From Sport Fishing Magazine www.sportfishingmag.com

A Tale of Two Coasts – Costa Rica Fishing Adventure at Crocodile Bay Resort

Joined by my son, Luke, I recently visited Nicaragua’s Atlantic Coast for a few days of outstanding Tarpon action out of Rio Indio Lodge(The photo at left is an estimated 140-pounder we released; fish closer to twice that size have been released here in the past year.) For the other half of our Central America adventure, we fished Costa Rica’s Pacific coast out of famed Crocodile Bay Resort.

(All photo in this gallery by Dave Lewis.)

Rounding the Tip

Costa Rica sailfish release

For the full story visit Sport Fishing Magazine www.sportfishingmag.com

Or book your Costa Rica fishing trip of a lifetime at www.crocodilebay.com

Monster Marlin, Sailfish, Roosterfish, and Dorado provide our first guests of the season with “plenty of monsters”!

Sergey Chmykhov and Mikhail Fedyushkin Land a Monster at Crocodile Bay!

Happy Halloween! This week we kicked off our 15th season of sport fishing and adventure at Crocodile Bay Resort, Costa Rica, and the monster fish showed up to celebrate Halloween. Our first group from Russia scored big on opening day (Sunday) bringing in three pacific blue marlin (150lbs, 250lbs, and 400+lbs – Photos courtesy Sergey Chmykhov and Mikhail Fedyushkin), six yellowfin tuna (Sashimi treats), dorado, and roosterfish inshore. If that’s not enough to make you “howl”, we had Sean Harrell (from our home office in California) and his friend Elizabeth down and they delivered “terror” inshore releasing 6 roosterfish and a bagging a bright orange cubera snapper that lit up like a pumpkin when it hit.

Yesterday one of our groups from Ireland went 3 for 6 on sailfish (another offshore boat produced the same numbers)landing one sailfish and one dorado on the fly. The only “trick” so far has been the weather. Historically the end of October can be “wet” as we transition from our rainy season into the dry and sunny Costa Rican summer season. The sun is shining and has been all week!We have yet to see what new monsters will be caught and released this afternoon! Have a fun and SAFE halloween. We hope to see you soon at Crocodile Bay Resort catching some “monsters” of your own.

If you’re in the Fort Lauderdale area, please come by the 54th Annual Ft. Lauderdale Boat Show and visit our booth. We are located in fishing village 6 between Hatteras and Viking Yachts!

Click to reserve your trip to Crocodile Bay Here

Photos from Crocodile Bay’s 15th Season Opener

Sean Harrell from our California office enjoying some inshore fishing!

See you soon in Costa Rica

Will Briegel
Crocodile Bay Resort
Puerto Jimenez, Osa PeninsulaCosta Rica

First I would like to thank Will Briegel for filling in for me while I concentrated on some other things. I made three trips to the states in the last few weeks. The annual ICAST tackle show is a great chance to see what is new in the fishing game as well as catch up with some old friends. I followed that with a family reunion and to celebrate my mother’s 90th birthday. What started as a family of seven kids has grown to where there were over 140 in attendance. Later I went to the Florida Outdoor Writer’s Conference where I saw a lot of old friends and promoted some of the advances in marine conservation we have made here in Costa Rica. It was an honor to be there when fishing great Flip Pallot received a Lifetime Achievement Award.

I know Will had the Gorham family in the last report but they sent me a story from their trip and I would like to share it with you. Also Scott Young who I got to know by e-mail but missed here at the lodge sent me photos of his trip. Daryl, Matt, and Andrew Gorup from the Peterbilt family made another visit here. So many people have become such good friends over the years that I am really blessed to be starting my 14th season here in November.

The Gorham Family Invades Crocodile Bay for the Thrid Time!
Read about their family fishing and more adventures here!

Fishing went flat for 4 days when I returned last week as green water slowed things up. We sent the fleet a little further and found some cleaner water and Brain Thurston and Gary Arnold from Fishing Tackles Retailer magazine went 5 for 5 on sails. Fishing has improved daily.

Costa Rica Marine Conservation
We have had some great advances lately which will undoubtedly improve fishing in Costa Rica. No more shrimp boats. The Costa Rican courts have sided with conservationists and declared trawling for shrimp an unsustainable form of fishing and have ruled that shrimpers can continue to work until their current license expires and then they will be forced to stop. It is not an overnight fix but a substantial one and the last boat will be out of the water in four years.

Sorry Charlie
Charlie, the animated tuna that has promoted the consumption of tuna in the United States for decades will even be happier if Costa Rican fishermen get their way. The Pacific Fisherman’s Union a commercial lobby and FECOP, the recognized sport fishing lobby in Costa Rica on September 2, asked the Costa Rican government for a 6 year moratorium on tuna purse seine fishing.
After years of throwing stones at each other the commercial fleet and the sport fishing fleet have come together to promote a Blue Agenda to insure more responsible fishing methods in the country.

Costa Rica does not have a purse seine fleet and all licenses to fish this method are being given to foreign vessels. Armed with a study done by FECOP that concludes that Costa Rican fishermen are being robbed of the resource as well as possible financial gain, the groups have asked for this time frame to study the situation and develop sustainable fishing methods for the benefit of local fisherman.

Right now nearly 90% of all tuna caught in Costa Rica are landed in other countries and Costa Rica sees only a $37 dollar per ton benefit by letting foreign flagged seiners take the resource.  This coupled with other irregularities and illegal activities such as the use of Fish Aggregating Devices (FAD’s) are not only depleting the tuna resource, but increase the capture of juvenile by-catch with is thrown dead back into the ocean.

FECOP has found that by uniting the commercial and sport fishing sector, rather than constantly fight each other they can better influence the government to make changes to promote a Blue Agenda similar to Costa Rica’s Green Agenda which is world famous. The Costa Rican commercial sector has agreed to seek more sustainable fishing practices to target tuna that also reduces by-catch of species targeted by sport fishermen like marlin and sailfish.
For more information go to www.fecop.org and click on English

Last November the Marlin bite was very good! Come find out

See you in Costa Rica!

Todd Staley,
Fishing Director,
Crocodile Bay Resort

Join Todd Staley and the rest Crocodile Bay’s seasoned Captains for the fishing adventure of a lifetime, Click Here to Reserve!

Marlin Thunder Offshore and Roosterfish Light it Up Inshore at Crocodile Bay Resort!
Costa Rica Fishing Report, August 2013
By Will Briegel filling in for Todd Staley

from www.crocodilebay.com

Catching at least one blue marlin has been commonplace for those venturing offshore during their three day fishing packages, and if you’re not lucky enough to find that school of bonito that the marlin are chasing – there have been plenty of sailfish hanging around with folks releasing at least one or two each, there were a couple 4/4 -5/4 days which are great for July. Lets hope they stick around in August. Here’s some pics of this month’s marlin and sailfish releases aka”Blue Thunder” with some nice blue marlin being released.

Inshore, the “White Lightning” has been striking in the form of ravaging roosterfish running ramped, with no signs of this year’s Rooster Rally letting up (Click here to sign-up for our Roosterfish Competetion in August). In the past we have had guests come from as far away as New Zealand and Russia just to tangle with these tough scrappers that would probably score a 9 out of 10 if there was an America’s Top Fish modeling reality show. With their sleek striped body and cool 7 point comb, roosters offer inshore anglers the whole package. Roosterfish use their flat body against the current causing them to shoot out of the water with a sliver “flash” and at times dance like a sailfish. They can also stun you with their strength even at smaller sizes (15 to 25 lbs range) Although in the past couple of weeks most anglers have been getting them in the 35 to 50 lb range (see photos..some of these roosters look bigger than the kids catching them!)

Update 7/31/13 – One boat inshore today raised 10 Roosters from 25 -45lbs! Congratulations Ron and Susan! We’ll see you at the SPA 😉

What happens after a 7 Roosterfish Day? Hit the Spa!
I’m convinced the reason visionary and Crocodile Bay founder Robin Williams (not the comedian/actor) created a state-of-the-art luxury spa at the resort was for those anglers who target roosterfish, tuna or marlin. These fishermen/women bring big smiles and tall “Fish Tales” to the bar after the catch, but in the morning it’s all about the lumbar which is screaming for relief from one of our talented spa therapists – and trust me, an hour massage designed specially for anglers will have you rejuvenated and ready to get back out there to do some more battling.

For the significant other in your life, for instance, your wife, our spa offers over 20 amazing treatments with the majority of ingredients extracted from Costa Rica’s largest coastal rainforest, you’re gonna love it.

RETURN OF THE HUMPBACKS!
As predicted months ago by Fishing Director Todd Staley, the humpbacks are in our protected gulf teaching their calves how to hunt dive and communicate – a sort of kindergarten for humpbacks if you will. As we move into August, there were reports of seven; yes (7) pairs of humpbacks in our backyard (yesterday, July 29th) the Golfo Ducle which is defined as a “Tropical Fjord” system as it reaches depths of over 300 meters (900ft )and is surrounded by towering Jurassic Park-like rainforest mountains.

Humpback Photo from the Lemmings:

To see one of these blue and white giants covered in barnacles and breaching with a huge belly flop or side splash is a memory that you will take home and cherish forever (we cannot promise you will experience this, but if it’s going to happen, this is the time of year to witness it). To hear their magnificent songs vibrate through the hull of the boat is beyond words and all I can say is, don’t miss your chance to witness one of Mother Nature’s largest biological ocean vessels in person this August and September at Crocodile Bay Resort (don’t forget your camera…if you have an SLR with a zoom lens, even better!)

Some more Whale and Dolphin Watching at Crocodile Bay:

All the family’s who came down for our Sensational Summer of Tales and Whales got their share of both, and there were a couple of family’s in particular that stand out as really coming up big on the seeing side and the catching side as well. We are still running the Sunsational Summer of Kids Free (Kids Stay, Eat, Fish and **Watch Wales Free in August and September !) Space is Limited! Sign up HERE TODAY if You’re Interested!!

Family Fishing Tales

The Kneucker Family (Collin, Dillon and father Mike) family wanted marlin, but admitted “anything would be fine” as we are in what some refer to Costa Rica’s “non-peak” season, some anglers hold their expectations at bay, especially when it comes to billfish of any kind. Not this year. But they got their Pacific blue marlin (pictured above) as well as several sailfish (below) and rooosterfish.

Kneuker Family Members Collin and Dillon With a Sailfish

Aiden Scroggins wanted a trip to the world famous Crocodile Bay Resort for his birthday to target rossterfish, and he got his wish! He made it down to see us and caught to 40-50lbs roosterfish and a nice sailfish! Way to go, and Happy Birthday from Crocodile Bay Resort!

Aiden Scroggins is right on target with the rooster he wanted. Happy Birthday!

The Flemmings
These guys conquered the schools of Tuna completely and also did well with the sails. Take a look at some of these big tuna and even bigger smiles!

Spouse on the House II – Back by popular demand we are running our Spouse on the House II package all September long! We have added a twist this time with a FREE Whale Watching Tour as well as a Complimentary $1,595 Spa vacation for your wife or significant other when you book a three (3) day or longer fishing package – Click here for details. Single anglers and groups are entitled to 25% off your September Vacation if you book by Labor Day!

Crocodile Bay Videos – Courtesy of the Gunnell Family!
Bringing in a 400 plus lbs Marlin as a family is an amazing experience. We would like to thank the Gunnell family for this great video that highlights the thrill of catching and releasing a Pacific Blue Marlin.

Around the Osa
We’ve heard reports from Capt. Donald McGuinness that a 750lb black marlin was caught near Carate when it took an anglers silky snapper he had on the line as bait! This may be a good sign that the big blacks are moving in. It’s up to nature how long the blues will stay around but a Black and Blue August may be a strong possibility.

Fishing Forecast
The Blues are not showing any sign of letting-up and the sailfish are not as thick as January through May – but are being had on a regular basis. Rooster fishing and fishing for other inshore species is historically very good this time of the year. We’re not sure how long the blue marlin will stick around but it could be worth coming down and taking a shot since the blacks appear to be steadily moving in as well.

Todd Staley Returns from his trip from the States to visit family August 15th with his Crocodile Bay Fishing Report! (and this time we mean it!)

Fishing is just the beginning!
Don’t forget, that amazing Costa Rica fishing is not the only thing on Crocodile Bay’s extensive activity list! We offer over 25 eco, adventure, and cultural private tours with local, bi-lingual Costa Ricans who will personally guide you through the areas they love and have grown up in.

Tight lines and crocodile smiles to everyone. Hope to see you all down soon doing some catching in Costa Rica!

Will Briegel
Filling in for Todd Staley,
Crocodile Bay Resort, Costa Rica
www.crocodilebay.com

Roosters  Rampage and Sailfish “Fly High” in July!
Costa Rica Fishing Report- July 16th, 2013
by Will Briegel
from  www.crocodilebay.com

The   last few weeks of fishing have put the “sizzle” in our summer season for families,  couples, and avid anglers who visited us looking to do some amazing fishing, relax in our Spa or  enjoy the intense bio-diversity our area has to offer.

Mother  Nature decided to pull the bait and switch “ON US” for once and  delivered anglers flurries of high-flying sailfish instead of the black marlin  that usually start to trickle in this time of  the year. As a matter of fact the blue marlin have been sticking around with the sailfish and several anglers released Blues to 300lbs as well. Mrs. Nature also decided that everyone deserved a shot at lots of   yellowfin tuna, roosterfish, snapper and pompano.

At least two of our guests  hit grand slams and one of them was only 15. As forecasted by Todd Staley, the humpback whales have also moved into the gulf and are giving anglers and other guests great photo opportunities and the memories of a lifetime.

Yvonne and Ferrell Jones (growers and producers of famous “Blue Diamond” Smoked Almonds) decided to bring their  grand children Cody and Clayton Cornell down for the fishing adventure of a lifetime. The fish may have thought they were “off the  hook” and  able to school these youngsters, but 15-year-old Cody Cornell  decided he wanted to catch every last one of them, and  almost did. Cody  caught several Roosters to 60lbs, a monster cubera snapper in the 50lbs range, several  large sailfish (90 to 130), and countless tuna to hit the Grand Slam landing himself a spot on  our coveted Wall of Fame (See Cody’s pic aobove of the big cubera Snapper that landed Cody on our Wall of Fame!)

Young Clayton is missing his two front teeth, but that didn’t seem to stop the sailfish from biting!

Mrs. Yvonne Jones proved that she can take on large costa rican billfish any day with this large sailfish. It seems people of all ages young, and elderly had great luck with inshore and offshore species this week.

Cody, Clayton and Grandma grin at Cody’s larger than life Roosterfish

Their final night at the resort they enjoyed…what else?? Fresh Sashimi!!!

Here’s a homespun video shot by young Clayton of his brother releasing a sail!

Tony  Giorgi came to Crocodile Bay to target a single species: Roosterfish,considered by many to be the toughest fighting fish pound for pound – and  one of the most glamorous with its shimmering black stripes and 7 point  comb-over. Roosterfish can be caught year-round at Crocodile Bay Resort and  when  the roosters are on a “run” anglers  can get into hours of non-stop fighting action.

Tony  released seven (7) Roosters one day and on other days did battle with sailfish and several plates of previously  swimming sushi that he was kind enough to share with members of the Crocodile Staff,  myself included!  
Thanks Tony!

Tony  Giorgi owns a hunting and Bass fishing guide service called BassNBoars in northern California and is rumored to be among the  top Bass guides in the area – if you’re ever out that way, pay him a visit  www.bassnboars.com
Father  and Son tandem Alan and Robert Brightman who took a chance looking for Sailfish  in July landed sailfish daily with young Robert pictured here with a monster  Sailfish. The next day the dynamic duo went 4 for 4 on sails and left with the tell tale “Crocodile Smile” on each of  their faces! Robert has fished all over the world and was very pleased with the amount of sailfish we put him on! Hope to see back next year!

Another youngster, Allan Brightman releases his first sailfish!

If you haven’t tried African Pompano, you’re missing a real treat! One of our favorite inshore species to catch and eat!

Mr. Jenkins owner of a Marriott Residence Inn Hotel In Daytona brought his son Kieth down for the Crocodile Bay “Tails and Whales” Package and have been getting plenty of both! On inshore days they caught nice pompano, roosters, and jacks and actually saw this young humpback close to shore..watch out – Breach, don’t beach! Offshore it was tuna galore following spinner dolphin closely, they also raised and released several sails.

This  time of year we also welcome guests who like to mix the fishing with adventure eco-tours and or a luxury spa experience! National Geographic    has been quoted as saying our area the Osa Peninsula is “the the most biologically intense place on Earth”. Our award winning eco-director Dennis Atencio loves to  prove this fact to any guest who doesn’t’t believe it with one of our full day rainforest tours. Check out  his monthly eco-report here that shows  the amazing diversity of wildlife and scenery to be found in our very own back  yard! Monkeys, birds, sloths, and other amazing species!

Hello! A Humpback whale waves to our guests as they look for tuna!

The Humpback whales inside our gulf have been spotted  daily (a calf pictured below gets very close to shore). The whales have started  to move in for their annual migration and their numbers and your chances to see them only increase as  me move into August, September and October. This weekend we also saw more black  and blue marlin moving into the area as well as some floating logs with birds on top that  usually turn into nice pick-up joints for Dorado! Tuna continue to run with the porpoises which have kept plates full and chopsticks chopping. Some of our guests including Dave Jenkins from Florida had  sashimi right on the boat…how fresh is that (drool).

August Rooster Rally at  Crocodile Bay Resort! Don’t miss your shot at a complimentary Replica Roosterfish Display from  Gray Taxidermy (replica mount) – a trophy and gift from Crocodile Bay –  for the angler who catches the MOST  roosterfish in August – his or her largest Roosterfish(or roosterfish of choice) will be immortalized by Gray’s Taxidermy and shipped to his or her home!(shipping charges not included)

People have been having so much fun catching  Roosters within the past couple of weeks we  decided to make the entire month of August a Rooster Rally. All you have to do to qualify and enter is sign-up HERE, show-up  and catch LOTS of Roosterfish. August is also a great month to target Marlin  and several inshore species like pompano, snapper, amberjack, and  Spanish mackerel.  In September we’re also  offering 25%  off peek season rates to curb your flight costs to our beautiful country.
The Legendary Todd  Staley will return from his birthday and visit to the ICAST Fishing Show in Las Vegas next  week for the August Costa Rica Fishing Report.

Until then, tight lines and crocodile  smiles to everyone. Hope to see you all down soon doing some catching  in Costa Rica!

Will Briegel
Filling in for Todd Staley,
Crocodile Bay Resort, Costa Rica
www.crocodilebay.com

Adrenaline Rush!
Pandemonium Among the Porpoise Pods Off Costa Rica
www.crocodilebay.com   www.sportfishingmag.com

T e x t    a n d    p h o t o s    B y    D o u g    O l a n d e r

While there might be better ways to hook the really huge yellowfin — as in 300-plus pounds — that patrol the eastern Pacific, I don’t think there could be any more-exciting way to hook any tuna than casting poppers into leaping, blitzing schools and cranking ’em back at high speed. The combination of the visuals (big yellowfin crashing your lure) and the physical (arm-wrenching strikes) definitely makes these “yee-haw!” moments. That’s why, after a morning of little activity as we trolled, watched and waited 10 to 15 miles offshore of the lowerOsa Peninsula off southern Costa Rica, we all jumped when the call came over the VHF. “Get those lines in!” Manfred, themate aboard the Crocodile Bay Resort’s Strikefisher 33, said.“They’ve got dolphin pods about two miles north!”He didn’t have to tell us twice.

Finding Flipper

We knew of the well-established association between pods of dolphin (as in porpoise, of course, and not dorado/mahi) and yellowfin. Find big numbers of dolphin, and you might find feeding tuna. While that “might” loomed large, and there are no guarantees when fishing the Pacific, it always pays if dolphin are spotted to see if they are traveling with an escort of yellowfin.  Our skipper pushed the throttles ahead hard, while Manfred tied circle
hooks to the end of a couple of outfits.  Hunter Cole and I opted to go with large poppers. Cole, senior marketing manager for Pure Fishing, handed me a Penn Spinfisher V with 50-pound braided line and a Sebile Splasher. He
armed himself with the same, and we headed up to the bow. There was no mistaking the dolphins— the sleek, dark mammals as much out of the water as in it, leaping high into the air — as well as the birds wheeling in the area. At first, I saw no sign of tuna and grew disheartened, until we drew near enough to see the silver bullets exploding from the surface sporadically among the dolphin. Wanting to avoid the frustration of throwing short, I forced myself to wait, heart pounding, as the boat eased closer. Cole heaved a Splasher into the fray and just after, my own Splasher was on the heels of his. I glimpsed a commotion behind Cole’s lure, and suddenly his rod arced and bounced as he yelled, “I’m on!” Shortly after, a detonation under my lure knocked it high out of the water. With shaking hands, I cranked the popper the rest of the way to the boat — and then grabbed my camera to record Cole’s battle.

In the company of several other resort boats, we spent at least the next couple of hours running and gunning, trying to stay on the dolphin and tuna, until the yellowfin left or perhaps went deep. Most anglers had hooked tuna
in that time, and some had brought several fish to the boat. Best of all is that running and gunning for tuna means nonstop activity: If you’re not actually hooked up, you’re casting into fish or standing on the bow, ready as the skipper gets you into position. There’s never a dull moment. At least that’s true when the yellowfin are feeding. If the tuna bite among the moving dolphin turns off, it might be only a matter of time until the fish start whacking bait again. “I had an angler out who really wanted a tuna on his popper. We stayed with a load of dolphin for four hours before the tuna went on a feed,” says Todd Staley, the resort’s fishing director. “Just
before sunset, he ended up boating the 180-pound yellowfin that slam-dunked his popper.”

Fast Cast w ith a J i g
Southern Costa Rica offers — as we saw — good hunting grounds for tunaon top. In fact, the eastern Pacific fromMexico south into at least Ecuador can mean prime run‑and‑gun tuna activity when the timing is right. For Crocodile Bay boats, that tends to be a crapshoot. “You can catch tuna any day of the year, just not very predictably,” Staley says. “We may find yellowfin out there for weeks at a time but then not see any for just as long.”
While he says there really is no tuna season, run-and-gun fans might have their best shot at finding tuna feeding late spring and late fall, with the fish more numerous then, but also smaller, as school fish dominate. An effective alternative to poppers, metal speed jigs also have the advantage of tremendous long-distance castability, and when breezing fish are moving very fast or happen to be particularly spooky, only out-of-the-ballpark casts will make it to ground zero. I was reminded of this the next day while fishing with Patrick Sebile. The yellowfin were on top but not feedin with quite as much abandon as they had been the day before. Sebile opted to forgo the Splasher and instead tied on one of his Fast Cast metal jigs. He cranked it hard and fast so it skipped along the top, looking indeed like a baitfish trying frantically to escape. His jig was slammed repeatedly, and I became an instant believer in small metal jigs for schooling tuna at the surface.

Sails and Roosters
While fishing offshore of the Osa Peninsula can be a good bet for yellowfin, billfish are always a big bluewater draw. During our June visit, sails were few and far between — not such a surprise, since that’s usually a slow time for sails — but seasonally (January into May), sailfish can be swarming. Anglers after marlin have their best shots at blacks and stripes in July, August and September, and blues November through mid-January. Plus, of course, this peninsula has earned a reputation for producing roosterfish. We tried our hand and weren’t disappointed. The beaches along the open southwestern Osa
coast proved slow, but closer to the resort, around the southern tip of the peninsula, the default live bait — blue runners — found some willing takers. Roosters have a tough time passing up slow-trolled runners near shorelines, though they’re not shy about snatching up other live-bait offerings, such as a moonfish that the mate quickly bridled up and put over the side.
We spent some time jigging, but other than a Pacific red snapper, a bright-red scorpionfish and a small fortune jack, we couldn’t find a lot to show for our efforts. But I have seen photos of excellent jig catches. As outstanding as the waters of southern Costa Rica can be for many species, I’ll take tuna on top any day for sheer adrenalin-pumping action.

From www.crocodilebay.com

Yellowfin Tuna Bend Rods and Spool Reels at Crocodile Bay!
by Todd Staley, Fishing Director

The spa girls have been working overtime to work on sore muscles from pulling on tuna. Finding schools of tuna have been almost a daily occurrence for the last ten days. Steve Smiley had his family down on a return trip and they cleaned up on the tuna. The schools of tuna have been averaging 30 to 100 pounds with some monsters traveling with it. Dick Carmical also had the family down and they pulled on one estimated at over 250 pounds for 2 ½ hours when the leader final wore through.

Rain or Shine, the Tuna Continue to test the strength of anglers daily!

Shannon Smiley showed her family how to catch roosters by being the top angler when they fished inshore, but when they went back after the tuna the next day, I noticed her score sheet was blank. I teased that she didn’t want to embarrass the boys again and she explained tuna were complete on her bucket list and she had a great time just watching the boys fight tuna. I’m with you Shannon.

There are enough roosters around to keep it interesting but not in great numbers, Snapper have been dinner size and no giants have come this week although Bob Mandic fought a big one for a while before it broke him off.

There are a few sailfish still around and anglers have been spending so much time pulling on tuna that no-one has been hunting marlin. Reports from other fisherman are the next wave of fish is moving in as lots of marlin were seen working waters far offshore.

Todd Staley
Fishing Director,
Crocodile Bay Resort, Costa Rica

By Crocodile Bay Resort Costa Rica Fishing Director, Todd Staley
www.crocodilebay.com

SPECIAL OFFER ALERT – KIDS now FISH, Stay and Eat FREE at Crocodile Bay with at least one paying parent or guardian details here !

Patience is the key to bagging a really nice fish and no-one does it better than regular guests Jim and Leighanne Nunes. They brought good friends Gary Deems and Ron Harney down with them and introduced them to their first Pacific sail.

The Nunes stayed a couple of days longer and worked the waters offshore without much success until their captain ran across a trash line that held small tuna and dorado. They ended up raising 7 marlin, boating and releasing two, the largest going  400 lbs. A very wise and accomplished fisherman once told me, “your chances of catching a really good fish are directly related to how much you deserve it.” Jim must really deserve it because he bags a marlin nearly every time he comes to the resort.

Thomas and Patrick Hayden were our first father/son visitors for the school break and they also took a nice 350 lb blue marlin. Bill and William La Fuze were the first to take advantage of our “Dad’s and Grad’s” special and started inshore with a real nice cubera snapper and followed yesterday with a pair of dorado, the largest tipping the scale at 50 lbs.
Another frequent client, Bill DeDeugd and son Daniel, brought another father son team, Jim and Nick Rice who spent their first day catching a mixed bag of bottom fish.

More marlin keep moving in offshore, following the migration of tuna and dorado. It is a hunting game, but there are fish out there to be had. Fishing inshore has been changing day to day, changing from fair to good. Some nice snapper and a few roosterfish are cooperating with anglers

Crocodile Bay would also like to wish Leighanne Nunes a very happy birthday and a great 2013. Hope to see you and Jim Soon!
The Crocodile Bay Staff!

SPECIAL ALERT – Crocodile Bay is running a KIDS FREE family vacation fishing special where KIDS (15 and Under ) Stay, Eat, and FISH FREE! (Kids under 12 will also get local/in-country flights FREE $250 value!

See you soon in Costa Rica!

Todd Staley,
Fishing Director
Crocodile Bay Resort, Costa Rica
www.crocodilebay.com

By Todd Staley, Fishing Director – Crocodile Bay Resort, Costa Rica

MLB Hall of Famer Wade Boggs smiles before embarking on day two of the Red Bone @ Large Costa Rica Classic at Crocodile Bay Resort!

There’s a fine line between superstitious and obsessive compulsive and Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Wade Boggs crossed it every night. The 12-time All Star attributed much of his success to a daily routine and refused to alter his habits. These everyday customs including eating chicken before each game (earning him the nickname “Chicken Man”), and always taking exactly 150 ground balls during infield practice. He also always took batting practice at 5:17 and ran sprints at 7:17 and drew the word “Chai” (Hebrew for “life”) in the dirt before coming up to bat. Boggs’ allegiance to his superstitions helped lead him to one of the finest pro baseball careers of all time and induction to the Hall of Fame.

Wade paid us a visit again last week fishing in the second leg of the Redbone tournament for cystic fibrosis. Wade also won the celebrity division of this year’s tournament.

Pictured above, Brian Dellett of Denver Co. Grand Champion Angler of the Redbone @ Large Crocodile Bay OSA Classic! Congratulations Brian!

I am also superstitious. One of my biggest superstitions is to never brag when fishing is really good. On my last report I broke my rule. Fishing had been so good the whole month of March I fell to temptation and told the whole world. Well, on April Fool’s Day my world caved in. The weather changed and the fish quit biting. Usually April is one of our driest months and the rains started. Fishing was lousy for over a week and finally the sunshine started to show more each day and the inshore recovered. Drew Kelly returned again this year and opted for the better inshore fishing. They caught 20 jacks on topwater plugs one day along with roosters and some really nice snapper.

“I GOT IT” Exclaims eight year old Tyler Gernstein as his rod breaks and he still manages to reel in this 55lb monster roosterfish!

Other highlights:  Eight year old Tyler Gernstein is no stranger to roosterfish. Last year he caught a 59 lb monster with a little help. This time, a year older and with experience under his belt he hooked into a 45 lb fish. The mate on the boat immediately went to help him lift the rod. His reply to this action was a surprise and put a big smile one everyone’s face. “Don’t worry about the rod, I got it,” he exclaimed. “Hang on to me!” If the rod was going in the water he would be attached to it. He landed the fish pictured all be himself.

Jeff Thurston (pictured above) spent one day on the water and caught a 120 lb sail and returned to the doc with a 55 lb dorado. Chuck Raderstorf’s 400 lb blue marlin was the fish everyone was talking about at the resort.

(pictured below) Guests Jeff and Kimberly enjoy a nice mix of sailfish and roosters

Many thanks to Jamie and Donna Piraino for sharing their photos that turned out to be some of the BEST sailfish shots we’ve ever been given by any guest! Here’s something to motivate you for YOUR next fishing trip!

Don’t take our word for it – Here is a testimonial from Brian Tooms on his fishing trip with his wife Trish this past week at Crocodile Bay Resort, Costa Rica!

Brian and his Wife Trish With a “Dream” DoubleHeader Sailfish hookup!

I caught a 200lb blue marlin on the fly on our honeymoon that was my fish of a lifetime.

Here are a few videos from the Tooms’ trip to Crocodile Bay, Costa Rica!

Brian and Trish are lucky enough to get this Whale Shark on their GoPro Hero 3 with some help from our Eco Director Dennis Atencio!

 

Ever wonder what’s going on “Beneath the Boat” While you Fish..here’s a sneak peek!

 

 

Don’t miss out on 20% savings on Sport Fishing and Eco Adventure Packages at the World Famous Crocodile Bay Resort, May 1st through November 30th 2013! Beat the crowds and enjoy the seasonal fishing species and local wildlife! RESERVE ONLINE HERE

See you soon in Costa Rica!
Todd Staley,
Fishing Director,

Photo courtesy of Zach Frazee

Did intervention have anything to do with the success of the 73rd International Light Tackle Association Sailfish Tournament hosted this year by Costa Rica at Crocodile Bay Resort and Marina in Puerto Jiménez? I think so.

The recent demise of nearly 300 sea turtles in the Southern Zone of Costa Rica has been of officially declared a result of illegal fishing methods. The problem stemmed from the illegal catching of live bait in the protected Golfo Dulce, and then using the bait on long lines in areas where live bait is not allowed.

The result was a massive kill of not only sea turtles but sailfish as well, and complaints were filed with various agencies including the new Vice Minister of Oceans José Lino Chaves. Within a week, he was personally in the area and heading a patrol that captured 14 boats from the Golfito and Quepos areas. The boats were fishing bait inside the gulf, and Chaves filed suits against all of them.

Within days, many of the boats fishing illegally headed out of the area. INCOPESCA also declared a ban on all commercial longline activity within the boundaries of the tournament during fishing days. The result was some boats getting more than 30 bites a day.

Teams from Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Mexico, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and the United States competed in the four-day catch-and-release event. The results showed that if fishing regulations are followed and enforced, Costa Rica has a chance of reclaiming its former spot as “Sailfish Capital of the World.” The tournament was dedicated to Tia Nora Schofield, who broke down the gender barrier, earning women the right to compete in fishing tournaments nearly 50 years ago.

Fifteen boats competed in the event, and the leader board was constantly changing amongst anglers, boats and teams. The format of teammates fishing on separate boats each date but accumulating points for their respective teams eliminated the need for observers. The opportunity for participants to fish with so many different anglers allowed old friendships to be renewed.

More than 800 fish were raised, and 406 were caught and released during the four days of fishing. The final results are as follows.

Pictured above, famous guitar jam rock player Derek Trucks & friends/family visit Crocodile Bay Resort, Costa Rica

I love it when you finally get to meet your heroes and find out they really are heroes. Mama Trucks is my hero. I am blessed to have a super mom myself so I know one when I see one.

You see her sons are some of the very best guitarists in the world. Derek played live with the Allman Brothers when he was just 13. His uncle knocked out some of those great Allman Brothers drum solos that used to rock my house and drive my mom crazy (His great uncle Virgil “Fire” Trucks, was famous for pitching two no-hitters in a single season as a pitcher for the Detroit Tigers in the early 50’s).

Derek has played with other greats like, Eric Clapton, Santana, ZZ Top and has twice appeared on Rolling Stone‘s list of 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time; currently 16th on the list.  He  was listed as an official member of the Allman Brothers band in 1999 and teamed up with Susan Tedeschi a dozen or so years ago to form the Grammy Award winning Tedeshi Trucks band and his kids are also being raised in the same Mama Trucks style.

Grammy Award winning Derick Trucks & fellow rocker\wife Susan Tedeschi of the Tedeschi Trucks Band

If you didn’t know they were famous you would never guess it, because they are just great southern folk. And if Charlie Trucks doesn’t’t follow his dad’s footsteps as a great guitarist he will one day be working for me because at 11 years old he is one hell of a fisherman.

Along with the Trucks family was Jimmy Herring, another great guitarist for who has played with Widespread Panic, the Dead, and the Allman Brothers just to name a few) and his family. Together they caught sails, lots of big tuna and some dorado.

Jimmy Herring, pictured second from left with Widespread Panic

When I found out Mama Trucks is involved in turtle conservation back home in Jacksonville, Florida, I took her to see our little turtle hospital here on the Golfo Dulce in La Palma. The head of the organization Didiher Chacon explained the exciting new discoveries here and turtles from the Galapagos come here to feed.

On the way out and back I got some great insight on this remarkable woman and the famous family I have followed for years. I am a firm believer that behind every great man is a great mother.

Fishing has picked up over the last two weeks and the sails have been a lot more consistent. We have seen quite a few marlin still and Vern Larsen started his return trip here with a 300 pound blue.

Roosterfish and snapper are keeping lines tight inshore and snapper have supplied meals to many inshore anglers.

Patrick Connaughton was nice enough to send some photo of his recent fishing trip as he released several sailfish and brought in some Dorado for dinner. Thanks for the photos Patrick! Hope to see you next year!

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

Happy “Blue Year” (as in Sailfish & Blue Marlin!) The great bite continues in January at Crocodile Bay Resort, Costa Rica!

 

New Year’s Week Fishing Update: The big story this past week has been the impressive number of sailfish coming up in the spreads. Lots of our guests have enjoyed double and sometimes quadruple hookups. Some notable double hookups were father and son from Columbus Ohio – Erik and Alan Varhus (see photos below). Not only did the double hook-up make for one of their most memorable fishing trips to date, but it was also their FIRST sailfish release EVER!

Several other guests also caught there FIRST sailfish so needless to say, the mood this New Years week has been extremely festive. We are averaging 200+ raises a week and the trend looks to continue well into our approaching PEAK sailfish season January and February. We currently have some openings left for mid to late January so call 1-855-945-4171 to for internet special offers while the bite is hot!
Click Here to BOOK NOW!

Alan and Brian Varhus During their FIRST Father & Son Double Hookup

Alan Varhus of Columbus Ohio with his first Sailfish!!

Tower Shot of the Varhus Double Hookup

January Fishing Report By Todd Staley
The holiday week at Crocodile Bay is always a lot of fun. Many of the same names come back year after year and if I tried to remember them all, I would surely leave someone out and I don’t want to do that. A couple stand out, like John Mork who is my bratwurst connection.

One I won’t soon forget is Leo Hoplamazian. Leo is the grandson of Herb Kohler and 99% of the US homes probably have something in their house made by his company. Leo is around 11 or 12 and first thing he did when we met was challenge me to spell his name. I won. I have rarely met a young man with such enthusiasm. As promised he made our wall of fame when he landed his first sail.

Leo Hoplamazian Lands His First Sailfish (120lbs) at Crocodile Bay, Costa Rica!

The full moon played some games with the fish and made them a little finicky some days but on other days double digit sails popped up in the spread.  Top boat of the week raised 16 in a day but the catch rate was not so high because Donald Bradley was fly fishing. Last year he landed a 300 marlin on a fly.

Snapper action inshore has been on fire and Dennis and River Laack proved that they had the touch to feel the soft bite when they landed over a dozen one day. Roosters have been very cooperative and a monster 70 lb fish won the week’s award.

 

And believe us, catching snapper pays off when dinner time rolls around!

Brian Tracy shows off one of the many nice sized roosterfish guests have been nabbing this past holiday week!

The big surprise inshore was a double hook up of two 100 lb tarpon off the beach at Carate by Jason and Brooke Jeter. We hook about 7 or 8 a year of the small population that has worked its way through the Panama Canal.

The moon has passed and the weather is moving into  Costa Rican summer and conditions are idea for a good run of sails to be present. The dorado are still biting strong and a few marlin are still heating up some reels.

Baby New Year and Other Amazing New Year Surpises!
As in all past new years, this New Years holiday week has been full of unexpected yet delightful sruprises. Along with the double Tarpon hookup that Fishing Director Todd Staley mentioned above, the early arrival of a GIGANTIC whaleshark and her calf (that we have dubbed “Babby New Year) was captured on camera by guests Brian Tracy and Kim Kanas. Here are some of their photos:

WIN $500 – and Take a Shot at a FREE 33′ Strike Yacht UPGRADE!
The Crocodile Bay “Croc N’ Roll Blue Year” Grand Slam Promotion” If you’re ready to test your skill as an angler, WIN $500 in fishing or spa credits (for the lucky lady in your life or yourself) – and take a shot at a FREE 33’ Strike Yacht Upgrade – we’ve got the perfect Holiday Vacation Gift for you and your family for the upcoming 2013 Holidays! Happy New Year – Hope to see you soon at Crocodile Bay Resort, Costa Rica!

In case you’re wondering, this is why 2013 is starting off BLUE!

 

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