A Fish out of Water, November 2nd 2012

A Fish out of Water

Friday, November 2nd, 2012

 

October, despite the rain, was a pretty good month all along the Pacific coast. IGFA world record-holder Captain Bobby McGuinness (Golfito, South Pacific) added to his 2012 tally sheet during a two-day overnighter on the 37ft Cazador that took him and his clients 40 miles outside Golfo Dulce. On Day 1, Bobby released six Blue Marlin; and on the next, another seven Blue. Punctuating this already impressive catch was the release of a 600lb Hammerhead Shark along with two 300lb Thresher Sharks.

 

On the Caribbean side, Captain Eddie Brown, who fishes out of Tortuguero near the Nicaraguan border, is considered Costa Rica’s top tarpon fisherman/guide. He wins most of the tournaments he enters, fishing on his 22ft Bull Shark.

 

But this time around, for the first leg of an annual tarpon tournament in the area, he let his lovely wife Cinthia do the honors. Cinthia was the only woman entered in the tournament, which drew eight other local boats/captains, and she won it, releasing eight tarpon. ‘Great teacher’, boasted Eddie when he called us.

November/December is a great time on the Caribbean coast. Big schools of Tarpon, one of the world’s most exciting game fish (getting a 100lb Tarpon to the boat is like hauling up a 1947 Buick from the bottom of the sea!), lurk about 400-700 yards offshore. There is also a good Snook bite; and a smaller Snook species, called Calba, or Fat Snook, may also run. When the Calba run is at its height, it is not unusual for anglers to get 20-30 a day.

 

The big billfish bite begins this month in the South Pacific, and then moves north. Anglers flock to Costa Rica’s Pacific coast from around the world. To underscore the magnitude of the bite, the Offshore World Championship, Signature Billfish Series and other prestigious sponsors hold many of their major international tournaments here in January, February and March.

 

Richard Krug is the owner of Americana Sportfishing.  If you have any questions, want to book a charter or a sportfishing vacation, or have anything else on your mind related to Costa Rica fishing,  Richard can be reached at 1-800-407-9438 from the US or +506 2282-7215 or +506 8394-3629 in Costa Rica.  You can also email him at americanasportfishing@gmail.com.   And, don’t miss A Fish out of Water in next Friday’s edition of Inside Costa Rica.

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