Todd Staley back with fishing round-up

With my absence, many people thought I fell off the edge of the world. Actually it was the side of a mountain. A few months back, I went over the edge on the Cerro de la Muerte. My son Sharlye and I were not seriously injured, but my wife Jeanette got pretty beat up. With screws and bars in her back and some rehab, she is finally able to walk again, and life in our home is beginning to return to normal.

So I guess it is time to talk about fishing. Things haven’t been too bad lately on the water, and there are enough fish stretching strings lately to put a few smiles on tourists and local fisherman alike.

In Guanacaste, Roy Quiros reports that the good marlin bite slowed a little when the wind picked up on Wednesday. But boats had been seeing both blue and black marlin as well as a few sailfish. Smaller-size dorado have also been hanging on current lines. Inside, the roosterfish bite has been very good.

Down in Los Sueños, Rolado Chaves checked in to say the billfish have been a little scarce of late, but those wanting to test some tackle have been dropping to the bottom and taking some Broomtail and White Belly grouper.

JP Sportfishing and Jeanette Peréz say they are taking a few sails out of Quepos. There is some yellowfin tuna offshore and one angler took five wahoo. Inshore, the snapper fishing is good and amberjack up to 40 pounds have also come to the boat.

Glen Boehler sent me this week’s photo. Many families headed for the beach during school vacation and lots of them threw out a line. Not everyone went home with the same bragging rights as Jorge Fernández Cordero. The 29-pound snook pictured fell for a piece of cut sardine fished on the bottom. Who says you can’t catch a nice snook on dead bait?

Down in the south, the yellowfin tuna have been saving the day for many charters. Except for Tuesday, when boats saw a half-dozen sailfish apiece, billfish had been kind of scarce. A few marlin have come into the spread, but they were lookers not eaters. The yellowfin have been almost a daily attraction, and the big fish of the week went to Drew Webb from Arizona. His fish tipped the scales at 200 pounds.

Roosterfish have been hitting near Matapalo rock and three fish over 60 pounds were caught and released in the last week.

Over on the Caribbean side, Eddie Brown reports that tarpon fishing has been hampered by rough water, but a few are biting at the rivermouths. He added the weather has been improving every day, and the ocean should be calmer in a day or so. Snook from 15-20 pounds have been hitting on the inside, saving the day.