While not as wild as reported here last week, the marlin action continues solid on the northern Pacific coast, according to reports early this week, and boat operators on the central and southern coasts make it sound like you can walk on the mass of sailfish.
Talking Fish skipper Randy Wilson fished the Robbie Beard party out of Tamarindo, on the northern Pacific coast,Wednesday of last week, releasing two marlin and some sails.
He released another marlin along with some sails on Saturday, and a marlin and two sailfish Sunday.
South of there, Kitty Cat skipper Rob Gordon reported from Carrillo Monday that boats working the region are having some unbelievable fishing, with eight to 12 marlin a day in the air, all running from 300 to more than 400 pounds.
The best catch he knows of over the weekend was the Silverado, which saw 13 marlin, raised nine and released five or six on Sunday.
Gordon said the fish are being brought in by the immense schools of sardines. Small spinner dolphins are attracted by the sardines, and, as they thrash the surface to feed, they attract the larger tuna and billfish.
“On Sunday we pulled into some spinners and got a couple of 20-pound tuna… more spinners moved in from all directions, and right behind them came a stampede of about 12 pilot whales moving in on the tuna, which were feeding on the sardines,” Gordon said.
“They headed south in the biggest stampede I have ever seen,” he added.
Not as many marlin are reported farther south on the coast, but J.P. Sportfishing in Quepos said sails are wide open, with the Sea Lady and Wild Lady releasing about 15 each last week.
All the way south, Roy’s Zancudo Lodge reported 98 sailfish releases, a 300-pound marlin and some small tuna and dorado on the eight boats they had on the water.
The weather on the northern Caribbean coast finally cleared Monday, and Dan Wise of the Río Colorado Lodge reported that the one boat he had out jumped several tarpon, with one caught and released.
Locals are getting some nice guapote in the backwaters, and if the weather holds we could see a surge of action on the small snook in the river and lagoons of that region.
