From: Inside Sportfishing Message Boards Report: Costa Rica Sailfish, 4/27 - 5/5 Friday, 4-26-02 Depart LAX 11:15pm, United flight 888 (redeye), for San Jose, Costa Rica Saturday, 4-27-02 Arrive San Jose 7:15am Then transfer to Hotel Herradura for an overnight stay. Sunday, 4-28-02 Depart San Jose 11:00am for Puerto Jimenez then transfer to Crocodile Bay Lodge. We took the Nature Trails Eco-Tour after our arrival at CBL. Our guide Wilcomes, walked us through the trails directly adjacent to the lodge and pointed out the many forms of wildlife found nearby. We saw crocodiles, iguanas and lizards, many different species of birds and the indigenous flora that surrounds the area. This was a good tour for us to get familiar with the area without having to sacrifice a full day. Total time was ~2 hours. Iguana We attended a bull riding exhibition in town after our tour and watched the local vaqueros show us their rodeo skills. We stayed until 6:30 and went back to have dinner at the lodge. Bull riding Costa Rica style Monday, 4-29-02 Today we took the Surfing Tour to Matapalo beach. We checked various spots along the way including Pan Dulce and Backwash Bay. The surf was good at Backwash Bay with nice 3-5 foot south swell running and warm tropical water. I surfed with our guide Edwardo while my wife relaxed on the beach. We headed back for lunch at the lodge around 11:00am and spent the rest of the day relaxing by the pool. Dan Surfing Matapalo Tuesday, 4-30-02 Fishing today on one of four 33 foot Strikes with our captain Rudy and his deckhand. The wind was up and the sea surface had some chop and white caps on it but that didn’t seem to bother the sailfish. We raised a lot of fish and hooked at least 10. My wife was the first to boat a sail and her arms were so sore after the six-minute battle she opted to videotape for the rest of the day. My wife's first sailfish I personally baited, hooked and boated two sails today and lost many more. The fish were coming into the spread in twos and threes and it was very exciting watching them bat around the rigged teasers. This was my first experience fishing the sails and I probably lost more fish than I should have. They were going airborne on every hook up. They would jump out of the water shaking their heads trying to throw the hook. The captain and crew were awesome with fish finding, boat handling and rigging the spread.    Bait rigged teaser Sailfish Dan 1 The wind laid down during the afternoon and the ride back took only one hour. We got back at 4:00pm just in time for a shower and Happy Hour at the bar. Happy hour   Scarlet macaws Wednesday, 5-1-02 We took the Matapalo Rainforest Drive and Hike tour this morning out to the tip of the Osa Peninsula. Our guide Randall was an encyclopedia of information. He spoke about the various forms of plant life as well as their medicinal uses. We learned how the ancient peoples would use plants to cure everyday ailments like headaches and colds as well as using plants to create face paints for tribal celebrations. Our day began with a scenic 45-minute drive out to Matapalo beach and we opted to continue our plant and animal adventure by foot. While on this tour we saw all kinds of animals and birds including howler monkeys, spider monkeys and white-faced monkeys. We observed the three-toed sloth, raccoon and kinkachu (sp) as well as scarlet macaws, toucans, various parrots and so many different bird species I can’t begin to list them all. We also drove up into the mountains to a teak wood plantation and saw lots of trees and more creatures. Some of the trees included the matapalo, balsa, panama, umbrella and may tree. It was a truly awesome adventure.    Matapalo Rainforest Tour Panama tree Thursday, 5-2-02 Fishing again aboard the Strike 33. On this trip we had the father and son team of Lindor and Lindor Jr. We used lighter gear for our bait rigs this time out - TLD 15’s on an 870 rod with 20 pound mono. The day started off with beautiful flat calm seas and sunny skies. We made it out to the area at 8:00am and had our first sailfish in the spread by 8:20. The fish was baited and hooked then put on the most amazing aerial display I have ever witnessed. Jumping out of the water over 10 times on its initial run it peeled line of the reel like a hot knife through butter. The fish eventually tail wrapped itself during flight and I had a hell of a time getting it to the boat. Due to the experienced captain and his awesome boat handling skills we were able to release the fish after 15 grueling minutes. Seemed like an hour to me. At 9:45 we had another fish in the spread and out went the bait. Another hook up and the battle was on again. Playing out these fish on the 20-pound set-ups was great. The reel would just scream during the first run while the hooked fish jumped and flew out of the water trying desperately to throw your hook. This fish was boated, photos were taken and we released our second sailfish of the day by 10:00am.    Sailfish coming to leader     Sailfish prior to release The mid-morning slowed a bit and we had a few more sails come into the spread but couldn’t get the hook to stick. At 1:00pm I baited, hooked and landed my third sailfish of the day. This one came on the TLD 30 II after a short five-minute battle. Sailfish Dan Called it a day at 3:00pm and headed back to the Lodge for a shower, happy hour and dinner. Friday, 5-3-02 This morning after breakfast we took the Mangrove Kayaking Tour from 7:00am through 11:00am. On this tour we paddled deep into the mangroves. We departed from the lodge pier and paddled east to the nearest mangrove called Estero Pueblo Viejo. On our way back we stopped and carried our yaks a short distance across a sandy peninsula to the beach. We relaxed there for a while and swam in the warm waters of the gulf before heading back to the pier via the ocean. Fish were boiling all around in the shallow waters of the gulf and I wished for a second that I had a rod and reel with me to cast out and try my luck fishing off the kayak.     SeaChaser/Dan and wife kayaking the mangroves of Costa Rica. After lunch we arranged a Horseback Riding Tour from 1:00pm through 5:00pm. We rode our horses through the beautiful landscapes and rainforest on our way to the beach and continued along the sandy shoreline then back through the rainforest and back to the lodge. Saturday, 5-4-02 Depart CBL for San Jose at 10:00am then transfer to Hotel Herradura for overnight stay. Sunday, 5-5-02 Depart San Jose for LAX, United flight 889, at 11:00am arrive LAX at 3:00pm The Crocodile Bay Lodge is a first class facility. The accommodations were great with air-conditioned rooms, beautifully landscaped grounds a pool and spa, bar room and restaurant. All the guides and hotel staff spoke English and were very friendly and ready to make your stay a memorable one. The view from our room, right    The view from our room, left 2    Crocodile Bay Lodge private dock Additional Information Breakfast was served every morning at 6:00am. Lunch was at 12:00, Happy hour at 4:00 and dinner at 6:30pm. You have various choices for all your meals. Breakfast was typically fresh fruit, coffee and juice and your choice of eggs, bacon, hash browns, etc. Lunch choices varied throughout our stay and included everything from cheese burgers and fries, beef stroganoff, chicken cordon blue, pasta salads, Chinese chow mein noodles, etc. If you have a fishing trip or Eco-tour the lunch is provided. During our fishing trips the cooler was loaded with sandwiches of roast beef and cheese or ham and cheese, fresh cut fruit and vegetables, sodas, water and beer. Happy Hour was from 4:00 until 6:30pm in the bar and we feasted upon typical bar room food found in the US that included fried chicken, fresh guacamole and chips, hot dogs and sausages, cut vegetables with various dips and other local favorites. Of course your favorite adult beverage was on hand and I opted for the local beer, Imperial, served in either a bottle of from their unique tap that rinses out your glass with fresh ice cold water before the beer is poured. Dinner was served in the dining room at 6:30pm. They served everything from seared ahi and baked dorado to filet mignon, roasted chicken and beef tenderloin with fresh steamed vegetables and rice. Soup or salad for starters and various wines were also available. The bar would then stay open until 10:00pm for after dinner drinks and you would have time to talk with the other guests to see how their day went, what they did and how many fish they caught. Crocodile Bay Lodge provides all ground transportation to and from the lodge after your arrival to Costa Rica. There was a driver waiting for me at the airport and the hotel so I had no need for taxis or public transit. Hotel Herradura provides a complimentary breakfast buffet for guests each morning from 5:30 – 10:00am. For dinner you have a choice of nice restaurants within walking distance of the hotel. There is a modern shopping mall across the highway that includes a grocery store and the best souvenir shopping is just down the street. We had a wonderful time at the Crocodile Bay Lodge and I would like to thank all the employees, guides and staff for making our stay a truly special event. A first class operation through and through with seamless air and ground transfers, great food and accommodations, fantastic fishing and some of the best scenery on earth, makes the Crocodile Bay Lodge the trip of a lifetime.