Crocodile Bay Resort, Costa Rica Fishing Report
By Todd Staley
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It is always exciting to discover something new. Bill Gibney made Puerto Jimenez his home and could be seen at the public pier almost daily wetting a line. Eventually he bought a panga type boat and Christened it the “Old Weakness” and started exploring the local waters. Smartly he befriended many local fisherman and often invited them along, and they were happy to share their knowledge.
Often several of Crocodile Bay’s captains would accompany him on their day off. What do you do when you are not fishing with clients. You go fishing. I am fortunate that most of my captains eat, sleep, and breathe fishing. I swear some have saltwater running through their veins.
Gibney used his own knowledge of fishing combined with what was acquired from local folks to become a successful angler in this area. It was a smart move on his part. Often when I fish a new place or a new area I have a little trick that helps me immensely. Once we get to the fishing ground I let everyone else start fishing. I start to fiddle with my tackle. I sharpen hooks, check lures, ect.
Most people think I’m kind of disorganized and not ready to fish. What I am really doing is observing and learning. I watch what techniques are being used such as speed of lure retrieval or action used. Once I see how the locals do it I mimic them and try some of my own techniques.
I have often said that this time of year one has two options. Go hunting for fish or go fishing. There are fish in the blue water and sails, marlin, dorado and tuna can be taken. There are fewer boats to stay on top of them and since they are always on the move you might have to hunt to find them.
On the other hand, inshore fishing is a constant. The reefs don’t move around so there are always fish there. They might not always want to bite, but they are always there.
It was on one of these expeditions that Gibney caught his first “what the heck is it.” He brought it back to the dock and none of the locals had ever seen one. Over the next month or so Gibney, Crocodile Bay captains and locals caught at least 15 of these that weighed between 15 and 35 lbs.
All were caught bottom fishing and deep jigging in 225 to 300 feet of water. They also discovered that the fish’s firm white flesh was excellent eating.
I sent some pictures of the strange fish to Doug Olander who is the jefe of Sport Fishing Magazine. He quickly identified it as a barrelfish and passed it on to the magazine’s species specialist Milton Love. Most barrelfish are caught in extremely deep water, up to 1000 feet or more. Milton recently sent me this note:
I am continuing to work on your barrelfish-like catch of a while back.
Ross Robertson, of the Smithsonian Research lab in Panama, and I agree it is a fish in the family Centrolophidae, in the genus Schedophilus, and perhaps the species haedrichi, the mocosa ruff.
However, these are very poorly known fish, they have only been reported from Peru, Ecuador, and the Revillagigedos.
Ross wonders if you by some chance I kept the fish or if you could keep the next one you catch. He would like to study it.
Now all the fisherman in Puerto Jimenez are excited about being part of a scientific discovery. Maybe it will be a “one small fish for man, one giant fish for mankind” type of deal.
A lot of people are now trying to catch one to send to the Smithsonian Research lab in Panama. Now that it has become scenitifcally important the odds of catching one soon have just gone down.
Conservationally speaking, The shrimp boats have officially stopped working inside the Golfo Dulce and negotiations continue with the gill-netters to get them out as soon as possible. By declaring the Golfo Dulce an area of responsible fishing, no more licenses to gillnet will be issued or renewed meaning by 2012 the gulf will be free of nets. Fecopt, the National sport fishing group is negotiating a severance pay for the netters to abandon this destructive type of fishery now. I will keep you updated.
Todd Staley,
Crocodile Bay Resort
Puerto Jimenez, Costa Rica
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