big fan blog
Just returned from the beautiful Crocodile Bay Lodge after fishing with the winners of the Marlin’s Biggest Fan contest, Mike Lawrence and Claudia Cooper from Seattle, Washington. Really super people, which was a great relief because you never know who’s going to win one of this things! We had a terrific time together and got into the fish a little bit. The first day started out pretty slow, but the bite turned on at about 2:30 and we caught three sails out of about 8 bites.
The next day we decided to test the inshore waters for some roosterfish action and had a repeat of the first day with a long slow start. We didn’t get a bite until it was time to come home but it was a doozy! Mike had a 25 to 30-pound rooster on the line for about 10 minutes before it spit the hook right at the boat. First roosterfish I’ve ever seen so we were pretty disappointed when that damn thing came unbuttoned.
The last day we headed offshore again and the bite had cooled off even more offshore and we only managed to get one sail to the boat. Although the fishing was a bit slow, the company was great and the lodge did a wonderful job of keeping us happy onshore … good food and friendly staff go a long way when the fishing isn’t at its peak. I also saw my good buddy Elmer down there. He was recently hired onto the staff at the lodge and I’m sure he’ll impress those folks with his super attitude and great knowledge.
I’m down in Carrillo right now enjoying one of the best views in Costa Rica. Fishing is a bit better here, even though a red tide has the Bay looking pretty poor. We raised eight sails and blue yesterday for out Marlin U students, so we are looking forward to a good week.
