Costa Rica is frequently described as the poor man’s Hawaii. Sunny days and sand beaches abound. Sailing, snorkeling, surfing and scuba diving can be enjoyed all along the coast, and a vast rainforest can be explored. For outdoorsmen, however, the main draw to this small Central American country is saltwater fishing.
Inshore angling quarries include snapper, grouper, jacks, rainbow runners and the beautiful and challenging roosterfish, but the real excitement occurs offshore where dorado, wahoo, tuna and hard-fighting billfish (like sailfish) and three species of marlin bite and battle. All of this saltwater fishing and the warm weather tourist attractions take place along the Pacific coast, only about a four or five hour flight from Maine. A much closer and less expensive trip than the Aloha state.
Last winter I spent five days in Costa Rica, three on the ocean, and managed to put sailfish in the boat every day (most averaged 80- to 100-pounds). Despite my novice status, three of my neon blue, huge-sailed billfish were bragging size: two in the 125-pound class and one near 140-pounds. All the billfish were released to grow and fight another day. I also caught several 20- to 30-pound bluefin tuna, and a few dorado, also called mahi-mahi. All were kept, filleted and distributed back at the dock to local families who needed the food.
One of the aqua and yellow mahi-mahi was bragging size, 58-inches long, that leapt eight times and dove deep to battle as hard as the average size sailfish. My largest sailfish was 119-inches long; a real armful when the mate and I held the fish to pose for a quick photo.
Before my trip was half over last year, I had already decided to return to Costa Rica. I really wanted to catch a marlin after having hooked and lost one last January. I also wanted to try to hook a sailfish on a fly rod, a very time-consuming endeavor. Last, but not least, I hoped to hook and land one of the rare super-sailfish of 150-pounds or better.
On day one my boat buddy was Alexandre Esmeraldo, the general manager of Los Suenos Marriott Resort where I was staying. We had fished together last year and, despite a slow outing, enjoyed each other’s company and made plans to try again. Gerard Alesio, founder and owner of Costa Rica Dreams Sportfshing had arranged for us to fish from Dream 1, a 36-foot Luhrs cruiser, and we motored for 90 minutes to a spot about 35 miles from the marina.
Once on location, in well over one thousand feet of water, the two mates deployed eight rods, four with sewn baits and four with colorful teasers. Teasers are plastic hookless baits that resemble squid or baitfish as they skip and dive through the waves and prop wash behind the boat. Game fish cruising for food hear the splashing of the teasers, then spot their wakes and attack what appears to be a school of bait. Sometimes the billfish grab a real bait, one of the ballyhoo with a hook embedded, and an instant hook-up occurs.
Over an hour and a half of trolling was behind us before our first sailfish appeared, and it was after one of the short-line teasers. Before we could drop one of the baited lines back to the fish, it had switched to the other short teaser, slashing with its bill to stun the fake baitfish. Before I got the bait in place, the fish had disappeared, While I was reeling in my bait the right long outrigger line snapped free, a reel began to buzz and spit out line and Alexandre grabbed the rod to set the hook and begin a tug of war with our hit and run sailfish.
About 25 minutes later, arms aching, shirt wet with sweat, Alexandre helped the first mate wrestle a 95-pound sail over the rear transom so they could pose for a quick photo before a safe release. Over the next three hours we had seven more sailfish in our baits, hooked four between 90- and 110-pounds and fought three to the boat, two for each of us. My most exciting moment came when a large blue marlin, well over 300 pounds according to the captain, suddenly appeared under the short line teasers. But before I could deploy the pre-baited heavy rod, the behemoth slowly sank out of sight without even attacking one of our tempting teasers.
Day two found me on Dream II, a 32-foot Luhrs Express, alone due to an unexpected business meeting at the resort. When fly fishing, only one outrigger can be used since one side of the boat must be kept clear to allow backcasts. This cuts the chances of luring sailfish in close because only three teasers can be deployed on one side of the boat. If and when a fish does attack the teasers, the first mate reels that fake bait closer, then yanks it away; at the same time the angler casts his huge 8/0 fly, which is the same color as the teaser right in front of the fish and begins to pop it across the water.
When all goes well the sailfish is supposed to strike the fly, then the angler has to set the hook without breaking the leader or entangling the sharp bill. All seldom goes right. When it does, there’s an acrobatic, aerobatic fight on only a 12-weight rod.
Contributed photo
A SAILFISH PHOTO OP during the writer’s fishing venture.
