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Costa Rica Fishing Report – January 17, 2013

Pictured above, famous guitar jam rock player Derek Trucks & friends/family visit Crocodile Bay Resort, Costa Rica

I love it when you finally get to meet your heroes and find out they really are heroes. Mama Trucks is my hero. I am blessed to have a super mom myself so I know one when I see one.

You see her sons are some of the very best guitarists in the world. Derek played live with the Allman Brothers when he was just 13. His uncle knocked out some of those great Allman Brothers drum solos that used to rock my house and drive my mom crazy (His great uncle Virgil “Fire” Trucks, was famous for pitching two no-hitters in a single season as a pitcher for the Detroit Tigers in the early 50’s).

Derek has played with other greats like, Eric Clapton, Santana, ZZ Top and has twice appeared on Rolling Stone‘s list of 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time; currently 16th on the list. He was listed as an official member of the Allman Brothers band in 1999 and teamed up with Susan Tedeschi a dozen or so years ago to form the Grammy Award winning Tedeshi Trucks band and his kids are also being raised in the same Mama Trucks style.

Grammy Award winning Derick Trucks & fellow rockerwife Susan Tedeschi of the Tedeschi Trucks Band

If you didn’t know they were famous you would never guess it, because they are just great southern folk. And if Charlie Trucks doesn’t’t follow his dad’s footsteps as a great guitarist he will one day be working for me because at 11 years old he is one hell of a fisherman.

Along with the Trucks family was Jimmy Herring, another great guitarist for who has played with Widespread Panic, the Dead, and the Allman Brothers just to name a few) and his family. Together they caught sails, lots of big tuna and some dorado.

Jimmy Herring, pictured second from left with Widespread Panic

When I found out Mama Trucks is involved in turtle conservation back home in Jacksonville, Florida, I took her to see our little turtle hospital here on the Golfo Dulce in La Palma. The head of the organization Didiher Chacon explained the exciting new discoveries here and turtles from the Galapagos come here to feed.

On the way out and back I got some great insight on this remarkable woman and the famous family I have followed for years. I am a firm believer that behind every great man is a great mother.

Fishing has picked up over the last two weeks and the sails have been a lot more consistent. We have seen quite a few marlin still and Vern Larsen started his return trip here with a 300 pound blue.

Roosterfish and snapper are keeping lines tight inshore and snapper have supplied meals to many inshore anglers.

Patrick Connaughton was nice enough to send some photo of his recent fishing trip as he released several sailfish and brought in some Dorado for dinner. Thanks for the photos Patrick! Hope to see you next year!