Crocodile Bay Resort – Costa Rica Fishing Report

Catch all the action from last month – Watch the January 2018 Crocodile Bay Resort highlight reel!

Greetings from the Tropics – January 2019 Fishing Report

January historically is a transitional month. The marlin and dorado in November and December begin to taper off and the water temperature rises slightly with sailfish numbers increasing. This month has been basically true to form, though we are still waiting for the big push of sails. There have been some very good days with the sailfish so far this season, including a ten fish release day from one boat. As of yesterday, we are still seeing a few marlin, but the main body of sailfish have yet to arrive.

One of the great things about the fishery here is the diversity and as is often the case, when one thing slows, something else usually rises to take its place. In the last two weeks, we have had some excellent yellowfin tuna fishing.  Big schools of spinner dolphins have been in the area and are feeding voraciously on small baitfish with hungry tuna mixed in. The action has been relatively close (around ten miles) and has even allowed boats that are fishing inshore to run out and bag a few tuna when the opportunity arrives. Such was the case with the groups of Chris Pott and Roy Marlow and Tom Potts and Tim Watson, both visiting from the UK. They are light tackle enthusiasts who brought much of their own tackle and enjoy jigging and popping.  When the call came over the radio, that the tuna were biting, both groups ran out to get in on the action. Roy hooked up on a sixty-pound yellowfin tuna that was a mere twenty feet from the boat before a very big marlin came up and nearly grabbed it. The action was steady and most of the fish were caught on butterfly jigs and poppers. When the day ended both groups had landed thirteen and fourteen tuna, respectively, and almost all on artificials.

I would like to mention a couple highlights from this month. We had a visit from Mark Davis filming an episode of ‘BigWater Adventures’. Mark did a show on inshore fishing and caught multiple fish, including eight different species. He landed a couple of bluefin trevally that he said he had never caught on camera before. Mark, and his cameraman Phil told me they were excited about the show and said it would really showcase some of the fish varieties we have here.

Another person I would like to mention is Mike Walton who was just here for an extended stay. Mike likes to relax on vacation and doesn’t rush from one activity to the next. Some days he is very active battling 15 mile jungle hikes with the staff “for fun” and other days he is in no hurry to do much of anything other than enjoy the coastal “pura vida lifestyle.” I think that is great. One of the things that Mike does like to do while he is here is to fish off the pier and he usually has pretty good luck. This trip was no exception. I ran into Mike one afternoon at the pier while I was waiting for the boats to come back in. He told me he had seen this big roosterfish cruising back and forth at the pier and he was trying to catch him. I got busy with the other guests and then went up to the hotel. A little while later I saw Mike with a huge smile on his face. He said “did you hear what happened? I hooked him and he took off for the moorings. Captain Anthony started up his boat and I jumped in” The fish almost broke off a couple times, but I finally got him. Forty pounds!”  Congratulations Mike.

February is usually the month when the sailfish come here in numbers. Judging from all the bait that the dolphins and tuna are feeding on, I believe we are primed to have a great month.  The weather has been absolutely fantastic with clear sunny days and light tropical breezes. If you are facing an incoming “Arctic blasts”, you might want to head down and see us. The arctic blast is much more fun to experience from the tropics than they are in person.

Tight Lines,

Capt. Allan Smith

Chris Graham

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