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CROCODILE BAY TRIP REPORT
Weather and timing note: we were
about a month before the “dry season” begins, but
had a week free and wanted to check out Crocodile
Bay.
First week in Dec, ’03
Arrived in San Jose (10:30am flight
out of SFO connecting in Dallas and arrived SJ at
9:00pm). Stayed at the Herradura Hotel –
www.hotelherradura.com.
Exchanged dollars for colones at
exchange booth at Dallas airport at rate of 390
colones to $1US.
Mon – 10:00 am flight on Nature Air
(pd 180 for overweight of 25#pp). 50 minute flight
to Puerto Jimenez on the Osa Penninusula – Golfo
Dulce, just north of the Panama border.
Rainy season just ending (early to
mid-Dec) and summer lasts til end of April. Turned
out that the rainy season lasted through our week as
we saw very little of the “blue-bird” skies that are
prevalent in the summer. Crocodile Bay Lodge
fabulous property – can’t do any better in the
tropics. Rooms spacious, whirlpool tub, two queens,
and A/C with remote operation that works.
Has 7 quad units and three 3-bedroom homes on the
property – can host 80. Conference center for 80.
Butterfly farm and crocodiles on property.
Everything works at CB – top quality equip from
fishing equipment to boats and vehicles. Most
important, the people – never met a group at a
tropical lodge so accommodating including the
maintenance people, waitresses, guides, eco-tour
leaders – just everybody.
Tides are 8 – 10 feet greatly
affecting the shoreline and river fishery – makes it
very different from the Caribbean side – probably
also explains the absence of coral reefs??
Offshore fishery for sails one of
world’s best – large average size of 90-100#. Also
excellent for tuna, marlin and dorado during right
times.
Saw lots of surfers – world class
surfing at entrance to bay, second longest “left
break” in the world.
Our guide, Alan, is from the USA and
a talented fly fisherman and fly fishing guide.
Enjoyed our time with him.
Equipment – Have fly rods/reels and
spin eq for use from 8 wts up. Have 5 flats skiffs
and three inshore boats like Alan’s center console –
can’t see any advantage to using a flats skiff over
the center console – more options with the cc.
Tues – Marte went snorkeling with
Johnny and Wilbur from 7:00am to 2:00pm. Bob and I
started casting over rocky reefs – had some follows
but nothing. Bob tried trolling live sardines on
rocky south point at opening of bay and I did some
casting with poppers. Had a take from a skip jack,
but no hook-up – was slow. Moved outside and found
roosters near beach – released four 6-8#. Bob had
one about 20 pounds that broke off on motor. Rain
moved in and ended day about 2:00.
Met Craig and Susie. Real excited
about their three days fishing. First day, landed
two sails over 100#, second day three sails about
the same, and third day a 230# marlin plus another 8
species including a 20+ pound rooster. Got me
thiniking that maybe I should go offshore and try to
get a sail on a fly.
Wed – Marte slept in. Bob and I fished again with Alan.
Started off casting small bait fish imitation to
black skip jack tuna boiling on the surface chasing
bait. Lots of big schools crashing the surface –
very cool. Released four about 3# each – very tough
fish for the size. Could have caught more, but
moved across the bay to work a shoreline. Tide was
slack and we pounded the shoreline for over an hour
without seeing a fish. Then I took a small mangrove
snapper on a blue and white clouser. Soon after, we
found a school of jacks crashing bait and I hooked a
6# Golden Trevally on a chartreuse and white clouser
– strong fish and beautiful while in the water, lost
some of his golden hue on body and fins as soon as
removed. On way back to dock, found a school of
about 50 dolphin playing all about the boat.
Dropped me at the dock at noon so I could have lunch
with Marte and spend the afternoon doing a eco-tour
of the primary rain forest. Within 10 minutes of
dropping me, Alan and Bob found big roosters
crashing bait. First they spent 40 minutes landing
a 30# on light tackle and then had a double on. One
broke off, but landed another 30# with a 40 minute
struggle.
We did tour with Johnny as our guide
and Marcello as our driver. Saw monkeys, sloth,
coon-type critter, birds, turkey, etc. Hiked up
small creek looking to photo the Poison Dart Frog,
but couldn’t find him.
Wound up evening as usual with a few drinks, a good
dinner, and early to bed.
Thurs – took Striker 33
outside to try and get a sail on a fly - with
Eduardo and Leandro (with Alan). Saw pilot whales,
dolphins, and three turtles. Had five dorado and
four sails (one double) rise to our trolled baits.
Hooked and released a 25# dorado. Hooked two sails
– one broke off and the other had the hook pull.
All hook-ups on the fly with a 14 wt rod and Teeney
500.
Fri – All day tough –
got two small groupers on b/w deceiver – trolled
live blue runners, even chummed and couldn’t make
anything happen??????? Most exciting aspect of the
day was watching a 15# rooster chase bait fish on
the surface in a small cove while we were eating
lunch – he was gone by time I got line stripped
out. Roosters chasing on the surface is a great
sight and I can now understand why Bob was so
thrilled by the sight of 40 or 50 big roosters on
surface Wed – great stuff
Regular schedule –
breakfast between 6 and 7, lunch at noon, cocktails
and horsd’eouvres 5 – 6:30 followed by dinner.
Drinks are part of the package as long as it’s Costa
R stuff – call drinks are paid for independently.
Sat – started looking
for black skip jacks for special photo – fun chasing
them on the surface. Great sport on 8 wt – need to
be able to make 50-60 foot cast quickly. Released
at least four of them and took lots of photos, but
don’t know if we got the one we wanted. Took 40#
rooster drifting live bait – strong fish, real
bulldog. Came in at 11:30 to clean up and have
lunch and meet Johnny for kayak trip up the river.
Wendy took 4 roosters to 50#.
Did mangrove kayak trip
up the river – trolled my fly. Am becoming a very
good troller!!??? After kayak trip, spent two hours
shooting photos of butterflys in the butterfly farm.
Todd, the fishing
manager, persuaded us over dinner that we should get
a sail on a fly before we left and offered one of
the Strike 33’s for us to use our last day
Sun – Rained all night
and the morning looked gray and breezy. Hesitated
going offshore, but decided to give it a try since
it was our last day and I was somewhat encouraged by
the “formula” we used Thurs to help me deal with my
motion sickness (take a pill before bed, another
first thing in the morning, and have marinated
ginger to eat whenever feeling quezy – those three
things coupled with not looking down very often made
it work better than anything I’ve ever tried).
Weather continued bad
and the seas were very rough. Couldn’t raise a sail
or a dorado – did find big schools of skip jack tuna
on the surface and took an 7 pounder on a chartruse
and white clouser – great fish on a 9 wt. Could
have taken many more, but didn’t want to take the
time as I was looking for a sail.
Decided to come in
early and stopped at mouth of the bay to drift some
live bait. Took a 50# Rooster on heavy tackle.
Great fish.
In retrospect, the time
we spent trolling live bait for roosters was as
productive as fishing can be. Two hours on Tuesday
produced 4 schoolies (6-8 #) on fly rod poppers –
most of that two hours was spent fighting fish.
Wed, ten minutes with baits in the water and over an
hour fighting and landing the two 30 #. Fri, I was
in the water for about 20 minutes before hooking and
releasing a 40# fish. Sat, on way in from offshore
fishing for sails, trolled about 15 minutes before
hooking and releasing a 50#+ after about 30 minute
struggle. Roughly, two hours of total time trolling
for roosters and over three hours of time fighting
and releasing the fish caught from those two hours.
Can’t imagine it’s always that productive, but it
was on our trip.
Met four guys who come
down each year from Florida to fish sails. With two
boats, they raised 23 fish in the previous two days
and released over a dozen sails taken on flys
between 90 and 120 #.
By Don Meulrath
TRIP REPORT
Fly Fishing Adventures
888-347-4896
flyfish@napanet.net
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