Calba Run Jumping on Caribbean

Bob Schroeder, an old friend and longtime Costa Rican resident, sent me an e-mail saying that he and his son Robert, along with Jim Blanchard and Jim’s son Michael, fished a day at the Río Colorado Lodge on the northern Caribbean coast during the holidays, and caught about 20 calba and drum and some big mojarra, with nobody else fishing there except for a couple of locals.

“Everyone said this has been one of the best calba runs in years,” Schroeder said. They followed that up with a trip to Playa Carrillo and a day with Sonny Kocsis on the Wet Ass II, hooking up on 20 sails and bringing in 12 for release, along with a couple of dorado.

An e-mail from Henry Hines in Alaska says he and a friend were planning to go to Brazil in February but might want to come to Costa Rica instead.

“Our original plans were for Feb. 13-24,” he writes. “What’s the availability in San José? I may fish one or two days.”

Henry, you are more than likely to find great fishing anyplace on the Pacific coast that time of year, and some good tarpon action on the northern Caribbean. But after looking at your Web site I’m not sure why you would want to fish anyplace but where you’re at!

You will find plenty of fish here, but for sheer size you won’t be able to beat what you have at home anyplace. I invite Tico Times readers to check it out at www.fishonalaska.net. You can write to Henry at LukaBrozi@aol.com.

Capt. Tom Curtis, a saltwater guide from the U.S. state of Maine, e-mails that he is planning to fish in Costa Rica the last two weeks of February, and wants to stay in the San José area near Heredia, with any ideas greatly appreciated (his e-mail address is whaler2121@yahoo.com).

Your e-mail puzzles me, Tom.Heredia is a long ways from any of the beach areas where you will do your fishing, but you can get to the Pacific coast fishing regions of Golfito, Quepos, Playa Carrillo or Tamarindo (or Barra Colorado on the Caribbean coast for tarpon fishing) via the morning in-country airline flights from San José in less than an hour. Best to plan to spend at least the night before your first fishing day and the night after your last day at a hotel in the beach area you want to fish, and the rest of your trip in Heredia if that is your pleasure.

And from Dan Gibson: “Thank you for putting the photo of the ‘off the beach’ snook in The Tico Times (TT, Oct. 20, 2006). I received no fewer than 20 emails from all over the world, some offering help with the location of the manufacturer for the Lazer Eye Lure I asked about. Thanks again for your article!”