Tag: Wanderer

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.

January 31, 2012

Excellent day of fishing on the Wanderer by client Dave Ulev from Illinois. His group wanted to specifically target Yellowfin Tuna so Captain William chased the dolphin schools while First Mate Alex deployed a spread featuring the undeniable Cedar plug.


The fish came in hot and heavy, one after the other, and Dave didn’t stop until the box was filled with Yella fellas and Jack Crevalle.


Great filets for Dave and another outstanding effort by the famous Wanderer!

January 30, 2012

We were stoked to host a wedding fishing fiesta with Rob Anderson and his group from Dallas, TX. They split the party between the Wanderer and the Explorer. Both boats saw consistent action, but the Wanderer had the edge when it comes to good eatin’ keepers.


Captain William and the big blue beauty accounted for 10 Yellowfin tunas and five Jack Crevalles in the fishbox, while over on the Explorer Captain David’s group got a bunch of Bonita and a few feisty reef Snapper.


No matter how you score it, Mr. Anderson and his group certainly caught enough fish for the wedding party. Great work team!

January 25, 2012

Brian Bickel and his boys from South Georgia lit it up today with nice Sailfish and Dorados. The spinning porpoises led the famous Wanderer out to a full-on feeding frenzy.


They had three Sailfish in the spread throughout the day with two successful catch and releases.


This hungry posse also put three big Dorados in the box which should keep them pleasantly plump for the rest of the week.






Great start for these fellas who still have more fishing planned this week.

January 22, 2012

Mark and Melody Mukon finished their week of strong fishing with “His and Hers” Sailfish releases. Mark was first up, and his monster Sailfish put on a tailwalking show on his way to the mighty Wanderer.

Melody Mukon was next up on the reel when at 1pm the second Sailfish came barreling through the spread. The hypnotic power of her Pink FishingNosara hat worked on this billfish as First Mate Alex coaxed him alongside for another safe release.

Great work by this Connecticut couple of bill collectors to cap off an outstanding week of fishing in Costa Rica.

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

Wonderful sunset family fishing trip today on the Wanderer. Patrick Dollard and his family caught three Jack Crevalles and four Bonitos on a very relaxing three hour cruise.

Mix the tranquil conditions with some rod-bendin’ action and you have the recipe for a perfect Costa Rican evening. The big smile on her face says it all:

Respect to this young man who can handle his own fish for the picture. Another satisfied family from FishingNosara!

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,ย 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 15, 2012

The Tampa boys stayed inshore once again on January 15 and if you think that means they settled for small fish, then you have no clue about the kind of monsters that live on the reefs in Costa Rica.

This Broomtail Grouper appears to weigh over 50lbs. which would make it the largest Cabrilla caught since Matty’s monster back in November 2010. Sheesh, the lips on this fish probably weigh five pounds:


Joe followed up the largest Grouper we’ve seen this year with the smallest grouper we’ve ever seen. Ya might be able to get half a sandwich out of this little fella, but instead we threw this one back…maybe in another ten years he will resemble his departed big brother.

The blue water is beckoning these boys and they are planning to head offshore early tomorrow. Let’s keep an eye on these world-class anglers as they head out to challenge some top-notch billfish.