Tag: video

April 15, 2012

It is a true delight to welcome back Captain Don Dingman and his crew from Hook the Future for a week of fishing and fun. He has some great kids lined up for educational fishing excursions later in the week, but on Don’s first day he and the crew got themselves re-acquainted with the big Pacific Sailfish.

The first big Sailfish came early, just before 9am. Captain Don brought her home for a quick release and set her free.

With the ice broken, the Hook the Future team broke out the cool camera toys and shot some extremely awesome footage. When the second Sailfish came it at 11am, Captain Don strapped up the GoPro HD Headmounted camera and got up close and personal with this beauty.

As 1pm approached the bite intensified, and this time is was Rebecca’s turn to land a marine monster. She was apt on the reel and brought this big girl home in no time flat. Excellent fishing by this Jacksonville angler!

Around 4pm yet another big beast ripped up the spread and this time Conrad the cameraman got to step out from behind the lens and boat a beautiful beast. Rebecca subbed as camera operator and Captain Don coordinated the release of this fourth Sailfish of the day.

The fifth and final Sailfish of the trip came just before lines out at 5:20pm. This was the biggest fish of the day by far and gave Conrad the chance to break-in his new waterproof pole camera.

The fish obliged the camera by putting on a heck of a show on it’s way to a safe release.

Check out more videos from Captain Don and his personal account of this trip at the Official Salt Life Blog. Pura Vida!

February 1, 2012

Legendary day for the mighty Wanderer and the Zach Condon group. This New Hampshire-based angler has seen the results put up by Captain William and First Mate Alex for other New Englanders (most recently the Mukon family) and he immediately booked a full day on the on the flagship.

Zach said they wanted billfish…Fishin’ Accomplished!


As usual the big blue beast delivered the goods for these clients who released a MASSIVE 300+lbs. Blue Marlin and backed that up with a 180lbs. Striped Marlin. They also had a Sailfish but lost it right next to the boat, literally inches from the second Grand Slam of the young season for the Wanderer.

First up was the bad Blue Marlin…this guy is a monster even by Costa Rican standards! Amazing teamwork to safely land this monster and set up a safe Marlin release.

Looks like we need to get a wide angle lens for the camera!


We talk a lot about successful billfish being the result of combining the right boat, angler, and tackle for the job. This dedication to teamwork and precision was on display an hour later when another bodacious billfish beckoned.

Look at this picture from the Striped Marlin battle, and take careful note of everyone’s eyes:


  • The angler’s eyes are on locked on the fish and she is focused on maintaining tension and winning back line from the Marlin.
  • Her assistant is baling the line back on to the spool properly, thus freeing the angler from worrying about the tackle.
  • First Mate Alex is watching the tip of the rod for clues on the Marlin’s next move. He can tell by the faintest jerk or vibration of the rod tip if the fish is about to take off running, dive deep, or charge the boat…by transmitting this info to Captain William at the tiller he provides the Wanderer with a split-second advantage over the Marlin.

Focused Angler + Proper Tackle + Captain/Crew teamwork = Great Marlin Releases!


What an outstanding trip for Zach Condon! This was certainly a trip for the ages and another Hall of Fame performance for the mighty Wanderer.

December 21, 2011

Client Dave Eisner and his posse had a magnificent Marlin release on the Wanderer today! This 200lbs. behemoth nailed the starboard side outrigger bait and the fight was on for the Philadelphia-based angler.


Captain William kept the big blue beauty perfectly angled for the fight and First Mate Alex backed it up with a textbook billfish release.



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-houndingย  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!

July 8, 2011

Robert and Geoff Birtalan delivered a Hall of Fame performance on a fantastic 5 hrs fishing trip on the Wanderer. They had 8 Sailfish come tearing through the spread throughout the day and successfully caught and released five of these beautiful behemoths.


The highlight was this awesome Double Release; excellent work by First Mate Alex to ensure the safety of the fish, crew, boat and anglers.


All of this billfish releasing will work up an appetite, so Mr. Birtalan also brought home this tasty 15lbs. Dorado.



June 16, 2011

The Yellowfin Tuna have been all over the recent fishing reports, however the Explorer always seems to have another trick up her sleeve. Captain David stumbled upon a hot spot of the elusive Rainbow Runners this morning and with newlywed clients Jennie and Johnny on the reels, they piled the fishbox to the brim with 10 of these tasty morsels.

The Rainbow Runner (also called Rainbow Tunney) boasts delicious white meat and is a very challenging fish to hook and a strong fighter. It has been quite a while since a boat managed to wear out this many Rainbows. For an idea of how strong the Rainbow Runner can be, check out this picture:

Notice that while Jennie has the rod doubled over, Captain David has a firm hold of the fighting belt in one hand and a white-knuckle grip on the 3 inch. Stainless Steel superstructure of the Explorer. Without this chain of strength, something would have been swimming away (either the client or the fish).

Great job Captain David and congrats to the bride and groom. May the ‘Pura Vida’ spirit stay with you for all of your years together!


Inside Sportfishing

Inside Sportfishing Television is one of the most established and respected adventure fishing TV shows in the world.

Carried by Fox Sports West, Inside Sportfishing has tremendous reach into markets around the globe.


It was our distinct pleasure to host the Shea, Mike, Craig, Sam, and their families for a delightful week of fishing, Safari tours, and fun in Nosara.

The full episode will air in early 2012, but for now enjoy this sneak preview:

This video is available in HD up to 1080p. Click right here ^ for options after hitting play.

We hope to see the whole gang again really soon. Until then, Tight Lines y Pura Vida Amigos!

Aggressive Black Marlin

“Just one of many videos we took on our recent Costa Rica trip. This one is of a giant Marlin I caught shortly after Marcia and I released a nice double sailfish hookup! It is now thought by most that she is in fact a Black Marlin between 450-500lbs, at first thought to be a Blue Marlin. Worked her aggressively standing and got her boatside in less than hour.”

“We released this fish after after pulling her a good while, her color returned vividly, spectacular and will post that release video soon and some other great vids!”

“Listen closely to the mates first comment as he grabs the bill…….funny….enjoy!” -Tyson Wegman