have set a new standard for Costa Rican Sportfishing.
With First Mate Alex running the spread, the mighty blue beauty has earned the title of the best boat in Nosara.
On July 15
Northeast Florida angler Austin Hattaway booked the big blue beauty for a billfish hunt, and the Wanderer delivered for an angler from her former port of call.
Captain William suffered an injury to his foot and missed this charter, meaning First Mate Alex was at the helm with Carlos of Explorer/Adventurer fame handling the cockpit.
Same faces in different places...and the same expected result from the Wanderer.
They had two Sailfish strikes throughout the trip and capitalized on both; the first came calling at 9 am just minutes after the flagship deployed the spread.
Sailfish number two came in for a landing just after 1pm and this fish was still ticked off after the brief 10 minute fight. Nice work by Mate Carlos to keep this pelagic under control.
Great work by the Wanderer and Florida's own Austin Hattaway!
Richard Harris and Morgan Trible enlisted the mighty blue Wanderer for their second of three trips on July 17 and the offshore harvester was ready for work; however the legendary Captain William would not be along for this trip as he continued to heal up after a cut to his foot.
The doctors say he will be back in action in no time, and until then the helm of the Wanderer is being manned by her long time First Mate.
Captain Alex Moreno once again brought along Mate Carlos and these two young guns put on a show for Morgan and his dad. First up was a awesome Dorado estimated to weigh 30lbs.
Close on the heels of the tasty Mahi was an equally scrumptious Yellowfin Tuna also tipping the scales north of 25lbs.
With dinner accounted for, Alex and Carlos set out the billfish spread and like clockwork a powerful Pacific Sailfish came tearing through the spread just after 1pm.
Richard Harris kept the line taut as Alex spun the Wanderer into the evasive fish. Carlos kept things in order in the cockpit and Mr. Harris released his first-ever Pacific Sailfish at just after 1:20pm.
Great work by the crew to keep this fish calm and unstressed for another safe release!
On July 18
Brad Hrebenar, David Marino and the rest of their Texas posse booked the Wanderer for a half day trip with outstanding results. With Captain William still on the injured list, command of the flagship was temporarily bequeathed to Captain Carlos of the Adventurer joined by mate-in-training Francisco.
This group released four excellent Sailfish and had a nice White tuna for the table.
Take a look at this little guy; estimated at 50lbs. this adolescent Sailfish is more reminiscent of a full-grown Atlantic Sailfish. Give him another year or so and this beastie will be bigger than Mate Francisco.
Young billfish like this require even more gentle handling and we are glad to report this fish (like all billfish we catch) was safely released.
Captain Carlos also reports that he had a Marlin on a teaser, but "he will eat next time." The Marlin have been scarce since May, but as long as the Sailfish are around it seems that everyone is all smiles.
Morgan Trible did it again! He earned his third enshrinement to the FishingNosara Hall of Fame on July 19 with a ridiculous 5 Sailfish released on the Wanderer.
The action started early and never stopped with released reported at 9:30am, 10am, 11:30am, 1:16pm and 2:30pm.
We'll let the pictures do the talking:
This action can only be described as World-Class, and the performance turned in by Morgan Trible, Richard Harris, and the rest of the group will be forever enshrined.
We bid farewell to Morgan for now, but we know that it won't be long until this Virginia-based Hall of Famer is back in Nosara to experience more of the best sportfishing in Costa Rica.
Jenny Brown and her buddies booked a quick morning 2.5 hour trip on July 20 and the Wanderer delivered hot action for the duration of the trip. They group caught five Bonitas, then rigged up one of them with hooks and sent it swimming deep.
An immediate massive strike wowed the anglers, and once this 45lbs. Rooster fish surfaced everyone was thrilled.
First Mate Alex carefully captured, photographed, and released the fish with little stress and we look forward to catching this beauty again.
It's been a record season for Rooster fish releases, and this may be one of the nicest ones yet. Great work!
Katherine Fanning and her wonderful family from South Carolina took to the seas on the Wanderer for a 5 hour half day trip and the Sailfish were thick as thieves when they arrived at the fishing grounds on July 23.
The first two Sailfish were nearly back to back, with Dad's release (above) coming at 10:19am and the young Mr. Fanning's release time-stamped at 10:57am.
The third and final Sailfish belonged to little brother, and the look of excitement on his face while reeling in this monster says more than words.
Oklahoma angler Scott Terrell and his lovely lady were blessed with a pair of Sailfish released on July 24 as the Wanderer welcomed Captain William back to the helm.
These Sails came in hot and heavy and it took all the flagship could muster catch these monsters.
Both of these sailfish put on acrobatic shows of strength, but the shimmering blue Wanderer overpowered the billfish as it her habit. Of the five strikes on the trip, this posse released three Sailfish.
Guess who's back???
This long cool woman in a black dress invited the Wanderer to dance on July 25, so client John grabbed the reel and changed up the tune.
While she isn't the biggest Black Marlin we've seen by a long shot, this 200+lbs. lady is a welcome sight for our eyes; the Marlin have been scarce since May and we weren't sure how long until we'd dance again.
Great release by First Mate Alex and the unbeatable Captain William fresh off his injured foot; let's hope this is a sign of Marlin resurgence as we approach the end of the season.
On July 26 client
Adam Peacock brought the whole family along for a fish-filled trip on the mighty Wanderer. Citing the short 2.5hr time-frame and some tough offshore conditions, Captain William chose to keep the flagship inside on the very fruitful reefs at Pincha Padre.
This young lady scored first with a nice-sized Wahoo in the fishbox. Shortly thereafter came this little White Tuna which is every bit as tasty as it looks.
The highlight of the morning was this gigantic Amberjack which weighs at least 30lbs. This was Mrs. Peacock's fish from the strike to the fight to the fishbox...you go girl!
Once again the Wanderer delivers a safe, fun fishing adventure for the whole family.
Our new friends Dan and Darlene Houser turned in a fantastic performance July 30 on the Wanderer, posting three total Sailfish releases including the very challenging Double Header Sailfish release!
The solo Sailfish came tearing through the flagship's spread around 11am and Dan brought him home like an old pro. Check out the colors on this behemoth:
When not working over big billfish, Dan works in the upper ranks of the world of auto racing. Still I'll bet he's never seen a photo finish like this one.
These twin racers took the checker at 1:20pm and clearly Team Houser was stoked...I bet Captain William burned a few doughnuts on the way back to Garza Bay.
Nice billfish handling by First Mate Alex to ensure the safe release of all three fish.
We get folks down here who want a taste of every flavor of paradise: zip-lines, kayaks, surfing, nature tours, relaxation on the beach and maybe a little fishing.
Then we get guys like Bob Pease. A true fisherman's fisherman, Mr. Pease and his group had the following itinerary: Land in Costa, fish three full days on the Wanderer, head back home to Georgia.
Well we are thrilled to report that the billfish kept their end of the deal as the big blue flagship released an unprecedented THIRTEEN Pacific Sailfish on August 6.
This eclipses her previous record day by six fish, with the whole gaggle safely released by Captain William and First Mate Alex.
Even more impressive is that these Georgia boys caught this baker's dozen on fourteen strikes; that is some good ole fashioned down South fishing right there.
On August 7 Bob Pease and the Georgia boys did it again! They followed up their legendary baker's dozen Sailfish releases with another day of excellent Sailfish action on the Wanderer.
The five Sailfish came over a five hour span, with releases reported at 10:09am, 10:42am, 12:18pm, 1:17pm, and 2:14pm. Very steady action like this is a good sign as the season nears closing...it means that the fish are still here despite the absence of a lot of boats. Of course all billfish were safely released.
They also got their first glimpse of a the mighty Marlin as a monster showed up for a late-day battle royale. Bob fought the beast for just under an hour before First Mate Alex finally got his hand on the leader.
The crew estimated the big Black Marlin to weigh well over 500lbs. so no billshot for this fish; however in a tournament setting touching the leader knot counts as a release so this fish definitely belongs on the scorecard.
On August 8
Bob Pease's boys put the finishing touch on a frenetic three day campaign against the Pacific Sailfish by posting several more releases on the Wanderer. Take a look at the blue bio-luminescence on this beauty:
They continued to stack up Sailfish releases and pushed their total for the week over thirty releases...incredible action on this late-season bite.
As a parting shot the boys brought in this tasty Yellowfin Tuna which hopefully made for a great end-of-trip dinner.
Great work by the Georgia-based Pease boys who have set a new standard for Costa Rican Sailfish excellence.
Paul Crevello and his group hail from the hard-fishing town of Largo, FL situated on the banks of Tampa Bay. We have had lots of great anglers come to Nosara from this challenging fishery and on August 9 Mr. Crevello kept the good times rolling like so many others from the 727.
This first Sailfish came calling at 9:30 am and Paul belted up to battle the beast. Great work by Captain William to keep the Wanderer two steps ahead of this monster and First Mate Alex to release her safe and sound.
The 1 o'clock bite has been sure as sugar the last few weeks, and right on time the Wanderer's spread was assaulted by skyrocketing Sailfish. Paul's son had an excellent release around 1:30pm, and then the boys released a pair of bright blue Sailfish at 2:30pm.
Billfish give off this bright blue luminescence when they become agitated and/or when they are on the feed. Most sportfishing crews leave the fish on the line until the color fades, meaning the fish is tired and less likely to be aggressive alongside the boat.
There are two lessons in these pictures:
1.) Paul Crevello and the posse did a great job of catching these fish quickly.
2.) The fearless First Mate Alex is willing to handle a pissed-off fish if it means getting the release quickly and without putting undue stress on the fish.
This is a world-class fishing performance in every respect.
Paul finished off the trip with a fifth Sailfish release at the end of the day; The next day they piled the fishbox high with big Yellowfin Tunas. Here is just a sample of the yella fellas these guys put on ice:
Of course once you find feeder fish of this size, it is only a matter of time before the billfish swarm in on the prey. This Sailfish was no match for the mighty Wanderer and was released around 1:30pm.
More great action for Paul Crevello on the August 11 with more Sailfish releases and reports of the all-of-the-sudden rare Dorado. First up was a lone hungry Sailfish who invaded the perimeter around 11:30am.
As usual Captain William kept the fight short and sweet and First Mate Alex executed a picture-perfect release. Their second Sailfish came in with the daily 1pm bite and by half-past one this fish was swimming free.
Around 3pm this feisty little Dorado came in whacking at the teasers and the boys snared him with an excellent bait and switch throwback. We are accustomed to seeing big Yellowfin Tunas this time of year so the appearance of this tasty greenie is a welcome sight. Yummy!
The Wanderer delivered an amazing end to a great week of fishing for Paul Crevello and the boys on August 12 with several more Sailfish releases plus a surprise tasty treat in the fishbox.
They stayed inshore during the morning and collected some Bonita for use as Sailfish bait, but just as they were heading offshore a mighty fish took the hook.
On the end of the line was this beautiful Cierro Mackeral. World renowned for the quality of its meat, the Cierro is a dynamite sushi fish. This specimen is one of the largest we've seen down here which is a good thing because the Crevello group would work up a big appetite during the afternoon Sailfish bite.
These beauties came flying by just after 1pm and the ensuing fight was frenetic. Captain William kept the fish on opposite sides of the boat as First Mate Alex coordinated the releases. After the lights-out fishing earlier in the week, Team Crevello are old pros at Sailfish releasing by now.
On August 13 Jacksonville Beach's own Tony Blanco scored huge with one of the biggest Broomtail Groupers of the season. These grey lunkers feel like a cinder block when on the hook and most anglers run out of strength long before seeing the beast.
Not in Duval! This North Florida angler pushed the Penn 760 Slammer reel to its limit and held fast against this tasty monster.
Tony's group also KO'd some tasty White Tunas. These delicacies are great as sushi or on the dinner table.
Once again the Wanderer delivers the goods for a Northeast Florida angler and with about 35lbs. of filets, Mr. Blanco is bound to be a popular fella around town.
Bill Meeker has been reading this fishing report for a long time and back in February got his son Will into to the report. It's a great pleasure to see that the Meeker group had an excellent day of action on August 15 on the Wanderer featuring a very rare Nurse Shark sighting.
This group had lots of action on Bonitas and Jacks inshore and then hooked-up this Nurse Shark on a vertical jigging rig.
We have no interest in keeping sharks, so everyone got their pictures and then First Mate Alex got the fun job of live releasing a ticked-off shark...all in a day's work for the hardest working man in Garza.
It's been a breakout year for the
Wanderer and we are totally stoked for November. In the meantime Craig and Matt will be stripping and repainting the
Wanderer with a fresh coat of Emron Shimmering Blue during the off-season.
Look for this project to be revealed in detail in the September report.