Crocodile Bay Resort Fishing Report May 2018 – by Allan Smith, Fishing Director Greetings from the Tropics, It has been an interesting couple of weeks with some very noteworthy catches.

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Crocodile Bay Resort Costa Rica Fishing Report – Mid April 2018 by Fishing Director Allan Smith – Greetings from the tropics, Last week we had the pleasure of hosting the JBL Communications Tournament put on by Brook Lunsford.

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Sunrise From the Pier at Crocodile Bay by Bryce Johnson

Costa Rica Fishing Report – January 2018 by Captain Allan Smith  – December is a fun time of the year at Crocodile Bay Resort, Costa Rica. The kids are on vacation and we get a lot of families down for a fishing holiday in the tropics. 

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Marlin, Sailfish, Dorado and Roosterfish keep Anglers Smiling in December at Crocodile Bay Resort, Costa Rica

Thank you to Paul and his group from Sportquest Holidays out of the UK for this monster rooster photo.

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3 Boats Released 60 Dorado Yesterday! Happy Thanksgiving!

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!

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Boston Whaler Raises 41 Marlin, Mark Davis of Big Water Adventures Visits, Ladies Lets Go Fishing and More at Crocodile Bay Resort

Costa Rica Fishing Report May 2017 – April was one of the craziest months I have seen in all my years at Crocodile Bay.  Fortunately, I lost my hair years ago or it would be falling out all over the place. Never have I seen sailfish so slow and marlin fishing so good in all my 25 years in Costa Rica. This following two years of the best sailfish numbers I have seen.  It started with Boston Whaler’s annual trip here.

Creating an Artificial Marine Eco- System
We all know what any type of object lost at sea can do whether it is a log, trash or other material. Over time small fish use it to seek refuge from predators. And just like the cartoon, small fish attract bigger fish which attract bigger fish until up to the top off the food chain is hanging out around it. Usually you get one or two days of fishing on it and then it floats out of range. If you can make it stay in one place you can return many times and find fish.

Annual Boston Whaler Visit
Boston Whaler has been bringing a group down every year for 15 years. Dennis Tilden hosts the group each year with Will Rogers with top sales dealers from around the world. This year they brought Lisa Pohlmann who has been doing the logistics of the annual trip for years but the first time she came down with them. She was the only one in the group to catch a sailfish.

Usually I would hang my head in shame to say something like that, but let’s back up for a minute. In February, my bosses decided to create several of our own “artificial marine eco-systems”.  It is at some expense when you have to anchor something to the bottom in 3 to 5 thousand feet of water and make it out of a material that is eco-friendly and has a substantial life span.

A week before Boston’s arrival we tested it again and though it had plenty of bait on it, nothing exciting was to be reported. Upon their arrival, I explained it was a shot in the dark but I thought they should be my Guinea pigs.

They rose 41 marlins in two days, catching and releasing fish between 200 and 400 lbs. Of course, they had their annual Calcutta fishing tournament and as every year donated all the prize money to community projects.

New Video for May – Video Fishing Highlights and Recap
Each month our audio/video department puts together a “highlight reel” featuring guest experiences at Crocodile Bay Resort. We hope you enjoy this month’s video fishing report – who knows…you may even be the star!

Mark Davis and Big Water Adventures Mark Davis host of “Big Water Adventures” on the Outdoor Channel also tested that area. Fishing at the same time was Steve Martin, maker of “Fish RaZr,” a heavy-duty teaser dredge. Our boats are equipped with them. Davis recorded, “my best day of marlin fishing ever” and you can catch it later this season on the Outdoor Channel.

What we have found is some days the area is loaded with fish and other days not. Lately it hasn’t made a difference. The last two days with 4 boats fishing offshore, all have been raising 2 to 8 marlin apiece within 12 miles of the beach. Brothers Harry and Luke had two fish at 600 lbs.

July and August are historically good months to target marlin with blacks and striped marlin in the mix – you may check availability below for summer Costa Rica fishing trips.

Ladies Lets Go Fishing
Inshore has been consistent all month. When Andrea Beuter and her group from “Ladies Let’s Go Fishing” tired of offshore they got plenty of roosters and deepwater inshore species like grouper, tilefish, and congria.

You won’t find many women as enthusiastic about fishing as Licia Shreves. Her boyfriend James Hutmacher was so impressed with her fishing ability he proposed while they were here. “Great fishing and getting engaged, Best trip ever,” she beamed.

On a Conservation Note:

The last several years the Williams family has been very generous by allowing me time to address conservation issues in this country. Our group FECOP, ( Federacion Costarrisence de Pesca) has had some major advances for marine conservation.

FECOP Conservation Initiatives and Advances in Costa Rica:

• Stopped exportation of sailfish
• Supplied the science for the proposed reduction of tuna licenses issued and total tonnage allowed from 25,000 metric tons a year to around 8.

Our organization has done a very poor job of letting the fishing community know who we are. Crocodile Bay Resort is allowing me 6 months off during the low season to work as Communications Director at FECOP. The boss has offered to send my newsletter on to Crocodile Bay folks.

So when you receive the first newsletter, you will have an option to keep receiving them or not but I hope you do. If you want to make sure you are on the list drop me a note at todd@crocodilebay.com and pass it on to a friend.

If you’ve ever dreamed of owning your own boat slip and fishing in one of the worlds foremost sport fishing destinations, Crocodile Bay Marina has released a limited number of private boat slips. If you are interested in owning a slip at the new Crocodile Bay Marina, please click the following link for more information and a video that will help you to better understand all aspects of this new offering. WATCH THE MARINA VIDEO

Muchas Gracias

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

Guest Testimonial of the Month:

Greetings friends at Crocodile Bay!

Dan, Adelyn, and I wanted to let you know what an amazing time we had visiting you at Crocodile Bay!  We really appreciate everything you did for us and the lifetime of memories you helped us create!  This is the best vacation our family has ever taken and we will smile every time we think of it.

Todd, Safari is doing very well and Adelyn will not let her leave her side.  Thank you for making Adelyn’s trip so great and for her new friend!

Dennis, thank you for all of the great times on the eco tours, such a phenomenal experience!

We hope to see you all again very soon!  Thank you again.

Becky, Dan, Adelyn, and of course Safari

Check Availability for your Costa Rica Fishing or Adventure Vacation Below

Chasing Away the Winter Blues

By Todd Staley, Fishing Director – Crocodile Bay Resort, Costa Rica – What a crazy November. It has always bothered me since in the act of political fairness they started naming hurricanes after men after years of always being named after the ladies. While folks back in the states were enjoying the succulent smell of Thanksgiving dinner being prepared, Costa Rica was being blasted by Hurricane Otto. (Who picked that name?) Our region of Costa Rica is considered a hurricane-free zone, and although the Osa Peninsula was not hit directly by Otto, it was the first recorded hurricane to make landfall in Costa Rica since 1851.

November recorded 186 inches of rain in the Osa Peninsula and it is so nice to see the sun shining again. The 15 feet of rain (This enormous quantity of rain was thanks to Hurricane Otto,this amount of rain is very unusual for November in Costa Rica) kept the water temperature down and some marlin and dorado in the area but sailfish prefer a little warmer water. Yesterday some sailfish began popping up again and the day before a feisty 300 lb blue marlin entertained the Ingram group with a salsa across a cobalt blue dance floor. Dorado averaging 20 lbs and up to 45 lbs have being cruising the current breaks.

Harry Sperring and his family visited from Bristol England and enjoyed a nice 10 day stay with us. They got into some great inshore action yesterday catching and releasing a dozen roosterfish as well as some snapper for the table. Thanks for the photos Harry.

Inshore has been a sure bet and everything is active. Lots of roosterfish, snappers, African pompano and several different types of jacks kept lines taught. Deep droppers took some grouper, tilefish and a few congria. As this sun brightens our day it should brighten the offshore fishing as well.

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

Enjoy 30 Exciting Costa Rica Eco Expeditions as well as Cultural and Educational Tours at Crocodile Bay Resort.

NEW VIDEO – Enjoy our new video featuring the “Finca Raices de Osa” chocolate and culture tour

Crocodile Bay Resort also offers 30 exciting eco tours including high adrenaline activities as well as educational and cultural tours for family members and non-anglers. Check out our newly produced video above highlighting one of our popular cultural tours to get a peak into the traditional life of a rural Costa Rican family.

Guests enjoy a fresh chocolate scrub at The Finca Raices chocolate and culture tour while learning about the process of chocolate production and traditional life in the rural regions of Costa Rica.

Join us for our 18th Season of Costa Rica fishing action at Crocodile Bay Resort

Costa Rica fishing report By Todd Staley, Fishing Director, Crocodile Bay Resort – August 9, 2016 – I just got back from Florida where I went to the ICAST tackle manufacturers’ trade show and spent time with my family.

I spent almost all my time with mom who will be 93 in September, but did take time to jerk my long time fishing buddy Steve Brown out of the cardiac ward and go fishing with him and my son Jason with another old buddy Captain Dave Zalewski.

Upon returning to the resort and getting back to work it was refreshing to see many family groups here. The fish Gods were good to them also. Bill Putman’s family got an up close and personal look at a 600 pound marlin who ripped the outrigger off the boat during the hook-up. They also went 5 for 14 on sailfish that day. The rest of their trip they pulled on tuna offshore and a mixed bag of roosters and snapper inshore.

Sawyer and Merrick Ellenberger got off to a rocky start but after getting their sea legs they kept mom and dad busy between fishing on the boat and spending time on the pier. David and Jackson Hendrick came back late because they hooked a tuna estimated at 200lbs near the end of the day which they pulled on for over two hours.

Earl and January Schmus stretched lots of string while here catching some really nice roosters as well as joining in on the tuna party.

Louis-David Sansoucy and his new bride Melanie decided to stay inshore and the roosters gave them a great honeymoon experience.

In a nutshell there is enough going on both inshore and offshore to supply some great dinners as well as big grins.

All the above left me some great photos…..enjoy.

Congratulations to Mac McGlamery who took roosterfish off his bucket list and spent some quality time with his sons Beau and Brandon.

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

Book your world class sport fishing trip today!

June 2016 – Crocodile Bay Resort, Costa Rica – by Fishing Director Todd Staley Offshore of late has been a hunting game. Most everyone who has a Pacific sailfish on their bucket list is fulfilling the wish with some patience but they are not popping up like popcorn as they were in March and April. Todd Vannatta who has been coming down for years missed his trip earlier this year because of an accident but finally made it with 15 year old son and future NBA star 15 year old 6 foot 7 inch Gunnar. Gunnar took his first sailfish and they added a 25 lb dorado which they enjoyed several times in the restaurant.

Inshore fishing has been wide open and couples John and Lorraine Sixsmith from England and Robert and Francine Schreiber of Fort Lauderdale came just for that. Roosterfish, African pompano, jacks, trevally, grouper, and tilefish are just a few of the species that stretched their string.

Above Robert Schreiber shows the food chain in action with this beautiful cubera snapper

Schreiber hooked a big cubera snapper estimated at 60 plus pounds but it won the fight as the big ones often do. The plate size Pacific yellowtail snapper they also caught hit the deep fryer and were a delight.

Pictuerd above Francine Schreiber holds up a nice sized Roosterfish before returning it to the Pacific

The Sixsmiths from England spent 14 days with us and caught just about everything. They also had a chance to go  on a variety of our 30 Eco-adventure tours. See photos below:

Robert Sixsmith pictured above with one of many Roosterfish he released. The Sixsmiths caught a variety of inshore species and sailfish on their 14 day visit from England.

Tara Harrell – who many of you may have spoken with prior to booking your trip to Costa Rica- visited last week with her youngest son and had a great time fishing and exploring the rainforest. She released this  roosterfish and caputured a lot of amazing wildlife photos which will soon be featured on crocodilebay.com.

As the month winds down we should see more marlin and tuna moving in. Tuna making short appearances now have been running 20 to 70 lbs. July through September are historically some of the best months to target blue marlin (with blacks and stripes in the mix) You can click here to check availability for July through September.

Father’s Day is quickly approaching and we have a great way for you and your family to celebrate this special day. When you book a Costa Rica fishing trip of three days or more,  we’ll give dad a VIP boat upgrade from a Boston Whaler Outrage to a 33′ Strike Yacht (for a full day), so he can fish inshore or offshore like a pro!

Trips must be booked by Father’s Day 2016 and taken before October, 2016 (to receive the special one day upgrade valued at $700). Call 1-855-945-4171 for special offer details and restrictions or fill out the form below to check availability.

Crocodile Bay Resort is an ideal destination for family or group vacations as we offer over 30 eco, adventure, and cultural tours as well as a luxury Spa for non-anglers.

We also offer unlimited complimentary paddle boarding from our private pier and waterfront area. Check availability below.

Costa Rica Fishing Report By Todd Staley, Fishing Director – Crocodile Bay Resort, Costa Rica – May 2016 – Who would think I would hate children after raising 10, but the last “El Niño” made me rethink the whole thing about “niños”. The El Niño which has officially passed made only one thing predictable about fishing in the Southern zone of Costa Rica. The only thing predictable was that it was unpredictable. We have a few months of normal weather patterns coming our way and if history repeats itself, a strong El Niño is usually followed a few months later by an “La Niña” which usually is favorable in this area.

In the coming months offshore fishing in the South means marlin. Most of the year we usually see blue marlin but now and then there are a few blacks and striped marlin mixed in with the blues. Find the spinner or spotted dolphins and you will find the yellowfin tuna.

Since the FECOP sponsored tuna decree moving purse seiners farther offshore, boats all along the Pacific coast have reported catching more tuna and have been seeing larger pods of dolphin. Sometimes during the Fiestas de San Juan when the schools are on vacation, an Indian summer will pass through and we will see sailfish numbers increase to double digit days.

Inshore our fishery is year round but the green season produces some of the biggest roosterfish of the year. Bridle up a live bonito and let him do his thing near Matapalo Rock and you have a chance at a 60 plus pound fish. A big cubera snapper may find your bait first and the tug-a-war is on to keep them out of the rocks.

Here are a few monster roosterfish catches (all fish released) from the past at Crocodile Bay Resort, Costa Rica

The following photos are thanks to Jean and Hunter Michewicz and Garrett and Christina Hutto. The wives surprised their husbands with a surprise fishing trip to Crocodile Bay.

Keep your eye on the fish!

Don’t forget Father’s Day is right around the corner, and the kids are almost out of school – Summer is a perfect time to spend quality time with the family at Crocodile Bay Resort. We get lots of father/son teams down, but fishing is not just for the boys – and we offer a luxury spa as well as 30 eco, cultural and educational tours for those who want to do something other than fish. We know you’ll enjoy this video featuring local girls and some of our staff members catching a variety of inshore species including roosterfish, African pompano, and snapper.

Call and ask about our Father’s Day and Summer Introductory Costa Rica Fishing Packages – 1-855-945-4171 – perfect for families and groups of all sizes – Or you can check availability below.

Todd Staley, Fishing Director

Special Edition Fishing Report –
by Todd Staley, Fishing Director

Crocodile Bay Resort, December 29th 2015 – Hunter Cole, Mike Rice and Grace Weber who our “House Queen” Olimpia quickly named “La Princesa,” hosted the second Pure Fishing, PENN Fishing and Sebile Lures media event titled “The Costa Rica Clash” here at Crocodile Bay Resort this past week.

Writers and film folks from around the world including the United States, England, Australia, Germany, France, Holland, and Spain came down to see the unveiling of the new Penn Clash series spinning reels.

Fishing nearly exclusively with their new reel the PENN Clash they tackled marlin, sailfish, dorado, roosterfish, snapper, jacks, African pompano and a host of other inshore surprises. The group managed to land over 70 roosterfish while here.

Check out this outstanding video footage from Hunter Shryock of two roosterfish attacking a Sebile lure on a new PENN Clash series reel.

Hunter Shryock an Extreme Motocross Racer turned Bassmaster tournament angler took some amazing footage and photos you will see in this report. He may want to consider a film career. You can see some of his amazing marlin video footage below. You can also find some of his other videos worth watching by his video company 496 films on YouTube.

Watch this spectacular marlin video taken during the PENN Costa Rica Clash Media Summit at Crocodile Bay Resort!

Video courtesy Hunter Shryock

The PENN Clash series reel does what most pay for in a high dollar reel for at a reasonable price. It’s 8 to 1 gear ratio makes for a super-fast retrieve for deep jigging or speed while working a popper to fool a roosterfish.

We had a few tuna show finally, running to 100 lbs and the sails are moving in but still a finicky. The PENN group took several marlin between 250 and 350 lbs.

The new PENN Clash Reels are some of the highest performing reels for the price on the market.

Donna Otten a great photographer took some fantastic shots of Jeffery Otten’s sailfish action while Joshua Otten served as a deckhand. Muchas Gracias.

Inshore still boasts a consistent bite with some really nice roosterfish and snapper coming over the rails. The Liss family from Chicago paid us another Christmas visit here, and love to fish inshore. The teens, Emiliano and his sister Jasmine each took a monster roosterfish while dad Ken fooled a big cubera snapper in and then turned it loose. Of course mom Erica is one of Crocodile Bay Resort’s favorite people.

Christmas is family time. The Ford’s from Charleston, S.C. gave their youngins’ an introduction to big water fishing when 14 year old Hutson took a big rooster and a 120 lb sailfish. Little brother Coker battled a big jack crevalle and will also get a treat of experiencing one of Olimpia’s birthday parties.

Boo

Watch the Full Video from the PENN Costa Rica Clash Media Summit Below

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

Book Your Costa Rica Fishing Vacation at Crocodile Bay Resort Now!

Todd Staley, Fishing Director

Costa Rica Fishing Calendar

Note: On any given day it is possible to catch a Costa Rica Sailfish, they are here year-round, but tend to concentrate in greater numbers mid January, February and March. The inshore species such as Roosterfish, Snappers, Jacks and Grouper  are also here year-round.

Offshore Fishing Opportunities:

Marlin: The majority of marlin taken here are Pacific blue marlin, though occasionally a black or a striped marlin are taken as well. Blues peak from November to January when the big Dorado run is on. There is also a small peak in April as sailfish numbers drop. July through September there is a better chance at a black or striped marlin mixed in with the blues.

Costa Rica Sailfish: Again there is a year round opportunity for sailfish with the bigger numbers coming from late December/January through April. Read more about catching and releasing Costa Rica sailfish here.


Dorado: Dolphinfish, Dorado, Mahi Mahi (Mahi translates to “Strong” in Hawaiian) – whatever you prefer to call them run really thick from November through January and occasionally in February – averaging 20 to 40 lbs. We take Dorado year round but not in the same numbers as the months listed above.

Tuna: Yellowfin and Big Eye tuna can pass through any day of the year especially if the spinner or spotted dolphins are present. Football size tuna schools seem to appear every December. A new decree in Costa Rica has protected 44% of territorial waters from tuna purse seine activity.

Wahoo: They can surprise you any day of the year and are even sometimes taken inshore when the water is clear. Wahoo is not a prevalent species, but anglers are very happy when they are caught as they are a great fighting fish and make excellent table fare.

Inshore Fishing Opportunities:

There is no real peak time for inshore species as all are year round the residents are in this area.

Roosterfish: Our “bucket list” fish, famous for their unique looks and incredible fighting ability. Everyone should schedule at least one day of inshore fishing to challenge these and other inshore species. They are taken regularly on live bait, poppers, and jigs. Roosterfish are known as one of the most challenging fish on a fly and difficult to fool with fly tackle.

Cubera Snapper: Top dog of our list of nearly a dozen different snapper. Since the Golfo Dulce became the largest Marine Area of Responsible Fishing several years ago – and shrimp boats and gill nets were banned from the gulf, snappers and other inshore species have made a great comeback. A big Pumpkin size Cubera will rush from the depths and smash a fast moving popper.

Costa Rica Fishing Calendar (Southern Costa Rica – Osa Peninsula)

Other Inshore Fishing Species:

African pompano, bluefin trevally, a variety of jacks, grouper, mackerel, barracuda, bonitos, and an endless list of surprises including snook, wahoo and sharks make up the list of other fish caught while targeting roosters and snapper.

Crocodile Bay Sport Fishing Fleet:

Our fleet is comprised of 33 and 35 foot Strike Tower boats as well as several 27 foot Rambo inboard diesels. We also have 24 and 25 foot Boston Whaler Outrages. All of boats have the ability to fish either offshore or inshore because of our generally calm sea conditions. In 17 years of operation we have only had two days when the ocean was too rough to go fishing. You will be pleasantly surprised to find an English speaking crew member on your boat as that is not always the case in other fishing operations. Do to an increased demand, we haven also added a fleet of fully outfitted OldTown fishing kayaks to increase the variety of fishing options offered at Crocodile Bay Resort. Book Your Costa Rica Fishing Trip

Fishing Tackle:

Our boats are outfitted with Penn International 50’s and 30’s as well as both Penn spinning and conventional gear in 20 and 30 pound outfits. We always try to have live bait on-board before you leave the dock. We use Temple Fork Fly Fishing gear on-site but we welcome anglers to bring their own gear if they prefer.

Our sport fishing crews:

Most of our crew members grew up in the area and know the waters well. Our crews will give you as much or as little help as you want. We want this to be a great experience and communication with your crew enhances your visit here.