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Greetings!
 This is Craig Sutton with the June 2012 Costa Rica fishing report.
I have always said that May through August is the best time of the year to fish Costa and this months' photos support that statement.
Marlin, Sails, big Dorados, giant Cuberas, and the ever popular Yella Fellas all made appearances in June.
First off, let's give a big congratulation to Captain Carlos on the mighty Adventurer.
 On May 25 the Adventurer was the top boat in the bay, even though the Explorer had two trips that day and the Wanderer was fishing with me and Paula in the afternoon.
Captain Carlos spanked them all and he is as good as they get.
Expect the Adventurer to be top boat many more days this season and beyond.
Captain William and the outstanding First Mate Alex on the big blue beauty the Wanderer had many excellent days highlighted by my big 80lbs. Cubera. They a lso posted several great days with multiple hook ups on the sails, including one day with a 300lbs. Marlin release backed up by two Roosterfish releases. That is some world-class action!
Captain David and Carlos on the Explorer mixed it up all month and caught tons of fish, including Steve Creasey's 70lbs. Cubera Snapper. Steve is our first Hall of Famer to achieve double enshrinement on a single visit to Nosara.
Captain David and Carlos continue to impress the fishing world with their finely-honed skills and their 'Never Surrender' philosophy.
 Also check out our newest boat project, the Discoverer. This project will unfold LIVE on the Florida Sportsman Magazine website, the FishingNosara blog, and our Facebook page.
The project will include a live web cast with clips of each phase of the refit and explaining the problem, cure and prevention. The Discoverer project is going to be fun and very educational for all of our readers.
This thing kicks off in a few weeks, but for now enjoy a Sneak Peek at the Discoverer.
We are lucky to have some serious world class anglers and Hall of Famers returning this month and I expect to see them kick the doors off the hinges. Remember you can check blog.fishingnosara.com for daily reports as they happen.
The fishing should stay good until late August with the best action still to come. If you are considering visit this year or next year, please book early...we have already turned down several good clients because of previous bookings. If you have any questions or comments feel free to call me.
Tight Lines y Pura Vida!
-Craig
(904) 591-2161
Craig@FishingNosara.com
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Captain Carlos is focused on building a massive reputation for the newest weapon in the FishingNosara arsenal the Adventurer. Just in case you missed it, take a peek at the Adventurer Story for a behind-the-scenes look at FishingNosara's new stiletto. May 16 was a very productive half day outing for Jeff Saint on the nimble new Adventurer. They set up shop just outside of Garza Bay and found fertile fishing grounds over a piece of floating debris.
Jeff pulled five Dorados and eight Bonitas from under the driftwood and then Captain Carlos took them a little further inshore and deployed a scaled-down version of the devastating Planer / Spoon rig (see right side of photo below). This tasty Jack Crevelle was the result. 
Captain Carlos is a hungry fisherman who squeezes every drop of action out of his fishing days and delivers wall-to-wall catches on the hard-charging Adventurer. The top report of the month from the Adventurer came on May 25. Captain Carlos released the boat's first billfish, this fine Pacific Sail.
Client Josh Walker hooked-up this 100+ lbs. Sailfish on a surface feather about 1 mile from shore. With glassy water and calm conditions, there was no stopping Captain Carlos from taking the Adventurer a little more offshore than usual. 
Captain Carlos masterfully coordinated the strike and the fight, but most importantly saw to the safe and careful release of this awesome fish. 
Now most Captains would call it a day on the heels of this achievement, but Carlos is known for squeezing every drop out of a fishing day. 
Josh scored five nice-sized Dorados before the Sailfish strike, then later in the day dropped a line to the reef bottom and hauled in this amazing Cubera Snapper. 
A trophy fish released and lots of filets to go with it...this is the kind of fishing our clients can expect from Captain Carlos and the never-say-die Adventurer. 
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 Captain David and the Explorer have built a reputation as the boat that won't back down from a challenge. They brought home lots of massive bottom fish throughout the month and recently have showed no fear in the face of big seas. This middleweight champion routinely KO's fish reserved for vessels twice her size, and with the addition of Carlos in the mate position, this boat will not be bested. On May 20 Captain David welcomed a Steve Creasey from Florida for the first of multiple fishing days with FishingNosara. This big red Buick took every ounce of Steve's strength and almost every inch of line until it finally surfaced.
Kind of makes you forget about Red Snapper closures back in Clearwater, huh Steve? They added this second Snapper just a few minutes later. 
Captain David kept Mr. Creasey on the fish for the duration of the five hour trip, adding a Cierro Mackeral and three Dorados to the scorecard. Check out the rest of Steve's Hall of Fame level fishing with Captain William on the Wanderer later in this report. 
On May 22 Craig Sutton and the lovely Georgia peach Ms. Paula came to Nosara celebrating their 2nd anniversary. Hard to believe it's only been two years since Paula came along and taught Craig how to fish, but today's catches on the Explorer were a tasty reminder of Paula's angling prowess.
Craig showed his stuff in the form of a beautiful 50lbs. Dorado to start off the half-day with Captain David, but Paula brought the house down by catching a dinosaur of a Cubera Snapper.
They also added a Mangrove Snapper that weighed every bit of 30lbs. Great catches by the US Representative for FishingNosara and his fishing instructor Ms. Paula.
Craig and Paula were at it again on May 23, joining Captain David and the legendary Explorer for an inshore harvest. They got things off to a quick start with three nice Yellowfin tunas weighing over 30lb. a piece.
Then they drifted over the fruitful reef at Pincha Padre and pulled up this interesting Mullet Snapper, estimated to weigh 12 delicious pounds.
On May 27 client Jeff Shapiro of Shacked.org and his friends joined Captain David for a combination Tuna hunt / marine nature tour and he has some excellent footage to show for it. Check out this video:
After setting the world on fire with Captain Carlos on the Adventurer, client Josh Walker stepped up to the super panga Explorer on May 30.
Carlos was along in his usual post as First Mate as Captain David set the barroom brawler on a huge pot of fish. The rods bent early and often once again for Josh.
This pair of 30lbs. Yellowfins were the highlight of the day, however the boys kept the good time rolling with 10 small Doardos reported in the fishbox. Though these little schoolies only weighed 15lbs. each, when you catch ten it does add up.
Our new friends Asif and Sebastian joined our old buddy Jeff Grosshandler for what was supposed to be a 5 hour half-day excursion on June 3.
The Explorer was ready to rock with First Mate Alex on loan from the Wanderer, but unfortunately the weather did not cooperate and they had to shorten the trip due to big waves.
That didn't stop the legendary Explorer from catching a nice Yellowfin Tuna, though. This 35lbs. monster came in the first 30 minutes of the trip. You can tell from the background in these pictures that the storms were just about to fire off.
Great work by the dynamic duo to keep the Explorer in one piece and to make sure all the clients made it back to shore safely. It's days like this that we are so proud to have a boatman of Captain David's caliber on this vessel. Here's what Jeff had to say:
"Wow, crazy storm! Alex and David handled everything amazingly well, Alex especially impressed me. We are going back out later this week, maybe Wednesday. There are huge Tuna there right now."
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Captain William and the FishingNosara flagship Wanderer have set a new mark for Costa Rican Sportfishing.
With First Mate Alex running the cockpit, the blue beauty has earned the title of the top boat in Garza.
As recent client and very experienced angler Marty Wiggins put it, "the Wanderer is one of the best fish raising boats in Costa Rica!"
The tasty green Dorados are back in the area and the Wanderer is doing all she can to stay on top of them. On the morning of May 12 client Lion caught three of these Mahi-Mahi with the big one weighing over 25lbs. For some reason chose to take a picture with the smallest one.
This came on the heels of client Kate knocking out 5 Dorados on a 2.5hr. Sunset trip the night prior. Clearly the Wanderer is apt to adapt her tactics as the bite changes.
May 15 was a tough day on the Wanderer. Client James Cash and his group were in town for multiple days of fishing which is a good thing because the water conditions for their first trip were less than stellar.
This 10lbs. Dorado was the only viable catch of the day, and from the picture you can see why. Those dark clouds onshore were pouring fresh water down the mountain which pushed the blue water far out to sea.
Still the Wanderer showed her "Never Surrender" attitude by getting at least one fish in the box.
After racking the biggest Cubera Snapper of the season over on the Explorer, Steve Creasey turned in another Hall of Fame performance on the mighty Wanderer.
This Clearwater, FL based angler had five Sailfish in the spread and ended up releasing four of the mighty beasts on May 21.
The first three fish came calling all at once, and it took careful coordination between First Mate Alex in the cockpit and Captain William on the wheel to keep the three billfish from tangling the lines.
Steve kept his cool and all three fish were no match for this crew. All billfish were safe released as always. He ended up the day with an additional Sailfish release and a tasty Dorado for the dinner table.
Ron and Elaine Schurr are the most recent in a long line of Jacksonville anglers who have found success on the mighty Wanderer. It feels like the blue beauty can sense when the anglers hail from her former port of call.
On May 22 Captain William put these fine folks over a nice bite of Dorado and they came home with about 25 pounds of tasty Mahi Mahi filets.
After turning in two Hall of Fame performances in as many days, Steve Creasey came back down to Earth with a normal fishing day on May 23...however 'normal' down here is still a world-class day anywhere else.
This Clearwater, FL angler added two more Pacific Sailfish releases to his scorecard plus added a trio of beefy Yellowfin Tunas to the fishbox.
Jake Winchester had a blast on the mighty Wanderer on May 25...he brought his buddies Jeff Maly and John Savage for the trip and all hands were needed right away. They headed offshore to troll for billfish and out of four chances manages to catch and release one high-flying Pacific Sail.
They also added a Yellowfin Tuna to the fishbox and this teeny Wahoo.
This "Wee-hoo" has the same distinctive glowing tiger stripes as his bigger brethren and would have made for one tasty sandwich had the boys not thrown him back. Hopefully we'll see him again next year when he weighs 80lbs.
Craig Sutton made history two years ago on January 22, 2010 with what was at that time the biggest Cubera Snapper we'd ever seen.
The Wanderer has utilized his special Cubera Snapper Tactic to put many clients on these Big Red Buicks (see All Cubera Catches) and some would say that Craig's legacy has been lost in all this success.
On May 25 Craig shot back to his rightful spot as King of the Cubera Hill with this MASSIVE 80+lbs. Cubera Snapper. This fish fought very hard, as described by Craig on the Florida Sportsman Radio program (click to listen) the following morning.
Client Bob Hartin and his group brought a great energy to the Wanderer on May 28 and on cue the mighty blue beauty delivered the goods for these fellas. Captain William headed offshore for deep water and the boys got off to a fast start.
This awesome Pacific Sailfish came roaring in just after 10am and with Bob on the reel and First Mate Alex coordinating the fight, this billfish release was smooth as silk.
With the trophy fish secure on the metaphorical mantle, the Wanderer switched to the deadly skipping ballyhoo rig and deployed a smaller hookset. The target species for this rig: Dorado!
Look at all the activity in the top of the water column. Captain William has a way of finding spots like this Marine Metropolis.
A trio of 35lbs. monsters were the highlights, but they had two more in the fishbox that weighed at least 25lbs.
Great fun fishing with this group of fired-up hombres...enjoy the filets fellas, but why not let Alex cut them off of the fish first?!
On June 1 client Alex Richter brought his wife Nicole and their kids for an epic fishing adventure on the mighty Wanderer. Captain William and First Mate Alex are always up for a Rooster fish hunt, but this performance sets a new high point.
They released this GIGANTIC Rooster fish at 7:15am and released a second Pez Gallo less than 15 minutes later. That is a heck of a lot of action in the first 30 minutes.
Check out the luminescent Roosterfish reflecting the blue hull of the Wanderer...what an amazing creature!
After a fast start like this, it is only fitting that the flagship followed up with one of the nicest Blue Marlin of the season. This bombshell blasted through the spread around 11am and the fight was on!
Client Alex got a little coaching from First Mate Alex and after a 30 minute slugfest brought her alongside for a safe release.
Outstanding work by Alex Richter and the mighty Wanderer to release three fish-of-a-lifetime on a single 5 hour trip! Give a listen as Craig talks a little trash on the Florida Sportsman Radio Show.
Recently our buddy Jeff Grosshandler of Namaste Oasis brought his friend Matt to FishingNosara to get a taste of top notch blue water billfish hunting.
After riding out a heck of a storm earlier in the week on the Explorer, Jeff opted for the luxurious confines of the flagship Wanderer for this 3/4 day trip on June 8.
The weather was picture-perfect as the Wanderer discovered the blue water break about 14 miles offshore. First Mate Alex deployed the spread and it was an immediate hit with several 15 - 20lbs. Dorados. With five greenies on ice they switched over to lures to coax in a big billfish.
This beautiful Sailfish hit the spread around 3:30pm and put up an aggressive 25 minute fight. Matt took care of business on the reel and with Captain William outmaneuvering the fish at every turn, it was only a matter of time until she was alongside for the release.
First Mate Alex handled the fish with great care and released her safe as always. Great day of fishing offshore for the FishingNosara flagship Wanderer!
"I had a great time fishing down on the Adventurer, Wanderer and Explorer," Matt wrote us in an email. "The Captains were all great and very friendly, also know how to fish which is the most important. I will be back, hopefully in February. Thank you."
You ever wish you had the kind of boss who would send you and the boys on a fishing trip to Costa Rica? Tim Peeler of St. Augustine Toyota is that kind of boss.
He set up a 4 day mid-week vacation with 3 days of fishing as an incentive for the sales staff, and after a fantastic month of action on the showroom the trip to Costa Rica was won by Ian Barnett, Jeff Shearer, Jeff Blanchard and Robert Nolan.
Things got off to a lightning start on their first day. They started fishing at noon and by 12:45 this high-flying Sailfish had taken the bait.
Excellent fight and release as usual, but this would be the first of three Sailfish that would meet their match on this trip. The second came calling a few hours later at 3pm and once again the game was on.
The final Sailfish of the day came just on the heels of the second. Once again, the Wanderer would not be denied as these Florida anglers showed how we get down in the Sunshine State.
After 4 full hours of Sailfish battles, these 'Sails'-men switched over the spread to target tasty Yellowfin Tunas and put a pair of plump Yella Fellas on ice.
They kept the pressure on during their second fishing trip with Captain William on the Wanderer. Jeff, Ian, Robert, and Jeff added one more billfish to the scorecard by releasing this beauty in the first hour of the trip.
The offshore bite shut down, so the crafty Captain William took the flagship inshore to hunt reef monsters. Check out this mammoth 60lbs. Amberjack they pulled up from about 120 feet of water.
Great work by Captain William and First Mate Alex as once again the Wanderer delivers a great month of fishing with lots of happy clients and full fishboxes.
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A trio of nice articles came out this month relating to our little slice of paradise.
 First up, check out page 42 of this month's Coastal Angler Magazine for coverage of the First Annual JaxKayak FishingNosara Family Cup winners:
Read the full story at Coastal Angler Magazine Online (Page 42)
Next here's a nice recommendation of Nosara by the BBC. It's a good read, especially if you cop a British accent:
Check out this article from the Fernadina Beach News Leader featuring client Mike Burling and First Mate Alex of the mighty Wanderer:
Click the image above for the full article, and if you want to see some more great pics check out Mike Burling's Catches section.
Thanks for the pub...Great article from Florida's oldest weekly newspaper.
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Turtle Safari Tour
 
Snorkel Safari Tour
Kayak Safari Tour
On May 30 Bob Hartin and his posse followed their fantastic day on the Wanderer with an equally thrilling day of kayaking on the Rio Nosara.
A full floatilla of eight kayaks with ten total participants set off from the highlands and drifted about 3 miles to the mouth of the river.
At this junction our guides broke out the rods and started hunting for the crafty little mangrove snappers that live along the banks and the super snook that patrol the mouth. The group had some nibbles and some mysteries but no amazing fish this time.
All in all it was a great day of fresh air and beautiful nature on a Kayak Safari Tour.
Horseback Safari Tour
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  - Entry level package for up to 3 anglers.
- 1 week (7 nights) in Casa Tranquilo, Casa Surfeando or Apartemento (sleeps up to 3 persons)
- Three Half-days (5 hours) of fishing on 27' Explorer. Each trip includes water, fruit, snacks, and tackle. Choice of morning or afternoon start time.
- $2100 Total
- $700 per person
- Entry level package for 4 anglers.
- 1 week (7 nights) in Casa Bonita, Casa Caribe or Casa Jardin (sleeps up to 6 persons)
- Three Half-days (5 hours) of fishing on 31' Wanderer. Each trip includes water, fruit, snacks, and tackle. Choice of morning or afternoon start time.
- $2800 Total
- $700 per person
- Fully-loaded package for 6 anglers.
- 1 week (7 nights) in Casa Capitan (sleeps up to 9 persons)
- Three Full days (8 hours) of fishing on 31' Wanderer. Each trip includes water, fruit, snacks, lunch, and tackle.
- Include Four Passenger Safari Cart for 7 days.
- $4500 Total
- $750 per person
- Inshore fishing package for 4 anglers.
- 1 week (7 nights) in Casa Bonita, Casa Caribe or Casa Jardin (sleeps up to 6 persons)
- Kayak Safari Tour. Trip includes water, fruit, snacks, guide, equipment, and lunch.
- Horseback Mountain Safari Tour. Trip includes water, fruit, snacks, guide, equipment, and lunch.
- Fishing Safari Tour. Trip includes water, fruit, snacks, guide, equipment, and lunch. Choice of river mouth or beach casting.
- One Half-day (5 hours) of fishing on 27' Explorer. Trip includes water, fruit, snacks, and tackle. Choice of morning or afternoon start time.
- $1800 Total
- $450 per person
 - Mixed fishing package for 2 anglers.
- 1 week (7 nights) in Casa Bonita, Casa Caribe or Casa Jardin (sleeps up to 6 persons)
- Kayak Safari Tour. Trip includes water, fruit, snacks, guide, equipment, and lunch.
- Fishing Safari Tour. Trip includes water, fruit, snacks, guide, equipment, and lunch. Choice of river mouth or beach casting.
- Three Half-days (5 hours) of fishing and/or snorkeling on 23' Adventurer. Trip includes water, fruit, snacks, and tackle. Choice of morning or afternoon start time.
- $1540 Total
- $770 per person
 - Romantic getaway for couples.
- 1 week (7 nights) in Casa Tranquilo or Casa Surfeando (sleeps 2)
- Champagne and Chocolate Check-in
- In-house couples massage for two.
- In-house Breakfast for 5 days includes assorted local breads, fruit, yogurt, coffee, and juice.
- Full service cleaning including wash/dry/fold laundry.
- Private 2 person Horseback Mountain or Kayak Safari Tour. Trip includes water, fruit, snacks, guide, equipment, and lunch.
- Sunset fishing trip (2.5 hours) on 31' Wanderer. Trip includes water, fruit, cookies and champagne.
- $2000 Total
- $1000 per person
 - Nature exploration package for 2 persons.
- 1 week (7 nights) in Casa Tranquilo, Casa Surfeando or Apartemento (sleeps up to 3 persons)
- Kayak Safari Tour. Trip includes water, fruit, snacks, guide, equipment, and lunch.
- Horseback Mountain Safari Tour. Trip includes water, fruit, snacks, equipment, guide, and lunch.
- Snorkel Safari Tour. Trip includes water, fruit, snacks, guide, equipment, and lunch.
- Two bicycles for 7 days.
- In-house couples massage for two.
- $1400 Total
- $700 per person
 - Fully-loaded package for families up to 9 people.
- 1 week (7 nights) in Casa Capitan (sleeps up to 9 persons)
- In-house Breakfast for 5 days includes assorted local breads, fruit, yogurt, coffee, and juice.
- Full service cleaning including wash/dry/fold laundry.
- One Half-day (5 hours) of fishing on 31' Wanderer. Each trip includes water, fruit, snacks, and tackle. Choice of morning or afternoon start time.
- Safari Tour for up to 8 people (Snorkeling, Kayaking, Horseback, Fishing, Surfing, Eco). Trip includes water, fruit, snacks, guide, equipment, and lunch.
- Include Six Passenger Safari Cart for 7 days.
- $5000 Total
 Airport TransportationNosara Transport features top-of-the-line vehicles that are rigorously inspected to ensure a safe and swift trip. Our friendly drivers provide door-to-door service to the major airports. Avoid the hassles of the Taxi Stand by having your transportation arranged ahead of time.
Transportation one way to/from Liberia Airport: $140 (up to 8 people)
Transportation one way to/from San Jose Airport: $240 (up to 8 people)
Water and Snacks included. Beer and wine available for an additional fee
Lodging at Nosara Paradise Rentals
Located next to the nature preserve Nosara Paradise Rentals is an ecologist's dream. From the monkeys sunning above the pool to the Pizotes wandering through the gardens, Nosara Paradise Rentals brings the rainforest to your doorstep. Our units come complete with all the necessary amenities to fully enjoy your stay: modern kitchen appliances, utensils, microwave, blender, towels, linens, et cetera.
Nosara Paradise Rentals features a complete support staff (gardener, concierge, cleaning and laundry services) to ensure that your stay is as trouble free as possible.
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