That’s Fishin’ – March 2016

By Sarah Munro

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.

Boiling over indeed; because just after the first leg of the Triple Crown happened, the Quepos Billfish Cup was held here at Marina Pez Vela—and it did NOT disappoint. I was lucky enough to head out with one of the top tournament boats in Central America, the Tranquilo on Day 1 to catch some of the action. It was awesome, there’s nothing quite like being on the tower with Captain Victor; watching anglers Ken and Amanda Cofer, Dennis Barbour, Michael Moretti (yes he’s the Michael Moretti who brought in those million dollar marlin at the Bisbee’s Black and Blue this past year), and newcomers to the team, first up, she’s almost 7, Miss Chloe Cofer, and also new to the team William Bustillos from Guanacaste. (Note that angler Bill Pino, aka Squid Vicious of Squidnation is part of the regular Tranquilo Team but didn’t make the QBC).

It doesn’t take long for word to spread on the water where the bite is. Not long at all. Matter of fact, you hear all of the boats calling into tournament central to count their catch on the tally for the day, so it’s easy to deduce where they are. It’s not as easy as that, either. All fish have to be video verified. What does that mean? Well, when the angler hooks the fish up, you turn on the video camera and put up the anglers identifying number, issued by Tournament Central. Then, the camera keeps rolling until the fish is brought to the boat and visibly seen on camera. Sailfish count for 100 points and Marlin are 500. So, you can see how it would be difficult with 5 people on the back of the boat with three fish hooked up to make sure that you get all the necessary information and manage to bring in the fish at the same time. It’s all quite awe-inspiring. Especially when you’ve got 18 boats fishing the same square mile of ocean.

There’s been a huge influx of female anglers. How do I know that? I checked out the stats from Leg I at Los Sueños, and all the top boats had female anglers. Want more proof? How about the boys on Tranquilo always wanting to fish in position behind Amanda Cofer because she’s always on the fish? Almost 7 years old, Chloe Cofer made her first foray into tournament fishing. And to top it all off, Samantha Johns Mumford of the Billfish took TOP LADY ANGLER at The Quepos Billfish Cup!!! Way to go Samantha!!! It’s awesome to see women heating up the competition out there.

The top three boats in the Quepos Billfish Cup were Fish Tank with 6300 points, Caliente with 5400, and Tranquilo with 3900. Yes, you read correctly. Two of the top boats in the Los Sueños tournament are also in the top of the Quepos Billfish Cup tournament. What does this mean? It means that two Captains are fighting for Captain of the Year, and female anglers are fighting for their top spot, so are the male anglers. AND—there’s tournament money on the line. This is not just about bragging rights, this is about winning.  This is a hugely competitive start to the season, and I’m predicting it will heat up even more as the season progresses. Best part for you? I’ve got the best rates and hook ups for the top boats here! Want the best rate for one of the top boats in Central America? Call Sarah 8729 4000.

Just in case you didn’t know, The Quepos Billfish Cup is a qualifying event for The Offshore World Championship, which is held at Marina Pez Vela starting April 16. There’s lots of action.

Check out Team Tranquilo, https://www.facebook.com/TranquiloCharters and tell them Sarah sent you!!!

P.S.—the bite is SMOKIN right now. Call me.