That’s Fishin’- December 2018

Welcome to the December edition of That’s Fishin! We had some truly spectacular fishing during November with some of the best Marlin fishing that we have seen for some time. Lots of Blue Marlin have been showing 20-40 miles from Quepos and are targeted during full day Offshore trips. Many boats in the fleet had banner Marlin days raising 3-4 Marlin with some accounts of double digit Marlin raises in a single days fishing from several boats in the fleet which is just insane fishing, wherever you are in the world! Most of the Blue Marlin are in the 150-250lb range but some larger fish up to 400-500lb have been caught also. Striped Marlin made an early appearance this year and good numbers of Stripeys in the 60-150lb range were caught in November in addition to a few Black Marlin and increasing numbers of Sailfish as the month progressed. An IGFA grand slam of three different Billfish species in one day is certainly a real possibility at this time of year!

As December progresses, Sailfish numbers will continue to increase ready for the height of Sailfish season which is typically January to March. Double digit Sailfish releases should be recorded some days this month and if catching some good numbers of Billfish is on your bucket list we have some fantastic boats and captains that can put you right on top of the action. Check out my boat GOOD DAY, or Caribsea Sportfishing, Double Nickle Charters, Pacific Fly Sportfishing, or JP Sport Fishing. All are great options for an Offshore trip in search of Billfish and our other hard fighting Pelagic species.

December is an excellent time for Dorado/Mahi Mahi with most fish in the 15-40lb range and always the possibility of a really huge fish in the 50-70lb range. Yellow fin Tuna with a few Big Eye Tuna mixed in, will be abundant 25+ miles Offshore and can be located together with mega pods of Spinner dolphins which makes for some amazing scenes! If you have never seen this phenomenon before, I GUARANTEE you will be amazed!

INSHORE FISHING

With the last of the rains, the inshore waters around Quepos have cleared up with much improved water visibility compared to the previous few months. December commences what is traditionally an excellent time for Inshore fishing with live bait plentiful and lots of species variety available at our rocks, islands and river mouths which are located between Dominical to the south and Parrita to the north. The Naranjo, Savegre, Parrita and Baru river mouths as well as the rocks at Naranjo and Dominical, all hold some excellent options for Inshore fishing and Anglers can expect some great Roosterfish action during December. There should be plenty of big Jack Crevelle and Spanish Mackerel which provide excellent sport as well as Cubera Snapper, Snook, Corvina and plenty of other species. Sardines, Blue Runners, Goggle eyes and Lookdowns are the top choice for live baits whilst Lure fishing and Fly fishing are possible also.

There are some excellent Inshore boats available for charter in the Marina Pez Vela. Check out Chloe Frijole, IDRA 2, Quepos Fish Adventures, Gran Gallo Sport Fishing and Pacific Dream Fishing, all of which provide GREAT Inshore fishing trips.

DO YOU WANNA BE A ROCKSTAR?

Billed as Costa Rica’s funnest Sport Fishing tournament, the ever-popular Pelagic Rockstar tournament returns to the Marina Pez Vela on January 12-13th for its third year. The Rockstar has become an event not to be missed on the Costa Rica Sportfishing calendar; there are separate divisions for large & small boats in addition to prizes for the heaviest Tuna & Dorado. There are some serious dollars on the line as well as one big party! World class fishing, nightly Live music, awesome dockside parties, hot Pelagic chicks, and the chance to purchase the latest Pelagic swag…what is not to love. If you would like to fish the event, you can contact iFish Quepos or myself. Hope to see you there!

TOURNAMENT DATES

January 12-13, 2019 Pelagic Rockstar!
February 22-23, 2019 The Pescadora Billfish Championship (Ladies only!)
March 15-16, 2019 Quepos Billfish Cup
April 26-27, 2019 Marina Pez Vela Open
April 28-May 3, 2019 Offshore World Championships

See marinapezvelatournaments.com for details!

Tight Lines & I would love to hear from you if you would like to go fishing! Benn Gilmour, Jackpot Sport Fishing Marina Pez Vela, Quepos Cell: 8458 4997 [email protected] jackpotsportfishing.com