That’s Fishin’ – April 2023
A huge welcome to all the visiting Anglers from around the world for this month’s OFFSHORE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS being held here at the Marina Pez Vela this April 16-21st. We are so glad that you could make the trip to Costa Rica and hope that you enjoy some excellent Fishing, the beauty of the Manuel Antonio area and our warm Costa Rican hospitality. Have a great visit and Tight Lines to you all!
OFFSHORE FISHING
March provided some great variety for all of our main Offshore species. Blue Marlin were prevalent and there were good numbers of Blues in the 150-250lb range caught throughout the month. There were some really big Marlin caught in recent weeks including an estimated 900lb Blue Marlin caught aboard MY THREE SONS, huge congrats guys for the fish of a lifetime. We had a good run of Black Marlin throughout the month with some really nice Blacks caught at the Offshore reefs. The Tuna fishing was exceptional during March. Livebait was the preferred bait to catch the Tuna for most of the month and there were some really nice sized Tuna caught, with various reports of fish over 150lbs. Dorado numbers thinned out during March compared to previous months as summer water temps continue to rise but some really nice sized Bull Dorado showed up and made dreams come true. We had some great Sailfishing at times with some excellent catch reports posted with some slow weeks mixed in. April should be an excellent month for Sailfish this year and hopefully the bite is on fire ready for this month’ s two tournaments, the Marina Pez Vela Open and the Offshore World Championships.
2023 SAILFISH SLAM
On Saturday March 4th, we welcomed the 2023 Sailfish Slam, the latest event in Marina Pez Vela’s Fun, One Day, Low Entry cost, tournament series. 23 boats competed in what proved to be a super close event with just 2 Sailfish separating the top 4 boats. Huge congrats to our winner Team Caliente with Capt. Keith, 2nd place KELLY DAWN with Capt. Will, and 3rd place POCOTON with Capt. Victor Julio and Team Los Cincuentones—all celebrating their 50th birthdays this year with a place on the podium to be proud of! A huge thanks to the Marina Pez Vela Tournament Team for putting on another great event and to tournament headline sponsors BLUEFIN USA and ALUTECNOS for making it possible.
Results 2023 Sailfish Slam
1st Caliente 10 Sailfish
2nd Kelly Dawn 9 Sailfish
3rd Pocoton 9 Sailfish
Top Lady Angler Milena Corea
Top 1st time Angler Keith Eichmann
Top Boats under 35 foot
1st TRIP (Lady Luck) 4 Sailfish
2nd Bucketlist 4 Sailfish
INSHORE FISHING
Our little town of Quepos is home to some of the best Roosterfish and Snook fishing on the planet. Each year colossal sized Roosterfish are caught here. Our biggest Rooster aboard my boat GOOD DAY in recent years was a fish estimated in the 90-100lbs range and we have caught many others in the 60lb to 90lb range also. The 114lb world record dates back to 1960 caught in Mexico but each year Costa Rica produces some monstrous Roosterfish of truly epic proportions. It is a well-known fact in the global angling community that if you want to catch a bumper sized Pacific Black Snook then Costa Rica is your place. Quepos is home to several world records for this species including the IGFA All Tackle World record which was just a shade under 60lbs. March produced some fine Inshore fishing for both Roosterfish and Snook and this should continue through April. Snappers, Tripletail, Corvina, Mackerel and Jacks also provided Anglers with some excellent action also. We have Inshore boats to suit all tastes and budgets here at the Marina Pez Vela. Constantly doing a great job for their clients are THE BITE, ASI O MAS, IDRA 2, SKY 2, CHLOE FRIJOLE, MUCHO FISHO, ISABELLA AND GOOD DAY. Be sure to check out one of these boats if you are looking for an Inshore charter of your own and surround yourself with the stunning scenery of our islands, rocks and beaches as your go in search of our Inshore species.
TOURNAMENT DATES
Our 2023 tournament season has completely flown by but we still have a few great events to look forward to over the coming months and we would love to have you involved. Full details & upcoming schedule at marinapezvela.com/tournaments.
April 15 Marina Pez Vela Open
April 16-21 Offshore World Championships
July 1 Summer Solstice Shootout
November 11 Dorado Derby
November 18 Dorado Derby Dos
See you on the water!
Benn Gilmour
Jackpot Sport Fishing, Marina Pez Vela, Quepos