Those of you that watched 'The Big Fish' show on
the BBC will be well aware that during the Costa Rican leg of the competition,
myself and the other contestants were set the task of catching a Sailfish.
Things didn't exactly go to plan as the Sailfish hadn't read the script. Over
two days filming, only one was caught by my fellow contestant Dan. I narrowly
missed out on one.
This winter just gone, I got the chance to have
another crack at them as my wife and I were volunteering in Panama for a couple
of months. It made sense to stop in Costa Rica for a few days on our way down
there and see if I could come face to face with one.
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| Shimano Tiagra - Big Game Workhorse! |
I wanted to return to the same lodge the BBC
took us to but a little digging around revealed it was way out of my price
range. After a bit more searching online I discovered 'Jackpot Sport Fishing',
based on the Central Pacific coast in the town of Quepos. What stood out about
these guys was that they are owned and run by a British fella – Benn Gilmour.
His is the the only British owned and run charter business in the country.
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| Quepos - nestled up against the Costa Rican rainforest - Lush! |
Benn and his family sold up everything and moved
to Costa Rica back in 2015 to set up their business. They bought a 31ft
Sportfisher boat named 'Good Day' from which to pursue the many species,
inshore and offshore, that the country is famous for. Benn's team on board
includes 'Captain Manuel' who has 30 years experience fishing out of Marina Pez
Vela in Quepos with 12 of those on 'Good Day' itself. By his side is Yoxan, his
son, who is an extraordinary deck-hand. I really liked the idea of a father and
son team working together.
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| Captain Manuel - A lifetime fishing the waters off Quepos |
I got in touch with Benn and we bounced a few
emails back and forth. He seemed just the man for the job, making everything
straightforward, so I booked in two days in mid-December to fish with him. The
plan was to spend one day offshore after the Sailfish and the next day inshore
after Roosterfish, Cubera Snapper and the like. With the high season for
Sailfish being November through April, Benn assured me we stood a good chance
of catching one.....which was just what I wanted to hear!
The more I spoke with Benn the more excited I
got, he was passionate and enthusiastic about his fishing. His online catch
reports were very impressive too. He and his team were consistently catching
some fine fish, I knew I'd picked the right guys. They seemed keen, eager to
please their customers and their results spoke for themselves.
Offshore, they work up to the 40 mile range and
target Wahoo, Tuna, Marlin, Dorado, Sailfish, Amberjack and Grouper. Inshore,
the list of species is mind boggling. The big draw are the Roosterfish but
there's also Snook, Grouper, Jacks, Sierra Mackerel, Bluefin Trevally,
Tripletails, Corvina, Cubera, Milkfish, Pompano and various Snapper species
including the Cubera, Red, Yellow and Mullet to name a few. Then you have to
decide how you're going to catch all these incredible species. With gear on
board to cover trolling, jigging, popping, lures, livebaiting, fly and bottom
fishing you really are spoilt for choice!
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| A sailfish fly...pink is THE hot colour! |
When my wife and I arrived in Costa Rica, it was
just at the tail end of some particularly out of season rain that hung around
after hurricane Otto. It wasn't looking too clever, but as we made our way down
to the coast it fizzled out and some nicer weather moved in, just in time for
the fishing. We met with Benn and his family for dinner on our second evening
in Quepos and hit it off right away. Plans were made and targets were set. If
we could pull it off and get the Sailfish on day one and then a nice Rooster
inshore the following day, I'd be one very happy chap. The challenge was on!
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| Yoxan, the deckhand rigs up a ballyhoo bait |
As my first fishing day dawned, it was grey and
overcast. Benn picked me up at 6.30am sharp and we made our way down to the
modern and well equipped Marina Pez Vela. I was very impressed with 'Good Day',
she was immaculately kept. Captain Manuel and Yoxan had been busy preparing
everything on board well before I arrived. After introductions and hand shakes,
Manuel steered her out of the marina on to the open sea and gunned the engines
for our steam out to the fishing grounds.
As we edged ever further offshore, the weather
cleared and we soon had the tropical sun beating down on us. We discussed
techniques and the drill for if and when we connect with a fish. In a big game
fishing situation like this, it's all about teamwork. Our spread consisted of
teasers without hooks and trolled ballyhoo deadbaits with rubber skirts. In the
boat, the fly rod was ready to go in case we had the chance to tease a Sailfish
close enough for a shot. Anything is possible in this situation and it pays to
be well prepared. As much as we hoped for a Sailfish, there was every chance we
might find Tuna, Dorado or even a Marlin out there.
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| Benn Gilmour with one of his favourite Sailfish lures |
The anticipation was intense as we approached
the fishing grounds. A nice Sailfish breached nearby which gave me great
confidence, they were in the area. Once the lines were set, all eyes were on
the water behind us with Captain Manuel having the best view from up in the
tower. To my surprise, not more than 20 minutes after we started fishing, the
trolled ballyhoo bait to my left was away. The reel started screaming and
Manuel was shouting 'Sail, Sail, Sail' from the tower. It was all happening!
The clutch was engaged and with it the circle
hook driven home. At this point, a magnificent Sailfish, all lit up in blues
and purples, started to leap and tail-walk behind the boat in it's bid to shake
the hook. It was an incredible sight and the reel was literally fizzing as Benn
and Yoxan cleared the other lines and teasers. With these out of the way, I had
space to get to work on the fish and the fight began properly.
Once the first run was over, I was able to gain
some line back by steadily pumping and winding. It was an immense weight on the
end and I was willing it to stay attached. To be honest, I was rather shocked
at just how quickly it had all happened after the many months of planning and
thinking about it. These guys were on it!
The fish regained some strength after a while
and tore off on another blistering run, sounding a little this time. This was
to be it's last though. It was then a case of solid pressure from me and the
drag that proved too much. Slowly but surely, I managed to edge the fish back
to the boat.
Yoxan and Benn's experience shone through in the
next couple of minutes as they had the fish unhooked, tagged, measured and got
trophy shots for me without the fish ever leaving the water. It's law in Costa
Rica that any billfish caught should never leave the water and there's a
no-kill policy too. They truly value the incredible fishing they have.
I swam the fish by the boat for a short while as
it got it's strength back and then released it, watching as it swam off
strongly to fight another day. What an amazing creature and what an incredible
experience. I was over the moon and it wasn't even 10.30!
I filled in the paperwork that goes with the
tagging research program and the boys set the lines once again so we could
continue fishing. With a Sailfish in the bag already, I couldn't quite believe
it. There had even been talk of a couple of Marlin being raised on the radio.
With this in mind we got the coordinates from one of other captains and headed
over to investigate. To catch a Sailfish and a Marlin in one day would
be really quite special!
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| A fine sailfish - 198cm |
We got a chance too. After a couple of hours of
trolling, Manuel started screaming from the tower and sure enough there was a
Blue Marlin in the spread. In a flash, it scythed through the lures and baits
slashing at them with it's bill but failed to connect before sinking out of
view. As quickly as it began, it was all over.
Apart from one other dropped run from a
Sailfish, that was all the action we had that day. It wasn't an easy day by
Costa Rican standards but what mattered is that we got a Sailfish to the boat
and our target was met. As the lines were drawn in and the bow pointed back
towards Quepos, I was certainly returning back to port one happy angler. We did
it. Another species ticked off the list, and at 198cm, a fine specimen.
DAY 2
"A Sailfish offshore on day one and a
Roosterfish or Cubera Snapper inshore on day two please". That was my
request to Benn Gilmour of 'Jackpot Sportfishing' when I made my booking with
him back in the autumn of last year. I knew it was a lot to ask from just two
days of fishing, but you've got to dream haven't you? Specimens of those 3
species were right up there on my 'bucket list' of fish too.
Day one went to plan in magnificent style
with the beautiful Sailfish capture. We
couldn't have asked for a better start and as such were in high spirits and
full of optimism as we headed out of Marina Pez Vela for Day two. There had been a little rain in the night but
as we pushed up the coast in the early morning light the clouds retreated over
the mountains, leaving a clear sky above us.
The first task for the day was to fill the
livewell with bait. When looking for trophy fish inshore then a livebait is
hard to beat, more often than not it sorts out the better specimens. Catching
the bait in itself can often be a challenge and the first couple of spots we
tried proved to be just that. We got a few sardines, but not enough for the
day.
Captain Manuel made a call that we should
try for a Snook as were close to a productive river mouth that he loves to
fish. We drifted the mark with livebaits out the back while Benn tried casting
lures and poppers to fish that were showing on the surface from the bow.
After a few quiet drifts and one aborted
take on a livebait, the call was made to move on and attempt to fill the
livewell properly. Captain Manuel ran us down the coast a fair distance. He had
some rock marks in mind where he hoped to be able to put us on to the Roosters
and Cuberas. On the way, we stopped and tried to gather some more bait where
there were a couple of smaller boats attempting to do the same thing. There
were birds working the area and after a quick scan with the fish finder Manuel
was able to put us right over a large shoal of sardines.
Out came the Sabiki feathers and we all
began jigging at the back of the boat. This time the sardines were obliging and
it didn’t take long to get what we needed. Within fifteen minutes the livewell
was full, the lines were wound in and we were heading down the coast to Manuel
and Benn's favoured rock marks.
The further we went, the better the inshore
ground began to look. There were deserted black sand beaches interspersed with
dramatic cliffs and ominous pinnacles of rock rising up from the turquoise
waters. The scenery was fantastic, it was lovely looking ground that simply
screamed fish!
Once the engines were cut over our first
mark, we prepared the rods. At the rear we had two livebaits out, both hooked
through the nose with circle hooks. One was freelined while the other was
fished with a bullet lead of 1.5oz on the line to keep it down. With the water
column covered at the stern we could fish lures, poppers and flies from the
bow, hedging our bets so to speak.
Benn had spotted a large shoal of Milkfish
lurking behind one of the pinnacles and was casting flies at them. They were
incredibly spooky with just the shadow of the fly line above their heads enough
to send them scattering in every direction.
Sadly, they were having none of it.
The livebaits also remained untroubled at
the rear and after twenty minutes or so Manuel made the call to move on to the
next fishy looking spot. Casting a glance down the coast, it was clear to see
we were spoilt for choice. Everywhere I looked had potential for swimming a
bait or chucking a lure. Knowing where to start is half the battle and
fortunately for me, Benn and his team had a few tried and tested marks in mind.
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| Live Bait! |
The next spot was a cracker. There were two
huge pinnacles of rock towering out of the water with swell and white water
washing all around them. Manuel edged the boat in to casting distance and we
sent the first livebait out to run the gauntlet. Just as the second one was
being lowered down the reel on the first rod screamed into life, it all
happened so quick.
With the rod bent double in the holder and
the drag begrudgingly giving line, the fight was on. I grabbed the rod and hung
on for dear life as Manuel was screaming 'ROOSTER!' from the tower. The
pressure was on as this was one of the target species!
The Rooster fought hard and long, but
didn’t give me any trouble by heading down into the rock like some species do.
It was zipping around behind the boat giving us all a great show with it's comb
like dorsal fin slicing through the surface on several occasions. They really
are very special fish. With their radical hair do and awesome black and silver
stripes, they must surely be the rock stars of the ocean.
A few more spirited runs were all the fish
could manage before it surfaced by the boat and Yoxan was able to scoop it up
with the net. It was an incredible fish and the second target met in as many
days. Estimated at a little over 20lb in weight, I was ecstatic. These guys
were good!
With the circle hook easily removed, I held
the beautiful creature for a few trophy shots before releasing it. The fish
swam off strongly, which is always nice to see. They are another of Costa
Rica's protected species which makes it easily one of the best places on the
planet to catch one.
I was buzzing after that incredible
experience and could have gone home happy. But we still had a few hours of
fishing left. Benn mentioned how great it would be if we could find a Cubera
Snapper as well......I should be so lucky!
The livebaits were once again deployed and Manuel slowly trolled them
along a submerged reef.
After changing baits a couple of times, a
rather peculiar bite developed. The line pulled tight and the rod bent over
slightly. I wound down to allow the circle hook to do it's job and then
everything went slack to my disappointment. On checking the bait, all that was
left was a head with some puncture marks in it, the body having been savagely
bitten off. It seems the fish had just missed the hook and from the teeth marks
Benn called it as a large snapper. So close!
By this time the tide had peaked, so rather
than wait for it start moving again we trekked up the coast to another big
river estuary for the last hour of the day. Once we arrived, the ebb was well
underway. Livebaits were sent out to the rear and Yoxan was up the front
chucking a big popper around. What happened next can only be described as total
carnage!
Within minutes, the first livebait was away
and I was bent into fiercely strong fighting Jack. Then the other rod was off
and Benn and I were into a double hook up. Then Yoxan hooked a Sierra Mackerel
on the popper. It was crazy, there were fish everywhere. As soon as one was
unhooked and another bait deployed then it was instantly hit by the Jacks. At
one point we even had a triple hook up.
A dozen or so Jacks and several Mackerel
later we had pretty much run out of bait and it was time to head back in to
Quepos. It had been an incredible day, what a way to finish off my Costa Rican
fishing experience. It really doesn’t get much better. All credit to Benn and
his team, they did a great job putting us on to some serious fish in such a
short space of time. That's two more species ticked off the list. Until the
next time.....Tight lines!
CLICK ABOVE TO SEE THE VIDEO FROM THIS COSTA RICA ADVENTURE
