Costa Rica Fishing Report from FishingNosara
Costa Rica Fishing Report Archive | FishingNosara
The Wanderer was pleased to welcome Brooklyn’s own Timothy Matusch for an fun-filled day of action on November 27. They stayed with what has been working recently, namely targeting the tasty green gold called Dorado.
The blue beauty performed admirably with four fantastic Dorados on ice by trip’s end. These tasty filets should provide many magnificent meals of Mahi-Mahi.
Hulsey Bray signed up the mighty Wanderer for a full day excursion on November 24 and once again the blue beauty delivered the goods. Captain William used the time-honored hunting tactic of following schools of spinning dolphin to the target zone.
As the smartest creature in the sea and man’s closest genetic marine equivalent, dolphins are a fisherman’s ally because they corral smaller baitfish into spherical pods.
These pods are feeding beacons to larger pelagics (Yellowfin Tuna, Sailfish, Marlin, etc.) so it’s no suprise that Hulsey pulled this monster Pacific Sailfish right out from under the feeding frenzy.
This beast is estimated to weigh 100lbs. and is a sign of good fishing to come in the next few weeks. Another great release by the famous Wanderer.
Last year we welcomed some amazing anglers from the state of South Carolina highlighted by Katherine Fanning and Hall of Famers the Thames Family. This year we were stoked to welcome Rick Morgan and his family from the Palmetto State to continue this fine angling tradition.
Rick and his ladies didn’t let their fellow South Carolinians down; in fact they turned in the best Dorado performance so far in this young season. They boated four tasty Mahis with the big fish tipping the scales at 45lbs. In total they caught over 100lbs. of fish…that’s a lot of yummy vittles!
Once again the flagship Wanderer proves that she is fit for battle with all manner of Pacific marine life. No matter what’s biting, the mighty Wanderer is catching!
Buck Davis has a spirit and energy as big as Georgia, and despite his excellent performance on the Explorer (November 19) we weren’t surprised that he upgraded to the 31-foot Wanderer for his second excursion to the blue water.
The Davis group continued their Dorado devastation, this time boating three of the tasty green monsters. The first Dorado (above) was typical-sized and weighed about 25lbs. The next two were giant-sized, weighing in between 35lbs.-45lbs.
What a great performance by this South Georgia-based fishing group! They tested their mettle against some of the baddest fish in the Pacific and kept the fishbox full of fresh filets. Even First Mate Alex couldn’t help but stike a pose with this beauty:
Brad and Annette Negaard are visting Nosara from good ole’ Jacksonville, FL and they are just the most recent in a long line of First Coast anglers who’ve successfully invaded Sailfish City. The Wanderer headed offshore at 7am armed for battle and as usual the mighty flagship delivered the goods.
The Negaard’s are proud alums of Jacksonville University (mascot: Dolphins) so it is fitting that Annette and Brad bested two of the baddest fish in the ocean. Even in Costa Rica, Dolphins are smarter than Sailfish.
They had a double hook-up leading to a pair of safe releases, plus had a third Sailfish escape just a few yards from the boat. Great performance from these Northeast Florida anglers! Here’s the second release:
The Negaards have another trip on the schedule for the 20th so stay tuned!
Our new buddy TJ Conrads brought his family down from Boise, ID to take aim at some big game. TJ is an interesting adventurer who wrote the book on traditional longbow hunting (hunting with a wooden bow and arrows that he literally makes).
For 30 years he has published Tradtional Bowhunter Magazine which is the leading voice in the field.
Mr. Conrads is also the author of the “Traditional Bowhunter’s Handbook” (left).
He has hunted with bow and arrow all over the world, in every different place you can imagine. An outdoorsman’s outdoorsman, TJ was also thrilled with the idea of offshore Costa Rican fishing.
Fortunately the Wanderer never leaves port without a full quiver and Captain William set his aim offshore at the blue water beasties.
Things got off to a fast start with this bright green Dorado finding its way to the ice chest in the first hour of the half day trip.
This respectable Dorado clocks in around 25lbs. and will certainly keep the family fed for the week.
Captain William guided the Wanderer a little further offshore into billfish territory and on cue a mean pair of Sailfish took off with baits just after 10am.
TJ and the posse reeled ’em in while the crew coordinated the daring and difficult Double Sailfish Release.
Great safe fish-handling like always by the incomparable First Mate Alex, and truly a fishing feat for the ages by TJ Conrads and his family.
We look forward to seeing Mr. Conrads again down the road…can’t say the same for these fellas:
Bill Harris and the boys rejoined the Wanderer and followed up their Dorado haul from Wednesday with an equally fruitful Yellowfin Tuna harvest. Captain William guided the flagship about 6 miles offshore to the deep water break and started knocking out Yella Fellas on a high speed troll.
They ended up with six tasty Yellowfin Tunas in the box plus added a pair of Dorado for good measure.
This is our first big Yellowfin harvest of the season and you know that First Mate Alex was itching to get the sushi tray out. Fresh sushi on the boat is one of the FishingNosara traditions, and it always makes for some big smiles.
Bill and the boys are pumped up and have added one more fishing day on November 10. Let’s see if they have some luck with the billfish on their final day in Nosara.
The legendary Bill Harris has returned to Nosara along with his buddies from west central Florida. Once again he has signed up the Wanderer for two full days of offshore marine harvesting, and we are happy to report that his first trip went splendidly.
The Dorado bite has been fully-on this season yet no one could predict that these fellas would haul in ten green monsters in the course of the 8 hour trip. The biggest tipped the scales at 45lbs. with several respectable fish also ending up in the box.
What an amazing performance from these Florida anglers. Now that dinner is taken care of for the week we expect Bill Harris to go billfish hunting tomorrow. Stay tuned for updates as they are available.
It was a great honor for the FishingNosara crew to welcome Angela Garman and her family for a week of relaxation and fishing in Costa Rica.
In her time as head of the Nosara Paradise Rentals US Office, Mrs. Garman presided over the creation of FishingNosara.com, the Wanderer, and even this fishing report.
Without her effort and spirit in those early days, none of our team’s success could be possible.
Check out Angela overseeing the Wanderer ‘s first paint job back in 2009:
Still, this is her first trip to Nosara and the first time she has set foot on the Wanderer since it left Florida in August 2009.
Captain William and First Mate Alex have delivered strong action on Dorados all week, and Angela’s trip was no exception.
Angela’s son Bailey got into the action, along with husband Tony. This is one fish-fightin’ family!
They ended up with four mammoth Dorados in the fishbox and lots of fresh filets in their future.
“It was crazy.” Angela commented on this last Dorado. “The fish kept changing colors as I was reeling it in. At first it was purple and red, then it was blue.. It changed to green just as Alex pulled him in.”
Another great trip for Scott and his group today on the Wanderer. They added to their tasty Dorado haul with two more monsters.
They also added the first big Yellowfin Tuna of the season with this excellent catch estimated at 25lbs.
Later in the day Scott released a nice Pacific Sailfish. Estimated to weigh around 115lbs., this is the first billfish release of the season for the flagship.
Nice wig…I guess the Halloween spirit stuck around a few extra days for this posse. As always this billfish was safely released and we look forward to catching him again.