Fly Fishing in Garza, Costa Rica

By Kris Jop and Susan Bellvue

Copyright Š1997 Kris Jop

Capt. Kris Jop concentrates on Buzzard's Bay and the Elizabeth Islands for stripers and bluefish in the spring, the Monomoy shoals for bass in the summer, and Martha's Vineyard for bonito and little tunny in the fall. He is a ReelTime FishWire correspondent, and guides clients aboard a Seastrike flats skiff. He has traveled extensively in the tropics. This piece originally appeared in Fly Fishing in Salt Water Magazine.

click on the pix for the full vue

Our December trip to Costa Rica started with dreams of blue water fly fishing for marlin, sailfish, and roosterfish. We had been reading everything we could find about fly rodding for the "big guys" and had our hearts set on landing the trophy of the year.

We decided to stay in the tiny oceanside settlement of Garza in a resort called the Villagio. Several charter boat operators in the area offer blue water fishing expeditions for various prices. We chose to fish with a tico named Mariano Vargas because we liked his honest, straight-forward manner.

Early the next morning, we woke up to the songs of seabirds and the peculiar hoots of distant howler monkeys. From our cabin we could see the sun glistening on the blue-green ocean, with not a cloud in the sky. While we waited for Mariano we burned off some nervous energy by rechecking our gear, making sure that the cameras were ready, and packing in some extra fresh fruit for the long day ahead.

We had three Scott rods (10, 12, and 14 weights) with Aaron reels (10-11 and 12-13) and several extra spools filled with Cortland floating shooting head and Scientific Angler billfish shooting head.

Kris had been tying flies for months, and had two containers filled with Seattle Saltwater Poppers, Lefty's Deceivers, sardine imitations and lots of other "just-in-case" stuff. He was especially enthusiastic about trying some new tube flies that Quiet Sports (Collinsville, CT) had designed and made for him. these 10" detachable flies carried tandem hooks on heavy monofilament, very similar to Cam Sigler tube flies. Kris had also perfected the Bimini knots so essential for stretch in the leader so the "big one" would not snap his line. The stage was set!

Mariano and his mate, Ed, graciously loaded all of our gear onto the "Isabellita", his 22-foot Mako. From his perch at the control board of the tower, Mariano headed offshore like a man with a mission. Meanwhile, Ed set out teaser lines from port and starboard and then sent a daisy chain of pink rubber squid down the center of the wake. All eyes scanned the surface of the water for signs of fish.

Our first sighting turned out to be an ancient life form, a sea turtle basking in the sun. This graceful giant shied away from us by calmly submerging himself in the water. He must have been a good omen because we were soon accompanied by a group of dolphins that raced before the bow waves in a playful demonstration of their superb swimming ability.

From his vantage point Mariano was the first to spot the swirl of sardines driven to the surface by their predators. He circled the boat on the periphery of the feed, and after several passes he spotted action around the teasers. With the excitement of a kid on Christmas morning, Kris positioned himself for the cast as Ed quickly cleared the squid daisy chain and reeled in the first teaser line. Kris stood poised with the 12-weight in one hand, his line in the other, waiting for that split-second opportunity to position the fly in front of the fish. With a motion to Mariano to cut the engines, he began his backcast at an angle so the Lefty's Deceiver anchovy fly wouldn't get caught on the boat and its rigging.

Ed tried to get the second teaser out of the way as Kris began to strip, but the lines momentarily tangled, wasting precious time. Kris cast again, keeping his eye on the fly. Time seemed to be suspended in the tension of the moment.

The spell was broken by the strike of the fish and the sweet singing of the reel as the line shot through Kris's burning fingers. We still didn't know what was on the other end of the tippet, but it certainly had some speed. As Kris pulled his catch closer to the boat we saw the dark rounded body of a yellowfin tuna. Its gold streak glistened like bullion beneath the surface of the water. Even though Kris had the Midas touch at the moment, it was that this yellowfin had NO intention of being caught.

We'll just have to come back then.

Reel -Time

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