Crocodile Bay Resort – Costa Rica Fishing Report

We are winding down our 15th season here at Crocodile Bay. On October 1st we will close her up for a month for some deep cleaning, tuning up boats and tackle and getting ready to kick off season 16 on October 25th.

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This season Costa Rica saw some of the best billfishing it has seen in 20 years. Now it is a hunting game as the big numbers move into the area again in late November and December. The first part of the next season will offer lots of shots at big dorado and marlin.
One fish that has been consistent all year is roosterfish. Jim and Kathy Drumm down celebrating Kathy’s retirement racked up 7 rooster, 7 snapper, a couple African pompano and a pair of grouper for dinner (view picture slideshow above).

I am going to slip away from the subject for a minute because I have always been an American made motorcycle enthusiast. Pictured is a Indian motorcycle that was built by our guest Damon Becnel. All I can say is…sweet!

Chopper

Back to speaking about roosterfish, here is an article I did for Coastal Anglers’ September issue. I think everyone who fishes Costa Rica should give roosterfish a shot.

A Bucket List Fish worth Crowing About

 Roosterfish photo courtesy Nordic Angling (Hannes Ribbner) from their visit to Crocodile Bay this past year.

Roosterfish photo courtesy Nordic Angling (Hannes Ribbner) from their visit to Crocodile Bay this past year.

When anglers think of the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica they usually think about billfish. Costa Rica continues to be one of the top destinations in the world to chase these pointy-nose acrobats.  The Los Suenos Billfish Tournament Series, the Marina Pez Vela/IGFA World Tournament and the Redbone/Boomer Esiason tournament at Crocodile Bay all broke records for the number of fish caught at their events in the 2014 season.

Many folks travel to Costa Rica with billfish fever and are not even aware of the great inshore fishery available here and the variety of species available. A fish many anglers have never even heard about before their arrival in Costa Rica is the roosterfish.

This unique looking fish with seven combs as a dorsal fin is only found in the Eastern Tropical Pacific between southern Mexico and Ecuador. In its most northern and southern ranges, the fish move as the seasonal drop in water temperature arrives. Costa Rica being in the smack dab middle of Roosterfishes range enjoys a fairly constant water temperature and a year round fishery.

In many places, roosterfish are only available by fishing the surf break. Not in Costa Rica. Of course they cruise the beaches looking for an easy meal, but they also roam the haunts of the many volcanic reefs. One area that is extremely productive is the Golfo Dulce on the Osa Peninsula in southern Costa Rica, a 32 mile long tropical fjord. Here you find roosters almost everywhere, along the beaches and even in the middle of the gulf over reefs in 200 feet of water. This allows anglers to target them using several different fishing styles. The locals also catch them with dead bait using handlines fishing off the beach.

Roosterfish in the Golfo Dulce average around 15 pounds and fish over 50 pounds are taken weekly. The resort record at Crocodile Bay is 106 lbs. Live bait is most always a sure bet. Blue runners, goggle-eyes, sardines, and lookdowns are the favorite choices and are readily available. If you are looking for a monster and have the patience to wait it out, bridle up a 3 to 5 pound live bonito and hang on. The best method to fish live bait is to either slow troll behind the surf line or drift fish over volcanic structure. In the deeper areas, a 2 to 6 ounce weight is added to send the bait closer to the top of the reef. Also in Costa Rica, circle hooks are required by law when using bait so it is best to have the “crank don’t yank,” mentality firmly planted in one’s brain.Roosterfish

 

Popper fishing is also becoming more popular. Fish will often rise to a lure that is really ripped through the water. This is not a walk the dog kind of fishing. The faster you work the popper with lots of splash the more hits you will get.

At times you will also be surprised by a big orange flash when a hefty cubera snapper comes up from 80 feet to smash a popper.If a fish misses its target, don’t stop. They will often come back and strike again. A long stiff rod and 6 weeks of dumbbell curls are required to cast poppers any length of time.

Jigging will also get you your first rooster, but they are a little shyer to a jig than live bait or poppers. White or chartreuse bucktails produce in the shallow water and mental jigs in the deep areas. Just about any brand of jig will work as long as it is worked fast.

No one I know has found the “Holy Grail” on how to take roosterfish on a fly. If you are looking for a real challenge it’s game on. If you are looking for big numbers on a fly, roosterfish is probably not a good choice of adversary. There has been some success by teasing up as rooster much like you would a sailfish.

They can be teased with a lure or live bait or by casting a popper with the hooks removed. To get a fly in front of charged up rooster though, you have to have the speed of a Western Gunslinger and the accuracy of William Tell. If you happen to be lucky enough to be on top of a school of bait and a herd of roosterfish charge in on them and you get your fly in the middle of that action you have a good chance of hooking up.

Some have had success trolling the fly but that is Taboo in many a fly guy’s book. To sum it up, if someone tells me they regularly catch roosterfish on a fly, I certainly wouldn’t leave my wife alone with them. Surely they can’t be trusted.

Anyone thinking about a Costa Rica billfish vacation for the first time or returning again should really book at least one day inshore. Roosterfish are a strong and beautiful fish with an iridescent hue.

Their unique dorsal cuts the surface as it hones in on its target. When hooked they make powerful runs and sometimes clear the water in an aerial display. They make for an exciting sporting challenge and a replica makes for a great conversation piece on the wall. They really are a fish to crow about.

Check Availability here for vacations for the upcoming 2014/2015 season – space is limited.

Sportfishing Calendar

January

Tuna, marlin and dorado taper off. Number of sailfish begins to increase.

February

Prime time for sailfish. Occassional marlin, tuna or dorado.

March

Prime time for sailfish.

April

Sailfish numbers drop mid-April and some marlin begin to appear.

May

Slower for billfish. Typically we start seeing schools of spinner dolphins with yellowfin tuna.

June

Slower for billfish. Spinner dolphins with yellowfin tuna.

July

Marlin begin to appear. A chance for black marlin as well as blues and striped marlin. A chance for tuna.

August

Marlin and tuna.

September

Slower for billfish. A chance for tuna and dorado.

October

Dorado begin to appear in numbers with marlin close behind.

November

A mixed bag of dorado, marlin and some big tuna.

December

Marlin, dorado, tuna and sailfish are all possibilities.