That’s Fishin’- February 2021
A warm welcome to the February edition of That’s Fishin’ and what a start to the 2020-2021 Sport Fishing season we have had here in Quepos, with some phenomenal fishing taking place this past couple of months.
OFFSHORE FISHING
January witnessed some simply insane Sailfishing, with many boats managing to get into double digit Sailfish releases during some days on the water. January through April sees some of the best Sailfishing of the year so expect the excellent opportunities for Sailfish to continue for the next couple of months and I hope you get to experience it for yourself.
There were plenty of Blue Marlin released from November to January, and February should continue to provide a great chance of catching a Marlin during Offshore trips. Most Blue Marlin are in the 150-250lb range, however, there have been several seriously large Blues caught in the past month, you just never know when that fish of a lifetime is going to take your bait!
December and January produced good numbers of Striped Marlin which are always a welcome addition to any charter and definitely one of the most beautiful fish in the ocean. February is a great time for Black Marlin, and a slow-trolled live bonito over our Offshore reefs is the preferred method to target a big Black Marlin, which can regularly exceed over 500lbs here.
The Tuna fishing has been nothing short of exceptional during December and January. The turn of the year is always a great time for large-grade Yellow Fin Tuna, and this year has been no exception. Many fish in the 50-100lb class have been caught with some real sea monsters in the 150-200lb plus range landed also. Livebait, or artificial Squidnation Squids, are some of the preferred methods for Tuna here.
INSHORE FISHING
The Snook fishing in January proved to be excellent with many Snook in the 8-20lb range caught by the Quepos Inshore charter fleet plus some much larger fish also. Snook fishing typically takes place at the rivermouths within 12 miles of the Marina Pez Vela and can be done during either a full or half day charter. The next couple of months are the prime time for a real large Snook and it is no secret that Quepos is home to the IGFA All Tackle World Record Snook plus several other line class records. You have come to the right place to try to catch a Snook for yourself!
The Roosterfish bite has been excellent along the rocks, islands and beaches close to Quepos & Manuel Antonio. Lots of Roosterfish in the 15-25lb range have been getting caught alongside the rocks whilst large numbers of smaller Roosterfish in the 2-15lb range gather along the beaches here. Every year we see 80lb plus Roosterfish caught in Quepos, I wonder who are going to be the lucky Anglers this year?
Snappers, Jacks, Mackerel, Corvina, Bluefin Travelly, Tripletail, and more are all regularly caught during Inshore trips here, adding some nice variety to charters.
2021 TOURNAMENT SEASON!
The 2021 tournament calendar is now set and we have a host of excellent events lined up for the coming year which includes a mixture of our hugely popular well established tournaments and a couple of new one day fun tournaments also—the Sailfish Slam and the Summer Solstice Shootout! Taking centre stage during February we have The Roosterfish Rodeo and the ladies only Pescadora Billfish Championship, I am already looking forward to both events!
Further details can be found at: marinapezvela.com/tournaments.
2021 TOURNAMENT DATES
February 19-20 The Pescadora Billfish Championship (Ladies Only!)
March 12-13 Quepos Billfish Cup
March 27 Sailfish Slam
April 9-10 Marina Pez Vela Open
April 11-16 Offshore World Championships
June 19 Summer Solstice Shootout
November 13 & 20 Dorado Derby & Dorado Derby Dos
Tight lines out there!
Benn Gilmour
Jackpot Sport Fishing, Marina Pez Vela, Quepos
Cell: 8458 4997 [email protected]