Wanderer – Page 156 – Costa Rica Fishing Report from FishingNosara

February 4, 2012

Derrill McCrary kept up the amazing fishing as he once again enlisted Captain William and the Wanderer. After wearing out the billfish yesterday, this time they set their sights on good eating fish and what they found exceeded even their wildest expectations.

The found an eager school of Dorados who fought with predictable vigor but alas were no match for Derrill McCrary and the mighty Wanderer. The group is pictured with the biggest of the bunch plus they had several smaller specimens on ice.

Check out this email we received from Derrill:

We arrived back home last night and wanted to let you know we enjoyed our fishing time with William and Alex. They are both very professional and know what they are doing.

Our first day was a good one with 3 Sails, 1 Striped Marlin and 2 Dorado. The Sails were a double header which made it very exciting.

The second day was much slower with a triple header of Dorado.

Your crew shows a lot of concern for the fish and we appreciated their efforts to make sure the fish swimming freely before the let them go.

Thanks again for a very good fishing trip,

Derrill McCrary

February 2, 2012

FishingNosara has been working for years to dispel certain myths about fishing in Costa Rica, namely that the fishery is world-class yet the boats and tackle are the exact opposite. Our reputation for top-notch tackle and aggressive fishing proceeded us when we received a call from Derrell McCrary.

Mr. McCrary was fishing on another boat in the area back in December when he noticed that FishingNosara was catching monsters while he was catching minnows. He booked a full day on the Wanderer and this time we vowed that his fishing experience would be world class.

Captain William pointed the mighty Wanderer south and found the blue water break just 6 miles offshore. The spread was working early in the day, snaring a pair of nice Dorados (Mahi-Mahi) that weighed 30lbs. each. Here is one of the tasty green morsels:

After a brief spell of nothing biting, the 1pm Sailfish bite lit up and two hungry Pacific Sailfish came tearing through the spread. First Mate Alex coordinated the fights and the releases, notching the Wanderer‘s scorecard with three more excellent billfish releases including a double header Sailfish release.

This performance certainly exorcised the Costa Rica fishing demons for Derrell McCrary, but FishingNosara’s reputation wasn’t built on meeting expectations but on exceeding them. That is why after 7 great hours of fishing the mighty Wanderer still had a trick up her sleeve.

This 180lbs. Striped Marlin releases is the third of the month for Captain William and proves that the FishingNosara flagship Wanderer is indeed the top boat in the area; she is a vessel that flourishes where other fail.

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.