FIVE new world-record fish from Costa Rica waters are included in the newly released 2004 edition of the “International Game Fish Association’s World Record Game Fishes,” bringing the total to 101 world marks caught here.
That is an alltime high of 22 alltackle records, 59 line-test and 20 fly-fishing marks, and pretty impressive, considering the relative size of Costa Rica and disparity in the number of sport fishermen compared to other countries included in the book.
This represents an increase of five new records from the 96 that were chronicled in the 2003 edition.
I first started keeping track of the world records when I moved here in 1983, when only 13 records were documented from our waters. But at that time, only one charter boat existed on the entire Pacific coast, and ran out of Puntarenas or FlamingoBeach.
For a complete listing of all the records, where they were caught and when, see the March-April edition of Costa Rica Outdoors magazine, on the stands in early March.
If you can’t find it, e-mail me your name and local apartado at jruhlow@racsa.co.cr, and we will mail a complimentary copy. Or stop by our office in Santa Ana and pick one up: From the post office, 50 meters west and 125 north. Call 282-6743 if you get lost.
THAT dirty water reported off Quepos in our recent Tico Times columns is still slowing the fishing in that area and, as this is written, has spread north.
It appears to be breaking up a bit to the south, with some boats finding blue water as close as 20 miles, but nowhere near the fish counts we were getting just a few weeks ago.
Talked to Rick Ruhlow at Carrillo, on the west side of the Nicoya Peninsula, on Sunday, and he said Sonny Kocsis, on the Wetass II, went two marlin for three up last weekend, but had to run about two hours before he found clean water.
Last report from Barra Colorado, on the northern Caribbean coast, said the tarpon still in the river, and the few fishermen going out were doing two or three releases a day.
