Spirit of Pilar Reports Two More Records

While the tarpon bite at Barra Colorado continues at a frantic pace on the northern Caribbean coast, action continues steady on the Pacific, where Enrico Capozzi reports two more International Game Fish Association (IGFA) world-record sailfish on the Spirit of Pilar II, bringing the total number of records taken on his boat to 61, a record in itself.

Capozzi moved his legendary boat south to Golfito from Playa Carrillo because of the green water that moved into the north, and reports that with Capt. Scott Jones and mates Jimmy Brasher and Chimo Shipps, and himself, as additional gaff men, his girlfriend Stacey Parkerson set the first of the new Pacific sailfish IGFA fly-fishing marks on eight-pound tippet with an 88.5-pounder on March 21, following up with a 91.5- pounder three days later on six-pound tippet. Battles lasted 35 minutes and were weighed in at Banana Bay Marina.

Out of Quepos, on the central Pacific coast, J.P. Sportfishing boats released 39 sailfish March 20-25, and nailed plenty of dorado and tuna, but no marlin were reported. Nearby Los Sueños Marina reports that Billy Chase Angel caught a 450-pound black marlin on the boat Uno Más on a 30-pound outfit. The boat was skippered by Carlos Arqueadas. Brady Sutton, 9, and Jerat Parrino, 8, both landed a pair of sails, along with several others.

At Carrillo, Rick Ruhlow is working a three-week charter for the BBC “Planet Earth” film crew filming underwater at night. He has been going out in the late afternoon and setting lights 20-25 miles offshore, with divers filming the night undersea action, including swarms of baby sailfish from one to two feet long.

Two tournaments are scheduled in that area, with the infamous Michigan Boys event the last four days of this month, followed by the Presidential Challenge of Central America competition.

The northern Caribbean coast is providing the hottest tarpon action I can recall for this time of year, with Río Colorado Lodge reporting big tarpon in the river mouth, farther upriver and outside, with days hot and sunny and most often showers at night cooling things down.

Lodge operator Dan Wise said Wisconsin angler Michael Horman fished two days last week, jumping 16 and boating five. The next day, Tim and Betsy McDonough from Minnesota went three to the boat for nine in the air, while Bruce and Eunice Chisolm, on their third trip to the lodge, fished four days, with Eunice boating three, the largest more than 150 pounds.