Sports
Fishing Magazine— Hot Spots
Costa
Rica - Day 1
by Jason Cannon
If
I could say one word to describe Puerto Jimenez, Costa Rica,
after seeing only a half-day, it could only be "breathtaking."
As your flight descends into the short runway, the color changes
and rips in the water look fishier than ever. The scenery
is spectacular as the bay is nestled between the coastal mountains
of the mainland and the Osa peninsula.
We
arrived at 1:30 p.m. and met our guide, Crocodile Bay Lodge
fishing director Todd Staley. Before we even stepped foot
in his car to go to the resort, he was itching to take us
fishing. Of course, we were ready, too. So we dropped off
the luggage and jumped in one of the resort's Back Country
flats skiffs (yes, a fiberglass skiff in Costa Rica). Within
minutes, we wet our live sardines and blue runners. My wife,
Lori, was (as usual) the first to hook up seconds later. As
the dorsal and striped side cleared the water, it was crystal
clear what kind of fish she hooked -- a roosterfish. After
a short fight, she got the 15-pound fish boatside and made
Staley and I look like amateurs.
After
a few cutoffs, we cruised to another spot where Staley had
been catching snook, roosters, jacks and cubera snapper. I
got cut off twice before latching solidly into my first rooster.
The boil was as big as a jumbo watermelon, and I quickly found
out what kind of a fight I was about to go through. I tried
muscling the fish, but it only made him more angry. Every
few minutes it would surface and let me get it near the rail,
then scream off more drag as Staley tried to grab the leader.
Finally, after about 20 minutes, we subsided the beautiful
30-plus-pound fish and released it to fight again. What a
fighter!
The last part of the "three-hour tour"
afternoon had nothing to do with fishing but everything to
do with this magical place that National Geographic calls
"the most ecologically intense place on Earth."
After spotting a big croc swimming around the river mouth,
we decided to try another spot further south near where the
Golfo Dulce spills into the Pacific. Before we drop the lines,
Staley spotted something in the distance. He grabbed his binoculars
and confirmed that it was the blowhole of a humpback whale!
He asked if we wanted to fish or go see the
whale. Not much could have peeled us away from great roosterfishing,
but this was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. As we approached,
it seemed to sense we were closing in -- and liked it! At
one time we got within 100 feet -- that was as close as we
cared to get to something that could crush our boat (and us).
Now it was showtime. All of a sudden, the massive whale leaped
into the air and seemed to freeze for our cameras. Over and
over it breached, seemingly begging us to shoot more and enjoy
the performance. It even surfaced and turned on its side,
waving its fins in the air for a few moments.
We hypnotically watched and followed the whale
for over 3-1/2 miles before darkness forced us to come home.
Once we put our cameras away, the whale submerged and never
jumped again. It was one of the most beautiful things I've
ever seen.
Tomorrow, we'll try for more hot inshore action.
Check back for another update.
Crocodile
Bay Captains: Secrets of the Pros
Crocodile Rock - Trophy Costa
Rican Sailfish Tactics
Boaters.com: Raving Roosterfish
in Costa Rica
Boaters.com Magazine: Dueling
with Dorado
Boaters.com Magazine:
Coo-Coo for Crevalle Jacks
Boaters.com Magazine: Working
surface structure to find more fish
Sport Fishing Magazine: Costa Rica
Sport Fishing Magazine:
Costa Rica Revisited
Sport Fishing Magazine: Outstanding
Osa
Orvis Travel: Costa Rica's Crocodile
Bay Lodge
