Catching my first sailfish and shunning winter in Aroostook for a few days in temperate Costa Rica last February was so enjoyable I did it again this year. In truth, my plane was just clearing the lush rain forests and climbing over the azure blue ocean on the return trip home when I made the decision to return. I just had to hook and play more of those hard fighting, high leaping acrobats with their huge and breathtaking dorsal sail, and perhaps boat a trophy in the 130- to 150-pound class.
When the Los Suenos area on the mid-pacific coast began to grow with a beautiful Marriott hotel, golf course and casino, numerous high class condos with gorgeous ocean views, and a modern marina, Gerard Aliseo saw the need for a quality charter fishing service. Costa Rica Dreams was born, and in just a few seasons premier captains and top-of-the-line fishing boats formed a real dream team known for catching billfish and other saltwater game fish when many other charter boats were struggling.
Thanks to Gerard and office manage Joey Aliseo, I got the opportunity to book Sweet Dreams, a 35-foot Cabo yacht captained by Tom Colquhoun, a top rate seaman who spends six months fishing Costa Rica and the rest of the year running a party boat fishing out of Maryland. Each of my three days on board Sweet Dreams was spent with one or two different companions and despite mediocre results on many other marina charter boats, our fishing was fabulous, with action from many sailfish, yellowfin tuna, dorado and one very feisty blue marlin.
An Arizona couple, Jeff and Kim Tice, who had never deep sea fished before were my boatmates for the first trip, and what a great introduction to saltwater angling they got. We saw porpoise on and off throughout the day, sometimes several dozen at a time and they would literally surf right in our bow wake just alongside the boat. Spinner dolphin would leap five feet clear of the sea surface and twirl like a top and often we would motor past large sea turtles paddling nonchalantly about on the surface. Along with all this we would frequently spot sailfish free-jumping off in the distance, some leaping up to 10 times. Considering we had motored at full throttle for almost an hour and a half and were trolling 30 miles off shore in water depths of nearly three thousand feet, the surface aquatic action was amazing.
With four teaser lines trailing in our wake and three other lines baited with hooked Ballyhoo, the action behind the boat was pretty good as well. Before ever reaching our intended fishing spot Capt. Tom spotted surface activity and reset the rigging with lighter rods and plugs. We got into a large school of yellowfin and hooked up several times before the school submerged. Four of the seven hookups produced rugged tug-of-wars on the light rods that put 20 to 30 pound fish in the boat. Later that afternoon we would locate another bunch of feeding yellowfin and land three of the six hooked.
Our trio also got into dorado twice that day. Also known as dolphin fish and mahi-mahi, these vividly colored yellow, green and blue fish are terrific fighters as well as gymnastic leapers, and are much prized for the delicious meat. We managed to put six dorado on ice that first day as well, the most memorable feat being a triple hook up, with anglers ducking under and passing rods over each other as the lively fish fought and ran in every direction. All three fish were finally landed and mine, the third one to strike, happened to be the largest I’ve ever caught at about 45 pounds.
I also caught a hefty sailfish late that first morning, from bill tip to tail tip it measured 9 feet 8 inches! Jeff lost his first sailfish after three jumps and seven or eight minutes of battle, and an hour later I lost the first blue marlin I’d ever hooked. Captain and first mate guessed its weight at 220 to 250 pounds from the four leaps during my 15 minute fight that ended with the fish bending my 4/0 hook nearly 90 degrees. That was the only marlin our boat teased to take during our three days of trolling.
In all, during my three days, I landed and released 10 sailfish and lost four more after several minutes of fight and multiple leaps. Three of the sails warranted measuring and photographing, as possible trophies over 125 pounds that might be worth a fiberglass-replica wall mount. Now, back in the cold climes of the Pine Tree State I realize another trip back to Costa Rica must be penciled onto the calendar. I still need to catch a marlin, be it blue, black or striped, since all are present in those waters, and I have the great urge to catch a sailfish on a fly rod.
Costa Rica is near the equator, between Panama and Nicaragua, so maintains a comfortable 80 degree temperature year around. Only a two-hour flight from Miami, Florida, bordered by the Pacific on one side and the Caribbean on the other, Costa Rica has something for everyone. Many visitors enjoy the sunbathing on sand beaches, swimming, surfing, snorkeling and scuba diving, while wave runners, kayaks and sail boats offer great surface sea action. Exploring the vast rain forest or several volcanoes allows tourists to also view a wide selection of animals unique to that environment, including many species of frogs, iguanas, monkeys, macaws, lizards and other birds and amphibians.
For any sportsman who has ever dreamed of holding a rod while a beautifully colored billfish dances on the ocean at the other end of the line, Costa Rica Dreams sports charters is the answer. Las Suenos Marriott Resort and Marina is the perfect vacation destination with something for the avid angler and all the rest of the family. Plan your next winter escape holiday by visiting www.CostaRicaDreams.com or calling 732-901-8625, ext. 46, to get more information or charter a boat, Captain and crew, and a look at www.Marriotthotels.com will yield pictures and info on the resort.
