That’s Fishin’ – July 2019
What a total blast we all had during the May 25-26th PELAGIC ‘PURA VIDA’ INSHORE CLASSIC FISHING TOURNAMENT here at the Marina Pez Vela. Guys, Girls and even a special tournament on the Sunday morning just for kids—what a fun packed weekend it was for everyone & memories for a lifetime created for the kids, most of them fishing their first ever fishing tournament!
The tournament weekend was put together by the guys from leading global fishing apparel brand PELAGIC who have proudly made Quepos their Central American outpost and have a SUPER COOL clothing store right here in the Marina Pez Vela, be sure to check it out! The Fishing fun got underway on the Saturday with the Adults ‘PURA VIDA CLASSIC’ Inshore tournament. This was an 8 hour shoot-out where teams battled it out in two main divisions, the ROOSTERFISH division where points were accumulated for the most Roosterfish releases & the ‘GRAND SLAM’ division awarded for the heaviest 3 fish combo. Team Z GASTRO BAR fishing aboard GOOD DAY were the winners of the Roosterfish division releasing 3 nice sized Roosterfish in the 36’-48’ category which earned them 900 points. Jeff Dechesneau fishing aboard the smallest boat in the fleet, the 19’ Boston Whaler Montauk, caught the longest Roosterfish of the day, a stunning fish of 55 inches in length which helped his team to 2nd place. All Roosterfish caught were quickly measured and released, a tournament format designed to promote conservation of such an important fish species. A shout out to Reymond Rodrigues who fished the tournament aboard an awesome Seadoo Fishing Jetski, certainly a first for a Quepos tournament but also one serious piece of kit! Huge congratulations to team DREAMS II for winning the Grand Slam division. The guys had a blast catching a ton of different species including a 26lb Cubera Snapper Roosterfish, Mullet Snappers, Jacks, Wahoo, Rainbow Runners and many other species. They comfortably took home the honours for the heaviest 3 fish combo, great stuff guys & well deserved!
On Sunday it was time for the kids to take the spotlight with the first ever Kids tournament of its kind taking place in Costa Rica. 5 boats set sail with kids from as young as 5 years old and fished their socks off for 4 hours catching a ton of fish (more than the adults the day before!) from Roosterfish, Snappers, Jacks, Big Eye Trevally’s, Grouper, Triggerfish, Bonitos, Mackerel and more. There was a cuteness overload when the team from PELAGIC awarded all kids with participation medals and goodie bags, the smiles on the kids’ faces said it all and a huge thanks to all involved, great job guys!
OFFSHORE REPORT
May & June saw some good action off Quepos with good numbers of both Sailfish & Marlin being caught from our local hotspots such as ‘The Corner’. The Yellow Fin Tuna bite cranked up to new levels during June with a very good grade of fish in the 40-100lb range being caught regularly on both livebaits and artificial lures.
Dorado numbers have been steadily increasing and should continue to do so through July and August before peaking in November when the larger fish are here in great numbers. The Wahoo fishing has been superb recently and with water temperatures in the 79-83 degree range, this is perfect conditions for strong Wahoo fishing over the Offshore Reefs. There have been plenty of 20-30lb Wahoo with some larger specimens mixed in also.
July is a great time for bottom fishing out of Quepos where Grouper, Silky Snapper, Tilefish, Amberjack and more can all be targeting during Offshore deep drop trips.
INSHORE FISHING
July is an excellent time to target big Roosterfish and there have been some trophy Roosterfish caught in recent weeks out of Quepos. Cubera Snappers, Yellowtail Snappers, Mackerel, Jacks, Corvina and more are all possible during Inshore trips. Snook can be targeted close to the river mouths and when conditions are right there is a chance of some very large fish at this time of year. The Naranjo rocks area is a firm favourite for large Roosterfish, whilst the Parrita and Savegre river mouths provide some great sport for Snook, Snapper, Jacks and small to mid-sized Roosterfish.
TOURNAMENT DATES
The dates have now been released for the 2019/20 Marina Pez Vela Tournament calendar. These events are lots of fun, open to all, and no prior tournament experience is necessary. Grab some friends, drop us a line, and we would love to have you involved! Check out marinapezvelatournaments.com for full details.
November 16, 2019 Dorado Derby
January 11-12, 2020 Pelagic Rockstar
February 21-22, 2020 The Pescadora Billfish Championship
March 20-21, 2020 Quepos Billfish Cup
April 17-18, 2019 Marina Pez Vela Open
Tight Lines & I would love to hear from you if you would like to go fishing! Benn Gilmour, Jackpot Sport Fishing Marina Pez Vela, Quepos Cell: 8458 4997 [email protected] jackpotsportfishing.com