That’s Fishin’ – July 2016
By Sarah Munro
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. This is the promised land of fishing. I remember my first few trips to Guanacaste, Costa Rica. I was always disappointed. Where was the green? Where was the epic bite that we heard of? Through a friend, I found the right spot and changed my plans to come here, 4 years ago. Of course my first trip included days on the water, and that’s all it took. Three months later, I had moved here. People always ask, why did you move here? The answer is always the same—for the fishing.
It’s in my blood, my DNA, my soul if you will. There are very few places on earth that you can go out and catch the diversity of fish species that you can here. It’s truly amazing. Our season is year round; you just have to switch up your game to get the fish. Recently, local boat, Chloe Frijole of Tranquilo Charters went out with Captain Roy and bagged a 50 lb. snook and 60 lb. Sea bass. I was out tuna fishing this past month with Benn on the Good Day and we brought in over 160lbs of tuna in 2 hours. The tuna bite has been AWESOME and EXTENDED this year, and I’m sure you’ll see lots of tuna specials in local restaurants.
WANT EVEN BETTER? Well, have you heard of FADs?
FAD: A fish aggregating device is a man-made object used to attract ocean going pelagic fish such as marlin, tuna and mahi mahi. They usually consist of buoys or floats tethered to the ocean floor with concrete blocks. Over 300 species of fish gather around fads. (Wikipedia)
YUP. So it’s FAD season right now. Get excited. Very EXCITED. Because when you charter a boat to go out to the FADs it gets EPIC. Like the kind of epic that inspired Hemingway. It really is The Man and The Sea out there. Can you imagine up to 30 marlin bites a day all while whales, dolphins, birds, turtles swarm in the waters? I can’t imagine how tired my entire body would be. One day soon, I’ll be taking a magical FAD trip and then you’ll all follow suit. Or maybe, you might beat me to it, live out your fish dreams in style, friends.
There’s been a lot going on this past month, and it’s only going to heat up hard. Snook and Sardines have been plentiful, and when I went out with Roy Zapata, we brought in several inshore meat-fish, and had a blast while doing so. I caution you if you’re going out fishing inshore on the river mouths during the rainy season—always check the surf and tidal reports as it can get dangerous. I’ve heard of a local boat that got flipped in the waves. You can never be too careful. While inshore fishing along river mouths it’s always important to keep your eyes open for Crocodiles as well, the Parrita River population is booming and there were 2 attacks on humans this past year there.
I’m very much looking forward to heading out fishing the FAD this season and having my own type of Hemingway Experience. It’ll be awesome I’m sure; I never fail to have my mind blown when I go out on the water here. It’s a truly special, diverse place and there’s nothing that clears my head the way that being on the water does. It’s like going home for me, feeling the sway of the water under my feet, the horizon disappearing into another world. And in one of those moments, you’re lucky enough to have a whale breach the boat beside you and crash down, then you’ll have had your Hemingway moment too. There is no going back from that moment either, welcome to your new lifestyle.
It’s part of the wonderful life here that every person who visits should experience. It’s world-class fishing, with world-class boats and crews that offer some of the best experiences of a lifetime. Be sure to check out any of the boats that I mentioned in this article, I only share people I believe to be very top of their class in fishing. Just tell them I sent you!
Jackpot Sportfishing – Benn – 8458 4997
Tranquilo Charters – Amanda – 6208 7620
You can keep up with me on my Facebook page: fb/sarahjanemunro and if you’re looking for a referral or just want to share your fishing photos there, I’d appreciate it!!! Tight lines and live your fish dreams!