Crocodile Bay, Costa Rica Monthly Fishing Reports

Crocodile Bay Costa Rica
Fishing Report
March 15, 2010

For more reports and Costa Rica Fishing information visit www.crocodilebay.com

My blood pressure has dropped 20 points, which means things are getting back to normal. The crazy weather patterns last month in the states came all the way south, but this month the skies are blue and both temperature and the fishing is hot.

Allen Ryals and Steve Ulman have been coming here since before my hair turned gray. Allen is sort of a professor of fish and an inventor of many types of fishing gadgets. This year it was a teaser made from a bowling pin that he had to fine tune to keep out of the gutter but when he finished it was running straight and true. He and Ulman also customized a cedar plug that made the big tuna dizzy.

Pat Robbins brought his seven brothers down for their second reunion at Crocodile. The boys were raised in Butte Montana along with 4 sisters. By the time they finished high school all had been taught the welding trade by their father and all used those skills to attend college. Now the mix of brothers are either in the medical field or in metal casting doing business in the states and Costa Rica. They caught a list of nice fish including wahoo (which have been strangely prevalent lately) and brother Bert landed an 80 lb tarpon on light tackle after a two hour battle. Our small population of tarpon have made their way through the Panama Canal from the Atlantic side and slipped into Pacific waters without getting their passport stamped.

Bob Perimian’s group hit it just right. Although Bob couldn’t make the trip his crew raised an average of 10 fish per boat a day and caught some real nice snapper for dinner. Fishing has really picked up for sails. Between groups I had a day when 4 boats raised 62 sails and two of those boats spent part of the day inshore. A few marlin have made a presence and Doug Ford from Houston finished his trip with a nice blue marlin. Kirk Dill had his group down again from Bermuda and Tony Thompson made his annual trek from the Big Apple and found out he was neighbors with part of the Perimian group. There were so many repeat guests these last two weeks that I know I forgot someone so please forgive me if I make you feel like the bridesmaid.

Inshore has been extremely well for snapper and cuberas over 20 have been a regular thing as well as roosterfish. There has been the best snapper bite going on that I can remember and part might be the shrimp boats are no longer working in the gulf.

Capt. Garofano of Conn. shows off a 27lb rooster

Todd Staley
Fishing Director
Crocodile Bay Resort
Puerto Jimenez, Costa Rica

Costa Rica Fishing Report,
February 26, 2010

Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Wade Boggs Poses With a Nice Wahoo on His Third Visit to Crocodile Bay Resort!

Baseball legend Wade Boggs with a nice wahoo

February has been one of those month’s that drive fishing directors crazy. One day the fishing is red hot and the next it’s not. On the good moon the fishing slowed and on the normally not so good moon it picked up.

Tuna have passed through occasionally, cruising with the porpoises. Lots of 60 to 100 pound fish were caught that some made it to sushi plates. Greg Thompson and David Horn teamed up to tackle one that went around 180 lbs. They opted for sails after that battle.

Greg Thompson and David Horn teamed up to tackle this 180 lb tuna

Sailfish is what is driving us crazy. One day we see as many as 15 per boat and the next only a half dozen. We have had more rain than any February I remember and more cloudy days and the bite always seems better on a sunny day.

The Annual Vergith Contracting Fishing Tournament was held earlier this month. Royce Cook finished first in points and Joe Vincent and Mark Bass tied for second only a half point behind Cook. The 10 anglers went 28 for 75 on sails and landed 17 dorado and 2 tuna. Eight of the ten anglers took their first sailfish during the tournament.

Dan Vergith congratulates tournament winner Royce Cook

Participants in the Vergith Contracting Annual Fishing tournament

Ludwing Diaz, general manager of the Hotel Balmoral in San Jose and a big supporter of fishing tourism and sustainable fishing practices was down with wife Katherine and 11 year old daughter Juliana. They spent a day fishing and snorkeling taking several nice African pompano and roosterfish.

The Diaz family Katherine, Ludwing, and Juliana

Ken Patterson had his group from Florida here again this year. Traveling with them for his third trip was baseball Hall of Fame member Wade Boggs. Fishing was tough for the group but Boggs managed to fool sails on a fly and take his first wahoo (pictured top of page.)

Inshore has also had it’s ups and downs but yesterday the roosters were crowing in full force. A couple of fish between 40 and 60 lbs were caught along with many in the 20 pound class.

Enough snapper hit the dock these days for the chef to prepare in several different fashions. One cubera snapper estimated at 50 lbs was released. The bigger fish are almost always female of breeding stock.

Just waiting for a little more sunshine and the bite to return to normal

Todd Staley
Fishing Director
Crocodile Bay Resort, Costa Rica

Costa Rica Fishing Report,
February 1, 2010

Fun for all Ages

It didn’t matter your age lately, you were having fun catching fish here. Five year old Matthew Norguero got his first snapper off our pier, eleven year old Eddy Robles took a nice African Pompano reef fishing and Pat Morgan celebrated her 79th birthday by catching her first, second , and third sailfish! Her husband Henry took two sails and a nice dorado.

Texans Mike and Catherine Shellman were so pleased with their results that they left a caricature in the bar. Mike took a sailfish on the fly and Catherine hauled in a super 50# roosterfish.

Scott “the kid” Barbeau and his wife Stephanie were down from Massachusetts. Scott is one of those guys who fishing runs through their veins. He chases tuna in the rough Atlantic and wanted to do the same in the calm Pacific. After I told him we haven’t seen a big tuna in a while he proceeded to bring me a 100 plus pounder back to the dock. No matter what he targeted he did well. I don’t know how many different varieties of fish he caught but I’m sure he is someplace ice fishing about now.

The dorado are starting to thin and the sailfish numbers are starting to pick up. All this is normal although it is happening a little late this year. A few marlin to 400 pounds are surprising anglers and the tuna are running when the porpoise come through. The sails have been hungry and ready charge a pitch bait or a fly.

Inshore has been unpredictable with the roosters biting like crazy one day and going into hiding the next. Several from 45 to 60 pounds have been the highlights. Bottom fishing has been good but should even get better between the moons.

Cpt Todd Staley- Crocodile Bay Lodge, Costa Rica

Jeff Vannoy fishing out of Crocodile Bay went looking for roosterfish near Matapalo Rock and although he didn’t get his roosterfish he certainly caught something to crow about. The crew and Jeff were surprised to see a 120 plus pound tarpon take to the air when Vannoy set the hook. After over an hour on 20lb spin tackle they lifted the fish for a quick photo and set it free.

Over the years tarpon have passed through the Panama Canal into Pacific waters. We hook three or four a year and land one now and then. “I thought I was losing my mind the first time I saw one roll in the Golfo Dulce back in 1995,” commented Todd Staley Fishing Director at Crocodile Bay. Having run Archie Fields Lodge in the early 90’s Staley has a soft spot for tarpon. “It’s great to see tarpon on this side now and then but I don’t think their ready to be featured in our brochure.”

Todd Staley
Fishing Director
Crocodile Bay Resort, Costa Rica

Lucía Romero Shows Off a Beautiful Dorado in January at Crocodile Bay

Crocodile Bay, Costa Rica
Fishing Update – January 2009
By Todd Staley

December was a great month for fishing at Crocodile Bay, Costa Rica. Since our first guests of the season, Tom and Anne Bobotas walked in on the first of December, chatter around the bar at happy hour has been fish, fish, fish.

The fishing season started out with lots of dorado and Tom was happy he out fished all the guys on the big boats, topping it off with a monster dorado (see below). The last two weeks of the month the sails made a sporadic appearance and some boats raised as many as nine but the big wave of sails are due to arrive any day.

My bratwurst connection from the midwest, John and CJ Mork fishing with first time friends Joe and Peggy Schierl tangled with a nice blue marlin as well as sails and dorado. John has taken a marlin each visit here. The marlin finally showed the third week of the month and there are stories of battles lost and battles won almost every afternoon. Inshore has picked up considerably lately with rooster up to 60 lbs making people crow.

Dennis Cook was down with his triplets, Mackenzie, Dawson, and Asher and had a ball inshore with roosters and jacks. Long time guests Andrew Ociepka and Al Charles also had big days on roosterfish. As we come off the big moon of New Years eve, the sail numbers should increase greatly in January and the snapper bite will turn on with the slower tides.

Todd Staley
Fishing Director
Crocodile Bay Resort
Puerto Jimenez, Costa Rica