November 2017 – Costa Rica Fishing Report

3 Boats Released 60 Dorado Yesterday! Happy Thanksgiving!

Costa Rica Fishing

Update 11/22/2017 – 450 lb Blue Marlin Released! Happy Thanksgiving

Update 11/14/2017 – This past Friday three of our boats went 21, 18, and 17 on doardo and one boat released 15 roosterfish!

November Costa Rica Fishing Report out of Crocodile Bay Resort, Costa Rica – By Capt. Allan Smith  – October has come and gone and it is hard to believe we are almost into our 18th season at Crocodile Bay Resort, Costa Rica. As we wrap up maintenance and prepare our fleet for another exciting season the  first anglers  of the year are already venturing out in search of the wide variety of species that Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula is famous for. We recently welcomed the Pruitt group from Texas down for a group fishing trip. Their first day they headed offshore and found a big floating log loaded with dorado – they also wound up fighting, landing and releasing multiple marlin. They said “there were dorado swimming all around the boat, it was like fishing in an aquarium”. Dorado (mahi or dolphinfish depending on where you fish) are one of the fastest growing fish in the sea. They are prolific fighters, extremely acrobatic, beautifully colored and make fantastic table fare. Finding dorado action like this will put you in anglers “hog heaven”. It is amazing how something floating offshore, like a log or a tree can attract so much life. It starts with the smallest baitfish that use the floating object as a place to hide from predators. As the baitfish congregate around the log, they in turn , attract larger fish like bluerunners, trigger fish, bonita and small yellowfin tuna. The bigger baits attract the larger predators like dorado and marlin. What begins as a few minnows simply looking for a place to hide, can turn into an entire ecosystem that may stretch up to a mile wide. The guys landed fourteen dorado the first day and found the same log again the next day, releasing another eight.

We also had the pleasure of fishing with the Faulkner family of Vic, William and Sherry from the UK. They had a couple of excellent days of inshore fishing, including one day when they released thirty three fish, including ten roosterfish, eleven Jacks, and ten African pompano. They got into dorado as well, but found them inshore, swimming around Matapalo rock, at the entrance to the gulf. Matapalo rock, is one of those amazing spots where you can literally catch almost any species available in the region. Besides holding roosterfish, jacks, pompano, trevally, amberjack, grouper and a variety of snappers-  Matapalo sometimes holds pelagic fish like dorado and yellowfin tuna and even the occasional sailfish. It is one of those rare spots that when you hook a fish you don’t really know what it is until you see it.

There have been a few big roosterfish coming in as well. Richard and Mallory White were recently here celebrating their honeymoon. They were mostly here to relax and do some tours, but decided to fish a day as well. Mallory was first up and when she got the bite, it was a hard fighting roosterfish that was estimated at over forty pounds. A little while later, Richard got his chance and it was an even bigger roosterfish. Richard was using lighter tackle making for a challenging battle. When the fish finally came to the side of the boat, it was estimated at well over fifty pounds.

We are all excited for another great season of fishing at Crocodile Bay Resort, Costa Rica. I look forward to seeing all our regular guests and meeting a lot of new faces. The best part of this job is meeting anglers from all over the globe and hearing their stories.

Tight lines,
Capt. Allan Smith

Don’t forget, Crocodile Bay Resort has been referred to by National Geographic as the most biologically intense place on Earth. We offer over 30 unique Costa Rica tours and expeditions, wildlife photography workshops, and a luxury Spa for non-anglers. Here are some photos from this past couple of weeks at the resort. Hope to see you in Costa Rica soon!

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