Entries by Crocodile Bay Resort

Crocodile Bay Resort Opens November 1

On November 1, we start fishing again. I feel like we are getting paroled, and there is nothing like the salt air and a cobalt sea to liberate ones soul. After being prisoners for so many months there will be nothing more exciting than the sound of line racing off the reel when a big fish makes the first run. I so need that adrenalin rush.

And what a great time to re-open. The fall marlin season will be in full swing and historically, and the dorado bite will be going on with the yellowfin tuna busting bait shoals offshore. The sails are not here in big numbers yet, but there are some cruising the area and they are usually hungry.

Crocodile Bay Resort Experiences Staggering Numbers of Fish and Wildlife Since COVID

I have always made it a habit, especially when I travel in the ‘third world’, to seek out the oldest person I can find and start up a conversation. I have found that is how I can get the true flavor of an area. One example of this insight was when my boss at the time, many years ago, kept a boat in Havana, Cuba.

Billfish Angler’s Guide to Costa Rica

Not until the early 1990s did sailfishing off Costa Rica’s Pacific coast attract major international attention, and by the turn of the century, Costa Rica was billing itself as the “sailfish capital of the world.” Just after that, however, sailfish numbers began to take a major hit, and many anglers ended up more disappointed than excited. But thanks to the adoption of regulations limiting the commercial exploitation of sailfish about 10 years ago, sailfish populations have rebounded and remain strong enough to justify the country’s self-anointed title.

The evolution of the Hero Shot

Did you know the picture above is now illegal in Costa Rica? Ten years ago a regulation made it illegal for the sports fishing sector to take a billfish, sailfish and marlin, out of the water for a “hero shot” photo of their prized catch. The web is full of photos that could potentially bring a 2 million colones fine ($3,250) to the offender who pulls a billfish out of the water. To date, I don’t know of anyone who has ever been arrested or prosecuted on this. In fact, after all these years, many still claim they don’t know about the law.

Costa Rica regaining position in global sport fishing world

Twenty-five years ago, Costa Rica was known as the sailfish capital of the world.This was quite an accomplishment, as the sport fishing industry was still relatively new here. Quepos was the epicenter, and names like Larry Hustler, Jeanette Perez, John Cory, Bill Cannon, and Harry Gray and their crews had put Costa Rica on the world fishing map. Days of 20-plus sailfish per boat were common. Marsha Bennett was opening the Gran Escape, which became the place to be for fishermen when not on the water.

September Eco-report

The New Bird Gardens at Crocodile Bay Resort In preparing for the evolution to Botánika Osa Peninsula, Curio Collection by Hilton, Crocodile Bay Resort is adding more gardens to their property. The landscaping team has been reshaping the property and planting many more native species, which in return attract a lot of the native birds. […]

Point Break Left

Costa Rica is famous for its surf. Both the Caribbean and Pacific Coasts offer great waves. On the Southern Pacific bordering Panama in Golfo Dulce is Pavones, one of the top ten surfing destinations in the world. This surfers paradise is only accessible by a dirt road or boat. It is a legendary spot that revolves around […]

August Eco-report

The Golfo Dulce As one of only four tropical fjords in the world, its bed is rich with volcanic reefs, crevices and caves that have become the breeding grounds for a staggering variety of marine life. It is believed that the gulf is the only place in the world where the humpback whales from both […]

July Eco-report

Weather in the green season I have had several people ask me about the weather here in the “green season.“ If you were contemplating coming down for some fishing but were worried about going to a place called “the RAIN forest” or if you looked at the weather forecast for Puerto Jimenez and saw thunderstorms […]