Veteran Costa Rica angler Phil Hoover, whom we mentioned briefly last week after his first day or two of fishing at the Río Colorado Lodge on the northern Caribbean coast, finished up his trip May 19, jumping a total of 90 tarpon in seven days with guide Luis Pérez.
Several silver rockets were estimated at more than 130 pounds, and some taken on a fly rod. This was Hoover’s 60th visit to the lodge.
The lodge also reports that Heath Nichol of the U.S. city of San Diego boated and released five of 28 tarpon jumped in three days, and on a one-day trip May 18, San José residents Roberto Guillén, Jorge Torres and José Jiménez jumped nine tarpon and boated three in the morning and fished upriver for rainbow bass in the afternoon.
A heavy red tide has been handicapping anglers along the Pacific coast, but those locating stretches of blue water are finding fish.
Kingfisher captain Rick Ruhlow, my son, out of Carrillo on Saturday found a strip of blue through the red tide, allowing his clients Steve Woods and Robert Lee from the U.S. state of Georgia to catch and release two blue marlin.
Things appear to be going well for anglers out of Quepos, on the central Pacific coast, where Raúl Miranda from Costa Mar Sportfishing reports the Precedent, a 36-foot Hatteras, found the blue water and scored a double marlin hookup for his clients.
They got a few jumps out of both fish until one estimated at 400 pounds broke the line. The second, estimated at more than 700 pounds, was fought to the boat twice before it popped loose. The anglers also scored two dorado, both exceeding 50 pounds.
On LakeArenal, in north-central Costa Rica, Blue Wing International reports the water level is still very low, forcing the fish out of their normal cover. Anglers scored several rainbow bass in the eight- to 10-pound range and another potential world record popped a 17-pound-test line.
Blue Wing operates the Rain Goddess, a luxurious houseboat, on the lake, offering packages that include lodging, meals and beverages on the houseboat, as well as guide, boat and tackle for fishing.
The same company also operates Río Indio Lodge, just across the border with Nicaragua on the Caribbean coast, where it reports tarpon are “rolling” with calm seas making them easily accessible, snook still showing at the mouth of the Río San Juan and the guapote fishing excellent with water levels at their lowest during this dry season.
