Bite Turns On in Quepos Area

AS predicted a week ago by Unique skipper Bill Gannon, the bite finally turned on in the central Pacific Quepos area, with only light wind out of the southwest, 84º water temperature, little rain, blue water and the fish cooperating.

Last Saturday and Sunday, anglers aboard the Unique had 19 sails up, with 13 bites and nine releases, along with a 32-pound dorado. Fishing in the central Pacific coastal region should continue to improve in the coming days.

THERE is still good fishing south of there, with Roy’s Zancudo Lodge reporting a 250-pound blue marlin release Sunday and another that would have gone over 300 pounds hooked but lost the same day.

One angler at the lodge had a monster yellowfin tuna on the line that would have gone over 250 pounds, but lost it after a two-hour battle.

Farther north, on the Nicoya Peninsula, Kitty Cat skipper Rob Gordon reports that boats out of Playa Carrillo have been getting at least a marlin a day, and are seeing increasing numbers of sailfish, along with tuna, dorado and a 60-pound wahoo, although the wahoo are not as plentiful as they were this time last year.

He said the Gamefisher II fished Carrillo for about three or four days, had shots at marlin and hooked some sails every day, with action about 26 miles out. White Magic captain Forrest Zielke said the bite on the northern Pacific coast continues much as reported last week, with an average of a marlin and two sails caught every day early in the week, but slowing a bit toward the end of last week. Zielke has a grouper hole out there where he usually stops long enough to let his customers haul out one of those goliaths.

CORRECTION: My apologies to Bill Gannon and other Quepos boat operators for an error in my report last week. The legendary Tim Choate did, in fact, release 10 sails in four days of fishing, four on the Unique and six on the Bigeye. Fishing in that area had been unseasonably poor, but apparently not as bad as my report made it out to be. As to critics who say I give credit in this column to so few boats and skippers, be assured it is only because so few contact me with reports or are available when I try to contact them.

This column must be submitted to The Tico Times by noon on Monday, so for your reports to be included you must call or e-mail me on Sunday or early Monday.

For more info on fishing or assistance in planning a trip to Costa Rica, contact Jerry at jruhlow@costaricaoutdoors.com or visit www.costaricaoutdoors.com. Skippers, operators and anglers are invited to contact Jerry with fishing reports by Sunday of each week. Call or fax 282-6743 within Costa Rica or write to the e-mail address above.