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.  As someone who grew up fishing with my dad and my uncle, I have always appreciated the way fishing brings families together. Fishing is a great way to spend time with your kids and is well away from the distractions of the television, the cellphone and video games. It creates a shared experiences in a natural environment and is universal between generations. It is not simply about the fish on the end of your line but about the people you are with, the places you go, the new friends you meet, and of course the chase of an illusive prize. 

December was a good month. The fishing was just like it is described in the Crocodile Bay fishing calendar. Lots of dorado, shots at marlin, tuna opportunities and a few sailfish. We have been raising marlin almost every day and dorado have been in good abundance and we have even been catching them inshore. 

One of the highlights of the month came from Captain Francisco, who was alternating days between two different groups.  Mike Cuff, who came to visit us from the UK, was here specifically targeting billfish. The first couple of days the billfish had eluded him, but Mike was determined. On his third day, Mr. Cuff’s patience was rewarded and he caught his first “slam”.  A “Slam” is releasing a marlin, sailfish, tuna and dorado all in the same day. The following day Mr. Cuff was not on the water and Captain Francisco was fishing  with Mike and Carmen Gagnon. Mike Gagnon is an accomplished bluefin tuna fisherman from Kennebunkport Maine, who wanted to try his luck at getting a marlin . They headed offshore first thing and soon were soon hooked up to a big blue marlin. As the morning progressed, both Mike and Carmen released Marlin then added a sailfish, tuna and dorado to complete their “slam”. Two slams in two days!

View Our New December Video Highlight Reel – You May Be the Star

Currently, there is a young man here named Joe Dalsey, who has been coming to Crocodile Bay Resort, Costa Rica with his mom for the holidays the past two years. Joe reminds me of myself at his age. He fishes all day on the water, then gets off the boat and starts fishing at the pier. Joe has caught a lot of fish at the pier since he first started coming here. He has landed multiple snappers, jacks, a 30″ snook and a 45+ pound roosterfish. It is wonderful to see a young man so enthusiastic about fishing.  The other day Joe was out fishing with his mom when they hooked into a 120lb tuna on light gear. It was a big fight and though the mate suggested Joe use a fighting harness,  Joe wanted  to fight the fish “mano a mano”.  This was a fish that would have put a lot of seasoned anglers in tears, but it was no match for Joe. After a grueling two hour fight, the yellowfin tuna was finally landed. 

The Inshore fishing kind of took a back seat this month, as good reports from offshore attracted the most attention. There were some nice roosters caught, and some good days on snapper.  It was interesting in that there were several days that boats fishing inshore also landed many offshore species as well, including  dorado, yellowfin tuna, Rainbow runners, sharks and Wahoo.  

Historically, in the next few weeks we should see the numbers of Dorado and marlin start to taper off, but we should start seeing more and more sailfish. January is normally the beginning of sailfish season and I am very optimistic that it is going to be a good year. Don’t forget we offer 30 of Costa Rica’s most popular expeditions and a luxury spa for the non-anglers in the family. Hope to see you soon in Costa Rica.

Fishing Pro’s Jimmy Nelson and Luiza of “Fishin’ with Luiza” were recently down to get footage for their upcoming TV spots. 

Tight Lines,
Capt. Allan Smith

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Costa Rica Fishing Report – News and Updates out of Crocodile Bay Resort, Costa Rica – April 2017 by Fishing Director Todd Staley

Thanks to Dave Rimington, Rich Hahn, and Gary and Susan Ellis who hosted another Boomer Esiason Redbone@Large Celebrity fishing tournament at Crocodile Bay Resort, Costa Rica.

The competition among the group of former pro athletes was intense but friendly. Mike Knox was the eventual winner and partner Kelly the  runner-up. Their combined score edged out Todd Calfee and Dr. Misko who boated 3 marlin in one day.

Pictured Above – MLB Hall of Fame Legend Wade Boggs with a sailfish on!

Dr. Misko was down with his 13 year old son celebrating his birthday and not only did they get to fish with some of their football idols – but they were able to experience catching their first sailfish and marlin.

Dr. Justin Misko posses with Wade Boggs and Mark Cooper as they present him with the tournament award for “Most Sailfish Caught”

Knox and Kai banged up the roosterfish inshore with a 1500 point day to edge out the others. Wade Boggs and Mark Cooper fished together and as always it was fun to hear their “in jest” comments back and forth  – it was a good thing they didn’t play the same sport. Wade managed a few post-tournament snook the satisfy his fishing bug.

Offshore continues to be unpredictable and inshore reliable for the most part. Plenty of roosters, grouper, and if you are inclined sharks. Jacks and roosters have been hitting poppers.

Randy and Brandi Shapiro doubled up on marlin of 250 and 500 pounds. Lifetime fish and a trip to the spa afterward. They also became the first owners of our new Costa Rica real estate offering – Botánika Osa Peninsula Curio Collectin by Hilton.

Check Out The Video of Randy’s 500lb Pacific Blue Marlin Below

March Highlight Reel –  Watch all the sport fishing highlights from this past March at Crocodile Bay Resort, Costa Rica.

Ocean’s been flat and more sun than you can stand.

Todd Staley
Fishing Director
Crocodile Bay Resort
Costa Rica

Book Your Costa Rica Sport Fishing Vacation Today!

By Todd Staley, Fishing Director – They say that El Niño is finally starting to go away and the temperature of Equatorial waters is finally beginning to drop. I don’t think I will recover any of the hair I’ve lost but the fishing just might get a little more predictable. The light seasonal rains have finally started after a long drought and everything that had turned brown miraculously turned back to green in 3 days. Schools of yellowfin tuna have started passing by with the dolphins. The last one was aggravating as the fish didn’t chew that well but we did manage an 80 lb block of steak and sashimi for the guests.

Sails are still around and still having days of double digits but they are also doing their pre-spawn ritual up on the surface. When there is that kind of flirting going on sometime they get finicky about running down a bait offered to them. The dropping water temperature should bring more marlin our way as well.

We have even seen a few dorado which were scarce in the height of the Niño season. Inshore has been decent fishing with good days and slow days but thank you fish gods, mostly good days. Roosterfish have been active and checked off a lot of bucket lists. Snapper are biting and looking good on dinner plates. Deeper, the grouper have been biting with some tilefish.

I am going to put up a couple of photos of some of the stranger fish we have seen this season inshore. Don’t quite know why, but interesting none the less.

Dennis Tilton of Boston Whaler with a Congria. Although not rare it is a strange looking and deliscious fish

A juvenile Mexican Hognose snapper from Matapalo Rock

This deep-water Stargazer also came from the famous rock at the mouth of the Gulf

Rare Costa Rica barrelfish

This just in – The Kessler group went 24/7 on sailfish yesterday – congrats guys!

Ask about our Father’s Day Special with VIP boat upgrade when you book before June 19th!

Book Your Costa Rica Fishing Vacation Online

Crocodile Bay, Costa Rica Fishing Features

by Fishing Director Todd Staley

It’s Not Always About the Fish

(Article by Todd Staley from Sol de Osa)

One of the most exciting days of fishing I ever had was in a lagoon in Nicaragua accessible only by passing through myriad rivers and creeks on the Caribbean side of  Costa Rica. That day, Mike Holiday and I hooked more than 60 tarpon on casting plugs. We tired of tarpon and went to the beach to cast for snook. The tarpon wouldn’t leave us alone. We were hooking them from shore. I watched as Holiday played and eventually landed a respectable tarpon from the beach with a fly rod. That was nearly 20 years ago.

What did I see that day? Fish, fish and more fish.

I fished that same lagoon many times over the years, and although I never matched that one fantastic day, I always had good fishing. Then, one day, the tropical rains had the lagoon all muddied up. I cast furiously for hours with memories of that fantastic day playing like a movie in my head. I had not one bite. I knew the next cast might be the one. It wasn’t. My arm tired of casting and I sat down to rest. I looked over toward the shoreline. Then it jumped out at me. A beautiful, fire-orange heliconia growing next to the riverbank. I scanned the shoreline. One after another, they rose from the jungle.

On the long fishless ride back into Costa Rica, I started to notice things I never saw before, even though I had traveled this road many times. Wild orchids hanging over the creeks, some of them humongous and all of them spectacular. There were so many different kinds. On all my previous trips, I had seen only water and fish. The normal trip back took one and a half hours; this day, it took me almost four hours. That was the day I learned it is not always about the fish.

I have had many similar experiences here on the Osa Peninsula. The waters off the Osa drops off fast. A couple of hundred yards off the beach, you’ll find a couple of hundred feet of water below your boat. By the time you reach 20 miles out, more than a mile of water separates you from the ocean floor. Most of the big game fishing is rarely done beyond 20 miles, unless green water forces the fleet farther out. Fishing the Pacific can be like living the Discovery Channel.

The humpback whales come twice a year, from the Northern Hemisphere in January and February, and again in August and September from the Southern Hemisphere. I have been lucky enough to see a pod of 50 or more migrating offshore to the south. Mothers will bring their calves into the Golfo Dulce, and when they are here, sighting them is almost a daily occurrence as they prepare their young for a long open water voyage.

On another occasion, I was chatting with the guests below when the captain suddenly changed course. That is always a surefire sign that he has seen something. He pointed to the horizon, and there, way off in the distance, were silhouettes of something large jumping and making tremendous splashes. We were sure it was a huge school of very big tuna. As we got close enough to see what it was, it turned out to be a mammoth group of pilot whales. There were literally hundreds of them. As the boat got closer, they came over to check us out and began to swim alongside the boat the way porpoises do. We watched them for over an hour with not one tuna in sight.

I’ve seen killer whales here several times, usually about 10 miles off the beach. But once, three of them were headed up the coast only a few hundred yards off the coast. Mike Grace of Cummins Motors got the most spectacular shot of one as it raced in out of nowhere and began surfing the wake only inches off the transom.

Huge pods of spinner dolphins are common offshore. They may travel in groups of 50 or fewer, or as many as a thousand. You can bet there will always beyellowfin tuna near them. The tuna might not always bite, but they will be there.

March and April are the best months to bump into whale sharks in the gulf. These gentle giants show up almost yearly and feed on plankton in the calm waters on the upper end of the gulf. The most I’ve seen at one time is eight. They are not fully mature and average about 30 feet long.

Turtles are an everyday sight here while fishing. Most are olive ridley and green turtles, but on a rare occasion you might stumble upon a giant leatherback turtle roughly the size of a pool table.

This is not to mention the flora and fauna one sees while inshore fishing. The beaches are pristine, and a wide variety of macaws and seabirds hang close to the beach. This blended with an emerald surf line makes for a spectacular near shore experience.

On every one of those Discovery Channel days, I have no recollection of what I caught. But forever etched in my memory is what I saw.

Read More Fishing Reports and Special Fishing Features by Todd Staley Here:

Crocodile Bay Hosts Central American Billfish Association (CABA) Summit

Crocodile Bay Hosts CABA

The Direct Line Fishing Report by Todd Staley

Anglers from several different countries met last week to discuss the state of billfish (marlin and sailfish) in the Eastern Tropical Pacific and how to better manage them.

The guest speaker was Dr. Nelson Ehrhardt from the University of Miami who explained the effects of currents, temperatures, winds and overfishing on the populations of billfish in Central America. The same population of fish roam from Mexico to Ecuador so what happens in one country can have an affect on other countries fish populations. He also shared information gained from the over 60 satellite tags that have been placed on billfish in Costa Rica and Guatemala.

The biggest advance was the petition made by the group to OSPESCA, the governmental group that oversees all fishing in Central America to have a representative of sport fishing interest work with the panel that has historically represented the commercial fleet.

Ospesca agreed to permit CABA to form a work group with OSPESCA dealing only with billfish and their socio/economic importance to the region as a catch and release billfish is valued much more and supplies jobs to to Central Americans.

You can watch the video on the Changing Seas Website that aired on PBS “Billfish: Battle on the Line” Here.

There will also be free screenings of the film at The Guy Harvey Oceanographic Center Wednesday August, 26th. Seating is limited so please email Dive-in@list.nova.edu  or Call 954-262-3678 to reserve your seat!

We encourage you to visit CABA on Facebook and “Like” their page to support their efforts in maintaining healthy billfish populations in Central America.Click Here to Visit CABA on Facebook.

SouthWest Airlines is offering amazing round trip airfares from select hubs to San Jose, Costa Rica. Fares are starting as low as $465 and now is a great time to lock in your flight. You may check flight availability in your area here

Christmas is only 145 days away – and Crocodile Bay Resort has just received some top secret information that Santa Clause will be visiting in December as he scouts his Latin American route. In celebration of his visit we will be offering a special for those who book their vacation between now and December 15th, 2015. Kids 15 and under can stay, eat, and fish free with any two paying adults on a *fishing vacation of three days more. (see restrictions below) This in combination with great airfares is a great way to get the whole family down for Thanksgiving or Christmas. Check SouthWest Routes Below

Plan your Fishing Trip to Crocodile Bay Resort, Costa Rica

If you’re looking for an amazing destination to pursue billfish and other exotic species this upcoming Holiday season, November is historically a good time to target marlin and our peak billfish season runs December through April. Space is limited during our peak season so please make your reservations soon.

Check Availability Online

*Kids free special is for new fishing reservations of three days or more only and must be booked and taken between July 30th and December 15th, 2015. This special is not valid in combination with other offers. SouthWest airfares mentioned above may change at any time. Crocodile Bay Resort is not affiliated with Southwest airlines in any way nor are we responsible for fluctuations in airfare or Southwest special offers.

The Direct Line Fishing Report by Todd Staley

Columbia Sportswear Pro Staffers and Media Members Visit Crocodile Bay – Shark Eats Half of Guests’ Snapper and Tuna and Marlin Show Up as Predicted.

I like it when I am right. According to my wife that’s not very often. When I said last report that the tuna and marlin should be rolling in any day, they made me a hero.

Mark Hettervig’s group pulled on a big yellowfin estimated at 200 lbs and it came unbuttoned after two hours. They did bring in enough tuna for sashimi and also boated a bunch of roosters during their stay.

Mike and David Kurfess also took nice roosters while Buck Pollister and his fiancé Blair Campell caught just about everything that swims here especially inshore.

Harold Odell fished with his granddaughter Kaity Box and got some nice fish also. Kaity got a big surprise when she ended up sharing her snapper for dinner with a big shark that wanted to have it for lunch.

Columbia Sportswear was down with a group of pro staff, sports celebs and outdoor media to introduce their spring line of outdoor wear. The group landed over 100 fish including, marlin, sails, tuna, roosters, snapper, African pompano and more.

Offshore the tuna have been sporadic, making an appearance one day and not showing the next. Marlin have been hanging around trash lines and floating structure and as many as five a boat, have come up into the spread. A few sails are popping up here and there. Inshore has been very consistent. Every picture tells a story.

Photo Courtesy Cindy Nguyen – Getting horizontal with Kelly Bastone ☆ She makes this look easy!

June Fishing Gallery (click ESC to exit gallery photos!!)

Todd Staley returns next month for the Crocodile Bay, Costa Rica fishing report.

Summer Vacations at Crocodile Bay – Marlin Fishing

Summer Family Eco Adventures at Crocodile Bay ( we can create eco & fishing combo packages for the whole family)

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 (now through Dec 1, 2015). 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. 1-855-945-4171

Check Availability for Summer Vacation Packages

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

Crocodile Bay Resort offers the most extensive selection of private, guided ecotours and expeditions designed to introduce you to Costa Rica’s most biologically intense region. With over 30 Costa Rica ecotours and activities, we are the perfect destination to discover the magic of Costa Rica Osa Peninsula. Enjoy kayaking, zip lining, snorkeling, surfing, birding, hiking, biking, waterfall rappelling, and more!

For more information on customizing your Costa Rica eco tour or sport fishing vacation call 1-855-945-4171 or Reserve Online