AS SEEN IN THE SEPT/OCT 2005 ISSUE

You’ve all heard of it. Now get a good look at why Los Suenos ranks supreme in Central American billfishing

It was easy committing to a trip to Costa Rica back in November, but now that the time had come and our imminent departure was approaching, we all felt a bit of guilt and apprehension about leaving our busy lives. However, we quickly got over it….

Our good friend Captain Keith Norris who runs the 38’ Henriques Ashley Nicole, out of Pt. Pleasant, New Jersey, experienced the incredible billfishing out of Los Suenos last March. After booking a trip through Costa Rica Dreams Sportfishing, he brought back stunning facts: seventeen sails released on day one. Thirteen sails, three marlin and an offshore slam on day two with many more missed opportunities. These stats were enough to convince marine artist Rick Bogert, Bobby Maddix, Len Belcaro and I to join Keith this year on his now annual trip to Costa Rica.

Our plan was to spend the first week of March at Los Suenos Resort & Marina where we would fish offshore for three days with possibly a half day inshore trip thrown in. Keith again booked the adventure through Costa Rica Dreams who made all the necessary arrangements from transportation and accommodations to our daily fishing excursions. Costa Rica Dreams runs an exceptional charter service and operates a number of the top name boats in its modern sport fishing fleet. All of their boats are equipped with the latest custom fishing gear and the latest technology. All are also well stocked with food and beverages. More importantly, they’re all operated by well seasoned captains and crews who know exactly where to find the fish at any given time of year. All of the crew members were extremely friendly and all worked extra hard to make each day on the water a success.

We fished a new 35’ Cabo, Dream Maker, with our new found friend Captain Carlos Garcia and two top-notch deck hands, Eddie and Palone. Both the boat and crew proved to be exceptional. The outstanding service from the entire staff at Costa Rica Dreams including Joey and Danny manning the office at Los Suenos Marina made this trip totally worry free. Their personalized service exceeded all of our expectations.

Upon arrival at Los Suenos Resort & Marina, the story was the fishing was fairly steady but had dropped off from what it had been a week or two prior. The main bodies of billfish that were present over the past couple of weeks had moved north and the fleet was anxiously awaiting new groups of fish to arrive. There were rumors of many sailfish south of Los Suenos, in Golfito, and if they headed north, the action here would again be red hot in a matter of days. It was only Saturday and our first charter wasn’t until Monday. Needless to say, emotions and optimism ran high.

While anticipating our first fishing day we spent a couple of days relaxing at the resort which is nestled in the small town of Herradura. It’s an ultra-luxurious property with all the amenities one could ask for, including a full service marina, 18-hole championship golf course which meanders its way through the manicured grounds, fine restaurants, casino, and secluded beaches and beautiful pools for sunbathing or just relaxing under the sun. The lush tropical landscaping throughout the community is nothing short of breathtaking. The morning air is filled with the sounds of tropical birds and the local residents are the warmest you will find anywhere—Los Suenos Resort & Marina is a big slice of heaven.

Situated in the heart of the Los Sueños community, lies the spectacular
Marriott Resort which has received the highest praise from the travel industry
for its stunning Spanish colonial architecture and traditional Costa Rican warmth. We spent our first day at the poolside bar & grill. Live entertainment, great food, and harmless fun without ever having to leave the pool!

We lounged at the pool for most of day, enjoying the warm weather and chatting about everything from fishing to how bad we felt about leaving our friends back home. We also met and had an enjoyable conversation with a famous former defensive end from the Buffalo Bills. You never know who you may run into at the resort, as Los Suenos plays host to countless celebrities.

Our second day was spent recovering from one too many frozen drinks and exploring the small town of Jaco which sits just minutes down the road. In Jaco, you can find nearly anything you desire including fine restaurants with tableside mariachi bands, fresh sushi bars, great shopping, convenient grocery stores and much, much more. The night life in Jaco is equally exciting from hard rock music at the Brew Ha to disco-like clubs like The Monkey Bar.

Most of the restaurants are open cafe types so you can enjoy the local surroundings while you feast on delectable eateries. Jaco is a small town which serves as a surfing mecca in this part of Central America. The town is visited by thousands of surfers each year. While we almost forgot about the great fishing we had come for while enjoying the surrounding activities, our time on the water had finally arrived.

We made it to the dock at 7:00 in the morning and were on the fishing grounds by 8:30. As the Cabo slowed its roar, the riggers were lowered and the baits were put in place, two rigged ballyhoo and a spread of teasers. Two rods rigged with swimming ballyhoo sat at each corner of the stern ready to be pitched back to ‘bait & switch’ a billfish when one rose on either of the teasers. The Calstar GF760L stand-up rods were custom built by Rick Bogert and were paired with shiny Penn 30s. One 50-pound class setup was on the ready rigged with a Spanish mackerel should a bigger blue explode on a teaser.

What’s really amazing about fishing this area is that with-in a 20-mile radius you can encounter huge Pacific sailfish, blue marlin, black marlin, striped marlin, yellowfin tuna, mahi mahi, an assortment of grouper, giant cubera snapper, roosterfish and the list goes on and on...And to top things off, sea life is abundant with spinner dolphin and large rays everywhere.

A little over an hour into the day the first bill emerged from the blue as Carlos in the tower simultaneously shouted “Free Spool! Free Spool! Strike! Strike! Strike!”  An average 80-pound Pacific sail smashed the long ballyhoo. The bait was free spooled for a moment to allow the hungry fish to eat. the brakes were applied and the line came tight, sinking the circle hook into the corner of the fish’s jaw. The lit-up sail ripped across the sparkling surface and danced on top of the ocean for what seemed an eternity. The mate handed the rod to Len Belcaro, a novice who had never caught a saltwater fish before, and after ten minutes of fighting his trophy was photographed and released. 

In Costa Rica, circle hooks are the law and captains strive to minimize the length of the fight through proper boat handling. Ideally, crews prefer the hook-up, battle and release all be achieved as quickly and efficiently as possible with minimum stress on the fish. The locals embody a true value for the life of billfish with the overall philosophy: less handling equals greater survival rates.

As the fiery sun climbed and the day progressed, we experienced a steady pick of strikes and solid hook-ups. The excitement provided by each sailfish was amazing as each tried to outdo the last by providing spectacular aerial and water shows.

I believe it was on the third fish when Rick Bogert the marine artist, emerged into Rick Bogert the underwater photographer. As sailfish were wired near the boat, Rick jumped overboard with camera in hand and free-dove with the lit-up sails. This would be the first of many dives Rick made over the week to capture the beauty of these brilliant billfish in their natural environment.

At about two thousand feet, the ocean was a deep, dark blue with the only colors emerging from the brightly illuminated fish fighting to free themselves from the unfamiliar tethers. We were told sharks were nearly non-existent in these waters but Rick seemed a bit nervous nonetheless. Curiously enough, on the second day we witnessed a healthy size thresher free jump for a solid five minutes.  Can’t imagine what Rick was thinking at that point …and no one dared ask.

Back home we often travel long distances to find prized blue water species. Here we were mere minutes from shore on a flat calm sea with life all around us.  Large rays and porpoises circled, birds abounded and colorful sailfish free jumped all around us. At one point, we trolled right past two lazy sails spotted cruising just below the surface. We trolled right past them and what-do-you-know, whack! A double header! On that same day, a striped marlin ate the shotgun ballyhoo. The marlin fought far harder and jumped much more than the sails, and certainly gave us a brighter underwater light show with its pectoral fins illuminated in bright iridescent green. Rick fought the fish for the first thirty minutes then, with a bit of encouragement from our captain, jumped back in the drink for some more awesome underwater photography. What a bonus! 

By the end of the week, we tallied fourteen huge sails and a single striped marlin, with countless more shots. We raised an average blue in the 250-pound range but were geared for fly fishing and only trolling teasers. By the time we sent the Spanish mackerel back the curious fish lost interest. A few dolphin were also missed. Overall, we concluded the fishing portion of the trip was a tremendous success. 

Los Suenos Resort & Marina sits approximately 40-miles from the capital city of San Jose. The ride from the airport is not for the faint of heart as the tricky two lane highway winds through some steep, scenic terrain. The ride is however, worth the two hours required to reach this corner of paradise. Once settled in Los Suenos, you’ll find five star amenities and extremely friendly people. The marina rivals any I’ve ever seen and the bar and restaurant overlooking the harbor is a great place to relax and talk about the day’s adventures. And if the mood strikes you, there’s even a full service Cabo Yachts dealership on the premises ready to outfit you.

It’s no wonder Los Suenos Resort & Marina plays host to what has become the most prestigious billfish tournament series ever to take place in Central America. The 2006 Los Sueños Signature Billfish Series will be no different then years past with plenty of prize money and a guaranteed great time! The first tournament runs January 19th through the 22nd and the second will be held March 2nd through the 5th. Target species include marlin and Pacific sailfish and don’t think for a minute the competition isn’t fierce. Each tournament is sanctioned by the World Billfish Series and all IGFA rules apply. Both series are catch & release formats with points awarded for each successful release. Don’t wait to enter. Book your accommodations for these great events now as the resort fills up quickly. Visit www.LSTournaments.com for additional info.

When you arrive, don’t forget to say hello to renowned marine artist Rick Bogert. He’ll be the official tournament artist for both 2006 events. Rick’s artwork can also be found in The Hook-Up Marina Bar & Restaurant and the Costa Rica Dreams Fishing Center, where you can purchase a lasting reminder of your visit.

Remember, our winter is their summer. Best time to go: December through April, but don’t be fooled by anyone, there’s plenty of action all year long. Don’t forget the sunscreen and no need for long sleeves - it’s hot here with average daytime temps in the high 80s.

As a recap, I’d like to mention that each of us who made that initial trip has since revisited Costa Rica. Two of the original adventurers have purchased condominiums at Los Suenos and within the group there’s never a mention of traveling anywhere else. The people, the fishing, and the endless list of fun things to do are mind boggling.

Let Costa Rica Dreams handle all of your charter arrangements. These guys are awesome! www.CostaRicaDreams.com

For more information on Los Suenos Resort & Marina, visit: www.LosSuenosresort.com

 View Rick Bogert’s work at: www.RBogert.com

Bio:
Mark Crescenzo is a native of the Jersey Shore. His interests in the outdoors began at an early age and include deer and bird hunting, fly fishing and local and destination saltwater fishing. Many activities were enjoyed with his family and he chronicled these outings via cable TV during 2001 when he produced a Family Outdoors Series focusing on family fishing and hunting activities.

Mark has published many “how-to” articles on fly tying, live lining and fresh and saltwater angling. He is owner/operator of Crescenzo Productions a video production company specializing in media productions for outdoor enthusiasts. Mark can be reached at markoutdoors@hotmail.com.
 

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