That’s Fishin’ – November 2022

We are so pleased to welcome you to the start of our brand-new Fishing season! September & October are our quietest months for tourism and mark the height of our rainy season when most of us boat owners take the opportunity to get our boat maintenance done and take a quick break before our new Fishing season begins November 1st. And what better way to kick off the 2022/2023 season than with our first tournaments of the new calendar, the DORADO DERBY’S!

2022 DORADO DERBY

The Dorado Derby is held over two weekends with the Dorado Derby happening on November 12th and the Dorado Derby Dos on November 19th. Each event is a separate tournament, you can enter either one of the tournaments or both. Over the past few years, The Dorado Derby has become one of our most popular events of the year and gains great support from both locals, expat residents and tourists. What makes this event so special is that literally everyone taking part in the event has a chance of winning. Simply catch the biggest Dorado on the day to take home the prize $$$ and the all-important bragging rights! If the fun of the weekend of November 12th is not enough for you then we are repeating it again on November 19th with the DORADO DERBY DOS which follows exactly the same format giving you and your team a second chance at glory.

It is by no coincidence that we choose November to hold this tournament. The Dorado fishing in November out of Quepos is literally some of the best on the planet. The end of our seasonal rains and build up of debris lines of wood, tree trucks and the likes Offshore, create the perfect hunting grounds for large Dorado. Dorado up to more than 60lbs have been caught in the past few instalments of the tournament and there are much larger fish caught here each year, could this year be the one for a record breaker?

If you would like to get involved, simply give myself or the team at the Marina Pez Vela Guest Centre a call to help you find a boat.

OFFSHORE FISHING

The Dorado fishing typically dominates Offshore catches during the first few weeks of November, however, it is also one of the best months of the year for Blue Marlin during Offshore day charters. Blue Marlin mostly in the 150-250lb range can be targeted Offshore, typically in the 20-40 miles range, however, on occasion can be caught as close as 8-15 miles out along the debris lines whilst Dorado fishing. Further Offshore at areas such as The Corner, Furuno, and The Bolsa can hold some fantastic Marlin fishing with multiple Marlin shots per day possible when you find the fish.

Sailfish will be caught throughout November and Sailfishing will improve into December before it peaks January through April.

It has been a great year for Yellow Fin Tuna, typically they can be found during full day offshore trips when 25+ miles Offshore. Our Tuna average in the 30-50lb range, however, every month produces some fantastic Tuna in the 80-100lb+ grade and the occasional WICKED TUNA style monster. And that brings me to the epic fish landed by the boys on boat MONKEYSHINE which was a huge 271lb Yellow Fin Tuna caught during September this year and one of the largest Tuna ever weighed at the Marina Pez Vela. Fantastic work guys and huge congratulations to the crew & Anglers for the fish of a lifetime!

INSHORE FISHING

Most of our Inshore boats will be focusing on Dorado fishing for the first weeks of November, however, once the rains subside and the Inshore water clarity improves, we will turn attention to the rocks, islands and rivermouths close to Quepos for the start of the new Inshore fishing season. There is often an early Snook bite during November at the local rivermouths which has produced some excellent numbers of Snook in recent years. Roosterfishing should be productive at the rock locations for those chasing a bucket list Roosterfish and the chance of a lager fish. Snappers, Jacks, Mackerel, Corvina, Tripletail & more can all be targeted during Inshore charters. Our half day charters are an excellent way to get your family on the water and some great options for Inshore boats in the fleet are IDRA 2, SKY 2, GOOD DAY, MIRSE AZUL, CHLOE FRIJOLE, THE CROCODILE, ISABELLA & MUCHO FISHO.

TOURNAMENT DATES

With some incredible high dollar tournaments and our awesome one day, fun, family friendly tournaments to look forward to, it promises to be one very cool tournament season that we have coming up here at the Marina Pez Vela this season. Be sure to put these dates in your diary and start finding some teammates and selecting your boat if you want to take part in an event. You can check out the full details & schedule at marinapezvela.com/tournaments/.

November 12, 2022 Dorado Derby
November 19, 2022 Dorado Derby Dos
January 13-14, 2023 Pelagic Rockstar
February 4, 2023 Roosterfish Rodeo
February 17-18, 2023 Pescadora Billfish Championship (Ladies Only)
March 4, 2023 Sailfish Slam
April 15, 2023 Marina Pez Vela Open
April 16-21, 2023 Offshore World Championships
June 17, 2023 Summer Solstice Shootout

Tight lines! See you on the water!

Benn Gilmour
Jackpot Sport Fishing, Marina Pez Vela, Quepos