2005 Wide Open on Pacific, Some Tarpon

ACTION isimproving every dayalong the Pacificcoast, as evidencedby a report from RexGavorchin and fiveof his fishing buddies,who in threedays last week on theHat Trick and LunaSea out of Queposreleased 25 sails anda blue marlin, andbrought in two dorado over 30 pounds.“It could not have been better, and wewant to repeat the trip,” he said. A formerexecutive with LACSA airline, Rexarranged my first trip to Costa Rica wayback in 1983.Also had a report from the boat Sailfish,at Los Sueños, that New Orleans anglerFreddy Dietz caught and released 16 sailfishand a wahoo and came close on a marlin.According to the skipper, the highlightof the day came when a 400-pound bluecrashed the right teaser, faded back and atethe right long rigger, then went nuts jumpingin circles, but his tail cut the line and hegot away.On the Caribbean, the Río ColoradoLodge reports the water is down, the sun isshining, and fishermen there on Thursdayand Friday of last week jumped tarponinside the river mouth and on the outside.Lodge owner Dan Wise also said locals arestill getting calba in the rivers and lagoons.Following a suggestion in this columnlast week that anglers get together to splitcharter costs, we had an e-mail from CostaRica resident Allan Mannheim, who sayshe is available for a fishing trip most anytimeand would like to split the cost withthree other fishermen. He can be reached at390-2500 or nallaman@yahoo.com.Readers may want to save contactnames and numbers that appear here andcheck around when thinking about a trip tocut costs enough to get on the water moreoften. The fisherman named last week isBrian Smith, briansmith88@yahoo.com.Others with similar interest are welcome tocontact my office, and we will be glad toassist you in arranging the boat, hotel at thebeach or whatever else.The three-nation Presidential Challengetournament kicks off May 1 with anglersfishing the first leg of the event in CostaRica, followed by similar competitionsscheduled in Guatemala and Panama.Proceeds from the three tournaments go tothe Billfish Foundation for its continuingeffort to promote billfish conservation inthe region.Anglers will be based at the GuanamarResort Hotel, in Playa Carrillo, on thePacific coast, and all fish caught will bereleased. The event is sanctioned for theRolex/IGFA Offshore Championship andthe World Billfish Series Pacific RimDivision.The entry fee is $2,500, includingground transfers from the Liberia airport toGuanamar, lodging, two dinners, afternooncocktails, boat trips, prizes and membershipin the International Game Fish Association.Those who make reservations and depositsby March 1 will receive a $200 discount fora reduced entry fee of $2,300. Participantsflying into the San José airport can take acommuter airline flight to Carrillo.For more info or to register, e-mail JoanVernon at pezvelajv@aol.com, call (305)361-9258 or visit www.preschallenge.com.For more info on fishing or assistance inplanning a trip to Costa Rica, contact Jerryat jruhlow@costaricaoutdoors.com orvisit www.costaricaoutdoors.com.Skippers, operators and anglers areinvited to contact Jerry with fishing reportsby Sunday of each week. Call or fax 282-6743 within Costa Rica or write to the emailaddress above.