class creature on a TLD 30 with only 100lbs. test line. How these fish can tell which bait is on the smaller reels I will never understand.
On two occasions Mate Carlos had his hand on the leader knot and twice the mighty glowing fish pull away.
On the third attempt and with the 100lbs. monofilament leader tight as a guitar string, both Captain David and Mate Carlos seized upon the bill of the mighty beast and held on for the ride.
Mate Pipio was fearless in the handling of this leviathan and got him back in the water safely.
This is Captain Jack’s first ever Marlin (he caught his first ever sailfish in the 2011 Ship of Fools Tournament) and the 300 points that came with it propelled the Explorer back into contention.
The Wanderer was nearby and just a few minutes after Jack’s Marlin release Craig hooked up his third Sailfish of the day at 1:40pm.
Almost immediately after the release another mighty Sailfish challenged the Wanderer and was also subdued by Craig and First Mate Alex. It was released after a quick fight at 2:11pm.
Craig had put 400 points up for the Wanderer. The Explorer sat in 5th place with 425 points on the strength of Craig’s Sailfish and Dorado from day one and Jack’s Marlin release. Siempre Algo and Sportsman were in the lead with 550 points.
The Wanderer and Explorer stayed together for the final two hours of the tournament, crisscrossing a stretch of ocean in a figure-8 pattern hoping to land the fish that would put FishingNosara in the money.
Destiny came calling at 4:05 with less than a half hour to go in the tournament’s final day.
The long shotgun line on the Wanderer screamed off as a mystery billfish got hooked up. Despite the crew’s best effort this fish was too big to catch and escaped without rearing its head.
Craig and Alex agree that was certainly a Marlin and would have been the tourney-winning fish.
Simultaneously the Explorer was mugged by a high-flying Sailfish and it was up to Matty to redeem himself by not letting this one escape.
With the money on the line Matty found his footing and slowly but methodically brought her alongside for the release.
This photo is time-stamped at 4:22 pm, eight minutes before the deadline. With 525 points, the indefatigable Explorer was in the money. Also, Matty won’t have to spend the next 11 months having nightmares about losing the two Sailfish earlier in the day.
The Wanderer and Explorer returned to Garza with triumphant full-speed approaches and were the final boats to return to the bay.
The party raged on shore and everyone gathered to welcome the crews home. Garza was brimming with excitement, as evidenced by the raging fiesta the next night.
Captain David accepted the Third Place prize and Craig accepted the Top Angler award for his quintet of Sailfish releases.
In whole it was a great weekend for the whole team. We were humbled by uncharacteristically bad performances on the first day, found our stride on the second day, and ended up catching the most important fish with just minutes to spare after most of the boats had called it a day.
The team’s performance in the 2012 Ship of Fools Tournament lays a foundation for future tournament success; these guys are the hardest fishing guys in Garza and their collective experience level is fast approaching that of some of the legendary Captains in the region.
That experience combined with a ‘Never Surrender’ attitude and a true appreciation for the craft of sportfishing means there is clearly a bright future for the FishingNosara team.
