January kicks off the peak time in our Billfish season, where our waters off Quepos offer Anglers some of the best Sailfishing on the planet when huge numbers of big Pacific Sailfish (70-140lbs) gather here to reproduce. Anglers flock from all corners of the earth to come and experience our amazing fishery for themselves. There are not many other places in the world where you could be in with a chance of double-digit Sailfish releases in just one day. This is what Quepos is famous for—you have come to the right place!
THE PELAGIC ROCKSTAR—THE WAIT IS OVER!
With the arrival of our Billfish, it is by no coincidence that the first of our major tournaments, The ‘Pelagic Rockstar’ takes place this month from January 11-13. The event promises to throw the entire Marina Pez Vela into party mode for the weekend with Rock ‘n Roll Bands, Pelagic Girls, dockside parties, & your chance to purchase some awesome Pelagic fishing apparel at the tournament village. For the competing teams there are some big cash prizes (and bragging rights!) to aim for but even if you will not be fishing, come down to the Marina Pez Vela and join all the fun. There will be early morning boat parades before the teams head offshore and from sunset onwards you can join us for the nightly bands & entertainment. This event promises to be a blast!
Last minute entries to the tournament can be made by contacting the iFish Quepos team at [email protected].
Pelagic Rockstar Tournament Schedule
January 11 Team registration & 7pm kick-off party. January 12 6.30am boat parade, day 1 fishing & 4.30pm dockside social. January 13 6.30am boat parade, day 2 fishing & 7pm evening prize presentation.
Our November Fishing here in Quepos was a blast with lots of big Dorado (Mahi Mahi) keeping Anglers busy during their Offshore trips. The bite has been super close to Quepos with great Dorado fishing only 10 or so miles from the Marina. Dorado will continue to be caught in December, however, boats will be pushing out further and deeper as most visiting Anglers will be here with one thing on their mind, Billfish!
Blue Marlin ready for release
December is one of the top months of the year to catch Marlin and our Sailfish bite will be heating up as the month progresses before it peaks between January & March. With good numbers of Sailfish about and the opportunity of catching Blue, Black & Striped Marlin, December holds great potential for Anglers that would love to try and catch a grand slam of three different Billfish species in a day. No easy feat anywhere in the world, however, Quepos holds that potential.
There will be some great Yellow Fin Tuna fishing Offshore whilst our Inshore fleet will be focusing on Roosterfish, Snook, Snapper, Jacks & Mackerel whilst fishing the rocks, islands and river mouths close to Quepos. With the water temperature warming as we enter the summer, we will see more bait inshore around Quepos than we have for six months bringing the predatory fish hot on their heels.
November is one of the favourite months for fisherman here in Quepos. A month or two in the boat yard getting our boats ready to go again for high season is long enough for any Captain and we cannot wait to go fishing again come November 1st!
The rains disperse as the month progresses to make way for the clear blue skies and flat calm seas that the Central Pacific coast is famous for. November is a transitional month, where water temperatures start to rise, baitfish numbers increase and lots of predatory fish hot on their heels.
EXCELLENT VARIETY IN NOVEMBER
Yellow fin tuna
We typically don’t see the crazy Sailfish bite that we do during January-April but there should be good numbers of Sailfish around and couple this with the excellent variety of species we have in November, Anglers should be in for some awesome fishing. Right now is the peak time to catch Blue Marlin on day charters from Quepos and there were some epic Marlin days recorded this time last year. You can expect some big Yellow Fin Tuna schools 30+ miles Offshore as well as pretty much the TOP month of the year for Dorado! We have had some great Dorado fishing during September & October along the current lines off Quepos and this action should peak this month when good sized fish should be here in numbers. Often some of the best Dorado action can be found less than 10 miles from the Marina Pez Vela, an added bonus—less running time & more fishing!
Take your kids fishing!
Inshore Fishing trips are a great option for families or those worried about spending a full day Offshore. Half day Inshore trips will give you 5 hours on the water, take you along the stunning coastline where you can target Roosterfish, Snook, Snapper, Mackerel, Jacks & more. With the bulk of the rains out of the way, water clarity will improve as the month progresses, large shoals of sardines will gather inshore with the big guys not be far behind!
By Benn Gilmour
We are now in what are traditionally our wettest months here on the Pacific Coast where heavy rains & flooded rivers cause an abundance of trees, branches and other debris to make their way down the rivers and out into the Ocean creating huge areas of weed & floating debris along our current lines. Any fisherman will tell you that this means only one thing, a super-highway for DORADO!
AWESOME DORADO ACTION OFFSHORE!
Nice Bull Dorado
Floating debris creates the perfect Dorado fishing environment and anglers should find some excellent sport during offshore trips. On a day charter during the peak of last year’s rains, we caught 18 Dorado up to 50lbs aboard the GOOD DAY! At one point we hooked 6 good sized Dorado at the same time, carnage is an understatement with rods, lines & jumping fish everywhere but our guests had a blast catching these hard fighting, excellent eating fish!
SUSHI ANYONE!?
Tuna Time
Our Yellow Fin Tuna fishing has been fantastic this year and should continue over the coming months as water temperatures remain cool. Our Tuna fishing has to be experienced to be believed!
Hundreds of Spinner Dolphins, diving birds and Tuna busting the surface as they hunt down their prey. Picture an airborne Flying Fish with a hungry Tuna in hot pursuit, jumping clean out of the water behind it. Discovery Channel material for sure but a common sight for a Captain in Quepos! We are so lucky to witness the wonders of the ocean play out before our eyes.
We catch many Tuna in the 40-80lb range, plenty over 100lb and there are a few HUGE 200lb-300lb Tuna caught off Quepos every year also.
Aside from the Tuna & Dorado action there will be Blue Marlin and Sailfish offshore as well as some excellent ‘deep drop’ bottom fishing for Snapper and Grouper. Inshore boats will be in search of Roosterfish, Snook, Snapper, Mackerel, Jacks & more and a half day inshore trip can be a great option during the rainy season with trips ending at lunchtime.
Welcome to the fishing promised land, a.k.a. Quepos, Costa Rica. If you’re new or just visiting, make sure to go down to Marina Pez Vela and check out all your fishing choices. There’s plenty there. We’ve got a world record bite, world record holding anglers and captains—the only thing missing is you, and unfortunately me. That’s why after 3 years of writing the fishing article for Quepolandia, I am stepping down and handing over my fishing article to Benn Gilmour. It’s one hard thing to do, but I feel happy that my readers will be entertained now by a close friend and very well respected fisherman in our community. I love you all and greatly miss the good friends that I’ve made while living in Quepos. Don’t get too upset though, because Sarah has big plans for the fish and otherwise. You’ll be seeing me sooner than you think! Until then, I leave you in Benn’s most capable hands. Tight lines friends. See you on the water! Sarah Munro
MARLIN, MARLIN, MARLIN!
Blue Marlin
If catching a Marlin is on your bucket list…do not stop reading! Some years ago around 100 miles Offshore from Quepos, the BEST BLUE MARLIN FISHING ON THE PLANET was discovered at the area known as the Seamounts/FADs. The area possesses an incredible series of underwater mountains where the Sport Fishing Industry has worked together to deploy FADs (Fish Aggregating Devices) on top of these underwater Seamounts creating artificial structure to attract baitfish, which in turn attracts the big predators…namely, Blue Marlin!
I got to experience a FAD trip for myself just a few weeks ago aboard CARIBSEA, a 46’ Guthrie and a real classic Sportfisher based here at the Marina Pez Vela. We did a 2 night trip which included one full day (around 13 hours!) of fishing at the FADs, non-stop from the moment it was light, until the sun dipped over the horizon. And wow, those sunsets when you are bobbing around 100 miles off the coast, simply breath-taking!
So last month I told you all about how epic the fishing is here. And now in January, Marina Pez Vela is hosting the ROCKSTAR Fishing Tournament, brought to you by Pelagic, January 12-14. Expect this event to be exactly what the namesake says. ROCKSTAR. The bite is hot, and this tournament is going to make it hotter! With $100,000.00 up for grabs in prizes, and top Rock Star status, its gonna be insane. Check back for photos and an update HERE in Quepolandia next month. Check out the excerpt below taken from their blog:
The Rockstar! Offshore Tournament presented by PELAGIC is a team event with cash, prizes, and awards estimated to over $100,000. Labeled as “Costa Rica’s Funnest Big Game Fishing Event”, The Rockstar! features multiple marina-side bashes, a knock-your-socks-off rock ‘n roll band, and offshore tournament extravaganza. You bring your crew, we bring the fun – so join us this January in Costa Rica for an experience you don’t want to miss. Fish all day, party all night… If you dare!
As you’ve seen from other parts of Quepolandia, high season is upon us. It’s the transition from rainy to dry weather, and also the return of North American tourists fleeing the cold and dark. You will also find that the waters off of Quepos are transitioning too. It’s time to welcome back sailfish, marlin, mahi-mahi, and much more. Most people welcome back the sailfish and marlin bite because that’s what’s driving our sport fishing industry here now.
Why? How? Well, it’s like this. We have a WORLD CLASS bite and boats here; people come from all over the world to fish. Numbers for the past few years have been insane, with charter boats regularly posting numbers of 30+ bites in a day. When professional anglers go out, it’s a completely different story. I’ve been on boats where they released 30+ fish. I’ve heard of boats releasing 77 fish and running out of bait so they had to go in. There really is nowhere else that you can go and get those numbers, so fishing freaks come here regularly. It’s awesome.
There is SO much special in Manuel Antonio. In the air, on land, in the sea, there’s always something new for you to experience—and that’s regardless of whether or not if you live here. The rewards are so great—the biodiversity found here is some of the most epic in the world.
I count myself as one of the luckiest people on the planet, because I’ve been living and fishing here for the past four years. It’s been absolutely amazing and I don’t think that it’s possible for another destination to give me what this one has. Perhaps my most epic day on the water was fishing with fish friends Tan and Merlin out to Foruno to try our day for meat fish. Epic was the only word to describe it for me. Of course I’ve had good days out on the water, but a day where I out fished everyone else on the boat? While using lighter line and tackle? Not losing a fish all day?!!! Having Sportfishing Magazine make you a Sportfishing Girl of the Month due to this day out on the water!? This day was nothing but epic. We caught red snapper, amberjack, grouper, and we even tried to hook a hammerhead shark that was stalking the underwater mountain we were fishing. It was an amazing day, and we created amazing memories that will stick with us forever. Well, they’ll stick with me forever, and my guy fish friends still call me to go out so I guess they remember too.
It’s that time of year out there. It’s wild marlin time for a fads fisherman. It’s been an incredible run so far this FAD season, with all kinds of fantastic numbers being posted by multiple boats. Fishing out of Marina Pez Vela, Los Suenos and Golfito, this year’s sport fishing season has been unbelievable, and continues to be.
I’ve been lucky enough to fish on some of the top boats in Central America. I’ve featured many in my articles. This is the perfect opportunity to showcase Maverick Yachts and Sportfishing—as they do many fads/seamount trips. Due to their stellar reputation for building boats that raise fish, and take you on a ride in style, Mavericks ‘Fly’ boats are a sure thing. All of their Captains are seasoned veterans who are very well respected in the fishing community. With these two things combined, it’s hard to consider any other boats. For example, this was posted this past week on their Facebook page:
SEAMOUNT REPORT… Another two-boat trip with Capt. David Mesen’s Geaux Fly and Capt. Carlos Pollo Espinoza Jimenez ‘s Sea Fly? The result? Collectively 49 billfish… 45 Blue Marlin and 4 Sailfish released. Both boats raised 95 Marlin, hooking 68. Absolute insane fishing. Capt. Juan Carlos Fallas Zamora ‘s Spanish Fly heads out today to add to these crazy numbers. Ready for your trip-of-a-lifetime? 866-888-6426
Sometimes awesomeness just happens. Sometimes it doesn’t. Take this for example—I’ve booked inshore fishing with Roy Zapata (local/international fishing legend), and always knew in the back of my head that it was possible to catch a world record fish. Why not, as Roy has brought in world record fish before. And when he was chartered in my tournament last year, it was Roy that took Papa to ‘the spot’ and brought in a 77 lb grouper, the tournament winner. Roy is indeed a legend. I’ve had my fair share of fish when I go out with him—last time we had 8 different species of fish in one day. No world record, but just try and go and do that yourself. It’s one thing to write it, it’s quite another thing to do it.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. This is the promised land of fishing. I remember my first few trips to Guanacaste, Costa Rica. I was always disappointed. Where was the green? Where was the epic bite that we heard of? Through a friend, I found the right spot and changed my plans to come here, 4 years ago. Of course my first trip included days on the water, and that’s all it took. Three months later, I had moved here. People always ask, why did you move here? The answer is always the same—for the fishing.
It’s that time of year where the buzz and the bite are equally hot. For instance, the recently completed third leg of the Los Suenos Signature Triple Crown brought in 832 more fish than last year. During the 9 days of competition, this tournament brought in 6570 fish, and released them all. Coming up before this article goes to print, is the Offshore World Championship, held here at Marina Pez Vela April 16-23. Tight lines to all competitors!
The fishin’ is HOT out there, and so are the anglers. Summer is here, and the first tournaments of the season have happened. Officially opening the tournament season, Leg I of the Signature Triple Crown in Los Sueños, was January 20-23. Local boat, Tranquilo took top spot with 8100 points, Agitator with 7600, and Fish Tank with 7300. Total catch over three days was 1946 Sailfish and 15 Marlin. Leg II of the Signature Triple Crown takes place this February 24-27, and expect the competition to start boiling over.
The ‘funnest’ thing in the world is taking rookies out fishing. It can also be the ‘not-so-funnest’ thing in the world. What’s even crazier, is that it can happen at the same time. Seriously. All you have to do is take one Tico river fisherman and a granola girl—neither of whom have been offshore fishing before—fishing on one of the top boats in the country. Welcome to my world.
We got up early that day, 4am to be sure, and packed up the marine cooler in expectation of filling it with fresh fish, and made our way to Los Suenos. It was nothing but sheer excitement all the way there for me; not only was it my first real ‘tuna hunt’ but it was my friend’s very first time fishing. We got there with plenty of time to meet Captain Franklin and the rest of the gang on the Fire-Fly for our departure; it’s funny how fishing excitement can turn into drinking beer at 8 am in the morning. Again, welcome to my world.
I think I gave away all my fish mojo to my friends. Seriously. I’ve been out fishing twice in the past week and the only bites I got were baitfish! They didn’t even bite; they nibbled at my bait until it was gone. Do you know how frustrating that is?! All of us say that any day on the water is a good day and that’s true. However, when you’re a very competitive person, and fishing runs in your veins, when you go out and get skunked, more than once in a row, well, you go a little crazy.
By Benn Gilmour
With the arrival of our Billfish, it is by no coincidence that the first of our major tournaments, The ‘Pelagic Rockstar’ takes place this month from January 11-13. The event promises to throw the entire Marina Pez Vela into party mode for the weekend with Rock ‘n Roll Bands, Pelagic Girls, dockside parties, & your chance to purchase some awesome Pelagic fishing apparel at the tournament village. For the competing teams there are some big cash prizes (and bragging rights!) to aim for but even if you will not be fishing, come down to the Marina Pez Vela and join all the fun. There will be early morning boat parades before the teams head offshore and from sunset onwards you can join us for the nightly bands & entertainment. This event promises to be a blast!
By Sarah Munro
It’s that time of year out there. It’s wild marlin time for a fads fisherman. It’s been an incredible run so far this FAD season, with all kinds of fantastic numbers being posted by multiple boats. Fishing out of Marina Pez Vela, Los Suenos and Golfito, this year’s sport fishing season has been unbelievable, and continues to be.
By Sara Munro