That’s Fishin’- January 2017

By Sarah Munro

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.

Part of that awesome is getting to live a vicarious fish life, I’ve gotten to meet some of the best fishermen and women in the world. Some of them are great friends now, and I count myself so lucky to have these opportunities. So, regardless if you’re a tourist or a local reading this article—you should get out there and experience some of the awesomeness that this area of Costa Rica has to offer. Because if the best in the world are coming here to do it, you’re seriously going to miss out if you don’t get in on it too.

I’ve experienced tournaments here year after year that break world records for the amount of billfish released. The sport fishing community is helping to drive the economy through the growth of Marina Pez Vela. New slips have been installed during this past year, and it’s only going to be better. Fantastic shops, restaurants, and public facilities are just the start. It’s rapidly become the place to go in Quepos/Manuel Antonio, and I’m guessing that this year is going to be an explosive one for growth and development at the Marina. It’s home to the Offshore World Championship, The Quepos Billfish Cup, private tournaments, and has amazing boat yard services.

It’s a great joy to me to share my experiences with you, and that’s why I’ve decided to feature a different charter and seafood restaurant monthly in my upcoming articles. You’ll find a review of both the charter and the restaurant, with photos of each one as well. This month as a feature are Z Restaurant and Jackpot Sportfishing, at Marina Pez Vela.

Both are personal favorites of mine and for some similar reasons. The owners of both are hard working, well respected members of our community, and both have very well run businesses. The food and service is always good at Z, if you’re looking for somewhere close to cook your catch when you come in this is a no brainer. And fishing with Benn on the Good Day from Jackpot Sportfishing? Awesome. Benn is one of those salties that you automatically like. He knows his fishing, and he creates an environment where everyone has a great time and learns something at the same time.

I bet you can’t wait to get out there and experience it, because I’m the same way. There’s no kind of epic like there is here. There must be something in the water…

So get out there—enjoy it, live it, because it’s all kinds of awesome.
Z Restaurant 2777 6948
Jackpot Sportfishing 8458 4997

Now just get out there and ENJOY yourselves!!!