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Fishing Report
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Author:  Mucho Gusto [ Fri Aug 25, 2006 8:29 am ]
Post subject:  Fishing Report

With all the guys in town this upcoming week, I thought I'd post a current Fishing Report, in case anyone wants to get out of the Gulch and go fishing in the 'big pond'. This is from today's Tico Times (8/25/06):

August 25 - August 31

Best Action on Northern Pacific; South Not Bad

The best billfish action continues to be had on the northern Pacific coast, but action even in the southernmost region ain't all that shabby, with Crocodile Bay Resort, in the Golfito area, reporting a few marlin, along with wide-open inshore species.

Richard Bagnall came all the way from England to fish the lodge, and went home happy after boating several cubera snapper to 40 pounds, seven roosterfish averaging 45 pounds, some big jacks and an African pompano.
California angler Art Lamstein scored an equally impressive list of inshore species along with a blue marlin release, his first ever.

All the way north, Wetass II skipper Sonny Kocsis said weather and water conditions off the northern coast are ideal, with fish concentrated only 20 miles off Flamingo. He said his boat and most of the others working that region are scoring a half-dozen or more sailfish most days, along with pretty good marlin action, including one day with two marlin and a sail caught and released.

Author:  Igualmente [ Fri Aug 25, 2006 9:44 am ]
Post subject: 

Quote:
Best Action on Northern Pacific; South Not Bad

The best billfish action continues to be had on the northern Pacific coast, but action even in the southernmost region ain't all that shabby, with Crocodile Bay Resort, in the Golfito area, reporting a few marlin, along with wide-open inshore species.


MG, after fishing The Northern Coast, I'm HOOKED on Flamingo...

Granted there are other places,and I'm sure the fishing is all right there, but there nothing like Fishing Flamingo...

Ig... :P

Author:  Mucho Gusto [ Fri Aug 25, 2006 10:29 am ]
Post subject: 

I agree Igualmente. But you've gotta remember, that the billfish will be moving / migrating all the time. They don't all just sit off the coast of Flamingo all year long. Granted, you can catch billfish there every month of the year, but your chances (and opportunities) will fluxuate throughout the year.

For any newbies out there reading this thread, here's a copy of a PM that I sent to a new member a few months ago, who asked me to send him some general information about fishing in CR.
......................................................................................

I've spent most of my time in North/West Guanacaste, and I usually fish out of the Flamingo Marina in Playa Flamingo, or out of Playa del Coco. But, I've fished the entire West Coast.... to the North (into Nicaraguan waters), all the way down to the South (Herradura, Jaco, Quepos) and everything in between. But I've never gone further South than that. Some day, I'd like to try fishing the waters, way down South, around the Osa Peninsula, and into Panama.

Billfish are usually the most sought after species (Blue Marlin, Black Marlin, Striped Marlin, Sailfish), and they migrate from the South (the Golfo Dulce area - Zancudo / Golfito) to the Central part of the country (Dominical, Los Sueños, Manuel Antonio,Quepos, Jaco), then up to the North part of the country (Playa Carillo, Tamarindo, Flamingo, Playa del Coco).

Although they are caught year-round along the entire Pacific Coast, they're primarily located in the Southern region from November thru February. Then, the bigger concentration of fish migrate to the Central region of the country from February thru May or June. Then, they'll travel to the Northern part of the region from June through October. And remember, you can not keep any billfish. They're all catch-and-release.

As far as "meat" fish for the dinner table, they're around throughout the entire year. The only factor is, depending on the season, they might be closer to shore or farther out, based on water temperature. Dorado (mahi) can be caught anywhere, anytime. Same thing with Tuna and Wahoo. All 3 species are great eating fish, and they'll all yank your arms off! You can always pick up Dorado and/or Wahoo while trolling for billfish. For tuna, all you need to do is find a school of porpoise's. There'll always be tuna in the mix. They like to swim hand-in-hand with the porpoises. They usually range in the 20-30 lb range, but they are great for tuna steaks and sushi!

Some of the inshore species are very strong also. Roosterfish, Cubera Snapper, Barracuda, Needlefish, Bonita, Jack Crevalle, grouper, etc... They're all fun to catch, and most of them fight like a freight train. But, keep in mind, that you can't keep the Roosterfish. It is considered to be a prized sportfish. Most (if not all) captains will let you take a picture, then you must release the fish (same as billfish). Cubera Snapper and Grouper are great table fare, and you can keep those, but they're not as plentiful. Needlefish, Barracuda, Jack's, and Bonita are shit fish. Great fight for the angler, but the meat sucks.

Cost for a day of fishing??? Naturally it varies, but the biggest factor is the size of the boat. Most of the boats (25' - 31') will average around $600 - $800 for a full day. But keep in mind, these boats will usually take a maximum of 4 anglers. Any more than that, it's too crowded. The bigger boats (35' - 50') will accomodate up to 6 or 7 anglers, but their price is higher. I've seen prices (for the bigger boats) range from $800 per day, all the way up to $1,500 per day. Granted, the bigger boats are nice, with air conditioned cabins, and much more room. But that doesn't make them any more successful when it comes to catching fish!!!

If you want to fish out of Flamingo, I can get you set up through my new company. My Tico partner runs the day to day operations, and our office is located in the lobby of the Flamingo Beach Resort Hotel. As one of our clients, you can also get a 10 % discount on lodging at the hotel. There's also another hotel in town (Flamingo Marina Hotel) that I can get you a 20% discount on lodging, but it is considerably more expensive.

If you're staying in San Jose and want to go fishing, you're better off going over to Playa Herradura (Los Sueños Resort), Jaco or Quepos. Out of those 3 locations, I'd recommend Quepos. It's a little less expensive than Jaco, and a lot less expensive than Los Sueños. Plus, there's a ton of boats to choose from, and they all fish the same waters.

The key is to let the captain know exactly what you'd like to do. As I said, most people want to go after billfish, and 99 percent of the time, the boats are set up and rigged for Marlin and Sailfish. But if you want "meat" for dinner and the freezer, you must let them know this in advance. It makes a big difference in where they'll take you, and what type of lures / bait they'll use, and what type of trolling spread they'll put out, and what type of speed they'll run.

Either way, I'm sure that you'll have a good time fishing the very fertile waters of Costa Rica. Most boats will provide beer, soda and water, along with cut fruit, snacks and lunch for everyone on the boat. But don't, under any circumstances, forget your sunblock! The sun will reflect off the water and burn the shit out of you. You'll even get a sunburn on a cloudy day! Personally, I don't wear that crap, as my Sicilian skin can take it, but many friends of mine have been fried without sunblock.

..................................................................................

For anyone looking to fish in CR, I hope this helps. And Igualmente..... rest assured, we'll do it again! :o You NEVER forget your 1st billfish!

Pura Vida Gentlemen,
Mucho Gusto :wink:

Author:  Pogo23 [ Fri Aug 25, 2006 11:25 am ]
Post subject:  Jaco fishing

Great post....Can you recomend anyone in Jaco?
We'll be there the 18th of September for 4 days.

Thanks

Author:  Mucho Gusto [ Fri Aug 25, 2006 11:36 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Jaco fishing

Pogo23 wrote:
Great post....Can you recomend anyone in Jaco?
We'll be there the 18th of September for 4 days.

There's noone that I'd recommend or endorse. I don't know anyone down there well enough to stand behind a personal recommendation.

But there's a lot of good captains in Jaco. Your best bet is to walk down to the docks around 3 - 4 in the afternoon and (personally) talk to some of the captains and crews that are just coming back from fishing. Most of the time, you'll get a better price than going through a middle man (i.e., hotel, internet, agent, etc.), because there's no "juice" money to pay anyone. And remember...CASH talks! If you tell them that you want to pay with a credit card, expect to pay a little more.

And don't worry about last minute availability. There's always boats available to fish. Just talk it up, and fish with the crew that you felt most comfortable with. September is still the "off-season", so plenty of boats to choose from.

Good luck,
MG :wink:

Author:  Pogo23 [ Fri Aug 25, 2006 2:11 pm ]
Post subject: 

Mucho Gusto,

Thanks for the information, I'll go down to the boats.

Pogo23

Author:  Igualmente [ Fri Aug 25, 2006 2:13 pm ]
Post subject: 

Great post....
An excellent fishing report Mucho.
I had thought possibly that I would venture South to Golfito for some coastal snook fishing, but I’m still reeling myself in on the price that I was quoted.

IMHO: I found that it is actually cheaper to go Bill Fishing in Flamingo with a party of four then to go solo Snook Fishing in Golfito .

Ig... :P

Author:  Thirdworld [ Fri Aug 25, 2006 2:19 pm ]
Post subject: 

MG, how would you compare Billfishing during the season in Flamingo as compared to Jaco? I'm always looking for other locations to send clients fishing.

Author:  Mucho Gusto [ Fri Aug 25, 2006 3:44 pm ]
Post subject: 

Thirdworld wrote:
MG, how would you compare Billfishing during the season in Flamingo as compared to Jaco? I'm always looking for other locations to send clients fishing.

TW,
The answer to your question would be……Comparable.
If you want to send your clients to Flamingo, send me a PM, and I can get them set up for you.

When the fish are chewing in Jaco, it doesn’t get much better than that. I’ve read where captains have raised more than 60 Sailfish in an 8 hour day. But it also seems to be more sporadic. A boat might catch 20 sailfish today, then get 2 tomorrow. But, that’s fishing! In Flamingo, when the bite is on, it usually stays good for days / weeks on end. It’s not uncommon for a Flamingo charter boat to raise an average of 15-20 billfish per day, every day, for two weeks straight. But, for some reason, when the bite shuts down, it’s usually slow for a few days in a row.

In Flamingo, the waters are usually much rougher during the winter/spring months. During these months, the Nicoya Peninsula acts as a natural barrier, blocking the prevailing North winds. This is why the seas in Jaco are so much calmer during this time of year. But during the summer months, the seas in Flamingo lay down, making the fishing fantastic. I normally try to catch the morning bite inshore, fishing the 1st half of the day - slow trolling along the beach for Roosterfish and Cubera Snappers. Then, I’ll head offshore to catch the afternoon billfish bite.

Last month, my son and I fished inshore in the morning, and got 3 dorado, 2 roosters, 2 bonitos, 1 amberjack and a needlefish. Then we headed offshore around 11 a.m., and picked up 3 sailfish and 2 tuna. We even tangled with a 600+ lb blue marlin while we were trolling back towards the marina at the end of the day, around 3 pm.

Costa Rica has some of the best inshore/offshore fishing in the world. Regardless of where you send your clients, an average day of fishing in CR, is usually a helluva lot better than a good day anywhere else! :shock:

All the best,
MG :wink:

Author:  Thirdworld [ Fri Aug 25, 2006 5:15 pm ]
Post subject: 

Thanks for the detailed reply MG. I'm actually gonna cut and paste and save this info for further use. I've never been to Flamingo in 7 years here and am thinking about a road trip since I've got a new stereo, AC and all the bugs worked out of my truck. Pura Vida

Author:  DBCocker [ Sun Aug 27, 2006 6:19 pm ]
Post subject:  Fishing the Caribbean

MG Do you have any info on fishing the Caribbean Coast? Tarpon, Snook ect.

Author:  Mucho Gusto [ Mon Aug 28, 2006 8:13 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Fishing the Caribbean

DBCocker wrote:
MG Do you have any info on fishing the Caribbean Coast? Tarpon, Snook ect.

None. Sorry.........! :(

Author:  Irish Drifter [ Mon Aug 28, 2006 10:53 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Fishing the Caribbean

DBCocker wrote:
MG Do you have any info on fishing the Caribbean Coast? Tarpon, Snook ect.


You might email Jerry Ruhlow (jruhlow@racsa.co.cr). He writes the fishing column for the Tico Times and keeps in touch with Dan Wise, who owns a fishing lodge in Barra Del Colorado, that specializes in Tarpon and Snook fishing.

Author:  Elwayyy [ Thu Nov 30, 2006 2:52 pm ]
Post subject: 

- Thanks for all the great info Trying to fish out of jaco on jan 30 jan 31 or feb 1.
From reading your posts sounds like the best/cheapest way to get a boat is to go to the docks when we are down there.
Will that still work during high season(which i assume is when I will be there)
I dont want to get stuck without a boat as I promised 4 newbie guys a fishing trip .

What do you think? or does anyone have someone for a reasonable price 600-800 dollar range yet to recomend in advance for Jaco? A phone number or web site would be great. I do see several options in the 1000 range but was hoping for something cheaper..

thanks, Greg

Author:  Mucho Gusto [ Thu Nov 30, 2006 3:19 pm ]
Post subject: 

Elwayyy wrote:
What do you think? or does anyone have someone for a reasonable price 600-800 dollar range yet to recomend in advance for Jaco? A phone number or web site would be great. I do see several options in the 1000 range but was hoping for something cheaper..

Wow. You found an old thread here!

Since you're going during the Peak Season, you might want to line up a boat ahead of time. Unfortunately, with yourself and 4 newbies, you're going to need a bigger boat. With 5 anglers, a captain, a mate, a fighting chair, and one or two coolers in the cockpit, it's might be too tight on a smaller boat. Plus, if you've got 5 guys going fishing on the same boat, don't even think about bringing chica's, unless you charter a bigger boat. But now, you're back to the $1,000 - $1,200 per day price range.

There's plenty of boats to be found in the $700-800 price range, but they're usually 32' or less, and will accomodate up to 4 anglers. Once you get up to 38' and above, the price starts getting much higher. Just keep searching the 'net. Hopefully, it's still early enough to line up something for a reasonable price.

Good Luck,
MG :wink:

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