There are plenty of tarpon on the northern Caribbean coast, and judging from reports the Pacific is seeing all the action you can handle most any place you can get a line in the water.
On the Caribbean, Dan Wise reports from Río Colorado Lodge that Carrie Minnick and Rob Gollahon, from Virginia, in two days of fishing jumped four tarpon, and the largest to the boat exceeded 100 pounds.
Texas anglers Edward and Bo Badouh had three in the air but none to the boat on a oneday trip,while Walley Lebrun and wife Aurora boated nine snook, the largest 22 pounds, in three days at the lodge, along with a cubera snapper and a bunch of big jack crevalle.
Wise said Jeanine and Michael Freitz, from New Jersey, in two three-hour afternoon sessions jumped 10 tarpon and boated three, while a Mississippi angler in one day jumped three tarpon and boated two. And the action on the Pacific seems to be improving every day.
Karl Angersbach and his gang of six from New Jersey were back in Costa Rica on their annual visit last week, fishing again with my son Rick Ruhlow on the Kingfisher, the Flamingo II and Permit III out of Playa Carrillo, and their timing couldn t have been better. Angersbach fished on the Kingfisher, taking top honors with five marlin, a bunch of sails and, of course, the ever-plentiful dorado.
I have landed a number of striped marlin in the past few years, but on day one of this trip, I finally caught my first blue marlin and added another on the last day, with both taken on the Kingfisher, he said.
They even asked my granddaughter Kerry along on the last day in an effort to get her her first marlin. The two anglers nailed a striped and a blue, with Kerry up next, but unfortunately the bite died in the afternoon and they didn t see another fish. Sounds like Kerry doesn t have any better luck than her grandpa.Must run in the family.
Reports indicate the fishing continues at a torrid pace all along the Pacific coast.
Kent Maliowski reports that about a week ago his Los Sueños-based skipper and boat in the middle of the night rescued a sinking U.S.-owned boat 30 miles offshore out of Los Sueños Marina on the central Pacific coast. I tried to contact him for more details, but was unable to reach him by press time.
I never did get the final results of the Harry Grey Fly Fishing Tournament out of Quepos or the other tournament scheduled last week out of Los Sueños Marina.
From Dominical, on the southern coast, Nick Fortney of Costa Rica Hooksetters said they are raising four to eight sails a day, with free jumpers and surface swimmers everywhere.
Most of the fish are from 14 to 30 miles out. Fortney said Rhode Island angler and skipper Lynn Smith released a large sail after a number of raises, and Lou Remado from New York also scored.
This week so far we have raised six to eight every day and released five and while dorado fishing is good, the people want the sails, he added.
Capt. Mark Corn of Southern Costa Rica Sportfishing writes via e-mail that on Jan. 24 he and Keith Kelly had an experience that he had never seen in 13 years chartering off the southern Pacific coast.
We were three miles off the rock of Matapalo and had four big marlin in the spread at once, he said. We managed to hook three, and in one hour released one that would have run 400 pounds, another 300 pounds, and broke the leader on the third.
He added that they also released three sails and were back at the docks by 1 p.m. For more information, contact Corn at 735-5292 or osacapt@hotmail.com, or go to his Web site at www.costaricasportsman.com.
I had an e-mail from a gentleman who wants to know if anyone here in Costa Rica offers kayak fishing. I am not aware of any, but if anyone does, please let me know and also contact joewinston@mac.com.
