Marlin, Sails Biting off Pacific Coast

FISHING continuedsteady off thenorthern Pacific coastuntil Saturday, whena heavy wind startedblowing out of thenorth and turned offthe bite. According toDanny Arnold, veteranskipper of theWhite Magic, itturned around againon Sunday and the bite was back.“Prior to Saturday, boats were getting10-15 sails up every day, with four or fivereleases, and if the north wind stays downit should be back to normal,” Arnold said.He didn’t fish on Sunday, but heard ofa blue marlin release and a handful of boatsthat were fishing in the rain were back inthe sails that same day.“Who says you can’t catch a good fishon half a day?” asked Bill Kieldsen, skipperof the Sailfish, out of Los SueñosMarina, farther south on the coast.Kieldsen said he fished last weekendwith Bo Spring of Kennesaw, Ga. and onlyfive minutes out, a 250-pound blue marlincame in on the left teaser, ripped off 100feet of line, then faded back and ate a 30-pound rod set up for sailfish.Fifteen jumps and 30 minutes later,Spring released his first billfish and nosooner did they have lines back in the waterwhen Billy King of Hilton Head, S.C.released a 100-pound sail, Kieldsen added.They finished up the morning with sevensmall tuna and saw three killer whalesswimming next to the boat on the way in.In the same region, Costa Rica Dreamsreported a 750-pound black marlin releaselate last week on one of their boats, butthey didn’t tell us what boat, who caught itor how long the battle lasted.A report from Golfito, a SouthernPacific port city, indicates boats out of King& Bartlett Marina are finding a lot of 8- to12-pound wahoo and small tuna, with onlythe occasional sailfish. We assume anglersout of the Southern Zone lodges in Zancudoand Puerto Jiménez are doing likewise butwe rarely hear from anybody there.No word on whether the tarpon bitewas still hot on the Caribbean as DanWise, the only person who sends reportsfrom there, had to fly to the United StatesSunday when his father was hospitalized.Wise recently told me that his father wasgoing to be moving to reside full-time inCosta Rica. We’re pulling for him, Dan.For more info on fishing or assistance inplanning a trip to Costa Rica, contact Jerryat [email protected] orvisit www.costaricaoutdoors.comSkippers, operators and anglers areinvited to e-mail or call Jerry with fishingreports by Wednesday of each week. Call orfax: 282-6743 if calling from Costa Rica, orthrough the e-mail address above.