presented by:
 |
|
|
|
Greetings!
This is Craig Sutton with the January 2014 Costa Rica Fishing Report. The New Year has brought new success for the FishingNosara team as all of our Captains report big action on the blue water.  Captain Carlos of the 23-foot Adventurer leads off the report with a massive Sailfish release...we knew that the pocket knife would catch fish, but we had no idea that Carlos would deliver the goods so consistently for his clients. The barroom-brawlin' 26-foot Explorer has also put a dent in the fish population this month. Captain David reports record numbers of Sailfish releases as Mate Kevin continues to grow in his prowess handling big billfish. The crew of the Explorer is also satisfying his clients' desire for Dorado, Yellowfin Tuna, and Cubera Snapper...with all these filets on ice, it's hard to tell if the Explorer is a super panga or a super shopping cart!   Of course the flagship Wanderer is the champion of Garza Bay as Master Captain William and First Mate Alex have been putting on a clinic all month. Big Marlin dominate their scorecard, plus they added some Double Sailfish releases and tons of edible filets for good measure. Best of all, this holiday season several families brought their kids along and this report is full of big fish and big smiles on the faces of little anglers.   This month's fishing report is chock-full of goodness including news from the Nosara River and updates from The Discoverer Project...all that and more after the fishing reports. Keep an eye on the FishingNosara Blog for fresh catch updates as they happen. We still have limited openings in February and March, but the summer months are already starting to book up. Don't miss your chance...the bite is just getting started to fire up and everything looks to get better.
Tight Lines y Pura Vida!
-Craig Sutton
(904) 591-2161
Craig@FishingNosara.com
|
|
Catch of the Month - December 30, 2014
Kirk Sandifer and his group enlisted the flagship Wanderer for a morning half day, and they had a brilliant day of blue water fishing.
The action started with a nice trio of Sailfish releases early in the day.
The action intensified when a mammoth Blue Marlin flew through the spread and was expertly hooked by First Mate Alex. 
This fight was on, but this monster was no match for Collin Sandifer. 
First Mate Alex turned this Marlin loose, yet the Sailfish bite stayed hot yielding another pair. 
A Marlins and five Sails on a 5hr. trip? That is the stuff of legend!  "We had a great trip in Nosara, I only wished we could have fished more. The one day with Captain William and Alex, we released 5 sails and a Marlin." "As I was hoping for, my son who just celebrated his nineteenth birthday caught his first bill fish; 1 sail at 9:30 AM and a blue at 11AM." "Great day with your team...Alex is a beast and William landed us on the bills. They work so well together we just decided to stay out of their way!" "Our hook up ratio was strong, something like 6 for 9 strikes." "Awesome day in Costa Rica. Pura Vida baby!!!" Kirk Sandifer
|
The Adventurer represents a wild idea for fishing in these waters; this 23-foot panga hull is armed with enough horsepower, sunshade, and rod holders to turn skeptics into believers as Captain Carlos continually breaks down the barriers between his clients and big fish!
December 23 brought amazing news from the Adventurer!
Captain Carlos reports the first Sailfish release of the year for the 23-foot switchblade, and this trophy caught by client David Carroll is arguably the largest Sail of the season so far.
Notice the glassy calm of the water so close in shore? This means that there is nothing to deter the big bluewater pelagic close enough to shore for the wiley Adventurer to strike.
After a safe release by Captain Carlos, these Maryland-based anglers brought home some dinner in the form of two meaty Dorados.
All around perfect day for the up-and-coming Captain Carlos and the Adventurer.
On December 24 client Bailey Brackhoff had an excellent day of Dorado action on the 23-foot Adventurer with Captain Carlos. Check out this pair of tasty Greenies.
All caught less than 5 miles out, to boot!
The Adventurer welcomed Sue Battis and her group on December 27 and got a nice bit of good-eatin' fish. Check it out: 
This big Dorado is the scale-tipper of the day, but the smaller Wahoo caught later in the trip is probably the best tasting; when they are in the 10-30lbs. range is when silver bullets yield the best meat. 
Corey Gammill is the latest Connecticut angler to try his hand on our blue water, and Captain Carlos and the fearless Adventurer showed him a great time.
Check out this beefcake Dorado they put on ice:
This was the highlight of Corey's five hour trip which also included some small Snappers and Bonitas.
Big boat or small, these fish can't tell the difference when Captain Carlos is on the hunt. Great job by the up-and-coming Adventurer...who knows what the 23-foot pocket knife will pry up next? |
 Captain David and the Explorer are in top form with some great action to report this month. This 26-foot barroom brawler beats up big fish like a boat twice her size and shows no mercy on the blue water behemoths lurking offshore.
On December 17 Kyle Lewis and his friends took to the blue water on the unstoppable Explorer and bagged some great-eatin' fish for their week in Nosara.
First up was this big Yellowtail snapper; this is the second whopper of this variety this week and is certainly a Christmas treat for our anglers.
Kyle finished off their trip with this big Dorado. Yummy!
Brent Mileur and his daughter had a great day of action on the legendary Explorer with Captain David and Mate Kevin on December 18.
Dorado was on the menu and this group snagged a trio of tasty green goblins.
Nice work from the crew of the baddest Super Panga in town!
David Pippins' boys hail from the heart of Jacksonville, FL and on December 24 they turned in a very productive half-day on the Super Panga Explorer with Captain David. They boated a pair of thick Dorados, then backed it up with a smaller duo of Yellowfin Tuna.
Great work by the barroom brawler and these boys from our backyard!
Hendrik Engel spent Christmas day on the Explorer with Captain David and Mate Kevin. The Super Panga delivered some gifts for this family...two Sailfish a-leaping!
We expect to see Hendrik later this season for a return visit to Sailfish City.
The Cooper Family had a fantastic fishing day on December 26 with Captain David and Mate Kevin. Mr. Cooper kicked off the action with a nice Dorado catch. 
  Things really heated up in the afternoon as the Explorer was beset by waves of Sailfish strikes.  
  
Sarah Cooper scored this mammoth release, but right on the heels of this fish swimming away Jessica nabbed one of her own. These were the first Sailfish for each of these ladies, but they bested the beasts with the precision of old pros.
Mate Kevin saw to the safe releases as Captain David stayed one step ahead of these rocket ships. The Explorer has been on fire during January and we have barely been able to keep up with Captain David's mammoth catches! The Super Panga ran over 30 trips since our last report and the action has been out of sight. Sailfish have been a consistent treat for our anglers who crave offshore billfish. 
Great work by Mate Kevin on the safe releases...the new mate on the Explorer is really turning heads with his excellent performance so far.
Clients of all ages have been catching football-sized Yellowfin Tuna from the Super panga...clearly Ahi is back on the menu! 
Of course the staple of our blue water bounty is big Dorado, and as the first peak of the season hits the Mahi have been getting bigger. 
The Explorer isn't just a lure-dragger; she is fully equipped for inshore bottom fishing and Captain David's lifetime of experience in Garza Bay spells doom for big reef dwellers. 
Captain David is Garza's fastest rising star and we expect more unbelievable results from the Super Panga as the 2014 season unfolds.
|
The mighty Wanderer is the FishingNosara flagship and has earned the title of the top boat in the bay.
The Master Captain William brings decades of experience on this waters while the Super Mate Alex has pioneered new tactics that have turned the world of fishing in Garza on its head.
Together they have built a spotless rep for quality, safety, and results that can not be topped.
Mark Boyer and his family are from the hard-fishin' town of Orange Park, FL just 10 miles south of our shops in Jacksonville. This hardy angler won his trip to Nosara at the Greater Jacksonville Kingfish Tournament last July, and they scored big fish in Costa Rica like many of our Northeast Florida guests.   
The Boyer family got off to a fast start with a trio of excellent Sailfish releases. After Mom scored the first release, it was time for the kids to flex their fishing muscles on a subsequent pair of Sails.
This one really lit up the sky with some above the water fireworks!
After the safe releases by First Mate Alex, Mark Boyer stepped up to the plate and bested the first Marlin of the young season on the mighty Wanderer.
It wasn't just big billfish for the Boyers...check out these beautiful Dorados they put on ice!
Another great performance by the flagship with this great Florida family!
On December 19 Roger Bowgen brought his family to Nosara from the bitter cold of Connecticut and not only did they get treated to a week of tropical sunshine, but also had a mammoth day of Sailfish releases on the flagship Wanderer.
The note attached to the fishing booking sheet read: "Son's Birthday...target billfish"
Captain William took this family to Sailfish City. As usual the furious action kicked off early and didn't relent until the end of the day.
Happy Birthday! Young Mr. Bowgen broke the ice with this excellent Sailfish at 9:30am, then it was sis' turn to battle a blue water behemoth.
With a little help from the birthday boy she released this thick Sailfish around 11am.
A
nother sneaky Sailfish came calling and met the same fate as his brethren...a safe release by the super First Mate Alex.
After lunch the adults got their turn when a pair of skywalking Sailfish took the bait.
These two sails were nearly simultaneous released, however this beast on the port side was too fired up to hold on to for long.
As a final curtain call, Team Bowgen executed the very challenging Double Sailfish release late in the day.
No help required for this pair of seasoned Sailfish scrappers...under First Mate Alex' supervision they pulled off the double release like old pros.
The Bowgen's got more than just great release photos from this trip: Check out the big Dorado and tasty Yellowfin put on ice by these Northeastern anglers:
 
Excellent work by the flagship under the command of Captain William!
Here's and email we received from Roger:
"Good morning Craig!"
"Before 2013 disappears completely over the horizon, I just wanted to drop you a note and say thank you to you and your crew in Nosara. You have a first class, professional,operation in Costa Rica and as you know from the photographs/blog we had an amazing trip."
"Both Captains and Mates are to be congratulated. For my son, his 21st birthday will never be forgotten"
Roger Bowgen
On December 20 Greg McKeown brought the whole family for a morning on the Wanderer, and the spacious flagship performed well despite the full load.
Greg brought home the bacon in the form of this 25lbs. Dorado.
Ray Cote and his friends had a very productive half-day on the Wanderer; Captain William stayed inshore and trolled a criss-crossed stretch of ocean with Captain David of the Explorer. They stirred up quite a bite of fish as proven by these nice catches.
The first highlight was this whopper of a Cierro Mackerel...check back through all Cierro Mackerel catches and you can really appreciate the size of this monster.
Later in the morning a big Rooster fish found the bait and, with the Explorer looking on in the background, they released this grande gallo:
Matt and Kim Lowe brought their family down to Nosara from Alaska on December 21 and enjoyed some excellent fishing action on the Wanderer. You know it's going to be a nice trip when it starts off with a double Sailfish hookup.
Next up was a meaty Dorado snared by Matt Lowe. It's awesome to see the kids get involved in the action...check out this beast!
The highlight of the trip was Mrs. Lowe releasing this awesome Blue Marlin.
This high-flyer was a real fighter but the combination of Captain William on the wheel and First Mate Alex on the billshot, it never had a chance.
Matt finished off the day with another great Sailfish release...this Alaska-based fishing family has got the billfish game all figured out.
"I wanted to let you know that we had an amazing time fishing on Saturday," Kim wrote in an email. "The crew was amazing and the fishing was out of this world."
Jeff Allen and his buddy started the first of their two days on fishing on the Wanderer with a BANG!
When you get on board and First Mate Alex has the lures lined up like rifle shells you know that something big is bound to happen.
Double Sailfish release less than an hour into the trip!
After the safe releases these boys would go on to put a pair of Dorados on ice for the dinner table.
Excellent trip by the boat that always comes out swinging!
Jeff Allen already bested the offshore monsters on December 24, so for his follow-up trip the Wanderer stayed inshore to hunt another bucket-list fish...the sneaky Rooster Fish!
Just as with the Sailfish and Dorado, these great fish came in pairs.
Excellent hunting by the Master Captain William and nice fish-handling by First Mate Alex to ensure the safe live release of these beauties.
Jon Salem and his group took the blue water by storm on December 26 with lots of great near-shore blue water action.
Early in the afternoon the kids roped in some big Dorados.
A pair of high-flying Sailfish would come calling late in the day, and the Wanderer showed her stuff with two nice releases.
Great work by this group of Tampa, FL-based angler and the mighty flagship.
The blue water has moved extremely close to shore in late December, much to the delight of our holiday anglers. Check out these blue water specimens caught less than 5 miles from shore:
This is why fishing in our area is the best bang-for-your-buck fishing in the world...most boats have a 40+ mile trip to find these monsters, while here in Garza they are in the front yard.
John Hicks and his posse had a huge day on the Wanderer with big catches of Dorado and Yellowfin Tuna punctuated by a swarm of Sailfish releases.
First Mate Alex stocked the baitwell with live mullet and Captain William set course for Sailfish City.
In total this group tallied four big Sailfish releases.
A welcome surprise to our fishery recently are the ever-growing Yellowfin Tuna. Usually the Yella Fellas are scarce until March, but this year they are early.
Excellent day of multi-species action for the John Hicks group.
Carter Peobody signed up the Wanderer for a quick 2.5 hour trip to the reefs and he had a singular focus in mind: Rooster fish.
Fishin' accomplished!
Great work by the master hunter Captain William to stalk this beauty and by First Mate Alex on the safe handling and release.
Tilford Smith and his boys had a big time on December 29 as the Wanderer reports big Dorados, bigger Sailfish, and the super-big-time Double Sailfish Release!
Mr. Smith got things off to a quick start with this Sailfish release (above), then the boys got down to business.
Captain William has a sixth sense with Sailfish and the mighty Wanderer was on her game this day!
They each released a Sailfish, then the magical double strike occurred just after 1pm.
Safe releases all around by the incomparable First Mate Alex.
They also boated a pair of nice Dorados for the dinner table, illustrating that the Wanderer is truly the best all-around vessel in Garza Bay.
Sheila and Eric Wollam brought their family down to Nosara and took advantage of the great fishing action this week. On New Years' Eve these Texas anglers put on a show with two Sailfish releases and two big Dorados for the dinner table.
It's great to see a family enjoying their time on the water and reminds us of what fishing is really all about.
Excellent job by the mighty flagship Wanderer and the Wollam family.
January 1 was an excellent day of Dorado action for Irene and Bruce Page .
The green monsters came in at a steady pace and the whole group got a change to master these Mahi Mahi. 
Some people think that First Mate Alex has to best gig in town, but it's not all smiling in the photos with world class fish...guess who got to release this accidental Shark by-catch? 
All in a day's work for the famous Wanderer!
Maikel Cotton's group exploded onto the scene on the mighty Wanderer with a Striped Marlin release backed up by several Sailfish and a few Dorados for good measure.
This Stripey was the highlight of the trip and is estimated by First Mate Alex to weigh in around 250lbs.
Captain William has the map to Sailfish City and once again put his clients right on top of a swarm of super Sailfish.
Dorado filets round out this trip for these fun-loving clients!
Great work all around by Captain William and First Mate Alex, the Kings of Garza Bay!
Doc Hatton and his crew got on a big bite of Dorado on January 5. Check out this mammoth green monsters:
With three big Mahi in the box, they found a fellow appreciator of fresh Dorado meat: this high-flyin Sailfish:
The trip went so well that they released this late-day Dorado estimated under 10lbs...come back when your grown!
Four-time Hall of Famer Dennis Paul and the lovely Barbara Dayhoff are back in Nosara for a week of fun fishing action.
Barbara led off their first day with a wonderful Sailfish release.
Later in the trip a big bad Striped Marlin hit the spread and the fight was on!
This fish stayed deep in the water and challenged Dennis to a tug-of-war...this is unusual behavior from a small Stripey as they usually put on an acrobatic display above the water.
Dennis used the fighting chair, his own custom fishing belt, and a little help from First Mate Alex to land this beast.
Great work by the flagship and, dare-I-say the FIVE time Hall of Famer Dennis Paul.
Some tough seas offshore on January 7 for Doc Hatton and his posse on the Wanderer, but these New Jersey anglers ain't scared of a swell...compared to the Montauk Canyons this is child's play.
Doc picked up right where they left off on the 5th with a pair of Dorados in the fishbox early on.
Later in the day they found this juvenile Sailfish roaming around and snatched him up for a safe quick release.
These hardy fishermen have another trip on the books this week and we look for a fantastic finish for Doc Hatton's crew. Keep an eye on the FishingNosara Blog for up-to-date action reports.
The spring months are starting to book up, especially for the Wanderer. If you are ready to fish with the best, don't delay...book today!
|
|
Nosara River Fishing
The action at the mouth of the Rio Nosara has been off the great this month. Local angler Carl Wells showed his stuff with some excellent catches of Snook and Permit:    Also local legend Chimpy snared a MASSIVE Cuberra Snapper in the surf:   Local man Yahaira Jimenez also shared some of his big action:  |
|
Paint Work - A Look Back
December 16, 2013 - Day 624
Is that Christmas snow here in our Jacksonville, FL shop?
Nope, but it is proof that we've become some hardcore carpenters as The Discoverer Project nears it's conclusion.
Brian has made excellent progress on the tackle drawers for the cabin utilizing marine starboard for the material.
We are using notched drawers so there won't be any steel rollers or other hardware...no hardware means no chance of hardware failure.
Brian kept the carpentry rolling by building new covers for the cabinets.
Craig has stayed in the cabin working on the rigging table and installing a hatch in the foreward of the cabin.
Jamaal has focused on the trim wood and the cabin door...looking sharp!
We also got the tuna tubes mounted. As usual we epoxy-sleeved the bolts, and notice the piece of holding wood we added to accommodate a shorter screw.
Matt has finished the reassembly of the outrigger mounts.
Notice the photograph used for reference...it's been a long 19 months since we took this unit apart, so the older posts are really coming in handy as we put everything back together.
Most recently we rolled a coat of bilge paint into the center to help beef up the gelcoat. This should keep the bilge protected for many seasons.
We are progressing at a rapid speed and look to report more good news as we roll ahead on The Discoverer Project.
January 4, 2014 - Day 644
The Discoverer Project is at full sail as we are finished with construction and are down to final rigging. We can't lose focus just yet though as these final touches are the margin between a good boat and a great boat.
The early stages of Brian's tackle lockers were detailed in the prior post, but the finished product is really exciting.
In addition to the four drawers, he built a system of cubby holes to hold loose items like fishing tackle, drink cups, camera cases, etc. While he was at it he also built a slick paper towel holder mounted on an open top box for even more storage
Another big accomplishment this week was the re-installation of the windshield and side windows.
Clearly we were very careful with the new windows. A thick bead of black 5200 and several #8 screws and bolts did the trick on this install.
Safety first! This boat is being rigged to USCG standards so a Kidde Marine Fire Extinguisher was the first thing to get mounted.
Brian has moved ahead and prepared the main console with a piece of black lexan. He then cut out a hole for the compass.
He finished his preparation for wiring by mounting the stereo speakers for the AM/FM/CD unit.
Matt built a pair of coosa wood backing boards to add strength to the outrigger mounts, and is in the process of epoxy sleeving all the thru-deck holes for the mounts.
Also we are clearing up a snag with the two legs of the tower that pass the control lines...they were never welded into place when the tower was installed, so instead of welding on the boat (a dangerous and messy proposition) we are welding the pieces on the ground and then will mount them plate-to-plate.
Before:
After:
Matt ground the existing material down to a smooth finish so it is now ready to accept the new pipe. While we wait on the welding shop, Brian finished the upper control station.
We plan on using our hand-held GPS units on at the upper station, so we have taken the precaution of mounting a 12V cigarette lighter charging receptacle.
The plan is to pull the boat from under the cover by next week and start building the tower. We'll then be ready to run pumps, hoses, electrical lines, and hydraulic lines.
Once that's done all that's left is clean her up, hang the motors, fill her up with gas, kick the tires and light the fires!
|
Horseback Safari Tour
Turtle Safari Tour
  
Snorkel Safari Tour
|
 - Entry level package for up to 3 anglers.
- 5 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.
- $3000 Total
- $750 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
- 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: $150 (up to 8 people)
Transportation one way to/from San Jose Airport: $250 (up to 8 people)
Water and Snacks included. Beer and wine available for an additional fee
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
