Dragin Fly Costa Rica • Sport Fishing in Comfort for Sailfish, Marlin, and More/Fishing Reports

Sunday, July 30, 2017

And after the seamounts......

"We catch a black Marlin and 4 for 11 on sailfish the guys was hooken they own fish "
----Capt. James

This is a better average than the peak season......

posted by Capt. George Beckwith at 11:52 AM

Jake Jordan report and pics

Short version from James:

"It was a great trip boss we raised 22 had 6 bites catch 2 blues"
Sent from my iPhone

All this was done pulling only 3 teasers, and on legit 20# IGFA fly tackle. Very impressive.

Jake's long report is at the customer comments.

posted by Capt. George Beckwith at 11:49 AM

Friday, July 28, 2017

Seamount report on the fly

pulling 3 teasers for 3 days, raised 22 blue marlin, 6 bites on the fly and landed 2 blue marlin on 20# IGFA tippit. A lot of folks have fished all over the world for weeks at a time to land just one.
Congrat Capt. James, Berto and Roberto, the Dragin Fly has landed more blue marlin on IGFA fly tackle than any other charter boat in the world!

posted by Capt. George Beckwith at 12:04 PM

Sunday, July 23, 2017

some shots from last week

posted by Capt. George Beckwith at 11:56 PM

Thursday, July 20, 2017

Three days, triple grand slam

Fishing 3 days at the seamounts:
46 blue marlin bites, landed 20. Not a great hook up ratio, but when blue marlin are coming into the spread in pairs and triples, it gets a little confusing.
6 for 8 striped marlin bites
3 for 6 sailfish.
and 1 big dorado.
Pics to follow.

For red drum and sailfish catches, I don't reveal more than a double digit day "XX".
You know how I feel about posting numbers, it can too often set unrealistic expectations. Catching a third of this catch is phenomenol.

The Dragin Fly has no openings for the next month, but this moon phases is available in August.

Serious inquiries from serious fishermen only. This is not a day trip. Max of 3 anglers.

posted by Capt. George Beckwith at 8:22 AM

Saturday, July 15, 2017

Marlin on the fly rod porn

Lifetime blue marlin releases on the fly rod on the Dragin Fly

posted by Capt. George Beckwith at 1:04 PM

Monday, July 10, 2017

......and what I've been doing the last couple of days.

The boys are getting ready to charge out to the seamounts for some more blue marlin on the fly, recent reports are at the fishing reports at www.draginflycostarica.com

posted by Capt. George Beckwith at 7:33 PM

Jake Jordan Dragin Fly Report

"CR Blue Marlin School Forrest Young"

July, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 2017

July, 3, 2017: My old friend and client Forrest Young and his friend Jonny Schrier, came in to Costa Rica last night. We had a great dinner and went to bed early. We then woke up this morning, had an awesome breakfast, then packed our gear and got ready to head down to the marina to head out to one of the famous Costa Rica Sea Mounts. At 3:00 PM we left the condo and headed to the marina at Los Suenos, then boarded the vessel “Dragin Fly” where Captain James Smith with his two mates Berto and Roberto were waiting with the boat ready to head out. We left the dock and ran for about an hour then slowed down, and deployed our teasers. We hit cloudy weather and 2 to 4 foot seas by 5:00 and never saw a billfish on our way out. At 6:15 we put away our teasers and fly rods when it got dark. Tonight we had home made lasagna for dinner and went to bed while it rained and we could see a great light show inshore. Went to bed at 8:pm, ready to catch a marlin early tomorrow morning.

July 4, 2017: Happy Independence day, we woke up to awesome coffee and the wonderful smell of Bacon and eggs cooking. At 5:00 am we deployed the teasers, by 6:20 we reached BM-X-#1 and began trolling around looking for marlin. The sea conditions were a light chop with two-foot seas and partly cloudy sky; the water temperature was cooler than usual at 79 degrees. James marked some bait and a few fish however they were deep and did not come up to our teasers, so at 8:04 am we began to troll toward another seamount located about 30 miles away. At 9:50 am we raised a 150 pound blue marlin, Forrest made a good cast but the fly was fouled, he stripped it in and I fixed the fly and Forrest casted it again. This time the marlin ate the fly and slowly swam away from the boat, at about 130 foot the fish came to the surface and shook its head, trying to remove the fly. James backed up and Forrest gained line then the fish took off again, at 10:01 that marlin jumped twice about 80 foot from the boat, on the second jump the fly fell out of that marlins mouth and the battle was over. We arrived at BM-X-#2 at 10:50 and fished that bank until 12:45 when James suggested that the water was too cold and not many fish were showing. So we headed back toward the west, eventually we will arrive back at the #7, which is over 100 miles away, however there are 4 different FADs between here and the #7, hopefully we will find warmer water with fish at one of these locations. At 1:32 pm we raised a blue marlin, it teased into range for a cast, Forrest made a good cast, but that marlin swam around the fly but would not eat it, the marlin just swam away with no bite. At 2:40 we raised a sailfish that came in hot, tried to eat that marlin fly but missed, Forrest cast again but the fish was gone. At 3:40 we raised a double header of sailfish, one teased in and swam around the fly, but no bite. It rained the last three ours before dark; we never saw another fish today. The score is two-blue marlin, and three-sailfish raised one blue marlin bite, and pulled the hooks on our only bite today. We are only 80 miles from the next fishing spot, we will continue running until we get there. AT 7:00 we had pasta with chicken and mushroom cream sauce for dinner, then at 8:00 I was sound asleep. Happy Fourth of July!

July 5, 2017: Up this morning at 5:00 am to great cup of coffee, but before we could eat breakfast, I got Forrest’s TFO Blue Water HD fly rod, with his Mako #9700 fly reel, RIO Leviathan fly line, and Cam Sigler marlin fly, and Gamakatsu Octopus 8/0 hooks with 20 pound class tippet, ready to fish. James and Berto had two teasers in the water while Roberto cooked breakfast about 5:25 am, we raised a Blue Marlin on the short teaser, Forrest was getting ready so Jonny made the cast, and it was perfect. That 220 plus pound Blue Marlin pounced on that fly and headed away from the boat at high speed. Now remember this was Johnnies first billfish on fly, he did an awesome job, following everything that I had coached him on, and after half a dozen wild jumps we got within 25 foot from that fish. Then 20 minutes later the fish came up and jumped 4 more times, after which Jonny wound down fast and we got to within 5 foot from the catch before that fish took off toward china. Several times during the next hour we got close but that fish was really strong, now the runs were shorter and we had 7 pounds of pressure set on that smooth Mako reel, at 7:19 am Jonny wound the leader into the rod tip and pulled that marlin to the surface. At 7:22 Berto grabbed the leader got the fly back and released that fish. As Berto let Jonny fish go that 220-pound Blue Marlin did one more jump to let us know he was happy to be free, next year I will catch that fish again when it is over 300 pounds. After breakfast we slowed down to catch some tuna for lunch, we quickly put several Yellowfin in the icebox. For lunch today we will have sashimi; then for dinner we plan to have grilled tuna steaks. At 8:45 am we put the teasers back out, and at 10:01 we raised a double of sailfish, Jonny cast and hooked a red-hot 70-pound sail. After 9 jumps and a great 10-minute battle we released Johnnies first Sailfish on fly. At 11:15 Roberto made a large plate of Yellowfin tuna sashimi for lunch, which turned out to be delicious. Fly-fishing was slow for the next couple of hours, the sun is shining with warm weather and a light chop on the ocean, the water temperature is 83.6 and at 2:55 we raised a 300 pound blue marlin. Forrest made a great cast while Roberto wound that teaser up beside the fly, bam, that marlin came out and pounced on the pink and white fly. The Blue Marlin took off at a speed faster than any other animal, and when it was one hundred yards out the fished kicked it into overdrive and ‘POW” the 20 pound test mason hard class tippet broke right in the middle, and that marlin was gone. Looks like the fishing is picking up. At 4:22 we raised another blue marlin, it faded off before we could get the fly in the water, then at 5:00 a big blue marlin attacked the long teaser, Forrest made a great cast but that marlin had lost interest and did not eat the fly. At 5:19 Forrest made a great cast to a 150 pound Blue Marlin, that marlin ate the pink and white fly, and took off fast while we tried to back down. As it reversed direction and jumped100 yards out from the starboard side of the cockpit, that marlin somehow bit through the 100-pound bite tippet and it was gone. At 5:31 we raised another blue marlin that did not eat, and at 5:45 Forrest hooked another three hundred pound male, this fish broke the 20-pound tippet as it jumped 200 yards out from the boat. It is now 6:30 PM and we are getting ready for dinner. Today our score was: we raised six Blue Marlin and two sailfish, we got four Blue Marlin and a sailfish to eat the fly, we caught one Sailfish and one 220-pound Blue Marlin on fly. After a hot shower, and a good dinner the crew set out the sea anchor and turned the engines off for the first time in 52 hours, then went to sleep at 8:15 pm.

July 6, 2017: At 4:45 am James fired up the engines and the crew pulled in the sea anchor, we were eight miles away from BM-X #19 FAD. We deployed the teasers at 5:10 am and headed toward the FAD while eating the sausage with bacon and egg omelets and great Costa Rican coffee. 5:56 am we slowed down and caught some fresh Yellowfin tuna for sushi along with some Bonita to mane belly strips for teasers. Seas are three foot with a chop, 15-knot breeze, 83.1 water temperature with rain all around us but not where we are fishing. We raised our first blue marlin at 6:23 am, while fishing in the rain, Forrest made a great cast and that 200 plus pound blue marlin and the fish gobbled the pink and white fly. This awesome marlin ran off 200 yards of line while grey hounding away from the “Dragin Fly” with James chasing the fish as fast as possible, then the fish changed directions and raced while jumping right toward the boat. Forrest did a great job taking up slack line and after 8 minutes we got within 10 foot of the leader before that fish took off again. Three times during the battle we got within 20 feet from the catch only to have that marlin take off and jump some more. At 7:17 Forrest wound that fish up to the boat and caught his first ever Blue Marlin on fly. As Berto grabbed the leader for a release, Forest handed me the rod and jumped in the ocean to swim with that marlin. The score today so far is one fish raised, one bite, and one Blue Marlin caught on fly before 7:30 in he morning. At 8:30 am it is a steady rain with 2-foot seas, the weather improved and the seas became calm by nine o’clock in the morning. We had some fresh tuna sashimi at 9:30 am, then our next fish was a sailfish: which was raised at 10:00 am, it would not eat a fly. We are now headed back over toward BM-X-#7, at 11:30 no more fish raised yet today. The next Marlin was raised was a blue at 12:01, did not eat, then at 1:18 we raised another blue which didn’t eat, and another blue marlin came up at 1:35 but would not tease in for a cast. Beautiful sunny day today with calm seas for the first time in quite a while, at 3:18 pm we raised a blue marlin which teased halfway in but never saw the well presented fly. It is now 5:15 pm we haven’t seen a marlin in several hours, the wind is now blowing at 15 knots and the clouds are moving in on us. We fished until 6:15 pm and never raised another fish. Today our score was 5 blue marlin raised, one bite and one caught. Our total three day score was as follows: we raised 13 blue marlin and 2 sailfish, we got a total of six blue marlin bites and one sailfish bite, and we caught two blue marlin and one sailfish, all on 20 pound tippet and all on fly. Both Johnnie and Forrest caught their first ever Blue Marlin on fly and Johnnie also caught his first ever sailfish on fly. We had an awesome meal tonight after dark, we talked about reaching our goal of catching these guys both their first Blue Marlin on fly and how much fun it was. By 8:00 pm we turned out the lights and went to sleep.

July 7, 2017, this morning we woke up at 6:00 am had coffee and enjoyed the ride back to Los Suenos marina, arriving at 10:30 am. We thanked James; Roberto, and Berto, stopped at “The Hookup” for brunch, then came home to my condo at noon. Just finished this fishing report will send it out with pictures soon, then I will edit the video and send that home with Forrest and Johnnie. Great trip, I love my job and BFF, heading home tomorrow then on to Orlando to ICAST on Tuesday. More reports to follow.

Regards

Jake

Jake Jordan's Fishing Adventures
PO Box 309
Havelock NC. 28532
Home/Office 252-444-3308
Cell/work 305-872-6060
www.jakejordan.com

posted by Capt. George Beckwith at 5:16 PM

Monday, July 3, 2017

day trip report

we raised two sailfish catch one five small mahi and one blue Marlin

posted by Capt. George Beckwith at 10:37 AM