Fishing Forum

So back from my Costa Rica adventure, didn't quite know what to expect when I got there, but from what i'd seen and heard the shore fishing was supposed to be good.

The first morning I hit the beach I noticed how rocky the coast line was and did most of my fishing from the rocks with steep cliffs behind me and no room for a backcast with the fly rod so I fished my spinning rig the whole time. I never got skunked on all my days of fishing but nothing big either.

I caught lots of what I think are Rock Bass, cool colors with a serious spiny dorsal fin and teeth, dorsal fin drew blood on me once. I also caught plenty of small Jacks ( I think they are Jacks because they grunted alot while I had them out of the water.

I tied into something odd on one day, fish hit and when I saw it I thought it was a big Needle Fish but when I got it in it looked more like an eel, about 3 feet long with a long snout and a small mouth at the end like a trumpet (Trumpet Fish?) is there such a thing?

Decided to rent a boat one day to go off shore for some bigger fish (no dice) ran out into the ocean 7 miles and trolled for Dorado but it wasn't happening although did have Dolphins swimming with the boat, saw Sea Turtles and Manta Rays. Finally managed a 4 lb Bonito which was then used for bait and sent to the bottom with a downrigger ball, as soon as it went down something big hit it (probably a big Roosterfish) I fought it for awhile but it came unbottoned, oh well it was fun.

Back to the beach for more fishing, finally on the 3rd to last night I was fishing a rocky point and had two very big fish hit my jigs, rod just double over on each hit like a train, first fish straightened my hook and got off, second just hit hard and then off beats me what they were but they were big.

Anyways it was a great time and I will go back (better equipped).
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Mike, sounds like lots of fun. Were any of the locals also fishing?
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Not alot of locals fishing on my beach, a few spear fisherman now and then (snorkeling was awesome) and a couple of hand liners ever now and then. The rocky points where I was fishing were difficult because of the undercuts and the rocks were very sharp so if your line hit them while fighting a big fish it was game over.

One day a large school of big fish came into my cove (looked like large Jacks) feeding on the surface tails and dorsals out of the water, I threw everything at em and no takers (I was shaking while trying to tie knots) that got my blood up but couldn't get em to hit. Caught all my fish on Rapala's and Squid jigs.
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From the google search it looks like a trumpet fish.

Looks like a good trip!
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I assume you were on the Pacific side. I lived for 2 years in Nicaragua and caught a Puffer fish in Corinto off a jetty. I wish I coulda done more fishing in the ocean there!
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even the mormon church would have to admit that to be in nicaragua and not fish for her giant tarpon is a mortal sin. Shame. I hope the fish gods can forgive you.
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Yes, luckily at the time I wasn't aware of the amazing tarpon and roosterfish fishing off the coast there, so it didn't hurt as bad back then. [cool]
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