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Boaters.com
Magazine
Raving Roosterfish in Costa Rica
-Bob
Newman
 The
great fish with the crazy hairdo came careening into the boat's
wake at full tilt, its weapons systems locked on to the mortified
blue runner. Instantly realizing that death was imminent, the
10-inch baitfish hit the afterburners and began wildly attempting
to evade the hideous creature in hot pursuit inches from its
tail. Frantically jumping, turning, diving and skittering over
the surface, it reminded me of how a fighter pilot attempts
to lose a heat-seeking missile.
A veteran of countless roosterfish encounters, Capt. Jon West
of Crocodile Bay Lodge, Costa Rica's newest first-class fishing
resort, shouted his approval.
"Look at that sucker! He's going nuts! Look how black he
is!" my guide yelled. (Roosterfish are normally silver
and dark gray, but when they get excited they can turn black.)
Watching the attack from the stern of the Champion bay boat,
a St. Croix Tidemaster rod with a Shimano Baitrunner reel in
my hand (without a doubt the best spinning outfit possible for
live-bait fishing), I was impressed with the maneuverability
of the roosterfish. Matching every move the much smaller baitfish
made, the rooster's huge comblike dorsal fin jutted out of the
water as the gamefish closed in for the kill.
With the specialized reel on free spool (with the bail closed;
the Baitrunner is designed just for this type of situation),
I felt the rooster hit the blue runner and pointed the rod right
at my opponent, thus reducing any pressure the rooster might
feel. Line raced from the reel at an alarming rate for 15 seconds
or so before I cranked the handle forward, thus engaging the
reel, and reared back with the rod. My waiting for the roosterfish
to get the blue runner well back into its mouth had paid off,
if the mighty bend in my rod and screaming reel were any indication.
Shaking its large head and long, heavy body, its celebrated
dorsal fin flapping wildly, the roosterfish blasted from the
water and crashed back in, then repeated the act six additional
times before finally surrendering to Jon at the transom. After
some quick photos and a pat on the head, the 25-pound fish was
revived and released so that it might fight another day. I quickly
rebaited and sent the next victim aft.
A
Study in Piscatorial Psychosis
The roosterfish is a screwball, for sure, this because of
its bizarre passive-aggressive tendencies. Perhaps because
a roosterfish knows that it is a supreme predator in its environment,
it can be maddeningly passive when it sees something you would
think it would pounce on in an instant, such as a goggle-eye,
blue runner or sardine. I have seen huge roosterfish swim
casually up to a delicious live bait and just look at it,
then swim away. And somehow the bait seems to know that the
rooster is just curious and not hungry, because the bait just
stares right back at it.
I have seen roosterfish whack baits just to kill them for
fun, then leave without eating the bait. And I have seen innumerable
murderous assaults on single baitfish and schools of them.
Oftentimes roosterfish attack schools of bait on the surface,
their dorsal fins flashing in the sun as they race about slamming
their hapless victims and gobbling them down. I have even
seen them in cahoots with several other species of gamefish
all at once (jacks, bigeye trevally, bonito, snapper and even
triggerfish) as they all clearly planned and orchestrated
a combined instantaneous attack on a school of blue runners.
(You can't tell me that fish do not communicate.) This makes
roosterfish all the more exciting, of course.
Tackle
And Tactics
Live baitfish such as blue runners, goggle-eyes and sardines
trolled slowly behind the boat through likely areas (sandy
beaches, awash rocks, rock outcroppings, river mouths, flats)
is by far the most productive means of catching roosterfish.
Teasing roosters with baitfish and then tossing a lure or
fly also can be affective, but roosterfish are notorious for
knowing the difference between artificials and the real deal.
When trolled, most live bait stays below the surface. When
it sees trouble down there, it will often race for the surface,
so be alert and keep your eyes on your line and whereabouts
you think your bait is. Also, when the bait suddenly gets
frisky it has probably seen something that might eat him,
so be ready.
Roosterfish like to run with the bait at the front of their
mouth before slowing down and working the bait toward the
back of their mouth. Therefore, do not strike the rooster
the moment you feel it grab the bait. Instead, allow it to
run between 10 and 20 or so seconds and then hit him hard.
If it drops the bait, leave it out there to see if it comes
back for it, which it oftentimes does.
Tackle should consist of a 6- to 7-foot fast-action light-
to medium-weight spinning or casting rod with a reel that
can be brought instantly from free spool to engaged. Line
should be abrasion-resistant and run between 17- and 30-pound
test. The drag should be topnotch because roosters will attempt
to burn up your reel, and they can weigh more than 100 pounds,
although the average in Costa Rica is more like 15 to 20 pounds.
A 4/0 short-shank live-bait hook is right.
Catch
And Release, Please
Roosterfish are spectacular gamefish that deserve to be set
free after the fight. Plus they are poor table fare. So please
carefully revive and release the rooster when the battle is
over. It may take several minutes of holding the rooster alongside
a slow-moving boat to revive it, so take your time and watch
for its pectoral fins and tails come back into action before
letting go. Watch it after you release it to make sure it
is OK.
Crocodile
Bay Captains: Secrets of the Pros
Crocodile Rock - Trophy Costa
Rican Sailfish Tactics
Boaters.com: Raving Roosterfish
in Costa Rica
Boaters.com Magazine: Dueling
with Dorado
Boaters.com Magazine:
Coo-Coo for Crevalle Jacks
Boaters.com Magazine: Working
surface structure to find more fish
Sport Fishing Magazine: Costa Rica
Sport Fishing Magazine:
Costa Rica Revisited
Sport Fishing Magazine: Outstanding
Osa
Orvis Travel: Costa Rica's Crocodile
Bay Lodge
 
If
you are interested in record setting Costa Rican sport fishing
contact us directly: Office (800) 733-1115 • Fax: (415)
209-6177 • or RESERVE
ONLINE
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