Fish Catching Travel

Fish Catching Travel

Hard to believe we are already to the 12th of December.  The month is ripping by and our weather sure has settled down into the perfect zone.  Love those 70 degree days and 50 degree nights, not to cold when you hit the water first thing in the morning.

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I am so happy to announce that Strike King is back with a small sponsorship again this year.  Long before I ever thought about doing a blog, or even imagined I would end up in Texas, I was using their baits.  Remember the old Spence Scout, the Buzz King, or the Bill Dance Dancing Shad?  And their’s was the first frog I ever threw.  As the years have gone on they have developed the most comprehensive line of baits in the world, and they continue to refine and improve their baits.  And who can even compare with the line up of fishermen on their pro staff.  So yea, sure I will promote the heck out of them, but they have earned it.  From the Redfish Magic (My favorite lure of all time.), to the Swimming Jig, the 1.5 and 2.5 to the Rage Shrimp, I love and use them all the time.  And as you know if you read my stuff, I will not blow smoke just to promote something, if it works, it works, simple enough.  And Strike King makes baits that work.  Thanks to Terry, Aaron. and Strike King.

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I have had a thing or two I wanted to share with you that have been laying around while I was gone.  Aaron, a reader from Austin, was going to be down a couple of days staying at relatives on Coleto over the holiday.  Of course that was when I was gone but he wanted to know where he might catch a trout.  Looks like he got that done.

“Doug, it looks like the trip to CR has all you can handle!  I wanted to circle back to you after my trip over Thanksgiving.  I ended up landing about 50 fish in half a day on the water.  Every bit as good as you promised!  Seemed that the larger fish were running 18-19”.  It was a cold morning (high 30’s) and the fish never seemed to move into the shallows on the shoreline but they were ready to bite out in the deeper water.  Aside from the good fishing, it’s also a really beautiful place. 

Thanks again for the tip on such a nice place that’s so suitable for kayak fishing.  I hope to give it another try during Christmas.  I also hit Coleto before dark one evening.  They were stacked up on the private lake side.  Landed 6 up to 19” in a quick hour of fishing.

Aaron”

Glad you enjoyed it, nothing like winter trout fishing.  And when Coleto is on, it is on, and it looks like you added a few bass to your trout fishing success.  Thanks for the report and let me know when you are down in this area again, maybe we can make it to the lake.

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My buddy Faye and her husband Steve were down for a couple of days a few weeks ago and she sent me this report.

First let me say something about perseverance, drive home to DFW, work a day, and then drive back.  That is a serious case of the “want to.”  And it goes right to the heart of the matter, time on the water.  The old saying the more I fish the luckier I get is so true.  Way to pull it out and catch a nice sack.  And way to use the tide to your advantage.  The tide, and what it means, is probably the thing I struggle with the most.   It just takes time and experience, and looks like you are getting it down.

And funny thing you mentioned Beaver Lake.  That was my closest lake while I was practicing law in Fayetteville.   An ok bass lake, it is one of the great lakes for white and striped bass, and the next report is from the Shoedog on Norfork Lake, one of the lakes that are part of the White River chain along with Beaver.   So thanks for the report.  You guys have had a couple of pretty successful trips lately and I appreciate you sharing them with us.

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The Shoedog made a trip to Arkansas to fish with our old buddy Clyde and they managed to get the job done on day 2.  Probably the one thing I miss most about fishing those highland lakes in the winter is the deep jigging in the fall and early winter.  When you find them they are stacked up.

“I was planning on heading home from a trip to visit family and friends for Thanksgiving, but the weather was nice so I headed back east from Fayetteville to Mountain Home Arkansas where I spent many days fishing with redfishlaw in the 1970’s to 1990’s.  

Headed for a fish fry at the Burchard house.  Those folks can eat a lot of fish!

I am busy with construction here at home while redfishlaw is fishing and has been to Costa Rica- hope to get back out there soon! Good fishing to all!”

Nice report and good job of pulling it out.  All I can say is I can not wait to get back there and fish this spring.  Love those Bull Shoals smallmouth and maybe we can add a couple of stripers night fishing.  So thanks for letting us know how your trip went.  And it just seems weird now to think of you catching fish 20 foot deeper than Coleto’s deepest point.  Time to start thinking about our Baffin trip coming soon.

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I had one other report that I was sworn to secrecy about where, and as I have told you all in the past, if you want me to keep your secret I will.  I just enjoy the reports and we can all take something from each one.  These guys were fishing a small river I was not familiar with, and they absolutely killed them.  Trout, reds, and flounder were all in the same place, deeper water.  That pattern may hold for a while so get it while the getting is good.  This pattern has been consistent all over the coast this fall, and it is as good as it has been for several years.

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I also heard from Jim regarding my vacation stories.

“Thanks soooooo much for sharing your trip information.”

Thanks Jim for continuing to read my stuff.  I pondered whether to put up pictures not associated with the fishing but in this case the trip was just to interesting.  I figured you all would like the wildlife and rain forest.  So thanks for bearing with me.

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That almost catches me up.  Saturday morning it will be trout fishing with Aaron and his buddy Ed.   Hopefully the fishing will remain as good as it has and we can show his buddy Ed what a redfish is all about.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

Quepos Fishing Adventures

Quepos Costa Rica

World Class Fishing at it’s finest!

There are few places on this earth with as good a fishing as Quepos, Costa Rica.  And headquartered there is one of the best bangs for your buck in offshore fishing.  How good?  As folks say – Google it.  The cost of offshore fishing has sky rocketed the last few years, with prices rising to well over $3500 a day in some places.  Well guess what?  I found a gem, a place where for the same money you can buy your airline ticket, pay for your motel, and fish for 3 days.  It almost sounded to good to be true, but it wasn’t.

The Stress Reliever – Quepos Fishing Adventures

A true hardcore fishing machine – and the crew to go with it.

Quepos Fishing Adventures is owned by John, an expat living in Quepos, born of all places in Victoria, Texas.  He now has a 3 boat fleet offering assorted packages with both inshore and offshore options.  Sailfish, Marlin, huge Mahi Mahi, Roosterfish, and tons of reef fish are all available.  But it is the sailfish that brings most of the fisherman to Quepos.  They are world class and the potential to break 120lbs is out there at any second.

If this does not make your heart thump you are not a fisherman!

My wife and I were fortunate to fish 2 days offshore with Capt. John and his first mate Alex.  Alex will forever be known as Alex Reel Reel, because that is what you will hear from him all day, reel – reel!  And reel reel I did.  On the second day it was 10 Mahi Mahi without a break.  You want to catch fish, this is the place and these are the guys.  If you want air conditioning, a salon, and to be pampered (They feed you and put you on fish, which is the real pamering.), this is not the boat for you.  If you want to catch fish – This is the crew!

After 10 of these in a row you will sure have had your monies worth.

I can not say enough about Capt. John of the Stress  Reliever.  An American expat his story is one that is dear to my heart.  Knowing it was time for a change in his life he left Colorado towing an 16′ Lund aluminum boat and over 6 months fished from Mexico to Quepos.  Now that is my kind of guy!  He has been a full time captain now for 11 years, and is one of the top producers of big sailfish on the Pacific Coast.  His instructions, nobody get hurt and lets have a fun day.  He definitely produced in a big way.

Alex “Reel Reel” is a native Costa Rican who started working the long line boats at 16 and has spent his last 11 years on the water.  His ability to handle multiple rods, multiple fish, and multiple fishermen, is amazing.  A day spent with these guys is one of the great fishing days any fisherman could have.  Capable, competent, and they really care about making your fishing day a memory that will live forever.  And you will learn a lot no matter how experienced you are.

Alex rigs fresh ballyhoo.  No fear of a fresh bait shortage.

The fishing itself is basically high speed trolling with a basic bait and switch technique.  On our trip 3 teasers were employed with 4 flat lines trolling chin rigged ballyhoo.  While the sails and Mahi did hit the flatlines, often it was  sails in the spread and you could see them tracking the teaser.  The captain would jerk the teaser away, Alex would take the closest flatline, reel to the fish, and then drop the bait, and with any luck, which was often, the fish would eat.

A beautiful thing!

It is an awesome sight to see a wolfpack of sailfish in the spread, slashing teasers, as the Captain and Mate did their thing so professionally.  We were lucky enough to experience a couple of doubles to go along with a quad on Mahi that continued until we had hooked an easy dozen.  It was a real pleasure to see a professional crew do their thing.  I can not imagine any better crew on the coast.

When To Go

One of the great things about Quepos is if the question is when should I go – the answer is easy, anytime!  Of course some times are somewhat better for different fish, but sailfish and marlin are available year round.    As an example Capt. John said they averaged 15 sailfish a day in January 2013.  He did mention some specific times that are better than others.

Dorado and Marlin– November and December,  Sailfish – January and February.

As to how far out you have to fish he catches them as close as 6 miles off, and as far off as 40 miles.  Now 40 may seem like a long way off, but the boat is fast and the sea is usually calm.  In fact, Capt. John has only had to return to port one time due to sea conditions.  It is one of the few places you can schedule your trip far in advance with little fear that weather will ruin your trip.  Keep in mind to expect rain, so bring your rainsuit, but it is always warm so it is no big deal.

Getting There

There are direct flights from many major US airports, it is only 4 hours from Houston.  You will land in San Jose and from there you can take a shuttle to Quepos.  If you schedule it right you can fly in in the morning and be at your motel in time for supper and fishing the next morning.  Same on the return, a morning shuttle ride then an afternoon flight.  Often you can arrange the in country travel through the hotel, or than can steer you to the provider.  Good planning can have you in one day, fishing 3, and home the next day.  The cost of this trip makes it a real value for the bucks.

There are several motels recommended on their site, or you can stay about 15 minutes away in the town of Manuel Antonio, which has a little more upscale accomadations.  We stayed at the Falls Resort and it was only a little more than $100 a night.  With breakfast provided, and lunch on the boat, you are only left buying supper, keeping the cost of the trip down.  The Falls has a good restaurant and there are plenty others within reasonable walking distance.  And taxis are cheap and you can take it to the marina and the hotels are happy to arrange it all for you.

This trip is well within the price of many of us, and if you split it with another person or two the cost of fishing goes down dramatically.  And with the sheer numbers of fish you will have plenty of shots on a three day trip.  My wife and I fished 2 days offshore and boated 9 sailfish and 11 mahi mahi, a successful trip by any standard.

So take a look at their site and start dreaming now.  It really can be a fishing dream come true.

http://queposfishadventure.com/

Good Luck and Tight Lines 

Fish Catching Travel

After a good day on the river it was time to check on Coleto.  We are coming to my favorite time of year on Coleto, topwater.  The last couple of years the topwater bite has started in December and stayed pretty consistent through April.  So with a good cloud cover and little wind I was excited to hit the lake.

The first thing I noticed when I got there is how far down the lake is.  If it continues like this it could get tough at the ramp.  The water is now down past the end of the loading docks so it is really down.  The first place I stopped was the small island where I had been catching a few last month before I went on vacation.  I tossed a Strike King Swimming Jig in Sexy Shad with a Caffine Shad paddle tail.  The reason for throwing that particular bait is the fish are definitely on a shad bite, you can see them popping here and there.

The Strike King Swimming Jig and the Bagley Balsa Minnow.  My current go to baits.

I missed one in the grass and that was it for that place.  On the way up the lake to a deep bank there was a bank with a little wind on it so I stopped and threw a spinnerbait, again without success.  So next it was a long deep channel bank with no wind on it so it was time for the topwater.

Fish number 4.

As soon as I started throwing the topwater they started hitting it and rolling on it.  After putting 3 in the boat I caught the one above, a nice Coleto fatty.  The next cast I caught this guy.  Not a big one, but a good representation of the average for the day.

Just a keeper.  I love the way they smoke that thing.

I am sure that many different topwater minnows will work, but I have been hooked on the Bagley Bang O Lure for almost 30 years.  Being balsa it is real light and buoyant, allowing you to give it the action the fish like.  For some reason the bass on Coleto like it moving faster than lots of places.  To work it properly throw it out and start lightly jerking it the minute it hits the water.  That old wives tail about letting it sit till all the rings go away is just that, an old wives tail.

Then you need to jerk, then reel the slack out, at a steady pace making the bait darts under the water about 3 inches and pops along with light jerks.  The foil on the balsa bait shimmers and flashes and looks so realistic.  And one word of caution, do not give up on it.  It can be real easy to start fishing to fast and then not working it close to the boat.  Do not do that.  Most of the good fish come streaking up out of nowhere and smoke it, usually off the bank.  If you have clear water they can see and hear it from a long way, so do not give up on it.  And Polaroids are mandatory.  You will often see them rolling on it but not getting it, so keep it coming.

After boating around 6 on top I stopped at a main lake bank close to the park to throw the Swim Jig on some deeper grass.  As the lake has fallen the grass has died, leaving less than I have seen in the last 4 years I have been fishing there.  But if you can find good green grass in the 4 – 8 foot range most of it is holding fish.

A nice fish on the Swim Jig.

They still want the Swim Jig tipping the top of the sunken grass.  When you are doing it just right you can feel the jig hitting the grass and once it does just increase the speed or give it a jerk, that is usually when they hit it.

Fish Number 2 on the Swim Jig.

Though I threw the Swim Jig in a couple of other places they were not wanting it like the topwater so it was time to finish out the morning with it.  Today it was points, though not all of them had fish on them.  So I just kept the trolling motor down and covered some territory just twitching that minnow along.  It was miss a couple then catch one, real random but definitely most came on points.

A nice Coleto Creek chunk.

The bite today was not fast by any means, but it was enough to keep it interesting.  Before it was over I boated 16, about half keepers, and a couple about the size of the bait.  I never made it way up lake and ended up fishing the lower end.  Other than points no place was any better than any other, it was a keep the bait in the water kinda day.  But I do love to see those fish charging up out of deeper water and just annihilating that topwater.  As long it doesn’t get to cold that style of fishing should continue on Coleto for the foreseeable future.  But if you are a deep water fisherman it should be really good right now.  With the falling water deep fishermen could really score if they find them, for me I just love watching them hit that topwater and will continue throwing it until they tell me to quit.

Coleto has also had some crappie caught lately, and not that deep.  So if that is your thing just fish the outside and isolated timber, just hop from one to another until you find some.  10 – 15 foot has been the range and they are really nice fish.  One other note on Coleto, it is time to drift for the big blue cats.  I have only done it twice but caught fish both times hanging cut bait right off the bottom in 20 – 30 foot of water.  The best bait is cut Tilapia which you should be able to cast net at the outflow in the Coleto arm.  There is your Coleto primer for the day.

I have no plan for tomorrow, but one more day on the water is in order.  Maybe it will be the bay to check on some redfish.  And with the trout ganging up in deeper water there are a couple of places I would like to drift.  Expect a cool announcement in the next couple of days, have to leave it at that for now.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

While there is always a little post vacation depression, nothing like hitting the river for a little fishing.  My friend Aaron was able to go today so we met about 7:30 and hit the road.  We got to the ramp, dropped it in the water, and were fishing by 8:30.  It turned out to be good fishing for numbers but the 20″+ escaped us today.  So here you go Rick, how about a little trout action.

I have only been back 2 days but have heard several reports from different areas, but one thing that is consistent is deep water.  We started on a little deeper bank and were just catching one here and there so we moved to a little shallower bank and boy were they there.  I am still throwing the Down South watermelon red with a Chartreuse tail, and boy do they like it.  It is hard to believe how long one lasts.  And other than a couple of snags and break offs, none got torn up by the fish.  Please, pick up a bag and try them, they work.

Here is the days take home.

There were a couple of interesting things today, and one was it can really help when there are 2 guys fishing, one might figure something out a little different.  Aaron started fishing that Down South faster and when we were really in to them it was let it hit bottom, then reel real fast about 5 times and let it fall.  You could feel them tugging at it and when you dropped it they would eat.  But keep in mind that was when we were in the little ones.  It seemed like when you were in the little ones not many of them were even close, and most of the keepers we caught were here and there not around any great concentration.  Everyday is a new day.

We also threw the Corky type bait, and though we caught 4 or 5 on it the plastic was clearly the bait of choice.  In fact we caught so many Aaron finally broke one off because he had not retired and he said I knew I should have retied, then I promptly did the same thing.  When you are catching the snot out of them take a second and retie, the next one you break off might be a hoss.  I also threw the popping cork a little later in the morning, but other than a couple of bites they were not interested in it at all today.

I think we caught 3 or 4 flounder and only one was a keeper, but we both lost a good fish during the day that felt like a flounder.  We also boated a couple of reds, but only one made the grade.  It was clearly a plastics day, and though we hit a couple of slow places, we caught then all the way until we, and they, seemed to quit.

It was 1:00 when we called it a day.  We would have easily limited if we had fished out the day.  But Aaron had some work to do, what’s up with that, the having to work thing?  I guess I forgot what that is all about, lucky me.  So when it was all said and done we boxed 6 trout, 1 red, and 1 flounder.  And we had to wade through about 50 to get that.  But if the only complaint is having to catch fish all day to get some to eat, you won’t hear me complaining.

I haven’t made up my mind yet as to what is on the plate tomorrow, but it will definitely be somewhere involving water.  It is good to be home.  There are a couple of other things I want to get posted and will add them to tomorrows report.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

Earthquake, Dead People, Road Rage, and Hookers.

We are finally home after quite the adventure.  As this was our first real travel in Central America it was nothing short of a crazy experience.  Our only other experience in that part of the world was an island off Belize, so this was an eye opening experience.  I have some more pictures to post but first I want to cover our last day.

We were up at 6 to catch our first boat from Red Frog Resort on Bustamante Island to Bocas Del Torro Archipelago, which is another island.  The sea was calm and not raining so the ride was good, and boat number  2 was on time for the half hour ride to Almirante Panama on the mainland.  From there is was a 1 hour van ride to the border crossing from Panama to Costa Rica.  Then it was immigration and the cool walk across the bridge to Costa Rica.  From there Costa Rica immigration and another hour van ride back to Banana Azul in Puerto Viejo to pick up our other bags.

We had a 2 hour layover and while we were eating lunch all of a sudden everything got woozy and it took everyone a minute to realize that there was an earthquake.  It was only the second one I have ever felt and you could see the water in the pool flowing back and forth.  Quite an experience to add to the trip.

The van to take us back to San Jose for the plane the next day got there at 2 and off we went on what was supposed to be a 4 – 5 hour ride.  We headed out on the main road from the Caribbean side up the mountains to San Jose.  It is a mess with tons of trucks from the Port of Limon to San Jose.  As there is no railroad across the country it is all done with trucks on that one road. I can not over emphasis how absolutely crazy folks drive there.  Double yellow and blind corner means pass at least 5 cars.  Traffic backed up?  Pass on right or left, it is almost impossible to describe.

So when we got to within 60 km of San Jose traffic was backed up on the road for miles, it is only 2 lanes snaking through the mountain rain forest.  Our driver hopped out and the guy riding in the front seat translated, “Accident with dead people.”  Now as we all know that can back up traffic everywhere, but Costa Rica is another deal.  If there is an accident no one moves anything, moving after an accident means you are guilty.  And to top it off they wait for the police, ambulance, and get this, the insurance companies of all involved.  Are you kidding me!  Nothing like your local agent to help clear matters up.

So here we are only an hour from San Jose and we have to turn around and go back to take another route.  Unfortunately the only real route meant another 3 or 4 hours to get there.  Now that would have been great if it was daylight.  For those of you local, think about coming down the hill at Schulenburg, then multiply by 500.  We took a road through the mountains that was beyond winding, it was curve, after curve, after curve.  Being Saturday night people were walking along it everywhere, riding bikes, it was crazy.  Our driver was flat out awesome as we roared through the mountains.  It would have been a beautiful drive in the day time.  Costa Rica is a so pretty.

We came into the city the back way and went through several towns where of course the traffic was terrible, but in Costa Rica it is what it is.  Then we saw a car cut another one off and bump it, and the other driver rammed into the side of the other car.  Then he cut across multiple lanes of traffic and the medium and pulled a u turn on a 6 lane road, with his lights off.  We then learned our driver was a former cop as he called it in.  More on the cop thing later.

So finally after 13 hours we get to our hotel.  What a trip, as this whole thing has been.  We check in and head to the sports bar at the hotel, time for supper and a cold one.  One thing we noticed in our room along with the drinks and chips was there was room service condoms, which seemed strange, but we also saw that in Greece.  Then it dawned on us, prostitution is legal.  Coming in to the hotel it was a Saturday night and there was few ladies of the evening here and there.

At our hotel there were several American men staying there and guess what, they had a friend with them.  It was just different.  No one at the hotel thought a thing about it, there are lots of travelers to Costa Rica who come for that.  The sports bar attached to the hotel had a poker game going and occasionally someone would meet his date.  Just one of the quirky things about Costa Rica.  The next day it was to the airport and then home.  Of course when we went to get the car the battery was dead but it was quickly remedied and here we are.

A Few Random Thoughts on Costa Rica and Travel

Do not drive in Costa Rica, period.  People are nuts and it is just as cheap to take taxis and there is transport available everywhere for a reasonable price, definitely as cheap as a car and less life threatening.  Getting rid of the car the last week was the best decision we ever made.  If we had been driving the last day and encountered that accident we would have been sitting in line for hours without a clue what to do.  Lucky.

Costa Rica is not the safest place we have ever been, it may have been the worst though we had no problems.  But it was don’t walk at night, don’t leave anything in the car, don’t carry to much money, those kinds of warnings were everywhere.

San Jose at night would clearly not have been safe.  And if you ever think of going to Costs Rica and anyone tells you to go anywhere near Limon they are nuts.  Probably one of the worst cities ever, and Nancy has been to Nairobi and it compared to that.  Our driver was an ex cop from San Jose who quit to drive the transport because it was to dangerous – to be a cop!

Panama is a different vibe all together.  We will absolutely go back and enjoyed everything about our experience there.  It has everything Costa Rica has.

They tell you to leave your passport in your room and carry a copy, not a good idea.  We encountered several check points where that would not have worked.  And if you need money at a bank a copy does not cut it.

In both countries, unless you are in town with a bank, do not plan on always getting money out of an ATM.  Get cash, and then get some more.  It was nice in Panama as they use bucks and it simplified things.

Basic Spanish is almost necessary in Costa Rica.  Try dealing with a locksmith in a small town as it gets dark in not the safest place, that was interesting.

In spite of all those things above, the scenery, the people, the whole experience far out weighed the bad.  The wildlife, the fishing, the places we stayed, and the fellow travelers made it all worth while.

Do not let any of the above deter you from going fishing in Costa Rica, it is world class.  We were in lots of other places that had nothing to do with fishing.  I would, and hope to, go back fishing.  It is simple, a transport to the coast and hotel.  Taxi to the marina, plenty of restaurants in safe walking distance.  It is not as dangerous as it might seem, it just takes some common sense.

A Few Final Pictures

Ryan the bartender at Palmar in Panama

This is Ryan an expat from Oregon eating the rest of Nancy’s supper off her plate.  These guys were great.  A tent camp on the beach, it is owned by a couple of young Americans.  If you want it cool with some hilarious guys at a great place this is it!  http://www.palmartentlodge.com/

Red Frog Beach Panama.

The sloth I showed you the other day, he finally moved 2 days later.

Our resident friend on the deck of the villa.

Coming in to Bocas Del Toro.

Better than the water.

Bocas Del Toro Town Panama.  We hope to make it back some day, cool place.

Taxi anyone?

Almost running out of gas, don’t worry, no problem.

The islands were a true water world and I loved it.

Nancy headed back across the bridge from Panama to Costa Rica.  Time to go home.

If you are a bird lover Costa Rica should be on your list.

The last picture of  the trip.  Sloths are just plain weird!

So there you have it.  One of the more interesting trips I have ever taken.  The fishing with Quepos Fishing Adventures was more than I could ever have imagined.  The river rafting was a hoot.  Walking across the bridge between countries in the rain forest was one of the highlights of any of our travels.  There really is not more to say than I already have, what a trip.  I have some video that I will add to future posts as soon as I get them edited.

Now it is back to real life.  The weather looks good and it will be back to the fishing.  I can’t wait to get back to the Gulf and see if the fishing has remained as good as it was when I left.  There are also a few reports and comments that I got while gone and I will get those up in the next couple of days.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

There hasn’t been any fishing but there sure has been some traveling.  As the Van Halen song said – Panama – aa-aa-Panama.  When we left Banana Azul to come to Panama things got weird, this trip is just getting crazier and crazier.  Puerto Veijo in Costa Rica was a gritty little coastal town full of expats, rasta dudes, backpackers, Costa Ricans, and a host of other interesting and marginal characters.  What we experienced next was a major culture shock.

We were picked up by the van and driven to the border crossing between Costa Rica and Panama.  Our destination was the famous Red Frog Beach and Red Frog Beach Resort.  But first the van stopped in the gritty little border town in the middle of the jungle where first we paid the lady $8 to leave Costa Rica – 7 for the state and 1 for her.  Then it was to immigration to get our passports stamped, and then the most unusual crossing ever – a bridge.  The 2 countries are separated by a bridge over a river on the coast – that can not take cars or trucks, so you walk and try not to trip and fall in!  Of course my travel monster wife had a guide meet us to take us through all that or we might still be there, crazy stuff!

Say goodbye to Costa Rica.

Heading on to the bridge.

Me and our guide truckin’ on into Panama.

This is the good part of the bridge!

I do want you to keep in mind it is raining, funny how that happens in the rain forest.  So we truck across the bridge, pay to get into Panama, prove we are leaving later, and get through immigration.  You want adventure, this border crossing was it.  Thank God for the guide.  We then hop on our van and head about an hour to a port city to take a ferry to Boca Del Toro, the island where we will get on another boat to Red Frog.  On the way we pass another immigration check point with mean looking soldiers but all is well

We are dropped off at BMT the company that ferries us to Boca.  So on a 24 foot panga with a Yamaha 200hp, with another 20 people, we tear ass across open ocean with 7 foot rollers in a down pour.  I was lucky enough to sit next to what I think was a hooker with a couple of nice fans.

The good ship Lollypop – Not!

Docking on the island of Boca Del Toro.

We arrive on the island where we head to the office of Red Frog to get our next boat to the island.  We drop off our stuff and head to the store to pick up a few things as there is no store on the island.  When we get back to the office the boat is just arriving.  On the boat is the manager of the resort.  Now this is no downstream resort, it does have a hostel, a lodge, and lots of huge villas.  Nancy has booked us into the lodge, which costs a little less than staying in a downtown hotel in Austin.  Here is where it gets weider than the day has already been, and getting here has been a real adventure.

He says welcome to the resort, I have to go get some folks at the airport but the boat will take you over to your villa.  Villa?  He says yea, a little construction so it might be busy so we upgraded you to a villa.  Huh?  So we hop on another panga with a captain wearing a garbage bag for a raincoat and we are again off tearing across the ocean in big swells to Red Frog.  We check in, the villa guy loads our stuff, gives us our golf cart for getting around the property, and off to the villa we go.  Holy f’n mackerel!  And here it is  – a $1000 a night in season, 3 bedroom villa, on the top of a mountain in the middle of a rain forest, overlooking the Caribbean, surrounded by monkeys, sloths, parrots, and God knows what else.

Front.

Side.

Living Room.

The deck on the mountain side.

The pool.

What a view.

Me acting like a rich guy.

The golf cart.  The only way to get around Red Frog.

The kitchen …….ok you get the point.

So here we are at Red Frog.  The resort covers thousands of acres on the island and buts up with a forest preserve.  It is truly a rain forest.  It has been raining the last couple of days, but it comes with the territory.  We took a hike today in the forest and I have not seen a monkey yet.  But we did come across a sloth today, what a weird animal.

Just hanging around.  You could hang around for a better picture, but who knows when they will move.

Not sure what these are but they have a cool yellow tail and an awesome call.

Waterfalls everywhere.

Some of the most beautiful plants in the world.

Red leaves and popcorn with a blueberry in the middle.

So many flowers.

One of the many famous Red Frog beaches,

The hummingbirds like these things.

These things are cool.

Trekking through the rainforest.

Last night it was lobster caught off the reef that prices Red Lobster couldn’t touch.  And eating it at the beach bar as the waves come in from the Caribbean makes it all that much better.  Tomorrow is our last full day here, and then it is home.  I thought I might fish but there is just to much to do, I have already had a great couple of days fishing so it is time to take advantage of the forest and the villa.  I can not tell you how awesome it is to sit on the porch overlooking the ocean in the middle of the forest.  What an experience.  We have had the usual good time, and with all foreign travel in the less developed countries a few hassles, but this upgrade to the villa has topped off a great experience.

In 2 days it will be 2 boat rides and 3 van rides, plus another border crossing, to get back to San Jose Costa Rica and the hotel for our last night here.  When you take this kind of trip it can be work.  But to get to the great places off the beaten path that is the price you pay.  And this is off the beaten path.   As usual my lovely wife has done a fabulous job planning this trip, the possible pitfalls are many, but she has done a superb job.  So keep stopping in and hopefully there will be another adventure right around the corner.  Thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

All I can say is WOW!  Of course my best intentions have been to post daily but vacation has gotten in the way.  So finally this morning we have a day with no plan, just laze around the resort and get ready to head to Panama.

In the morning we will be taken by car to an old bridge at the town of Sixaola where we go through immigration to enter Panama,  From there it is shuttle to the town of Almirante where we hop a ferry to an island and Boca Town where we meet a boat that will take us to our final island with a famous Red Frog Beach.  Getting around in this part of the world can only be described as crazy at times.

We have been here at hotel Banana Azul for the last 4 days and it has been great.  Right on the Caribbean coast I am sitting on my balcony looking out at the ocean rolling in and listening to the thousands of birds here on the lowland rain forest.  This story will probably be somewhat disjointed but let’s get to the highlights.

Banana Azul

No AC.  Sleep with sounds of the ocean under the mosquito canopy.  Cool.

                   Handlining Pompano off the beach for his breakfast.

Great landscaping.  Bananas everywhere in Costa Rica.

Driving in Costa Rica is insane.  Double yellow lines on the highway mean go like a bat out of hell, pass as many cars as possible, preferably on a blind curve.  And if you are on a motorcycle you can drive how you want, where you want, as fast as you want.  Why the highway is not littered with dead folks is beyond me, but it seems to work.  We left the Pacific side to come over here and that included back through San Jose and over the mountains which is rain forest and down the other side.

The madness that is crossing the mountains through the rain forest in a driving rain on the only road that crosses Costa Rica.

We are now between Puerto Viejo and Cahuita, and both played a part in the last couple of days.  Cahuita has a large national park that is rain forest, so we took a morning and did about a 5 miles through the park.  It is a true rain forest.  I am still waiting to see my first monkey.  Nancy has seen them several times, both the white face and howlers.  Daylight is the time of the howlers, and their roar can be heard all across the forest and is a sound you will never forget.  Costa Rica also has sloths, and again Nancy has seen one and I have not.  Guess it is just not my turn.  I figured the monkeys and sloths had read the chapter where they are supposed to show up on demand.

Cool whatever it is.

The trail through the park.  Impenetrable rain forest all around.

Base of the giant trees that make up the canopy.

Another world.

Lots of creepy crawly things in the forest.

Hundreds of different butterflies and birds, the park is a special place.

Later that day we went in to the town of Puerto Veijo.  It is quite the town.  An old coastal town, it is made up of the Rasta dudes, locals, and lots of back packers.  We wandered around town in the shops and got some lunch.  The meal we had at Mama’s café was the best of the trip and I ate the traditional red beans and rice with chicken.  It was similar to the same meal in Belize and is a staple in the Caribbean culture.

Now that is an iced coffee.

As we got back to the car a mini disaster struck.  Nancy put the key in the door and promptly twisted it right off.  Yikes.  One word about safety in Costa Rica.  Like many other places we have been you just have to be careful everywhere, especially after dark.  Nothing left in the car, no flash of cash, no jewelry, the basics, just use common sense and it is usually ok.

He tried to fix it but it just didn’t happen.

So here we are with no way to get in the car or drive, and it is getting late in the evening.  We call the car company, which is 5 hours away and they say we will bring you a key in the morning.  Now that is not going to work.  We could have left the car and taken a taxi back to the motel, no problem.  But if we left the car where it sat it probably would not have any tires or rims and would have definitely been broke into.  So now what?

Of all things we are across the street from an Alamo rental and the guys were great.  They knew of a locksmith who just happened to be in town working from Limon, 50 miles away.  So problem solved right?  He comes and gets the broken half out of the door and says back in a little with a new key, great.  Here he comes back and it will not work.  To make a long story short he tries everything, finally he gets the key to work in the door but it will not work in the ignition.  Of course he does not speak one word of English and us no Spanish so we have a failure to communicate.  We are then grabbing folks walking by to try and translate, and folks are helpful, but it is dark and we are not in the best area.

Finally after several translations it is clear we can not leave the car there so he pulls the ignition, pulls the steering wheel lock, and we are basically using a screw driver to start the car, but it is moving and we cruise back to the hotel, disaster averted.  When things like this happen in foreign countries, especially less developed ones like Costa Rica you have one of two choices.  It is either a complete disaster or an another adventure, and we chose adventure.  This turned out to be a 3 hour adventure that I could have done without, but it ended up fine.  As in many places like Costa Rica you have to exercise caution, leave nothing in the car, careful where you are when it gets dark, no flashy jewelry or cash, simple things.

The next day on the other hand was awesome.  We were picked up at 6:30 by a shuttle and headed back up the mountains a couple of hours to the top and the rainforest.  The day would be spent rafting the Rio Pacuare.  The coolest river in Costa Rica it is one of the top 5 rafting rivers in the world.  With tons of class III and class IV rapids it is a beast.  The trip is 30kms long taking 4 hours with a total of 38 rapids.

They fed us breakfast and then a safety orientation as we went from the rally point deep into the jungle.  This is a trip where you do not bring anything that is not attached to you, if you do you may never see it again.  Our guide was the lead guide and there was 5 rafts with 5 or 6 people in each raft.  Of all things we end up in the raft with an attorney and nurse from Florida and a crazy chick from Canada.  So with helmets and life jackets down the river we go, it starts off with a bang and never lets up the whole day.

It is beautiful.  Part of the safety orientation is how to rescue people who fall out of the boat.  Good thing, as we hit the third or fourth rapid, they are awesome, I promptly get smashed in the face by a huge wave and knocked in the river.  I bang on a couple of rocks, this river is humping, and finally get ahold of the strap on the raft and get hauled back in.  Instead of being scary it is crazy cool!  What could be better than being bounced out of a raft screaming down a huge rapids in the middle of a rainforest?  I mean come on!

As we float down the river is so cool, high bluffs, Tucans flying overhead, monkeys (which I do not see again.), and gorges where it narrows down and you are almost enclosed in bluffs.  There are waterfalls all over the river, many falling hundreds of feet, and of course our guide steers the boat under them to get us wetter if that is possible.  Our guide turned out to be an avid fisherman who purses anything that swims and I learned a lot about fishing Costa Rica from him.  I am so sorry I do not remember his name but he found my website and will send me a comment and hopefully some of his pictures,  A great guy.

We stop a little over half way and eat a cool lunch on the river bank and take a break.  Then it is the last part of the trip.  Right after we get back in the water one of the rafts get sideways and hits a big rock, and over they go.  It is a tough stretch, people are under the raft, drifting here and there, and the rescue is on.  One thing they do is have 4 kayaks follow us down river to pick up folks who fall in, and someone will, so they are rescuing people, we grab a guy who was under the raft and he is looking like it wasn’t all that much fun as the guide pulls him in the boat.  But it turns our well, everyone is laughing and cheering, and a great time is had by all.  As I write this morning my arms and legs are aching from paddling for dear life, my knees hurt from banging on the rocks, and we are so glad we did it.  What a trip.

That covers the highlights since we came to the Caribbean side.  Today we will head back in to town for a short trip, pick up some coffee and presents, and just have a lazy day.  The fishing opportunities are pretty limited here so I have decided to wait for Panama.  It looks like there are several options on the island so that will be the first order of business.  So while I will fish another day or two depending on the choices, it will be impossible to top the fishing with queposfishingadventures.com.  Those guys are the bomb, and looking back a the pictures and reliving those couple of days make it all the sweeter.  I am working on a story for fishermen.  Capt. John and Alex were the real deal, professional, personable, and put us on world-class fish.  It is an experience that is right at the top of my fishing experiences.  I am already trying to figure out how to get back here.  When summer comes the fish move farther inshore, and 20+ billfish a day is common, including marlin.  What a place.

So there you have it for now.  I will get something up when we get to Panama, and hopefully it will be some fantastic fishing adventure.  This has been a crazy trip and I see no reason for it to be any different our last 4 days.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

Today was my last day offshore on the Pacific side.  My lovely wife had all she could take yesterday so it was beach and shopping for her.  I got lucky and was able to fish with Capt John and mate Alex Reel Reel  again.  When I met them at the dock we cranked it up and headed 27 miles offshore in the area we nailed that big dorado yesterday.  And for the first couple of hours we might have had a couple in the spread, but no real action.  But the good think here is to relax, take a load off, it is going to happen.  And today it did.

About 11 we wired and released our first sailfish of the day.  And then a little while later it happened.

Take a good look at the size.  Though not a giant like yesterday, it a big fish, and when I say thank God you will understand why.

There were several boats in that area and it was flat out crazy.  Everyone with dorado on, and the minute we hooked the one above all hell broke loose.  One fish on, two fish on, 3 fish on, and then 4 fish on, all this big at the same time.  To use the old saying – Fish On could not adequately describe what was going on.

And then Alex and Capt. John were really mean to me.  I would fight a fish this size to the boat and as soon as Alex Reel Reel would get the leader in hand he would hand me another rod, and it was on again, and again, and again.  Big Mahi Mahi on all the rods, jumping everywhere, me fighting the next one, and that darn Alex would drop a ballyhoo over the side and that rod would start screaming.  Insanity!

Here is the second one they wanted to keep, meanwhile I am getting my butt kicked.

At this point the Mahi were all around the boat, Capt. John and Alex Reel Reel are laughing at me, and I am cranking for dear life.  It was stinkin’ awesome.  There is some discrepancy in how many I landed, no one was counting, but it was somewhere in the 10 range, give or take a couple.   But who gives a crap, it was way cool.  And all were well over 25lbs!

And we were not trolling, just drifting as I fought each and every one.  As as soon as Alex would wire the one I had on he would had me a rod with a 25lb. pissed off Mahi.  Then he would re-bait that rod, free spool it, and another Mahi would take off.  It was so crazy for a while because we had 4 rods out at the same time with Mahi, and occasionally one would come off, but no problem, another would jump on.  It was flat out a thing of beauty.  Mahi free jumping, people hooked up on the other boats, and I just kept cranking until we did not have another fish on.  It was mayhem and I loved every second of it.

Now the only reason we did not catch any more is Capt. John moved out to around the area, one to give me a break, and another hoping to catch a marlin or sailfish.  He could have went right back in, but my arms felt like noodles, and I was ready for some more sailfish.

As we moved in a little further, around the 20 mile off range there were a few birds, a couple of free jumping sails, and here we go again, another 90lb. Pacific sail.  Sorry there is no pictures but my camera wife was not on board, and while they would have been kind enough to lift one out for a picture,  why handle them if you do not have to.  Just look at the pictures from the last post, that is what we were catching today.

Then a little while later we saw a whale, and a few birds were working, and we wired another sailfish.  And shortly after that was had another one like the bull Mahi I caught yesterday make a big pass at our baits and miss, and that was it for the day.

I want to take this moment to really say thank you to John and Alex, you could not find a better crew, great guys.  And talk about professional, they went about everything professionally.  And they are hardcore fishermen who fish for the same reasons I do, they love it.  I am going to write a complete article and add a few more pictures with complete contact information for  them.

Yesterday they cleaned a Mahi and I took a slab to the chef at The Falls and they did the rest.  Fresh Mahi right out of the Pacific.  So delicious.

Telling you how good it tasted does not do it justice.  Freakin’ good.

Last night on the Pacific side so it was a Mahi Mahi dinner with my lovely wife.  She looks great, looks like I stuck my face in a microwave.

I have so much more to say about the fishing over here, the guys, and Quepos Fishing Adventures.  But folks, I am whipped for today.  This has been one of the highlights of my fishing life.  And I have caught a big fish or two in the last forty years but this was flat out world-class fishing with a world-class crew.  If you add it up today. even giving the Mahi a break and calling them 20lbs. and the sails 85 I landed over 450 lbs of fish.

Lots of more stories and pictures when I get a chance to laze at the beach starting tomorrow.  Then it will be a hunt to find someone to fish with who can put me on  a snook.  The world record is from Costa Rica and I love to catch them.  So cut me some slack, there probably more errors than usual, but it will get better and more organized.  And after the last 3 days I can not wait to get to the Caribbean side.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.  Man I love fishing!

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

Yesterday when I said if you are traveling and doing some fishing it is really a great idea to fish 3 days, raises the odds dramatically.  I did not get my rooster, but after today who gives a rats $$.  So without further ado, day 2 was crazy, and one of the coolest fishing days of my life.

That is my head back there.  My first Pacific sailfish.

We were fishing aboard the Stress Reliever out of Quepos Costa Rica with Capt, John and first mate Alex, who forever will be known as Alex Reel Reel, because that came out of mouth over and over today.  Why?  Because we had sailfish in our spread off and on all day.  So after I boated a couple it was Nancy’s turn.

Nancy caught the biggest sail of the day.  Even the Captain was impressed with the size of this one.

The Captain estimated this fish at an easy 100+ inches long and around a 120lbs.  This thing was absolutely a giant as sailfish go.  Soon after this one the Captain said you are about to see the biggest bunch of wildlife you have ever seen, and he was so right.

These pictures do not due justice to the flat out carnage that was happening.

The Captain spotted these from a couple of miles away and it was something.  Probably an area the size of 6 football fields With hundreds of birds, dolphins, sailfish, and even a couple of whales.  I thought I had seen a big dolphin pod in Florida a few years ago, but this was hundreds and hundreds smashing bait, free jumping, and following the boat.  One of the great outdoor experiences I have ever had.

Alex Reel Reel with what is for supper.  All kidding aside this is one great deckhand.

Here is how we were fishing.  Basically it was a bait and switch deal.  They had 3 big marlin type lures, some wooden birds, and other assorted baits to attract them.  Then they had 4 ballyhoo rigged with sinkers under their jaw out near the teasers.  And then when the sailfish came for the teaser they would jerk it away and drop the ballyhoo back and they would eat.

 To make a long story short I landed 4 and Nancy landed 2.  We had sailfish come in the spread like a pack of wolves and you could see their sails.  It got real crazy fast when 3 or 4 got in the spread.  We actually landed one double.   We had somewhere between 3 or 4 more eat and not hookup .  They just kept coming and it was exciting.

They are so beautiful in that blue water.

My biggest sail at boatside.

I just do not know what else to say about today but awesome!

Almost the whole day we had fish coming in the spread.  If I had to guess we raised 25 at least.  Nancy and I both got a picture with our first one, and from then on Alex Reel Reel would wire them at boatside and pop the hook.

At this point after boating 6, having multiple drops, some eating and then come off, it was time to call it a day.  We were just getting ready to lines in when it happened.  One of my bucket list fish and I got that done in a big way.

61 inches of Mahi Mahi.  What a bull!

Out of nowhere this thing crashed a ballyhoo and went absolutely nuts.  Really an awesome fight.  And he will be the guest of honor at our last nights supper before we leave for the Caribbean side.  What a way to end the day.

I have lots of pictures and videos that I will get up when I can, but it is time to hit the sack.  I am not even sure if these are the best.   I have another day offshore and they have been catching a few marlin, so who knows.  All I know is these guys are real pros and I hope I am lucky enough to fish with them again in the future,  But there is still tomorrow, and since Nancy is passing I will have my work cut out for me.  Oh the horror!  Having to fight fish as big as me all day, how will I survive?

I will also get up the link for these guys.  Not only are they hardcore fisherman, you can book 3 days with these animals for less than one day of offshore fishing anywhere else, and have enough change to pay for the airline ticket here, and still have money left over.  This is the best deal I have ever found with a guide service, and I will provide the link in the next day or two, but no bullshit, these guys catch world class sailfish, mahi mahi, and some nice marlin.  I can’t  thank them enough from one of the flat out fun days on the water I have ever had.

So keep stopping, this adventure is getting down right fabulous. I have so much more to say about the crew and how we were catching them.   Right now all I can say is Yahoo! Thanks for reading my stuff.

Fish Catching Travel