Fishing Report – Crocodile Bay Resort, Costa Rica October 23rd, 2014

Crocodile Bay will soon open it's doors for the 16th season…

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.

December 2019 – Costa Rica Fishing Report

It has been a while since I’ve done a fishing report, so I hope I am not too rusty. There are some changes in the fishing department at Crocodile Bay.
roosterfish

November 2019 – Costa Rica Fishing Report

Roosterfish, or Nematistius Pectoralis as their Latin name goes, is a hard-fighting and widely sought after gamefish here in Costa Rica. Anglers come from all over the world to Crocodile Bay Resort in search of this prized species. And almost all of our guests have roosterfish at the top of their wish list.In Central America, the roosterfish can only be found on the Pacific side, and they range from southern California down to Peru.

Costa Rica Named One of World’s Best Billfish Destinations

The fishing charter website "FishingBooker" has named Costa Rica as the fourth-best billfish destination in the world.The list — based entirely on customer preferences and reviews, according to a FishingBooker spokesperson — ranked Costa Rica ahead of the Florida Keys, calling the country’s Pacific Coast “nothing short of paradise.”

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.

October 2019 – Costa Rica Fishing Report

This month I wanted to do something a little different and touch on some of the new equipment we have coming for our 2019/20 season. On the lure front, we have some great Yo Zuri Bull poppers and Halco Roosta poppers coming in. Both of these poppers have proven effective on the tuna and are even capable of attracting the lure-shy roosterfish.

September 2019 – Costa Rica Fishing Report

August has been an excellent month at Crocodile Bay Resort in Costa Rica! We began with a wide-open tuna bite, as the fish were just a few miles offshore. The dolphins and tuna have been corralling big schools of blue runners and feeding on them voraciously — an excellent opportunity for some great topwater action. The weapons of choice were Williamson, Yo-Zuri and Halco poppers along with live blue runners and goggle eyes.

Taking a Spin @ Crocodile Bay – Fish Taco Chronicles

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ. A sound I love. That is the sound of line peeling off a reel. The screaming noise at the moment was coming from a PENN spinning reel which was making that sweet sound. The PENN spinning reel I was using was part of the excellent collection of rods and reels that were on the boat while I was at Crocodile Bay in Costa Rica. All boats there are equipped with a wide array of updated PENN gear which is some of the best in the business. It always makes me feel more confident when using boat provided gear to have up to date products from a well- respected company.

August 2019 – Costa Rica Fishing Report

Greetings from Costa Rica. I have been away from the Osa Peninsula for the last two weeks on vacation, as well as at ICAST in Orlando, Florida for Crocodile Bay Resort. ICAST (International Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades) is the world's largest sportfishing trade show, premiering the latest innovations in fishing gear, accessories and apparel. It is an annual one-stop shopping event, perfect for conducting business, seeing old friends and catching up on all the latest innovations in outdoor products.  

80 Years of Illegal (Tarpon) Immigration

They enter through Panama at the canal and head in both directions.Some go south, settling in Colombia and as far south as Ecuador. Others head north to Costa Rica, Nicaragua and as far as Guatemala. They pass in small groups or alone, but when they reach their Pacific-coast destinations, they group up with others that have made the passage. The coastline of southern Costa Rica is exactly what they need to thrive.

July 2019 – Costa Rica Fishing Report

Summertime action has been hot at Crocodile Bay Resort in Costa Rica! This is by far the best June fishing I have ever seen in my sixteen years at Crocodile Bay. The blue water has been just a couple of miles off the beach, and the sailfish have been here in pretty decent numbers. Yesterday, we had a boat raise eight sailfish and release three of them. As you will see in the video, it is not just the sailfish, but some excellent Marlin fishing as well. We do not typically see this many billfish in June, so I am super happy to have so many excited customers.

June 2019 – Costa Rica Fishing Report

The excitement continues at Crocodile Bay Resort in Costa Rica with solid offshore marlin fishing and good inshore roosterfish action. This has been an interesting May, to say the least. Historically, we tend to see a slower billfish bite as we are transitioning out of the dry season. However, this year the offshore currents have kept the blue-water closer and a good number of baitfish have been consistently around the current lines.