That’s Fishin’ – April 2022

A huge welcome to everyone visiting for the 2022 OFFSHORE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS taking place April 24-29, we are delighted to have you here in Quepos and Manuel Antonio and I wish you a fantastic visit to Costa Rica with some truly excellent Fishing & memories made for a lifetime. The Offshore World Championships is the jewel in the crown of our tournament fishing season and we are so blessed to have such an event take place here which attracts visitors from all corners of the world.

OFFSHORE FISHING

March provided some simply excellent Marlin fishing out of the Marina Pez Vela. Water temperatures have been cooler than normal due to the La Nina weather cycle and a bit more rain than normal in the early part of the year, keeping the water temperatures lower and just ideal for Marlin. Lots of Blue Marlin were caught by the fleet and during the early part of March, we received a great run of Striped Marlin, which are always a welcome surprise and provided some excellent fishing. Striped Marlin here average in the 60-100lb category and are the small cousin to the Blue Marlin which are more common here. There was some fantastic Sailfish fishing during March which looks set to be even better in April. The Big Bull Dorados showed up during March and many 30-60lb Dorados have been caught, which are the highlight of many people’s day on the water. The Tuna fishing has been nothing short of world class with lots of Tuna in the 20-80lb range and some bigger fish thrown in also. The fishing forecast for April looks HOT and I hope you will get to experience it for yourself. We have lots of boats in the 25-60 foot range for all tastes and budgets, waiting to take you on the Offshore fishing adventure of a lifetime.

INSHORE FISHING

April is the final month before the seasonal rains commence once again so expect lots of Livebait to be present for the next month before this starts tapering off in May as the rains commence and the Inshore waters start to lose their clarity. Roosterfish, Snook, Corvina, Snapper, Jacks, Mackerel, and Tripletail are amongst the main species targeted here in Quepos but many other species are landed also and April is an excellent time for good species variety. A shout out to Capt. Cedric of PACIFIC DREAM FISHING who landed a HUGE Broomtail Grouper just off Manuel Antonio recently, a true fish of a lifetime for his lucky Angler. Other Inshore boats worth checking out include CHLOE FRIJOLE, IDRA, MARLIN B, COCODRILLIO, CAPTAIN SKY, GOOD DAY, and MIRSE AZUL. All of these boats provide half or full day Inshore charters and are a great way to get your family on the water. Fishing takes place close to the shoreline along the beaches or rocks and islands in the Quepos/Manuel Antonio area.

FISHING TOURNAMENTS

Just wow…The LADIES ONLY PESCADORA BILLFISH CHAMPIONSHIP was held on February 18-19 and once again showed why it is being recognized as one of the top tournaments in the Americas, if not the world. 40 boats, 171 LADY ANGLERS from 11 different countries descending on the Marina Pez Vela for a weekend of non-stop FUN and FISHING ACTION. The Ladies released 305 Sailfish and 18 Marlin during the 2 days of fishing plus plenty of Tuna and Dorado also. The now infamous WHITE PARTY on the final evening was the perfect celebration and end to the weekend, and saw this year’s winners crowned and all attendees have a blast. What a weekend & a huge thanks to all involved, we hope to see lots of new Ladies getting involved next year!

2022 PESCADORA BILLFISH CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS

1st Tarjeel
2nd Billfisher
3rd Scandalous
Top Female Anglers Jennifer Fields (IGFA release) & Kourtney Duffie (Hook & Hand)
Top Tuna Raven
Top Dorado Kelly Dawn
Gray FishTag Research Top Tagging Boat Kelly Dawn

March 5th it was time for the SAILFISH SLAM for the next round of our FUN, 1 DAY, FAMILY FRIENDLY tournament series. 23 Boats fished with prizes for Top Boat, Top Angler, Top Lady, Top Junior and some fun prizes for the 1st, 50th, 100th Sailfish released. A great day was had by all at the MARINA PEZ VELA and a huge congratulations to all of the winners!

2022 SAILFISH SLAM RESULTS

1st Portafino, 24 Sailfish
2nd Offensive, 13 Sailfish
3rd Caliente,12 Sailfish
Small Boat Jackpot Winner Good Day, 5 Sailfish
Top Lady Angler Alice Stevanin (Trilio Bite)
Top Junior Angler Sebastian Ortiz (Los Gatos)

TOURNAMENT DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

We have a host of great tournaments that are open to all, if you would like to find or more or get involved just drop me a line!

April 23, 2022 Marina Pez Vela Open
April 25-29, 2022 Offshore World Championship
June 18, 2022 Summer Solstice Shootout
November 12, 2022 Dorado Derby
November 19, 2022 Dorado Derby Dos
January 14-15, 2023 Pelagic Rockstar
February 17-18, 2023 Pescadora Billfish Championship (Ladies Only)

See the full schedule at marinapezvela.com/tournaments.

I hope to see you on the water!

Benn Gilmour
Jackpot Sport Fishing, Marina Pez Vela, Quepos