Welcome to Jake Jordan's Fishing Adventures

Costa Rica Blue Marlin Fly School Report 

August 12, to 18, 2018

Greetings from Los Suenos CR:

Sunday, August 12, 2018; my old friend Warren Marshall from Cape Cod, and Little Torch Key, arrived at my condo along with Wand Hair Taylor and her mother Gigi Reyes at 2:00 pm. They unpacked and got comfortable and then we headed over to the beach to the Pelican restaurant for an awesome late lunch, then after a tour of the area we returned to the condo, had a cocktail, and took a dip in my pool. This is Gigi’s first trip to Costa Rica, she came to see the awesome country and wild life and relax while improving her tan. We spent a relaxing evening and went to sleep early as the travelers had started very early and were very tired.

Monday, August 13, 2018; everyone was up drinking Raul’s awesome estate Costa Rican coffee and enjoying the Macaw parrots, the beautiful sunrise and my cool pool. We had breakfast then I took the ladies for a tour of the Los Suenos property in a golf cart, which I will leave for Gigi to use to get around the property as Wanda, Warren, and I head off shore to catch a bunch of Blue Marlin on fly later today. Warren and I went down to the marina to check out all of the really cool sport boats here at Los Suenos, I also went to see my friend Captain Gary Wilmot and drop off a couple of TFO’s new Axiom-ll fly rods to be used for his inland river fishing excursions. At 4:30 we left Gigi at the condo and went to the Hook-up for a light dinner before heading to the vessel “Dragin Fly” at 6:00 pm. Captain James Smith had the engines running and was within for us, Wanda, Marshall, and I were greeted by Captain James, and his mates Bernie and Mario (Berto is in the US fishing in a Tournament), we boarded, headed into the rain and lightning all around us. By 8:00 we were all sleeping and looking forward to the Blue Marlin which we will catch tomorrow.

Tuesday, August 14, 2018; we woke up to coffee brewing and engines running at 5:00 am, there were several boats on the first three FAD’s which we passed, the sun came up and we were fishing after breakfast from 6:00 until 7:15 am when Captain James told us that we are going to run to a FAD which he built, it is 32 miles away so we began steaming at 24 knots to this new location. We arrived at (Secret Spot #31) and put out our teasers at 8:41 the seas are choppy at 3-4 feet with sunny skies. Our first blue marlin came in hot after the long rigger teaser, Warren made a good cast at 9:01 am one of the double we raised piled onto the Pink & white popper tube fly, and we were hooked to 250+ pounds of awesome power. After lots of jumps and tug of war Warren got onto the running line and added a couple pounds of drag, then when the fly-line entered the rod tip Warren raised the drag on my trusty Mako #9700 fly reel, to 6 pounds of pressure and 3 minutes later the marlin was swimming on the surface and the leader entered the tiptop of the TFO HD fly rod for a technical release. After that Warren fought that fish for another 10 minutes before Bernie could grab the leader and get the fly back while I took pictures and under water video before releasing that awesome Blue Marin, Warrens first Blue Marlin on fly ever and our first of the trip. The next Blue Marlin teased up at 10:40 but it would not eat, then at 11:30 we got out the 9 weight TFO Axiom ll fly rod with an Atoll #2 fly reel and a RIO wF-9-F fly line, we took turns catching yellowfin tuna until we had a 5 gallon bucket full which we would eat for lunch as sashimi and tuna tacos. The next Blue Marlin we raised came up at 12:04, miss Wanda made a good cast and that hot Blue Marlin came roaring in and ate her fly, it ran out about 150 feet then turned around, jumped straight at the boat and the hook fell out. The skies are completely overcast the seas are 3 foot with air temperature of 85 degrees with a water temp of 83.4 degrees fishing is slow. At 2:03 we raised a marlin which did not bite then at 2:29 another one that did not tease in for a bite, at 2:41 a marlin hit our long teaser, exploded out of the water and then was gone. The next Blue Marlin came up on the short teaser at 3:04 pm, Wanda made the perfect cast and hooked a 175 pound fish, then James called from the bridge “another Blue Marlin on long rigger”, the fish teased in while Wanda’s hooked fish was jumping and going away, I made a “Bow and Arrow” cast and the 200+ pound Blue Marlin ate my fly. Both fish were jumping, we did the cross over dance a couple times and then they went in two different directions, we decided to chase Wanda’s Marlin and 10 minutes later she was 30 foot from catching it, Meanwhile my fish had 1 pound of drag and was 400 yards away from the boat, still jumping, it turned and came back toward us and as it jumped the IGFA 20 pound class tippet parted and the double was gone. After another 12 minutes Wanda wound her fish up beside the boat, where Bernie grabbed the leader and released our second Blue Marlin of the day, Wanda is an awesome fly angler! At 3:59 we had a big blue come up on the flat line, it came in hot but swam past Warren’s fly and never came back. Our next marlin hit the long teaser, got tangled and never teased in at 4:15 pm and then we raised one more marlin at 5:00 pm. At 6:00 we pulled in the teasers, set out the see anchor, we all took our showers while Bernie cooked our chicken and rice with vegetables for dinner with Ice Cream for dessert. Our score for today (12-5-2) on blue marlin plus we all caught several yellowfin tuna on fly, and Wanda caught a 5 pound Albie, giving her a offshore grand slam today. We almost caught a double on Blue Marlin on fly, all marlin were caught using IGFA 20 pound test class tippet on fly while all of the Tunas and Albie were caught using IGFA 12 pound test class tippet. What an awesome day, we went to bed at 8:00 pm.

Wednesday, August 15, 2018; we woke up at 5:00 am to the rich smell of Costa Rican coffee and French toast with sausage, meanwhile the crew pulled the sea anchor and put out the teasers. While we were drinking our first cup of coffee a Blue Marlin came up on the teaser, Warren Marshall ran out, made a good cast, and that 150 pound Blue Marlin climbed all over that pink and white tube popper fly with a Gamakatsu 9/0 hook, and was off to the races. The marlin ate the fly at 5:31am and after a short 22 minute fight we released that fish after getting the fly back, this was Warren’s first blue of the day, his second of the trip, and his lifetime, and our third of this trip. Fishing slowed a little after that we are in dead calm seas with bright sunshine our next Blue Marlin was raised at 8:59, the crew decided to let me catch this one which would my 65^th lifetime Pacific Blue Marlin. At 9:26, after a great fight I finally took the hook out and released my first marlin of the trip. At 9:37 am Wanda hooked a 200 pound red hot blue, which jumped 31 times during the initial run, then it stayed up about 400 yards away from the boat and jumped at least a dozen more times. What a battle Wanda wound that tired fish into the boat and caught it at 10:01am, her second Blue marlin of this trip and her 4^th lifetime Blue Marlin on fly. At 10:04 we raised a marlin and Warren made a good cast but the fish didn’t eat the fly. Our next fish raised was a small Striped Marlin at 11:13 am, it teased in and tried to eat the pink tube popper fly just as Warren tried to pop the fly, the fish’s bill caught the hook and then dropped it off immediately and that little marlin was gone. Warren hooked a 150 pound marlin at 12:40 pm it jumped and fought well then at 12:55 pm the fish was almost to the boat when the hook came out and that marlin swam away. At 1:05 Wanda hooked a Blue Marlin that James estimated to weigh over ill 300 pounds, it was a good bite however we think the hook was on the bill as it only swam 100 foot from the boat and then stopped, shook its head, and the fly came unhooked at 1:22. At 2:00 pm we raised a blue it did not eat. After that the seas got calm and it got hot and sunny, we tried three different FADs and finally we raised a sailfish at 5:30 pm and Warren made a good cast, the sailfish ate the big marlin fly and 8 minutes later after pictures we released that 70 pound sailfish. We finished fishing at 6:00 pm with a score for today of 8-6-3 on Blue Marlin, we had a striped marlin bite which Warren missed and a sailfish bite which Warren caught. Our total score for the two day school was 20-11-5 on Blue Marlin, 1-1-0 on Striped Marlin, and 1-1-1 on Sailfish, Warren caught 2 Blue Marlin and a Sailfish on Fly, Wanda caught 2 Blue Marlin on fly, and I caught my 65^th Blue Marlin on Fly, plus we all caught yellowfin tuna on fly. Every fish was caught using IGFA rules with 20 or 12 pound test class tippet. We made it back at Los Suenos and I am sending this report, I have a bunch more pictures and will send out a full season report from my “Costa Rica Blue Marlin Fly Fishing Report” on Sunday when I get back to the US.I love my job, wish you were here. We are now taking reservations for our 2019 June, July, August Schools, book now or we will be sold out within the next several months.

Regards:

Jake

Costa Rica Blue Marlin Fly School Report 

August 5, 11, 2018

Greetings from Los Suenos CR:

Sunday, August, 5, 2018; my old friend George Maybee arrived at my condo in the Los Suenos Resort at 2:00 pm, to begin his 4^th “Costa Rica Blue Marlin Fly Fishing School” aboard the vessel “Dragin Fly”. We took a ride to Jaco to look for mini micro chip memory for my GoPro cameras however the Radio Shack is closed on Sunday, we then took a tour of the area, came home and took a dip in my pool. At 6:00 pm we went over to a local restaurant had some octopus saviche and fresh grilled sea bass for dinner then home to an early night sleep.

Monday,  August, 6, 2018; spent some time in the pool and then went to Radio Shack in Jaco and got some micro chips, had brunch then home to pack. Dragin fly fished a day trip charter today so it took a while for the crew to fuel up and get ready to head out. George and I were greeted by Captain James Smith along with mates Berto and Bernie as we boarded at 5:25 pm and we were at sea heading out at 5:30. It got dark at 6:20 so we unpacked and relaxed, we had dinner before leaving the marina so we read some, rigged tackle and cameras, and went to bed at 8:00 pm.

Tuesday, August, 7, 2018; woke up this morning at 5:00 am to the smell of fresh brewed Costa Rican coffee and bacon cooking. Bernie cooked breakfast while Berto deployed the teasers, George and I got washed up and we were ready to fish. Before breakfast was served we raised our first marlin at 5:25, it ate the fly then the hook came out. George hooked second Blue Marlin at 5:45 and got the line wrapped around the rod butt and broke it off. Next we raised a marlin at 5:55 which would no bite, then at 6:26 George hooked a hot fish, he fought it close to the leader several times, it jumped a lot and then went deep and at 6:55 the marlin broke the 20 pound IGFA class tippet and was gone. At 7:02 a 120 pound blue came in hot George made a good cast and hooked that marlin. The fish went crazy and jumped 19 times then reversed and charged the boat while jumping at full speed, after that we got really close to that marlin 4 different times but it would race away while jumping all of the way. George finally got the leader inside of the rod tip at 7:16 and soon after Berto removed the fly and let that fish go, first caught fish of the trip, and George Maybee’s 13^th Blue Marlin of his life. Our next Marlin teased in at 8:12 and George made a good cast and hooked a 400+ pound monster which was a crazy jumping machine. George fought that big marlin for an hour and twenty minutes and got within 30 foot from the fish 4 different times then that fish would go deep and keep swimming away. At 9:18 am George (80 years young) was whipped and exhausted, he handed the rod to me, I put max pressure 11 pounds of drag on that Mako reel and the fish finally swam to the surface. As James gradually backed up toward that Marlin I wound the running line onto that reel and got to the fly line, (I was now 15 foot from the catch) when that magnificent animal stuck it’s head out of the water, shook it’s head, and the hook point broke, the fly fell out of the marlin’s mouth and it just swam away, Congratulations to that marlin on winning this awesome fight at 9:45 am. George’s next marlin teased up at 10:01 but did not bite, then at 10:24 a blue teased up hot George made the cast and the marlin ate his fly, unfortunately that marlin stopped 60 foot from the boat and spit the hook back at us. We raised 3 more marlin by noon however none of them ate the fly, fishing here 110 miles from land has slowed down we are fishing in 3 to 5 foot seas with white caps with pouring down rain. Last night on the way out we came through 3 major thunder storms it got pretty rough but I mostly slept through it and by the time it got light the seas were choppy to rough but the thunder and lightning had stopped. Now it is bouncy with steady rain, there are two other boats fishing on this FAD, they are doing ok trolling bait but fly fishing is slow, Gorge is taking a nap while I am watching the teasers and hoping for some tired, weak, and small Blue Marlin, at 1:15 pm. The sun came out and it got hot around 2:00 pm George woke up and began fishing at 2:15 and then at 2:20 and 2:36 we raised marlin which would not bite. At 3:45 James pulled up on top of the FAD and I got out the 9 weight TFO Axiom fly rod and we caught several yellowfin tuna in the 5 to10 pound class, I caught one which was right at 10 pounds, then at 4:00 pm we started marlin fly-fishing again. The seas have laid down a little, 2 to 4 foot chop but it is much more comfortable with the bright sunshine and diminishing wind. We fished until 6:05 when it started getting dark and we never saw another marlin, our score for George was raised 13, 6 bites, and 1 Blue Marlin caught and released today. (13-6-1) The crew put out the sea anchor and began cooking dinner by 6:30, we had hot showers, ate chicken linguini in a cream sauce served with a fresh green salad and garlic. At 8:00 we went to bed.

Wednesday, August, 8, 2018; George and I woke up at 5:00 am as the crew was pulling in the sea anchor then Bernie made coffee and cooked breakfast, bacon, fried eggs, French toast, excellent. At 5:49 am George hooked a hot 110 pound Blue Marlin that hot fish jumped a lot then gave us several chances to get the leader, then it went deep. After a 21 minute battle, George wound the leader into the rod tip, Berto grabbed the leader then after removing the hook released that marlin, George’s first of the day and his second of the trip. At 6:16 George hooked a 180 pound blue marlin, it took half of the backing off of the MAKO #9700 B fly reel then it began surging and jumping way out there. George had the drag set at 1.5 pounds but between the line drag and the erratic jumps the hook came out and that fish swam away happy and free. The rain stopped at 8:10 and the sun came out at 8:45 the sea conditions are a three foot chop on top of 5 foot swells 24 seconds apart with water temperature at 83.5 degrees. We haven’t seen a marlin in the last 2 1/4 hours, then at 8:46 George hooked a Blue Marlin which teased in really hot, this fish piled on the fly and 15 minutes later we released that 180 pound Blue Marlin. At 9:03 George hooked a 150 pound Blue Marlin and we released that fish at 9:15 am that marlin tired itself out with dozens of surface jumps. Then at 9:17 we raised another marlin which would not bite, the sun is shining bright and the marlin are here. At 9:44 am we raised a hot blue marlin, George made a good cast but he had the line wrapped around the rod so when the marlin ate the fly instantly the tipped broke and the marlin was gone. At 10:21 we raised a blue marlin, it came in hot but would not eat Georges well placed pink and white, large tube, popper fly. At 12:29 we raised a hot fish, George hooked it and it hung around and let us almost wind to the leader then it took off and began jumping. When that marlin got 250 yards from the boat it put on an awesome aerial display, George had almost 2 pounds of drag on the reel and the tippet broke, another lost fish! We had fresh caught Dorado (Dolphin fish)  for lunch with ice cold pineapple, the traditional recipe mahi-mahi is a Dorado filet grilled with a pineapple ring, cinnamon, butter, and a maraschino cherry grilled on top, it is awesome. I first saw Dorado cooked using this recipe called Mahi-mahi at the King Komayomayo hotel in Kona Hawaii in 1959. Our next Blue Marlin came up at 2:02 pm however it never even looked at the fly. At 4:10 we raised a Blue Marlin, it ate Georges pink fly and we were off to the races, this was a fast and powerful 150 pound marlin. After a 25 minute battle in choppy seas George Maybee caught his fourth Blue Marlin of the day and his fifth of this trip. At 5:30 we stopped on top of the sea mount and I got out my TFO Axiom 9 weight fly rod with a TFO #3 Atoll reel and a RIO WF-9-F fly line and a 3/0 Half and Half white fly. First cast I got a 7 pound yellowfin tuna, then a couple more and a big Albie (10 pounds) all to be used as bait tonight as we try to catch a swordfish. At 6:15 we set the sea anchor, took our showers, and began sword fishing, Bernie cooked the shrimp and rice dinner and George had a beer. Our score today was 10-7-4. We were sleeping by 8:00 pm.

Thursday, August, 9, 2018; the diesel engines started at 4:59 am and as George and I washed up and got dressed the crew pulled the sea anchor while James headed back toward the FAD, we had drifted 3 miles during the night. Bernie cooked the eggs, sausage, plantains, and made a pot of awesome Costa Rican coffee while Berto put out the teasers and prepared the TFO-HD fly rods with Mako #9700-B fly reels, RIO products 550 grain Leviathan fly lines and my 12 inch pink and white large tube popper flies and Gamakatsu octopus 8/0 hooks, to catch some Blue Marlin. Seas are still choppy and there is lightning, thunder, and rain to our north however we are currently under clear skies. At 7:15 we raised our first fish, it was a large sailfish which ate George’s well cast fly, however with the light (1pound) marlin drag setting, which should be 6 pounds for sailfish, as it jumped the fly fell out of that sailfish’s mouth and it was gone. It is now 8:00 am the sun is shining brightly with choppy sea, there are 3 new boats here fishing (four boats total counting us) on these two adjoining FAD’s but the marlin are not biting yet. At 8:40 we raised a hot 160 pound Blue Marlin to which George Maybee made a good cast, that marlin piled onto the pink and white tube fly with the big popper and the battle was on. 16 minutes later George wound the leader into the tiptop of my new TFO-MD fly rod and Berto grabbed the leader, then the bill, and took the fly back before releasing that awesome Blue Marlin at 9:01 am. We never saw another marlin this morning so at 11:10 am James had us pull the teasers in and we ran for 45 minutes to a FAD which was 18 miles away. At 12:31 we raised a hot fish which ate George’s fly swam quickly around in a full tight circle, then jumped completely out of the water over the fly line, and spit out the fly and hook while in mid air. At 2:03 we raised fish that did not eat, then at 3:49 we raised a sailfish that hooked the fly on its bill, then when it jumped the hook fell off. We raised our next blue marlin at 4:30, great hook-up then as that marlin took off at full speed and jumped 200 yards from the boat the 20 pound IGFA tippet broke and it was gone. At 5:05 pm another Blue Marlin teased in but would not eat the fly, Then at 5:30 George hooked a nice fat short 200 pound Blue Marlin, they both fought well but George won the battle at 5:55 pm Bernie released that awesome fish. This was 80 year young George Maybee’s second of the day, his seventh of this trip, and his 19^th lifetime Blue Marlin all of which were caught with me, while using IGFA 20 pound class tippet and IGFA fly fishing rules. Our Score today was 7-4-2, and for the trip the total score was 30-17-7. We also missed 2 sailfish. Congratulations to George on his great trip, this is what makes me Love My Job, Stay tuned for more reports to follow, Heading back out on Monday.

Regards

Jake

Costa Rica Blue Marlin Fly School Report

July 29, to August 4, 2018

Greetings from Los Suenos CR:

Sunday, July 29, 2018; my old friend/client Paul Lombardi from CA. arrived at my condo at 9:30 am after taking the red eye from LAX. Paul fished with us on one of our first Costa Rica Blue Marlin Fly Fishing Schools back in 2013, where we caught 6 Blue Marlin, a Black Marlin, and a Sailfish; Paul got a Billfish Fly “Grand Slam” on his first marlin trip ever. Danny Cline my buddy from WV. Arrived at 2:00 pm, we went to the Pelican for a fresh seafood lunch, and then I took Danny and Paul for a tour of Jaco and Hermosa Beach. We had a leisurely evening and went to bed early.

Monday, July 30, 2018; woke up and made coffee, then took a swim in my awesome pool and packed light for our up-coming days at sea, then went to the Hook-up for brunch, and took the long tour of Los Suenos Resort and the awesome golf course. At 2:30 we headed down to the marina and loaded our gear aboard the vessel “Dragin Fly”, we were greeted by Captain James Smith along with mates Berto and Bernie, after which we headed out to sea at 3:00 pm. At 3:30 we deployed our teasers and began fly fishing, then at 4:05 we raised a small Dorado, it did not eat the fly. At 6:15 we stopped fishing, Bernie cooked a great dinner of spaghetti and meat sauce, with ice cream for dessert, and we had a cocktail and were sleeping by 8:00 pm.

Tuesday, July 31, 2018; Woke up at 5:00 am to brewing coffee and breakfast cooking, Berto deployed our teasers while I prepared the TFO BW HD fly-rods, rigged with Mako #9700-B fly reels, RIO Fly Lines, and Cam Sigler tube flies with Gamakatsu  hooks. Danny is the first angler as we arrived at the FAD at 5:45 am. Our first Marlin came in red hot at 6:15, Danny made a great cast the 160 pound blue marlin ate the fly and ran out 200 yards while jumping 21 times, then the fish made a u-turn and charged the boat on the surface and jumping the whole time. Danny did a great job and had the marlin at the boat in 9 minutes; at 6:26 am Berto removed the fly and let that awesome marlin swim away. 6:31 am Paul cast to a 200 pound Blue Marlin which ate the fly and headed away fast, unfortunately in his haste to make his cast, Paul had the line wrapped around the rod, and then around the reel handle, when the line came tight the marlin broke the 20 pound IGFA class tippet and was gone. At 6:40 we raised a fish which did not bite, and then at 6:01 am we raised our biggest Blue Marlin of the season, this fish chased the teaser up to the boat but would not eat Paul’s fly, James estimated that fish to be well over 500 pounds. 6:09 am raised another marlin we got no bite, then at 6:31 Paul hooked, fought, and released a 250 pound Blue Marlin, that fish took 24 minutes until the release. We raised a fish  at 7:01 that did not eat the fly, then at 7:20 I hooked a 150 pound Blue Marlin, it was a hot fish which took me 34 minutes to catch, Berto got the fly out of the marlin and it swam away, 3 Blue Marlin caught on Fly before 8:00 am. Danny hooked the next Blue Marlin at 8:21, it was a 250 pound beast, at 8:51 we released our fourth Blue Marlin of the day. Paul hooked the next Blue Marlin of the day, it grey hounded away with 6 minutes of acrobatics, the fish ate the fly at 9:09 am and what a great battle, then at 9:24 as we were closing in on that fish, the hook fell out. Another Blue came in at 9:37, it ate the fly, came tight and the tippet broke on the bite. We raised another Marlin at 9:45, it did not bite. At 9:55 am a hot 200+ pound Blue Marlin ate my well placed pink tube fly, it fought hard and jumped a lot however at 10:29 am I caught our fifth fish of the day. We raised another fish at 10:40 which did not bite, and another one at 10:40, also no bite, at 11:00 our score was 17-8-5. We raised a couple more fish which would not bite and then at 11:45 am we stopped on top of the “Sea Mount” and got out the 9 weight TFO fly rods and reels, coupled with white 4 inch half & half flies. Both Danny and Paul caught a few three to six pound yellowfin tuna that Bernie prepared for our lunch. We raised another Marlin at 12:10 that did not eat then at 12:29 Danny hooked a 200 pound Blue Marlin, it put on an awesome display of acrobatic jumps, fought hard for 15 minutes then came unhooked as we were close to catching it. At 1:30 pm Paul hooked a 180 pound fish which stayed on top and jumped a lot for 18 minutes before going deep for a 25 minute tug of war, at 2:26 pm Paul landed that marlin, Roberto got the fly out and we released our 6^th Blue Marlin of the day. Just wanted to mention that it has been overcast and raining almost all day, we were all soaking wet while fighting our marlin today. After 2:30 the marlin stopped biting, we can see them on the machine but we never raised another fish and wound up the day at 6:15 pm with a daily score of 23 Blue Marlin raised, 10 off them bit the fly, 2 came un hooked, 2 broke off from angler error, and we caught Blue Marlin on IGFA 20 pound class tippet on the fly. We also caught and ate 6 Yellowfin tuna on 12 pound tippet on fly, I sure love my job. At 6:20 we deployed our sea anchor, took hot showers, Bernie cooked awesome shrimp and rice in a coconut cream sauce for dinner and we were asleep by 8:00 pm. 23-10-5

Wednesday, August 1, 2018; we awoke at 5:00 am as Captain James started the engines and the crew pulled and stowed the sea anchor, coffee was ready at 5:15 and we were marlin fishing at 5:30 as we ate bacon, fried eggs, plantains, and toast, for breakfast. The sky was clear and the sea is calm when we woke up but by 7:00 the clouds moved in. Our first Marlin popped up at 7:20 am Danny made a good cast but the marlin refused the fly, then the next marlin was at 8:45 am, it was about 350 pounds and climbed all over Danny’s well placed fly. Danny had that fish on for about 2 minutes, then the marlin shook its head and the fly came out, that big fish was gone. At 9:14 am a 250+ pound Blue Marlin came in hot on the short teaser, Paul made a quick cast which landed where the teaser had been ½ of a second before, that big marlin circled and ate that pink fly at full speed. What a show of jumps and runs while Paul held on for the ride, then after 20 minutes he had that marlin on the surface, we backed up and got within  5 foot of catching it but the fish took off straight down. At 10:22 am the fish was back on the surface and Paul caught our first marlin of the day, his third of this trip and his forth all time. At 11:26 a marlin came in but would not eat the fly, ten at 11:31 Danny cast to a hot 200+ pound fish which ate the well presented fly and began grey hounding away at warp speed. After two attempts to go deep that fish came to the surface and put on a jumping clinic that was awesome. Then at 11:59 am Danny wound he leader into the tiptop of his TFO fly rod and Berto grabbed the leader, got the fly  back and we had released our second fish of the day and 8^th of the trip. We raised several more fish with no bites and 3:30 we left and headed to a FAD about 60 miles away, when it got dark at 6:20 pm w pulled in the teasers and continued to steam toward the next FAD. For the day our score was 6 Blue Marlin Raised, four of them bit the fly, Danny and Paul each caught their third marlin of the trip, we also caught 8 sashimi grade 4 to 6 pound yellowfin tuna on fly. (6-4-2) At 7:00 our crew served an awesome dinner with sashimi appetizer, with coconut chicken, mashed potatoes, and salad. Danny and I had some 25 year old rum; whole Paul had a glass of bourbon. Tomorrow will be awesome, went to bed at 8:00 pm.

Thursday, August 2, 2018; we woke up at 5:00 am as James started the engines and the crew pulled the sea anchor and stowed it below, the sky is dark and it is raining. Berto deployed our teasers while I got the TFO fly rods with Mako reels ready. Bernie began cooking breakfast while we drank some awesome Costa Rican coffee we were marlin fishing at 5:30 am in pouring down rain. Overnight Captain James had moved us to a sea mount which was 62 miles away from where we had been fishing during the last two days. At 5:50 am we raised a 120 pound blue marlin, Paul Lombardi cast my pink and white tube fly rigged with a single Gamakatsu 9/0 hook (Captain Chris Sheeder style), and that marlin gobbled the fly then put on a great show. At 6:16 Berto grabbed the leader, removed the fly and released our first Blue Marlin of the day. Our next fish turned out to be a big (350-375 pound) Blue Marlin, at 7:04 Danny Cline cast the fly and the marlin ate it and took off heading away from the boat. This big fish jumped around in a circle as big as 2 foot ball fields then charged at the boat and jumped 11more times, after 26 minutes Danny had the fish close with 5 more feet to the leader but it took off again. at 7:59 Berto grabbed the leader and released that awesome fish. At 8:04 we raised a double and Paul hooked a nice Marlin this 200 pound beast jumped a lot then came toward the boat. Paul fought this fish perfectly, and he wound the leader into the tiptop and then Berto released that awesome Blue Marlin, our third of the day and eleventh of this trip. At 8:30 we raised another marlin which did not bite and then Danny hooked fish which fought great and jumped a lot, and at 8:51 am had that marlin within 3 foot of the catch, and then took off and made a series of jumps before the hook fell out. Paul hooked a 130 pound red hot jumping fish at 9:54 am and fought it quickly to the boat. At 10:14 Berto removed the fly and hook and that awesome Blue Marlin swam away, we had our 4th blue marlin of the day and 12^th of this trip released by 9:15 am. At 10:05 Danny hooked a hot Blue of 120 pounds this fish was close several times but kept on fighting. Finally at 10:49 Danny caught his second blue marlin of the day and his fifth of the trip. This was our 13th Blue Marlin of the trip. At 11:07 we raised another marlin which did not eat, then at 11:13 Paul hooked a 220 pound Blue which took out 300 yards of backing while grey hound jumping all the way, then around in a big circle before charging the boat while jumping all the way. After a quick 12 minute battle, Alberto removed the fly from hat Blue Marlin and released it unharmed to fight again another day. The Next fish was a 160 pound beauty which Danny hooked at 2:48 pm this fish fought hard and only jumped once then went deep. The next time I saw that marlin it was jumping 150 yards out ten we backed down as Danny Cline put line back on my Mako Reel. At 3:14 the leader came into the tiptop of the TFO BW-MD fly rod then Berto got the fly back and released the 15^th Blue Marlin of our trip. We raised a marlin at 3:29 and another at 3:44 both fish refused to eat the fly, our next bite was at 4:30, Paul made a great cast and the Marlin ate his fly. That big fish jumped lot and raced away then went deep, tug of war for 35 minutes, then it came up and jumped11more times after which it went deep again. At 5:24 Paul backed the drag all of the way off to less than a pound, that marlin swam to the surface and jumped several times ten just laid there. We backed up and Paul wound fast, we were 2 feet from getting the leader in when the fish surged, Paul froze and forgot to take his hand off of the handle, the 20 pound test IGFA class tippet (leader) broke and we all watched that awesome Blue Marlin swim away free. Wow, what a day, (17-9-7) we raised 17 Blue Marlin, got 9 bites, we caught and released 7 Blue Marlin on fly. (46 23-15)  Most of our fish were caught in the rain all were caught using IGFA Fly Fishing Rules with 20 pound class tippet. At 6:00 pm we finished up in pouring down rain and headed toward Los Suenos marina. I love my job wish you were here please stay tuned for more reports to follow next week. These 15 Blue Marlin from 23 bites is a new record for the number of Blue Marlin caught on IGFA 20 pound class tippet during one of my “Blue Marlin Fly Fishing Schools” aboard the vessel “Dragin Fly”. Congratulations to The Dragin Fly Crew on a great job, and to Danny and Paul for winding those Mako Reels!!

Regards

Jake

Costa Rica Blue Marlin Fly-Fishing School

July 1 through July 7, 2018

July 1, 2018:

My clients/students/friends, John Wile Jr, and his son John (Bucky) Wile lll, arrived today about noon at my condo in Los Suenos resort, where they will stay until tomorrow until about 3:00 pm when we head out to go Marlin fly fishing. We went to a local restaurant right on the beach where we had a couple of beers, and a great lunch while watching the world cup game, then I took John and Bucky on a tour of the area including Jaco and Hermosa beach, then we came beach had dinned in the condo and went to sleep. John has been dreaming about catching a Blue Marlin for a long time, while Bucky had hooked and lost one on fly last year at my Sailfish School at the Casa Vieja Lodge in Guatemala. This trip was planned to make sure that both father and son would have their dream come true.

July 2, 2018:

We woke up this morning, took a swim in my pool, ate breakfast, and had a Blue Marlin lesson, then at 1:00 we went to “The Hook-Up marina bar and restaurant for lunch while we watched a world cup soccer game. At 3:00 pm we boarded the vessel Dragin Fly, stored our gear while mates. Berto and Bernie took off the lines and Captain James Smith drove out of the marina and we head to “Marlin World”. We chugged until dark without raising any Billfish, then after dark we continued on our way out as we ate dinner and went to sleep around 8:00 PM.

July 3, 2018:

We woke up to calm seas at sunrise, and then after coffee and breakfast we began fishing on this particular sea mount, 135 miles from the Los Suenos Marina at 6:54 AM. 14 minutes later we raised our first blue marlin of the day, John hooked that 150 pound beautiful fish which jumped a total of 17 times during the next 34 minutes when John wound it in, took pictures, and we let it go. The first hour of the first day John Wile’s dream came true as he released his first Blue Marlin ever. During the next 2 hours we raised 9 more, got 5 more bites, and Bucky hooked a 200+ pound Blue Marlin on fly. He fought that fish for 57 minutes and got the leader inside of the tip top making it a caught fish. This was Bucky’s First ever Blue Marlin on fly, he was of course using IGFA 20 pound class tippet, Bucky’s dream was now fulfilled. Bucky continued to fight that fish for another 20 minutes as we took pictures and video and then Berto grabbed the leader and let that marlin swim away after we got the fly back, three hours after we started the first day both anglers had caught and released their first Blue Marlin of the trip, “mission accomplished”. At 12:00 we had raised 11 Marlin, got 7 bites and caught 2 Blue Marlin, During the next 40 minutes we raised another 3 Blue Marlin, 2 of them bit the fly, both fought valiantly and Both of those big Blue Marlin spit the hooks and fly back at us. At 1:00 pm, we have raised a total of 13, we got 7 bites, and we caught 2 red hot Blue Marlin. Fishing is very good so far today. The time is 2:00 pm, it slowed down, we have had 2 more fish raised during the last hour, neither one would tease in for a bite. At 4:30 pm we have raised 2 more Blue Marlin which would not tease, so with 2 hours to go we have raised 17, got 7 bites, and we caught and released 2. The seas have been slick calm all day, bright sunshine, and 85 degree air temperature, the water temperature is 83.5 degrees. 5:30 pm we raised a big marlin, it teased in beautifully, Bucky made a good cast, and that 250+ Blue came out of the water and sucked in that fly, spectacular bite. The marlin swam at the boat and the fly fell out of his mouth. At 6:15 it got too dark to fish, we quit and pulled in the lines, and the crew proceeded to deploy the sea anchor. After a hot shower, lots of laughter, a great meal, we were really tired and went to bed at 8:00. Our total score for day one was: 17 Blue Marlin and one Sailfish raised, we got 8 bites, and caught 2 Blue Marlin.

July 4, 2018

5:00 am we smelled coffee brewing with ham and eggs cooking, while the motors started and by  5:45 we were fishing, At 6:35 am Jonny hooked the first Blue Marlin of the Day and after pictures and video we released that 200 pound Blue Marlin at 6:59 am. Then at 7:04 Bucky made a perfect cast, jumped off the second marlin, made another cast and the other half of the double ate his fly, by 7:26 Bucky landed his second Blue Marlin, the second of the day, and the 4^th of the trip, it is now 7:30 am on day two the score today is 4 raised 3 bites and two blue marlin on fly. Bucky’s fish we estimated between 180 and 200 pounds. Then at 7:59 am we hooked a 275  pound Blue marlin, it ran out 150 yards of backing, jumped 11 times, then jumped back toward the boat and the fly fell out. Between  805 and 8:30 I hooked to red hot marlin, one jumped and fought for 5 minutes and came un-hooked, and the other one shook its head 50 feet below the oat and frayed the 20 pound tippet which broke and the Marlin was gone. At 8:52 we raised a 100 pound sailfish, I made a cast using my new TFO Blue-Water, Medium Duty, fly rod, coupled with a Seigler Lever Drag fly reel which we were testing, that sailfish jumped 34 times on the video and the battle lasted 4 minutes before we caught, removed the hook, photographed and videoed that fish before letting it go. So Far at 9:00 am we have raised 8 Blue Marlin and a Sailfish, we have had bites from 6 Marlin and 1 Sailfish, and we have caught 2 Blue Marlin and 1 Sailfish, good start for day two of my Blue Marlin Fly Fishing School. 9:46 a 150 pound Blue came in, Johnny hooked it and we saw an awesome display of Marlin jumping at high speed, at one moment that fish was ripping off line at 40 MPH, then a few seconds later he was charging the boat, that rat almost jumped into the boat and by 10:01 am Berto had removed the hook and released our third Blue Marlin of the day. 10/7/3 blue & 1 sail so far today at 10:00, then at 10:29 Bucky cast and hooked a small sailfish (50 pounds), it took off against that 5 pounds of drag, and on the first jump the second hook broke off and that sailfish was gone! At 12:11 pm we raised another Blue Marlin, Bucky made a very good cast, the marlin grabbed the fly, swam deep and acted like it was shaking it’s head about 40 foot down and then the fly came out, that fish came back and tried to eat the teasers but would not touch that fly, it is now 12:30 pm, sunny, 86 degree air temperature, 83 degree water temperature, 3 knot east wind and dead calm seas. We raised a big Blue Marlin at 12;50 Bucky hooked it and we got a great show before that marlin broke the tippet, then at 1:25 a Blue and a Striped marlin cane in together, Bucky made a good cast the Stripie ate the fly, pulled off 200 yards of backing while jumping 23 times, it doubled back, reversed direction at full speed and popped off the 20 pound class tippet. 1:50 we raised another Blue Marlin which did not tease in for a bite. At 3:03 we raised two sailfish, one ate Bucky’s fly, ran out fifty feet and then dropped the fly, as Bucky was retrieving the fly the other sailfish ate it while it was dead in the water, he set the hook and after an awesome fight with lots of jump, Bucky caught and released a 70 pound sailfish on fly. If he had caught that Striped Marlin he would now have his first Billfish Grand Slam on fly. At 5:20 we raised a Blue Marlin which ate the teaser ate the teaser with no hook, jumped a few times and then let it go. At 6:15 we pulled in the teasers, set out the sea anchor, and took a hot shower, and at 7:00 we had an awesome dinner to celebrate a great day of fishing. By 8:00 pm we went to bed and dreamed about catching a bunch more Blue Marlin tomorrow morning. The score today for our team was 15 Blue Marlin, 1 Striped Marlin, and 5 Sailfish raised, we had 9 Blue Marlin, 1 striped marlin and 4 Sailfish bites, and for the day we caught 3 Blue Marlin and 2 Sailfish. So far during 2 days we have caught and released 5 Blue Marlin and 2 sailfish, I love my Job!

July 5, 2018:

We awoke at 5:00 am to a 10 knot breeze with 78 degree air temperature, 83 degree water temperature, and a 6 inch light chop on the water. The coffee was brewing as the crew retrieved and stored the sea anchor and by 5:30 we were towing teasers and eating breakfast. 6:03 we raised our first fish, no bite, 6:11 we raised our second blue marlin which did not tease in for a shot, then at 6:15 a nice 150 pound Blue Marlin came in and John hooked up  for what was a quick battle. At 6:29 John Wile wound the leader into the rod tip and caught his fourth Blue Marlin of the trip, oh yeah, that was also his 4^th Blue Marlin of his life time. Berto grabbed the leader, got the hook out of that marlin and the marlin swam away as we put the teasers back out. At 6:51 and 6:56 we raised 2 Blue Marlin, neither fish teased in within casting range. At 7:30 we raised a Blue that did not tease in and then at 8:10 we raised a double (Sailfish and Blue Marlin) still no bite. The clouds are building, the temperature dropped to 82 degrees, and the wind is south at 10 knots big slow Pacific Ocean swells with a 1 foot chop. At 9:00 am we have raised two marlin however we didn’t get any bites from them. We then stopped on top of a FAD where we caught half a dozen 2 to 3 pound Yellow Fin Tuna, which we will have some sashimi for a snack and some tuna tartar later for lunch, now we are back Blue Marlin fly-fishing. We raised a 100+ pound Sailfish at 11:45 am, Bucky made a sweet cast and that Sailfish ate the fly when it hit the water. After an 11 minute battle that included lots of high speed jumping, that sailfish came to the boat. Berto grabbed the leader then the bill of that Sailfish, he removed the fly and let that sailfish swim away unharmed.  Between 12 noon and 2:30 PM we moved close to 40 miles to a different FAD (sea mount) where we put out the teasers and began looking for Marlin. We raised a Blue Marlin at 3:17, but it would not come close to the fly. 3:33 pm on day three, at this point today, we have raised 12 Blue Marlin and one Sailfish, we got two bites and caught a Blue Marlin and a Sailfish. At 6:15 pm we quit fishing for the day and headed in toward the Los Suenos marina. Our total score today was 14 Blue Marlin and a Sailfish raised, we got bites from one Blue Marlin and the Sailfish so we caught and released a sailfish and a Blue Marlin.

Our total score for this trip from 55 total Billfish raised during three days is as follows, 47 Blue Marlin, 1 Striped Marlin, and 7 Sailfish, raised with 18 Blue Marlin, 1 Striped Marlin, 4 Sailfish bites, of which Bucky and John caught 6 Blue Marlin and 3 Sailfish. This Blue Marlin fly fishing is definitely the best, I love my Job, stay tuned for more reports to follow, I will be in Orlando at the ICAST show next week, if you are there give me a call or come by the TFO booth to say hello.

Regards:

Jake

Costa Rica Blue Marlin Fly Fishing School Report

June 24 to 30

Tuesday, June 26, 2018 Cline Young: Day one of “Jake Jordan’s Costa Rica Blue Marlin Fly Fishing School” began on a sea mount about 150 miles from the Los Suenos Marina, aboard the awesome vessel “Dragin Fly” with Captain James Smith, mates Berto and Bernie, with fly anglers/students Forrest Young and Danny Cline.  At 5;00 am the mates put out the teasers while anglers were eating eggs, bacon, toast and some awesome Costa Rican coffee, then at 6:45 we raised the first blue marlin, no bite!
The next fish was raised at 9:45 am Forrest made a very good cast, the marlin pounced on the pink and white tube fly, and put on a great show. At 7:06 Forrest had the leader inside the fly rod tip making it a caught fish, this Blue Marlin was estimated to be between 160 and 180 pounds.  Forrest then proceeded to fight the fish which was a relatively small marlin, for another 30 minutes, trying to get a good picture of it with one of the mates holding the bill which didn’t work out, 
it was a very, very, tough fish he got close but Forrest wasn’t going to give back any further line to it so he was just holding the spool of my Mako 9700-B fly reel and reeling then holding the spool and reeling until class tippet finally broke. He should have been more patient because there was only about 20 yards of line left before landing it but he didn’t want to waste any more fishing time, the fly popped to the surface for a good release.

Danny hooked a much bigger Blue Marlin at 10:30 am, he fought this big girl like a pro, after a long hard battle using my new prototype TFO Blue-Water Heavy Duty fly rod, with the Mako #9700-B fly reel, a RIO Leviathan 550 grain fly-line, and 8/0 Gamakatsu Octopus hooks with a 12 inch pink and white CS Marlin tube Fly, at 11:04 he wound the leader inside of the tip top of the fly-rod. After Berto released this 300 pound plus Blue Marlin, everyone on board was high fiving, after 5 ½ hours of my Costa Rica Blue Marlin Fly Fishing School, both anglers had accomplished their goal, they both caught and released big Blue Marlin in fly using IGFA rules and 20 pound class tippet.

At 12:01 pm Forrest hooked another Blue Marlin, which hung around close to the boat for a very short period of time, he tried to get the leader in quickly, as James was backing up toward the fish, however that red hot marlin took off as the boat approached and Forrest was winding in while the marlin was heading away at high speed. As the line came tight the 20 pound class tippet broke easily and that big marlin took off heading toward Hawaii. As usual when the tippet separated the fly (with the large tube) came off and floated to the surface. There was one more fish that came into the spread but it never teased in, we never got to cast to it. At 6:30 pm the removed the teasers from the water as it got dark, they made a great meal, and the Anglers went to sleep at 8:00 pm. While the anglers slept, Captain James Smith headed west and chugged close to 100 miles to another sea mount where he was to raise more fish tomorrow.

Wednesday, June 27, 2018 Cline Young;

After breakfast at 5:20 am the teasers were deployed, and fishing began, our first Blue Marlin raised at 6:45, Danny made a good cast, he hooked a nice fish that quickly sounded.  That fish went down at least one hundred yards, it then kicked in the overdrive, when the marlin got to the surface it jumped and took off at a high rate of speed. The twenty pound class tippet broke as the marlin pulled the deep loop of fly-line out to the surface and that fish was gone.  At 7;20 am  we went back to fishing, then at 7:25 a 300 pound blue came up, teased in, and tried to eat a well cast fly cast by Forrest. That marlin ate his fly and spit it out without taking any line. Berto cast a teaser back out and the fish immediately grabbed the teaser, Berto reeled in the teaser and brought the fish close to the boat however it would not eat that fly again. Raised another marlin at 8:05 am, no bite! 8:10 raised another blue, it grabbed the teaser but no fly bite, at 8:30 another blue raised, did not tease in, then finally At 9:45 a nice fish came in following the teaser; Forrest made a good cast and that marlin sucked the fly right down. Forrest must’ve loosened the drag and when the fish took off at warp speed he ended up with a bit of a “birds nest” on the reel and broke off that big marlin.
At 11:05 we raised a fish estimated between 250 and 300 pounds, that fish grabbed the teaser hard and then came towards the boat, however that marlin would not bite the well placed fly. At 11:30 we raised another blue marlin, Danny made a good cast, that fish ate the fly and promptly spit it.  The fish hung around for a while, but no more eats. At 11:55 we raised another fish but it didn’t come close to the fly. At noon Danny made a great cast and hooked a blue marlin of about 225 pounds, he fought it for 15 minutes it surged, and broke the 20 pound class tippet, Awesome jumping marlin. We raised three marlin in very quick succession at 1:10, 1:15, and 1:20 pm, one marlin grabbed the fly but spit it, no other bites, we have calm seas with nice conditions, no action and no sign of fish.
We stopped on the top of a Sea Mount and caught some small yellowfin tuna for dinner at 4:45 a small striped marlin teased in and bit Forrest’s well placed fly, he pulled the hook and the fly came back. At 6:30 pm the crew set out the sea anchor, cooked dinner, and by 8:00 the crew was sound asleep.

Today we raised 16 Blue Marlin, got bites from seven, we pulled the hooks on four and broke the tippet on 3 hopefully we will have better luck tomorrow.

June 28, 2018 Cline / Young, At 5:00 while eating sausage, eggs, and toast, with awesome Costa Rican Coffee, Berto put out the teasers and started fishing. The first Blue Marlin of the day teased in at 6:15 am. Forrest made a perfect cast which that marlin climbed all over he hooked it and that marlin made a good run but about five minutes later the hooks pulled. At 7:00 am we had a nice fish up Danny made a great cast and what a spectacular strike. Danny did an excellent job hooking and fighting that big marlin which was grey hounding  away from the boat then went deep, and then came up to the surface again.  Danny was able to gain almost all of the line back, he got the fish within two feet from the leader and then the fish swam off underneath the boat and got wrapped up in the running gear, This is a game of inches, this was a really big marlin, 2 inches from a caught fish.
At 7:55 am Forrest hooked a 150 pound fish, unfortunately he made the mistake of trying to strip strike that marlin just to make sure he was hooked. Of course  that marlin took off just as the “strip strike” came tight and popped the 20 pound class tippet. “I have done that at least a dozen times, rule #1, never touch the line when the fish eats the fly “, which is why we use Mako Reels! At 1;45 pm Danny hooked and fought a marlin for quite a while, had it very close to the leader but couldn’t close the deal, that marlin took off on a long run and broke the 20 pound class tippet. There were two fish raised between 2:00 and 2:20 no bites, then at 2:40 raised another fish showing a little more interest but no bite, at 2:44 raised fish and again at 2:53 we raised another fish which did not bite.
At 3:00 pm Forrest got a bite but the fish spit the hook, at 3:10 another one no bite.  At 3:40 Forrest hooked a big one as the fish bit the fly he had the line accidentally wrapped around the rod and got lucky and cleared it before the marlin did its first big run.  It was a very tough fish he slowly increased pressure to about 6 lbs, Capt. James maneuvered the boat expertly and we got ahead of the fish to see if we could raised him up to a shallow depth. Once the angle was good It worked, the marlin came to the surface and Forrest wound the leader inside of the tiptop and released that awesome Blue Marlin, estimates at 300 pounds at 4:45 PM. On day three we raised 14 Blue Marlin, had six bites, and landed a 300 pound Blue Marlin on fly using 20 pound IGFA class tippet.  At 6:00 PM the crew of the awesome vessel Dragin Fly pulled in the teasers, Captain James headed towards Los Suenos Marina while mates Berto, and Bernie cooked dinner, by 8:00 pm the anglers were asleep in the air conditioned cabin, Dragin fly was tied up at the dock at 7:30 AM.

The total score for my first of 2018 “Costa Rica, Blue Marlin Fly-Fishing School” was 33 Blue Marlin and 1 Striped Marlin raised, 15 Blue Marlin and 1 Striped Marlin bit the fly, and these awesome fly anglers fought, leadered and released 3 Blue Marlin, of  160+, 250+, and 300+ pounds, all caught on IGFA 20 pound class tippet. Thanks to: Dragin Fly, TFO rods, Mako Reels, RIO fly lines, Gamakatsu Hooks, Los Suenos Resort Marina, and all of my awesome clients for making this all possible. I love my Job, wish you were here, Stay tuned for more fly fishing reports to follow.

Regards:

Jake