Costa Rica Fishing Report, May 2015 – May has brought with it some nice weather and as always some interesting surprises. Harry Dunning came down from Las Vegas on a whim and ended up with some catches that would make most of us green with envy. He told me this was the best vacation he’d taken in thirty years…later I found out it was the only vacation he had taken in thirty years – but all kidding aside, he had just about everything go right on this fishing trip.

In his several days with us Harry Dunning released his first 200lb blue marlin offshore and inshore two large roosterfish (35 and 45lbs), with the star of the show being a surprise 35lb Cubera snapper from one of our new fishing kayaks. When a 45lb roosterfish took his live bait, it took him for a ride shooting out of the water several times like a sailfish before circling in and doing a deep dive directly below his kayak. The fish was so strong, that when it dove beneath the kayak it forced Harry into an involuntary Eskimo roll and a new view of the roosterfish action from below the surface. Harry managed to hold on to the rod and we brought an extra boat around to complete the successful catch and release of the fish. (Pictured above left) Although the unplanned Eskimo roll cost him his digital camera footage, the GoPro survived and captured some pretty neat footage of the trip that day. Not to be discouraged by his first encounter with a rooster, Harry got back in the kayak and it wasn’t long before a second roosterfish, this one at 35lbs, took his bait and put up an impressive fight before release. The big surprise at the resort was when he hooked up (also from the kayak) with a 35lb Cubera snapper off a sandy bottom which almost never happens and was purely a gift from the fish gods.

Guide Anthony Santos marveling at Harry’s 35lb Snapper

Congratulations to Harry Dunning on Releasing His First Blue Marlin! (see video of the release below)

Rob McIldowie and Stanley Teschke from Australia (Angling Adventures) and had a good few days inshore catching several African pompano, bluefin trevally, roosterfish, and on their final night they experienced the delight of a traditional Cotsa Rican whole fried snapper at the dinner table. They also managed to catch a yellowfin tuna for some fresh sashimi before they departed. The purpose of their 20+ hour flight from Australia to Costa Rica was to scratch two species off their fish list -tarpon and roosterfish –  and after a visit to the Caribbean coast for tarpon, they caught several roosterfish here at Crocodile Bay Resort making the long haul worthwhile. We hope to see you back again, thanks for making the trip.

Yellowfin Tuna
May and June typically see a nice tuna run – which still hasn’t arrived, this is good news if you’re planning to visit soon, they could show up any time.

Summer Family Vacations at Crocodile Bay Resort

If you’re looking for something for your significant other or kids to do while you are out chasing marlin, summer is just about here and we’re offering a complimentary fourth night on fishing vacations of three days or more.  For summer family vacations (May – Sept) kids under 11 can stay, eat and fish free with parents down on any fishing package of three days or more. All inclusive packages start at only $1,495pp.

For non-anglers we offer 30 unique eco expeditions  and a luxury spa making Crocodile Bay a complete vacation destination. Check out our new videos for a sample of what you can expect during your trip to Crocodile Bay Resort including our new kayak fishing and paddle boarding.

Spouse on the House
Back by popular demand, we’re offering our classic “Spouse on the House” Spa Package  this summer season. For every day you fish, your spouse gets a free Spa treatment (up to $125/credit per day in the Spa)! This special is only available for a short time so call and mention “spouse on the house” to take advantage of this great offer.

Crocodile Bay Resort
Puerto Jimenez, Costa Rica
www.crocodilebay.com

Check Availability for Costa Rica a Fishing Vacation at Crocodile Bay Resort Below

Crocodile Bay has long been known as one of the premier sport fishing destinations in the world. What is little known is that Crocodile Bay is a complete vacation destination located in the area of Costa Rica National Geographic Magazine has referred to as “The most biologically intense place on Earth.”  The other little known fact is that Crocodile Bay Resort offers 30 unique Costa Rica tour options that include zip lining, snorkeling, birding, hiking, biking, dolphin and whale watching, monkey tours, guided kayak fishing, surf casting, chocolate tour, botanical gardens, paddle boarding, surfing, sea turtle rescue and more.

It’s very common for elite anglers to wrap up a great Costa Rica vacation at Crocodile Bay Resort and say “Wow..I’m coming back here with the whole family”. With a luxury Spa to top off the experience, Crocodile Bay Resort truly is  a unique vacation destination that has something to offer those of all ages and skill levels.

We hope you enjoy this Costa Rica travel video designed to educate you about the magic you and your family or significant other can experience in one of the most amazing vacation destinations on Earth.

For reservation information call 1-855-945-4171 or visit www.crocodilebay.com

The Angler Who Ate His World Record

by Todd Staley, Fishing Director – Boston Whaler has been coming to Crocodile Bay Resort, Costa Rica annually since 2002. Dennis Tilden coordinates their activities here at the hotel and though he makes sure everyone in the group has an exceptional time, he is sometimes too busy working to relax and enjoy the trip to the fullest. This year he managed to get on the water a little more himself. Fishing out at Matapalo Tilden connected with a big Mexican barracuda and as they landed the fish his captain mentioned he had never seen one so big. The captain took the head home to make a soup.

As the chef was preparing a barracuda ceviche and getting the rest ready for dinner, Dennis mentioned the captain’s comment. A check with the IGFA record book showed the biggest recorded was 28 lbs. Tilden’s fish at just under 32 lbs made a delicious world record meal.

You may be thinking to yourself that this is a dangerous proposition since some Atlantic barracuda are known to contain high levels of the toxin ciguatera they ingest when consuming certain coral reef animals. Pacific barracuda however is considered safe for consumption so Dennis decided this record breaking fish should be eaten immediately instead of filling out all of the paperwork. Dennis also won day two of the Boston Whaler tournament with the release of a beautiful 350 lb blue marlin. Not a bad day.

These are just a couple of highlights from the annual Boston Whaler trip this past week. Crocodile Bay once again hosted Will Rogers, Dennis Tilden and the gang for a three day fishing tournament with some eco adventure tours in the mix to reward employees for a job well done.

We had more anglers jumping off the pier this year than we have ever seen – which in case you’re not aware is the Crocodile Bay ritual for those who release their first billfish.

Over the three day tournament the Boston Whaler group of 25 raised 88 sailfish and released 32. Seven marlin were raised with three released as well. Other catches included dorado, roosterfish, snapper, jacks, and grouper.

The third day of the trip some folks were worn out from cranking and yanking and opted to tour Costa Rica’s largest coastal rainforest to experience the large variety of local wildlife. Boston Whaler continued their tradition of helping the community with an annual donation to the local high school in Puerto Jimenez to help the local children who study there. We thank you for your support and look forward to seeing you again next year.

Other highlights from the past several days include a sailfish that charged a group of anglers and nearly landed in the boat (see video below “The Angler That Got Away”) and a monster 150 pound sailfish that after a long fight narrowly escaped release by Ray Downs who was here on his bucket list trip to fight sailfish (of which he released several.)

 

We would also like to thank Chadwick, William and Robin O’Shields for visiting us for a father and son fishing trip. When 21 year old Chadwick was given the choice by mother Robin to go anywhere in the world, he selected Crocodile Bay Resort as the destination. We hope you had a great time and look forward to seeing you again.

The sailfish bite has been good with some large roosterfish and snapper in the mix. Historically the summer months (July – Sept) see marlin with a steady inshore bite (roosterfish, snapper).

Crocodile Bay has just launched its new 3, 4 and 5 day fishing packages as well as some 6 day fishing & eco combo packages for those who would like to experience the excitement of our 30 eco and adventure expeditions in Costa Rica’s most biologically intense region (see itinerary sample below).

Hope to see you soon at Crocodile Bay Resort.

Todd Staley
Fishing Director
Crocodile Bay Resort
Puerto Jimenez

Crocodile Bay On TV Starting Friday April 24th!
Don’t Miss Crocodile Bay on Big Water Adventures This Weekend

Check Out The Video Trailer Below!

Crocodile Bay Resort on Big Water Adventures Teaser Trailer from Crocodile Bay Resort on Vimeo.

The Outdoor Channel
Friday 2:30 PM ET
Saturday 9:30 AM ET
Sunday 6:00 AM ET

Check your local listings for details

Check out this sample fishing package below. You can add as many fishing or eco adventure days as you like. Ask about our special pricing for kids.

3 Day Costa Rica Fishing Package Inshore/Offshore

 

Check Availability Below!

General Fishing Information

Costa Rica Fishing at Crocodile Bay Resort is world-class with catch and release bill fishing in the Pacific Ocean for sailfish, striped, blue and black marlin, dorado, tuna and wahoo.

Fishing in Costa Rica’s Golfo Dulce (Sweet Gulf) for roosterfish, cubera snapper, jack crevalle, bluefin trevally, sierra mackerel, tripletail, and grouper is excellent throughout the year.

Reel Videos, Real Guests: Costa Rica Fishing Videos

The great sailfish bite continues at Crocodile Bay Resort, Costa Rica – April has been on fire with daily double digit billfish releases. Inshore has been slow but productive with some nice snapper and pompano. Most people have opted to stay offshore given the high number of sailfish raises. For more information read the monthly Costa Rica fishing report by Todd Staley. Check back monthly for amazing Costa Rica fishing videos shot by our guests, for our guests! Reel Videos, Real Guests

Video produced by StepOut Entertainment

Costa Rica Fishing Report, April 2015 by Todd Staley – Just got back from my busman’s holiday fishing adventure to Mexico. I took the trip I was awarded by the IGFA by winning the Chester H. Wolfe, Sportsman of the Year award to Isla Mujeres . I fished with Capt Anthony Mendillo on the Keen M. I don’t think you could find a finer fishing crew anywhere. In adverse conditions he managed to find us some sails and dorados on the first day out and then a northeaster blew down from the states and we were stuck on shore for the next two days of our scheduled trip.

It made me realized just how blessed we are here by generally calm seas. In 16 years of operation, We have been chased off the water one time by weather and kept off the ocean just one other day.

Fishing the last 5 days has been very good. Boats are raising over a dozen sails each a day and some days over twenty. Top boat this week went 14 for 28 and most everyone is getting their fill of this pre-spawn activity. Ken Smith and his family had lemons turn to lemonade when they had to postpone their trip a couple of weeks back because the Turrialba volcano burped and closed air transportation down for a little over a day. What started as a disappointment turned into a hay day as the whole family caught multiple sails.

Inshore has seen little action as everyone is going after the sails but the few that stayed inside injoyed dinner sized snapper, some roosters and African pompano.

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

Crocodile Bay will soon open it’s doors for the 16th season of sport fishing on Costa Rica’s South Pacific coast. Since we don’t re-open until Saturday, I’ll talk a little bit about what anglers can expect in November. As always the blue marlin move in and dorado (dolphinfish) ranging 20 to 40 lbs will be here in droves. A few sails and yellowfin tuna will be in the mix. Inshore, the roosterfish will be circling the rock and also cruising around the reefs and beaches. Snapper and African pompano will be camped out on the volcanic reefs as usual.

Blue Marlin like the one pictured here are historically good to target in the month of November at Crocodile Bay Resort, Costa Rica.

One of the perks of this job is getting to meet tons of interesting people and sharing fishing stories, both present and past, jokes and other adventures with each other. One that comes to mind is Gene Moe who will be returning to Crocodile Bay again this season. He is lucky to be fishing anywhere. Back in 1999 while skinning a deer in Alaska a large Grizzly decided he would take out Gene and steal a meal. With only a Buck knife in his hand and no time to get to his gun, the bear attacked. After losing large chunks of flesh from his arm and leg Gene managed to get a direct hit in the vertebrate with the knife and put the bear down. Luckily he survived long enough to get medical attention, but is the only person I know of to take down a Grizzly with only a knife.

Face to Face with a Legend
While going through some old photos the other day I came across some photos of my visits to see a legend. I have always been a fan of Hemingway and probably watched the “Old Man and the Sea” a hundred times as a kid. I still watch it now and then. Before coming down to Puerto Jimenez, Costa Rica to help start Crocodile Bay Resort with the Williams family, I had a friend here in Costa Rica who kept a boat in Hemingway Marina in Havana. When he asked if I could check on his boat a couple times a month I jumped at the chance.

One of the things I have always done when I travel somewhere is walk up to the oldest people I see on the street and start up a conversation. That is the best way to get a real picture of the place. I soon found everyone was eager to talk about Hemingway, his boat the Pilar, was on display at the Hemingway home and museum. I also found out Hemingway’s captain Gregorio Fuentes was still alive at 100 years old and living in his home in Cojimar and accepted visitors.

As I arrived in Cojimar the first time I was awed by seeing the same castle I had seen in the “Old Man and the Sea” standing proudly on the water’s edge. The locals directed me to the home of Gregorio and my hand trembled as I knocked on the door knowing I was about to be face to face with a legend. As we sat in his living room I saw the years on the ocean in his eyes and spots of skin cancer on this nose.

We sat for several hours and talked fishing, marlin, and of course Hemingway. Locals had told me that Gregorio and Hemingway would argue a lot about fishing technique, where to fish and so forth. As I pressed Gregorio he was a true professional and never admitted whether that was true or not. He did tell me that Hemingway did have a true disgust for sharks, especially when one stole a prized fish.

He told me after his death, Hemingway’s widow gave Gregorio the Pilar. Already in his early sixties and without Hemingway, he lost his desire to fish. Fidel Castro also took the boat from Gregorio to place in a museum. In exchange Castro gave Gregorio the right to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the Terrazzo, a restaurant frequented by Gregorio and Hemingway in Cojimar. “I guess I got the better deal,” he laughed. “I have been eating there for 40 years.”

Gregorio demonstrated his sense of humor when I asked him how to live to be 100 years old. I often chuckle as I recall his secret. “Every day before dinner,” he started, “I have just two shots of rum, after dinner a good cigar and every once in a while a young woman.” I laughed and thought to myself, at 100, what’s a young woman, 80?

Over the next years I visited Gregorio many times. Each time I left with a feeling like I actually knew Hemingway. I have not been back to the Island since coming to Jimenez 16 years ago. The legend Captain Gregorio Fuentes passed shortly after in January of 2002 at 104 years old.

I am glad I came across those old photos. It made it all fresh again. I look forward to this coming season to see old friends and meet new ones and of course chewing the fat with them after a days fishing. We’re looking forward to our 16th season at Crocodile Bay Resort, Costa Rica and hope we get to see you this next year.

Watch “Crocodile Bay in 60 Seconds” to learn more about sport fishing at Crocodile Bay Resort, Costa Rica.

 

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

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!

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

Happy Birthday USA! “Wishing you and your family the very best this Fourth of July! What’s on your birthday “Fish List”?

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

Offshore has been a hunting game of late. The big rush of marlin is late arriving in true Latino fashion. The big school of tuna that we enjoyed most of the month has moved north up towards Drake Bay but the next wave should be right behind it. Floating debris has been the ticket lately and when one is found that has been in the water long enough to create an eco-system below it, anything can happen.

 

Jeff Gunnells had his family down earlier this month and they walked away with the biggest fish landed in June, a 500 lb blue marlin. They also added a huge dorado and and nice rooster inside. Stacy Lynch made his third visit here on a break from his duties in Afghanistan and took several sails and a monster dorado.

The Donavon family found someone to take care of their exotic animals long enough to seek down for a little vacation. They tore up the inshore waters catching nice roosters, and brought back enough snapper for all the guests to enjoy.

John Doerr, the head of Pure Fishing returned again with his wife Leslie. Last year at this time Penn Reels, (one of the many companies John is in charge of) introduced their ne “Spinfisher V” series during a big tuna run. The reels proved more than tough enough for a freight train tuna. Later Mark Davis, who’s television series “Big Water Adventures” was down an caught a 350 marlin on the Spinfisher 10500.

The last few days, folks got a real rainforest experience as the skies opened up and dropped buckets of water on us. Blake Johnson managed a 47 lb rooster in the rain and the Robert Waln family took 5 nice roosters at Matapalo. The sun has been shining ever since with some rain in the late afternoons.

I enjoy this time of year when we are not so busy to really get to know the guests and families are down together. I have to be a little patient and work a little harder for the fish, but there are plenty of rewards out there.

Todd Staley writes the costa rica fishing column for the English newspaper “The Tico Times” and is also the fishing director at Crocodile Bay Resort, Costa Rica.

Don’t miss Crocodile Bay Resort, Costa Rica  in this June’s Sport Fishing Magazine!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Adrenaline Rush!
Pandemonium Among the Porpoise Pods Off Costa Rica
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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.