Joe Rodriguez had a magnificent day on the Explorer as Captain David navigated the Super panga through a gauntlet of big fighting fish.
Nancy got in on the action too with a nice Sail release!
Here’s the email we got from Joe:
Hello Craig,
“I just wanted to send you an email and thank you for the top notch charter. David and his deckhand [Kevin] on the Explorer were great.”
“They are very focused, knowledgeable, and easy going. The boat was absolutely spotless! They obviously take great pride in what they do and represent FishingNosara very well.”
“The fishing was great as well. We landed 5 sailfish (1 at the leader and 4 at the boat) in a spectacular day of fishing.”
Roger Bowgen brought his family to Nosara from the bitter cold of Connecticut and not only did they get treated to a week of tropical sunshine, but also had a mammoth day of Sailfish releases on the flagship Wanderer.
The note attached to the fishing booking sheet read: “Son’s Birthday…target billfish”
Captain William took this family to Sailfish City. As usual the furious action kicked off early and didn’t relent until the end of the day.
Happy Birthday! Young Mr. Bowgen broke the ice with this excellent Sailfish at 9:30am, then it was sis’ turn to battle a blue water behemoth.
With a little help from the birthday boy she released this thick Sailfish around 11am.
Another sneaky Sailfish came calling and met the same fate as his brethren…a safe release by the super First Mate Alex.
After lunch the adults got their turn when a pair of skywalking Sailfish took the bait.
These two sails were nearly simultaneous released, however this beast on the port side was too fired up to hold on to for long.
As a final curtain call, Team Bowgen executed the very challenging Double Sailfish release late in the day.
No help required for this pair of seasoned Sailfish scrappers…Under First Mate Alex’ supervision they pulled off the double release like old pros.
The Bowgen’s got more than just great release photos from this trip: Check out the big Dorado and tasty Yellowfin put on ice by these Northeastern anglers:
Excellent work by the flagship under the command of Captain William!
Here’s and email we received from Roger:
Good morning Craig!
Before 2013 disappears completely over the horizon, I just wanted to drop you a note and say thank you to you and your crew in Nosara. You have a first class, professional,operation in Costa Rica and as you know from the photographs/blog we had an amazing trip.
Both Captains and Mates are to be congratulated. For my son, his 21st birthday will never be forgotten
Best wishes for a healthy, happy and prosperous 2014!
Charlie Phillips, Joe Timm, and Jason Kintner blew the fish out of the water on August 1, posting their best performance to date. How about two Marlin (300lbs. and 500lbs.) and a Sailfish for the trophy case and a nice 25lbs. Mahi for the dinner table?
Jason Kintner: “SIX Pacific Sail Fish on the Explorer with Capt David and First Mate Kevin in one day, followed by TWO Pacific Blue Marlin releases with Capt William and First Mate Alex the next day out!!! OUTSTANDING!!! We WILL BE BACK!! Amazing fishery, amazing people!! William, Alex, David and Kevin were profesional in every way. See y’all again soon!!!“
Laura McLean Phillips: “The crew of the Wanderer is AMAZING! These guys know how to make some memories.”
Things I learned in Costa Rica Catching Bonita on light tackle is FUN!!!! Catching Mahi is A LOT of FUN!! Catching Pacific Sailfish on Catfish gear is GREAT Fun!!! Catching 400# Pacific Blue Marlin on 30# test after fighting it for 1 1/2 hours is BRUTAL!! MUCHO respect for the Blue Marlin…Now where did I put that IcyHot…..
Dave Wenzel was back in action on the Wanderer hoping to follow up his Sailfish release from earlier in the week with the crown jewel of offshore billfishing: a big bad Marlin! Captain William took the blue beauty 10 miles offshore and the monster came calling at 1:28pm.
Dave showed his Northeast Florida angling mettle as he strapped in to fight the furious beast.
Young son: “Why is Alex shaking the fish so violently?”
Dad: “Son, that’s the fish shaking the man!”
After a harrowing 25 minute battle Mr. Wenzel brought the beast alongside the Wanderer for a wonderful release.
Another amazing release by First Mate Alex, complete with his signature romantic sendoff
From Dave’s Facebook page: “I enjoyed the Wanderer 4 days and and only switched from David on the Explorer the last day (after they slammed the yellowfin I may add) to chase that Marlin dream.”
“I saw her, I hooked her, I fought her, she jumped a lot, Alex the mate and I landed her, then I jumped up and down like a 12 year old!!!!!”
“I did it, I won, 400 lb Blue Marlin. Now a bottle of Advil and an Imperial!
“Thanks to Alex for all the coaching and talk of techniques and information of the entire fishery. We enjoyed our entire visit. Well done NPR!”
David Lukof locked into a battle with a super 300+lbs. Marlin on the unbeatable Explorer. Take a look at this monster:
According to our buddy Jeff (who was filming): “Dude had heat stroke after this. He’s been chasing a marlin for 30 years. He said ‘I’d fight it till I died’ he might have actually been close!”
Amazing catch and release by the superstar Captain David and Mate Carlos!
John Danner comes to us from the picturesque island community of Davis Island in the Tampa, FL area which is known for it’s world-class sailing. In fact every Thursday night there is an open regatta where local sailors can mix it up with traveling cup teams in Hillsborough Bay.
Well, Mr. Danner got into a different kind of sailing over the course of three trips with Captain David on the Explorer.
This is the kind where you release multiple Sailfish from a 26-foot panga boat!
Great work by Captain David and Mate Carlos to safely catch and release these beauties.
Mr. Danner was all smiles when he came back. Here is the email he sent us:
Craig, Matt, and Arturo,
Again thank you for an awesome trip. Everything was done beyond what I had expected. A friendly arrival, excellent advice, outstanding fishing, and complete satisfaction from start to finish. I have all ready told my friends of your outstanding operation. Thanks again for the trip of a lifetime. Cannot wait to go again.
Adrian Archuleta is back for more, and this time he brought a posse! Last year he fished with us on the Explorer but with a larger group came the step up to the flagship Wanderer.
The Sailfish have been on fire recently and this trip was a perfect example. Five total releases, including the very challenging Double Sailfish release.
Great work by the anglers and by Captain William to prevent a line-cross tangle. Next up the ladies put on a show for the fellas with some Sailfish releases of their own.
All fish were released safely as usual by the incomparable First Mate Alex.
Craig-
Had a great time! What an amazing business you have going down there! Kudos to the great staff and can’t wait to return!
Jake Winchester brought along his girlfriend Laurie and his brother Dave for a very fruitful day of offshore trolling. The mighty Wanderer put on a show for the Sailfish swarm and gave this group a great trip.
They nabbed and released three Sailfish early in the trip, then switched over the spread to target table fare.
“Laurie caught the first fish,” Jake wrote in an email . “It was the largest of the Dorados. My brother Iron Dave and I snagged 2 dorados at the same time.”
“In total we each caught a Dorado and Sailfish. Awesome fishing trip. William and Alex were awesome. Thank you so much!”
Francois Bernier has been in Nosara since November and has waited patiently for his turn offshore on the mighty Wanderer. He scored some excellent Dorado on the Explorer last month and we are stoked to report that the greens kept coming in for him and his group on this trip.
Francois was joined by Mark and Paige Patrizio of New Jersey and the whole group had a blast.
“I thought a trip on the great blue would cheer them up a little,” wrote Mr. Bernier in an email. “And it did… Although we set out for sailfish, we took in four respectable dorados. The team of William and Alex is simply exceptional.”
By mid-day they had three fish in the box, and added some more action later in the day. “Paige had her first experience reeling in a fish without external assistance and she caught it like a pro. The nice fresh lunch thrown in was a pleasant surprise. I tell you, all aspects of this day were top-notch.”
Way to go Francois, Mark, and Paige on a fruitful day of marine life harvesting on the Wanderer!
Our new friend Ross Boyce is a world beating angler who comes to us from Brisbane, Australia. His email to us was so good that we’ve decided to reproduce it verbatim:
Great day yesterday, although nearly didn’t get to go. Overnight Wednesday we had the obligatory thunderstorm but with the loudest and most continuous thunder I have heard in my life and the most intense rain here for quite a number of years in such a short time; so much so the bridge on the road to Playa Garza had water over the top of the railings. (In actual fact it was to the top, approximately 4 feet over the road.) Left at 7.30 but because of the rain, the foreshore water was brown and full of debris for about a mile out or more which precluded us from any bottom fishing. So headed for about the 12-14 mile mark out to sea where the swell was varying from 6 to 10 feet. Absolutely no action for trolling from 8.30 to 11.00; by this time we were about 18 –20 mile out then Wham!
Absolutely full of action for the next 2 .5 hours – a total of 6 sailfish caught and released including two double hook ups!!! Huge adrenaline rush.
Carlos (deck hand) and Captain David were brilliant and professional in the execution of boat work, gear rigging and handling of the fish during the capture and release. GREAT JOB….
During the past 2 years I have charter fished on the Great Barrier Reef, other parts of Australia, King fish at Tairua East Coast of New Zealand, Yellow Fin Tuna at Key West Florida, and on this vacation Salmon at Quadra Island, British Columbia before coming to Nosara and can I assure you the operation here is First Class!
Further heavy rain and thunder are expected in the next 24 hours..so will have to wait on the weather for the next charter. The last picture indicates 5 fingers of the number of fish; but my camera battery ran out..bugger.
Ross Boyce Manly, Brisbane Australia currently in Nosara..August 31st
