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Pick your Month…Find Your Fish!

We hope you enjoy this exciting Costa Rica sport fishing “highlight reel” featuring actual anglers from 2017. Below this video you will find Costa Rica fishing highlight reels from each month of the year so you can see what 2017 guests caught during the month when you’re ready to take your next fishing vacation. Enjoy the the videos!

Crocodile Bay Resort January Fishing Highlight Reel

Crocodile Bay Resort February Fishing Highlight Reel

Crocodile Bay Resort March Fishing Highlight Reel

Crocodile Bay Resort April Fishing Highlight Reel

Crocodile Bay Resort June Fishing Highlight Reel

Crocodile Bay Resort July Fishing Highlight Reel

Crocodile Bay Resort August Fishing Highlight Reel

You may also check our Costa Rica fishing calendar here to see more information on historically good months to target the wide variety of species available in Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula.

Check availability below for your “Bucket List” fishing experience!

Crocodile Bay Resort Costa Rica Fishing Report –  February 3rd, 2017 – By Fishing Director Todd Staley – True to form after the color change on the trees on the mainland side of the Golf Dulce, the sails appeared in big numbers. Days are offering multiple shots to anglers and have had as many as 19 in the spread in a day. Roosters are staying true to form with a steady bite and dinner size snapper keep the chef busy. The “a picture says a thousand words” is really appropriate as we feature the stunning photos of Pat Ford. Over the years Pat has had more cover-shots than probably any other fishing photographer. He was down with the legendary Stu Apte who at 87 years old is still cranking in multiple sails a day on a fly rod.

Crocodile Bay is proud that Stu Apte and Pat Ford chose our resort to field test Stu’s new line of Signature Fly Fishing Rods – “The Stu Apte Signature Collection”. He was also kind enough to leave us a signed copy of his new book “My Life in Fishing” for information on getting your hands on both the fly rod and the book visit www.stuapte.com. As we mentioned, we were equally honored and excited to learn legendary fishing and wildlife photographer Pat Ford was accompanying Stu to take photos during their stay. For more about Pat Ford visit www.patfordphotos.com

We hope you enjoy the following fishing video featuring Stu Apte and Pat Ford accompanied by Crocodile Bay Resort crew Captain German Bustos and First Mate Anthony Santos.

This February we also had a couple youngsters release their first sailfish which is always exciting. Jay Neely was just down last week with his son 13 year-old John Neely who released his first sailfish. We also had an 8 year old release his first sailfish the week before. Long time guest and good friend Mike Pizzi joined us with his wife Ann and their two kids Finn and Eloise.  He has been adamant about getting them involved in the sport of angling at a young age and it has paid off. You may be looking at two future IGFA Hall of Fame members here – This is what it is all about (see photo below).

Crocodile Bay Captain Will Kitsos fished with long time friend Brad Tylman, one of the world’s foremost experts in exotic reptiles from “Brad’s World of Reptiles” – if you haven’t heard of him, check out his website here www.bradsworldreptiles.com. One of the highlights from Brad’s trip down was this hefty Roosterfish.

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

Fishing Legends Descend on Crocodile Bay Resort
Stue Apte has been “aptly” referred to  as a fishing legend since the 1964 when he landed the first (recorded) sailfish on a fly weighing in at 134lbs on a 12 tippet pound tippet. But even off the water  his life has been the stuff of legends as he was a  fighter pilot in the Navy during the Korean conflict. He then spent the next 34 years flying for Pan Am, while pursuing his “Reel Passion of Fishing”. He began fly fishing in the mid 1940s and began guiding anglers in the mid 1950s, in the Florida Keys. Through the years, Stu has held more than 44 saltwater light tackle and fly rod World Records, including the two longest standing saltwater fly rod records. A 58 pound dolphin caught in 1964 and a 136 pound Pacific Sailfish caught in 1965, both on 12 pound tippet. The Stu Apte Tarpon Fly and Stu Apte Improved Blood Knot are standard items. The Stu Apte Tarpon Fly has also had the distinction of being featured on a United States postage stamp in 1991. In 1969 Stu was inducted into the Fishing Hall of Fame. In 2003 Stu was the recipient of the prestigious Ted Williams Award and in 2004 for the fifth-year in a row, was the Pro Celebrity Grand Champion of the Backbone Tournament. Stu had the distinction of joining Ted Williams, Curt Gowdy, Ernest Hemingway, Izaak Walton and Zane Grey to name just a few, when he was inducted into the International Game Fish Association [IGFA] Hall of Fame December 11th, 2005.

I was lucky enough to sit with Stu and Pat during their last day at breakfast, talk about their adventures, and get a few of Pat’s amazing photos. Thank you to you both, we hope to see you again soon at Crocodile Bay Resort.

About Pat Ford – www.patfordphotos.com

Pat Ford was born and raised in northern New Jersey, fishing in most every body of water that was available to him. He entered the University of Notre Dame in 1961 where as a communications arts major, he added sports photography to his passions. After graduating in 1965, he entered Columbia Law School in New York City. After being admitted to the New York Bar in 1968, he joined the Navy JAG Corps and was stationed in Pensacola where he began writing for Salt Water Sportsman magazine and several others. When he was transferred from Pensacola to Key West, it became very clear that he was going to spend the rest of his life in Florida. After discharge from the Navy in December, 1972 he moved to Miami and began his law practice, specializing in civil litigation.  He has been Board Certified in Civil Trial Law since 1983., but for over 35 years now, Pat has continued to fish, take photos and write about his experiences on the water. He has traveled extensively and has held over a dozen IGFA Fly Rod World Records ranging from a 196lb tiger shark caught in Florida Bay to a 14.5 lb tigerfish caught in Zambia, Africa. His first book on his fishing travels was published by STACKPOLE BOOKS in summer 2006.  His articles and photos appear regularly in Fly Fishing in Salt Waters, Fly Tyer, Fly Rod & Reel, Sportfishing, Marlin, Florida Sportsman, Destination Fish, Florida Sportfishing, and most every other magazine that covers fishing in either fresh or salt water.  Pat presently has an exhibit of his photos on display at the IGFA in Dania Beach, Fl.

Photos by Pat Ford for more visit www.patfordphotos.com

Photo by Pat Ford

Photo by Pat Ford

Book Your Costa Rica Fishing Trip at Crocodile Bay Resort, Costa Rica

January 16th Fishing Report – Crocodile Bay Resort, Costa Rica by Todd Staley, Fishing Director – I think for a time the hair can stop falling out of my head. Across the Golfo Dulce each year I look for the forest to explode in a bloom of florescent yellow from a tree I don’t even know the name of. All I know is when it happens the sailfish are here in good numbers. Usually this happens in early December. It finally happened last week and just like I have been seeing for the last 18 years, the population of billfish increased within days.

Photo courtesy Janina Schan Green Life Volunteers. Make a difference

The fish are not here in giant numbers yet but most everyone is getting multiple fish in the teasers and a few marlin are cruising around the current lines. Top fish this week went at around 500 lbs.

Here is a great sequence of Lydia and Mike Baker with 1st Mate Mao Alvarado and Captain Melvin Sanchez  showing an exciting marlin catch and release. Thanks for the photos Mike!

The Release

Pictured above Capt. Melvin and Guest Lydia savoring the marlin moment

You’ve seen the photos, now watch the action in HD – New Video – Marlin Release
New Marlin Release Video at Crocodile Bay Resort, Costa Rica

Inshore continues to be a sure bet with lots of snapper over the reefs, roosterfish running the beaches and African pompano, jacks, amberjacks and Bluefin trevally in the mix. Several boats have logged numbers of a dozen to over 20 roosters a day.

As a highlight the humpback whales from the North are starting to appear in our backyard with their calves.

Photo by Bryce Johnson

Crocodile Bay was featured this past weekend on The Outdoor Channel’s Big Water Adventures with Mark Davis, and this trailer gives a great overview of the exciting offshore fishing action at Crocodile Bay Resort, Costa Rica. For show times and schedules check out www.bigwateradventures.com

Sashimi Time! – Alison B. with a nice yellowfin tuna this week. These fighters will deep dive  and test your lower back; but not to worry, we have a 5,000 square foot luxury spa waiting for you when you return from your exciting day on the water.

More Fishing Action from the New Year

Crocodile Bay Resort – Costa Rica fishing report – December 31st by Todd Staley, Fishing Director – Seems like reading the same chapter over in a book except it is getting a little more exciting with every page turn.

Offshore is still a hunting game with little return except a sailfish here and there and a marlin here and there. The most consistence action is when coming across a pod of dolphin offshore, the tuna will be below.

The yellowfin tuna that cooperate as of late are 50 and 60 pounders with much bigger fish hooked and lost.

Inshore is still producing roosters, snappers, jacks, African pompano and bluefin trevally. Deep droppers are getting smaller grouper along with some tilefish. The first of the humpbacks from the north have appeared a little early giving anglers and eco adventure folks a bonus to their time on the water.

Many of our guests become good friends over the years and the Gorup family is no exception. Sadly I say the big fisherman in the sky took Daryl Gorup home after a two year battle with cancer. Daryl you will be sorely missed here but always remembered.

Baby Blue Year: Tom Boswell and his daughters had an amazing experience at Crocodile Bay Resort New Year’s Eve day with daughter Meghan releasing a marlin with dad and Rachel rounding up the roosterfish inshore!  See photos including an awesome marlin release below.

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