Hawkins: 6 anglers/2 boats
December 22, 23, 24 
3 Sails, 5 Rooster, 1 Dorado, 1 Jack

Hendrix: 3 anglers/1 boat 
December 27, 28, 29 
3 Sails, 1 Dorado

Peek: 8 anglers/4 boats 
December 27, 28, 29 
2 Marlin, 19 Sails, 19 Dorado, 11 Rooster, 8 Snapper, 2 Jack, 1 Grouper

Schraufnagel: 7 anglers/3 boats 
December 29, 30, 31, January 1 
2 Marlin, 12 Sails, 6 Dorado, 5 Rooster, 5 Snapper, 6 Jacks, 1 Mackeral

Proefke: 6 anglers/3 boats 
December 31, January 1 & 2 
1 Marlin, 12 Sails, 1 Yellowfin 150lbs, 12 Dorado, 5 Snapper, 2 Jacks 

Well, I’m sitting here at the Herradura waiting for a 4:00 flight, so I apologize in advance for the long report. Ever since seeing Hugh catch his marlin on our last trip and then casting to my first one ever, I’ve been wanting to come back in marlin season. The insurance money from our ill-fated Belize trip was about to revert back to the wife’s home remodeling fund, so a decision was made.

I booked Dec. 3-6 at the Rancho. I was their first guest for the season and the only one there for the first two days. I was a little disappointed that I probably would not see all the captains and mates.

I arrived in San Jose on Dec. 2. Pablo greeted me at the airport in his new Mercedes! Sander met me the next morning in Golfito and off to the Ranch we went. When we got there, all of the captains and mates were there opening the lodge. They take all of the boards off the dock in the off season and were in the process of reassembling and getting their own boats and gear ready for the season.

Unfortunately from a fishing standpoint, green water had moved into the area. We had trouble finding any good water the first day. We did have a nice cow dorado crash the teasers. Sander had told me December was a good month for dorado and that they would tease in. Sure enough, this one teased like a sail. Four or five pops with the popper and the fish engulfed the fly. A little while later Sander gaffed a 30 pounder. That was the only shot on this day.

The next day had a deja vu feel to it. A big swell was coming into the gulf and, once past Matapalo, it got as rough as I’ve seen it. Sander said we were going close to 30 miles because he had reports of good water and some marlin. After a pounding run, we deployed the teasers and began the wait.

One really noticeable difference on the first two days was the complete absence of radio chatter. We were the only GSR boat on the water, so there was no one to talk to.

Our first and only fish of the day crashes the right teaser. I’m pretty sure from the dorsal and tail that its not a sail. Sander confirms immediately that its a marlin. It teases in real nice and fast, so I don’t have time to throw up. I make the best cast I make all trip (and there were some stinkers). It is too overcast and rough to see the fish, but on the second pop it misses the fly going from right to left. Figuring he has seen the fly, I let it sit. He immediately spins and eats it from the left. Abraham said once that you don’t set the hook on a marlin, he hooks himself. I’m pretty sure that’s what this one did.

He takes a little line and then starts violently shaking his head on the surface. Fearing that he will break the tippet, I loosen the drag and pray. He runs a few yards, does the wind shield wiper thing again, and then is off to the races. He only jumped a couple of times, but the run was awesome. I heard noises coming from my reel that I’d never heard before. When he finally stopped, I swear I smelled smoke. Brian or someone else will need to tell me if that’s possible?

We don’t fight the fish by backing down at all. Sander keeps it off to the right of the boat and we gain when line we can. He tried to sound. I remember once asking Abraham what to do when a fish sounds. He said ¨Don’t let it.¨ So I tried to add pressure by palming. Fortunately, he did not go too deep. Continued……..

We got back the backing we could by following, and then it went into a stalemate. Sander suggested that I walk him back and reel down. That worked perfectly. It ticked the fish off when I moved him, and he started coming up. We got a couple wraps of line on the reel, which was a great morale booster, and he heads toward the bow and jumps in front of the boat. He then tries to sound again, but does not get nearly as far into the backing.

I walk him back and reel down some more, and eventually he starts coming up. I get the fly line on the reel, and he is at the surface, clearly tired. With about 30 feet of line left, he is off the right side of the bow. As I pull him closer, he starts to head under the bow. I move up to the front as fast as I can and stick the rod under the bow and out the other side. I work him down the left side of the boat and to the stern. Sander shouts something that I understood to be get the leader in the tip. A few seconds later, and its in there. We both shout ¨caught fish.¨

Then we realize there’s a good chance we can boat the fish for a picture. The fish is now off the right stern and tired. I pull him close enough to have half the leader in the rod. Diego gets the gaff on his bill. At that point, the fish rolls under the boat, but the Diego still has the gaff around his bill. Unfortunately, he rubs the leader all along the bottom of the boat, and it parts in the class tippet. The fish either rolls back out or Diego pulls him out and he’s sitting there momentarily. Then the hooks fall out of his mouth(!) and he swims away. We look at the leader and there is blue bottom paint all along it. Also, the shock tippet is more abraded than any I’ve ever seen. That had to be from the head shaking. The abrasion stopped about and inch from the class tippet. I was lucky.

Diego and Sander apologized for not getting him in the boat, but I told them I didn’t care. I was as happy as I could possibly be. The fight lasted 32 minutes. It felt like an hour. I have no idea how Hugh did this for 5 hours. I know I could not have done that. Sander called the fish 180 pounds.  

Day 3, we go 30 miles again. We raise our fist sail of the trip early on, and he eats like a champ. I tried to set the hook twice, and he did not react. On the third strip, I broke the tippet. The popper and hooks bobbed to the surface, so I’m not sure the hooks ever touched a soft part of his mouth. We raised a couple more that day, and one ate. I overcompensated for the first fish and probably did not set the hook hard enough. This one took some line, but did not really run at all, so Í doubt he was ever really hooked. We had one more dorado tease in, I manage to cast all of 10 feet. Still, he tries to eat the popper, but I never felt him. I made so many mistakes on this day that would have cost me the marlin the day before.

Yesterday, we run 40 miles looking for good water. We raise a sail early on, and catch this one. We raise another a short while later and as I cast, he grabs the teaser and won’t let go. Around noon, Sander says he is surprised we have not seen a marlin. I told him that we would. A short while later, a big marlin crashes the left teaser, but won’t tease in. That was it.

Sander apologized for the slow fishing. I again looked at him like he was crazy. I had the experience of a lifetime. The only thing missing was having you all there to share it. Everyone was super nice and asked me to tell our group hello. I’ll post pictures of the dorado and sail when I get home.

One more thing. There is a new confirmed target for fishing at the lodge. I’ll provide more details later, but for now, think BONEFISH.   

GREAT STORY!….Thanks Todd