That’s Fishin’ – March 2023
Welcome to the March edition of That’s Fishin’ for Tales from the High Seas and all things Fishy in the Quepos and Manuel Antonio area.
OFFSHORE FISHING REPORT
The Offshore fishing has been excellent this past month and should continue through March & April. We are in the midst of peak Sailfish season right now and there have been some exceptional Sailfishing days in recent weeks with many boats releasing upwards of 10 Sailfish in a day, and on occasion some boats have been releasing 20+ Sails in a day when the bite is on. The Blue Marlin fishing has been great also with lots of Blue Marlin being caught. There have been some big Black Marlin caught at our Offshore reefs, many of these fish in excess of 500lbs. In addition to the Blues, Blacks, and Sails, there have been some Striped Marlin being caught also and when those guys are running it will give you your best shot at the coveted Grand Slam here in CR of 3 different Billfish species in one day.
The Dorado fishing in January and early February was excellent but as February progressed with long periods of settled weather heating the water up, the masses of Dorados that we had, seemed to thin out in recent weeks. We are seeing a few Dorados on most Offshore trips and you will still have a great chance at catching one during March and April, which is when some of the largest Bull Dorados of the year make an appearance.
2023 ROOSTERFISH RODEO
February 4th, saw the Roosterfish Rodeo, now in its 4th year here at the Marina Pez Vela. 24 boats competed and released 62 Roosterfish during the one day, fun and family friendly tournament. Gray FishTag Research were visiting from Florida to support the event and participating teams helped tag 27 Roosterfish for the Research program during the event.
It was very close at the top with 2 boats, Asi o Mas with Capt. Alonso Caramelo taking top honours with 12 Roosterfish and a close 2nd also with 12 Roosterfish was Prime Time II with Capt. Rudy Zapata. Huge congrats to all the winners and the tournament team at Marina Pez Vela for another excellent event.
2023 Roosterfish Rodeo Results
1st Asi o Mas 12 Roosterfish
2nd Prime Time II 12 Roosterfish
3rd Sky 2 6 Roosterfish
Longest Roosterfish Asi o Mas
Most Roosterfish Tagged Asi o Mas
Top Lady Angler Denisse Homberger
Top Junior Angler Andrew Zapata
INSHORE FISHING
February produced some fantastic Inshore fishing in the waters surrounding Quepos. Snook, Roosterfish, Snappers, Jacks, Mackerel, Tripletail, Blue Fin Trevally and more, dominated the Inshore catches. There was some exceptional Snook fishing at local rivermouths of Parrita, Naranjo, Savegre, and Baru. Lots of fish in the 8-15lb category and some real monster Snook in the 30-40b range were caught also. March is one of the top months of the year to catch a huge Snook here and a half-day Inshore trip with one of the pangas or centre consoles in the Marina Pez Vela is the perfect way to do it. IDRA 2, Asi o Mas, Sky 2, Chloe Frijole, Mucho Fisho, Isabella, The Bite, and Good Day are all excellent options for an Inshore charter. There were some real Trophy sized Roosterfish caught at the rocks and islands close to Quepos during February and our Rooster fishing should remain excellent during March and April. This is one of the best places in the world to be in with a chance of catching a huge Roosterfish and I hope that you get the chance to give it a go during your visit here.
TOURNAMENT DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
Our 2023 tournament season has been nothing short of epic so far and we still have the following great events to look forward to, all are welcome, we would love to have you involved and simply drop us a line for more info. Full details & upcoming schedule at marinapezvela.com/tournaments/
April 15 Marina Pez Vela Open
April 16-21 Offshore World Championships
July 1 Summer Solstice Shootout
November 11 Dorado Derby
November 18 Dorado Derby Dos
See you on the water!
Benn Gilmour
Jackpot Sport Fishing, Marina Pez Vela, Quepos