Welcome to Jake Jordan's Fishing Adventures

Costa Rica Blue Marlin Fly Fishing School Report! August 2-6, 2021

August 2: 

George Maybee and I arrived at the Los Suenos Marina at 3:45 where we met up with Captain James Smith and his crew Aramis, Roberto, and Danny. We then boarded “Dragin Fly”at 4:00 pm and we headed offshore to begin our fishing adventure. At 4:30 we slowed to trolling speed and the mates deployed the teasers. The skies were cloudy with choppy seas, however the sea keeper smoothed out the swells. At 6:09 pm we raised a double of sailfish, George made a good cast but got no bite, then as it got dark and we were bringing in the teasers, a hot sailfish teased in. I made a good cast and that sailfish gobbled my fly, 2 minutes and 13 seconds later I caught and released that 90 pound Sailfish. We quit for the day at 6:20 pm it was dark and at 6:45 Roberto served dinner. We had delicious pasta with meatballs along with a great salad and by 7:30 we were in bed ready for sleep.

August 3:

At 5:00 am we woke up to the smell of fresh brewed coffee and breakfast cooking. We deployed our teasers at  5:05 am while I had a half bowl of granola with almond milk and everyone else ate bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs and toast with mango butter. At 5:55 we raised a hot blue marlin that teased partway in and then ate the Bonita teaser instead of the fly. At 7:00 am in dead calm seas with no wind and very little current we are seeing lots of bait and marking fish but no raises. At 7:16 we raised a Blue which didn’t tease in, then at 8:29 we raised a big blue one that swam around the fly for over a minute but would not bite. At 8:46 another blue marlin came up on the long teaser but would not eat the fly.

At 9:15 George went in the cabin to apply sunscreen and at 9:17 I hooked a red hot Blue Marlin, that fish was tough and at 9:44 I caught and released that marlin. At 10:06 George cast to and hooked a 300 pound big blue one, after 24 minutes and being 6 foot from catching that fish 3 different times the marlin went deep and broke the 20 pound IGFA class tippet. At 11:21 we raised a blue one which would not tease in and then Captain James decided to move to another sea mound. At 12:23 we raised a Blue Marlin which pounced on George Maybee’s fly, after a bunch of jumps and a 20 minute battle the line went slack as the hook came out and the fish swam away. At 12:47 another fish crashed the teaser but would not tease in. At 1:03 George hooked another Blue Marlin which jumped in a circle around our boat, on the 12th jump, while the fish was 6 foot in the air, I saw the fly fall out of its mouth. At 1:29 pm George hooked another great marlin bite, the fish feeler off 300 yards of backing then jumped twice and swam toward the boat. George got back 200 yards of backing and hat the fish almost beat and then 2 head shakes by that marlin and the hook came out. At 1:47 George hooked a 150-pound Blue Marlin, that fish fought valiantly however after dozens of jumps at 2:04 pm he wound in the leader and caught his first blue marlin of this trip, his 22 lifetime blue marlin on fly while using IGFA 20 pound class tippet. After pictures and video that marlin was released unharmed. At 2:28 pm George missed a bite and then at 2:46 George hooked another Blue and as the fish took line he got a backlash and broke the fish off. As I was putting out the other TFO BW-HD fly rod with the Mako 9700 fly reel and a Cortland billfish line, a 200+ pound Blue Marlin came up on the short teaser. I cast my pink and white marlin tube fly rigged with a Gamakatsu octopus 9/0 hook and 20 pound IGFA class tippet to that marlin. The marlin pounced on my fly at 2:51pm and a short 42 minutes later after pictures we removed the fly and hook from that awesome Marlin’s mouth and let him swim away unharmed. At 5:21 George hooked a hot blue marlin, that was a great fish with 4 series of jumps but after an epic battle into the dark of night, George released his second marlin if the day and our 4th of the trip. After hot showers and a great meal we went to bed at 8:00 pm. Today’s score was 18/10/4

August 4:

We woke up in seas with a light chop with mostly cloudy skies, to the sweet smell of coffee brewing at 5:00am. Shortly later we deployed our teasers while breakfast was being served. We drifted 7 miles during the night and arrived back at the sea mound at 5:50 am and at 5:52 George hooked a big marlin which took off over 400 yards of backing then jumped and the hook came out. As the morning progressed the rain moved closer and the wind increased now at 8:00 am it is raining with dark skies, the surface water temperature has dropped to 82.5 degrees. At 8:04  George hooked a striped marlin which stayed close to the boat, we got within 6 foot of catching it and then the hook pulled and the marlin was gone. At 10:59 am we raised a big marlin that bit but did not get hooked, then at 11:01 a big marlin ate George’s fly and peeled off several hundred yards before coming off. At 11:13 in pouring rain we raised a marlin that did not tease. We raised a dorado at 11:19 and then at at 11:57 George hooked a hot Blue Marlin and at 12:14 pm he wound the leader into the tiptop and released that marlin. At 12:17 we raised a Blue which didn’t tease and then at 2:00 we raised a Blue Marlin that did not tease. At 2:02 George hooked a hot blue marlin which spent the next 6 minutes jumping, the rain stopped and the wind died as George fought this fish. Over the next 20 minutes we got within 15 foot of that fish 4 times then the fish went deep. At 2:28 that fish came up and jumped 150 feet from the boat, then at 2:53 we caught and released George’s second fish of the day. At 3:01 we raised a fish that ate George’s fly then a crimp broke the bite tippet . Then at 3:05 George hooked another marlin(a big one) which put on a show as he circled the boat jumping. At 3:27 the hook pulled and we lost another one. With calm seas and cloudy skies at 3:40 we raised a blue one which didn’t bite. At 3:58 we raised a fish which wouldn’t tease in and then at 4:53 we raised a Blue which ate the teaser and disappeared. At 4:59 we raised a blue which wouldn’t tease in then at 5:28 George hooked a 250 pound Blue which was red hot and at 5:44 he landed and released that fish at sunset. At 6:15 we shut down the fishing and ended another awesome day of fly fishing for Blue Marlin. After a hot shower and an awesome dinner we were asleep by 8:00. 

Today’s score was 16 blue marlin raised, 10 blue marlin bites and 3 blue marlin caught on 20 pound IGFA  class tippet, we also got one striped marlin bite! 

August 5:

At 5:00 am Captain James fired up the engines while Roberto made coffee and breakfast. By 5:05 am Aramis and Danny deployed the teasers while I got the fly tackle east as we were fishing at 5:08 am. We had drifted 9 miles during the night and when we arrived back at the sea mound at 6:04 we raised a Blue which didn’t tease in. At 6:42 we raised a blue marlin that teased in but would not eat George’s well presented “Jake Jordan” pink and white tube fly. At 6:48 George hooked a big marlin that took a lot of line out then jumped a lot about 150 yards out then took out another 100 yards and jumped again. The wind picked up and it began raining while George battled this powerful marlin, and at 7:31 George wound the leader into the tiptop and we released a 300+ pound Blue Marlin on fly using 20 pound test IGFA class tippet. At 7:50 we raised a blue one that did not eat and another blue at 7:58 that did not tease. After that at 8:05 another blue came up on the long teaser but didn’t tease in then at 8:27 we raised another fish which also didn’t eat. At  9:11 we raised a blue marlin that refused to eat the fly and then at 9:36 another blue would not tease. After that we raised marlin at 9:49 that would not tease and at 12:08 a Blue came in hot and ate the teaser then disappeared. Wow what a change, lots of marlin but hard to make them eat the fly. At 12:39 in pouring down rain George hooked a small but hot marlin, that fish pulled off 300 yards of backing, began a series of jumps and then broke the 20 pound test leader. At 12:41 we were in the center of a lightning storm so Captain James put the “Dragin Fly” up on a plain and headed northwest at 24 knots. At 1:55 pm we arrived at another sea mound with the rain and wind behind us, we did have a short period of sunshine before at 2:21 we took off for another sea mound. At 3:09 pm we found a pile of floating debris and began fishing in bright sunshine with calm seas. At 6:07 pm we pulled in the teasers and headed to the Los Suenos marina, we never saw a marlin in the last 6 hours. We had a great trip, George’s best out of four. Today we raised 13 blue marlin, got two bites and caught a 300 + pound blue marlin on fly.

During our three days aboard “Dragin Fly” we raised hooked and caught one large Sailfish, we raised and hooked one Striped Marlin, and we raised 46, hooked 22, and caught 8 Blue Marlin, all fly fishing using IGFA 20 pound class tippet. Congratulations to 83 years young George Maybee who now has 27 Blue Marlin on fly as his lifetime achievement. Oh Yeah, I made 3 casts on this trip and caught a Sailfish and two Blue Marlin! I still love my Job ❤️❤️❤️! Heading back out on Monday, more reports to follow!

@tforods @makoreels @gamakatsuhooks @cortlandline #jonesbrothersmarine #makoreels #tforods #cortlandline #gamakatsuhooks #jake_jordans_fishing 

Costa Rica Blue Marlin Fly Fishing School Report. July 26-30, 2021

July 26: 

Roy Jensen and I arrived at the Los Suenos marina at 3:45 pm and boarded the  vessel “Dragin Fly”. Captain James Smith along with his crew Barto, Aramis, and Danny untied the boat and we were heading out to sea at 4:00 pm. It is raining hard with choppy seas on big swells and 15 knot win from the south east. We deployed our teasers and began fishing at 4:30 pm. At 6:15 it got dark so we quit fishing, had Lasagna for dinner and went to sleep at 8:00.

July 27:

Awoke at 4:55 am with much calmer seas along with partly clear idyllic skies and light wind. Aramis was cooking breakfast and brewing coffee while Berto and Danny deployed our teasers at 5:15 am . The water looks a little green and is 3 degrees colder than normal here about 100 miles from the marina, full sunshine and no fish raised at 7:45 am, we are fishing next to the Casa Vieja Lodge vessel “Hooker” with captain Terry at the helm. At 8:00 Captain James decided to make a move offshore to a sea mound about 60 miles to the southwest. At 8:46 am we raised a Blue Marlin that did not tease. At 10:24 we raised a blue one that didn’t eat Roy’s fly and then at 10:43 Roy cast to a hot Blue however he had the line wrapped around the rod and when the fish ate and the line came taught the 20 pound class tippet broke. At 10:49 Roy hooked a hot Blue which took off at high speed, about 40 seconds later that fish jumped about 200 yards out and broke the 20 pound class tippet. At 10:59 we raised a doubleheader the sailfish ate the fly then spit the hook, Roy made another cast and hooked a 100 pound striped Marlin. After a short 14 minute battle we released our first marlin of the day, a beautiful striped marlin. At 11:32 we raised a Blue Marlin which did not tease. Then during the next 16 minutes we raised 4 marlin that would not eat the fly. At 12:08 we raised a blue that ate the fly an ran 30 feet before dropping the fly. At 12:16 Roy hooked a 100+ pound Sailfish and 9 minutes later Berto removed the fly, took some pictures and then released that awesome fish. At 12:31 Roy hooked a 200 pound blue that took off jumping and as I videoed that fish jumping the 20 pound tippet broke and that fish kept jumping away. At 1:01 pm we raised a blue one which did not tease, then at 1:17 we raised a Sailfish. At 1:59 Roy hooked a blue marlin which put on a great show for almost two minute of jumping and then broke off. At 2:14 we raised a blue one that ate the teaser however would not eat the fly. Then at 2:35 we got a bite and the marlin spit the hook. At 2:38 we raised a blue which did not tease in. At 3:00 we raised a doubleheader and a Bonita ate the fly. After that it rained and we never saw another fish before dark. The crew deployed the sea anchor and we had an awesome dinner. Went to bed at 8:00 pm. 

Today’s score was 20/7/0 on blue marlin 5/3/1 on sailfish and 1/1/1 on striped marlin 

July 28:

We woke up at 5:00 am to calm wind and calm seas with partly cloudy skies. James started the engines as Aramis made coffee while Berto and Danny pulled the sea anchor and prepared the fishing gear. While we were catching bait Berto accidentally caught a wahoo which will be our lunch. After sunrise we fished the area for over 2 hours with no fish raised. The water temperature dropped by 3 degrees and turned from blue to green overnight so Captain James decided to head offshore to a different sea mound. At: 

9:44 we arrived at the sea mound which is about 150 miles from Los Suenos and immediately raised a sailfish which didn’t tease. Next at 10:02 we raised a Blue Marlin that didn’t eat the fly. At 10:19 Roy got a blue to eat his well placed fly, that marlin had the hook on the hard part of its bill and ran 30 foot and then stopped and shook its head. The fly came loose and the marlin swam away. Again at 10:58 we raised a Blue that came in hot but would not eat Roy’s fly, then on the re-tease ate the PO it’s teaser but refused the fly. At 12:19 we raised a Blue which teased in and circled the fly but refused to eat it and then at at 12:41 we raised a Blue Marlin which gobbled the pink and white fly. Roy did a great job fighting this 110 pound marlin and caught his first Blue Marlin ever, on fly using 20 pound class tippet at 1:12 pm. At 1:14 we raised a 150 pound blue one, it ate Roy’s fly and he released his second marlin ever at 1:31. At 1:42 Roy hooked a 100 pound Blue Marlin, he fought that fish valiantly and at 2:02 pm he wound the leader into the tiptop and released his third blue marlin on fly, all on 20 pound tippet, in one hour and twenty one minutes. 

At 2:19 we raised a Blue which did not tease, then at 3:12 pm Roy hooked a blue that fought great for 9 minutes then jumped and the hook fell out. At 4:06 I hooked a hot blue which ate my fly very aggressively and ripped off 250 yards of backing while jumping a dozen times in 12 seconds. I made the mistake of palming the spool just as that fish doubled its speed and jumped going away, which resulted in a broken IGFA 20 pound test class tippet. Wow what a rush!!! At 5:01 we raised a Blue which wouldn’t eat the fly. At 6:00 pm  we deployed the sea anchor and quit fishing as the rain started to pour down. After a hot shower we had chicken and pasta in a mushroom cream sauce, then at 7:50 we went to sleep.

Today’s blue marlin score was 11/6/3 on sailfish it was 2/0/0.

July 29:

After a stormy early part of the evening it cleared up and became a moonlit night. We woke up at 5:00 am to the smell of coffee brewing and the engines of “Dragin Fly” firing up for our third day of fly fishing for Blue Marlin. By 5:15 our teasers were deployed and we were being served breakfast. Then at 6:28 am we raised a Blue Marlin which didn’t tease and then at 6:44 we raised another blue one which didn’t bite. At 7:39 we raised a striped marlin which swam around the fly but would not eat. At 8:19 Roy caught and released a 60 pound Sailfish on fly. At 8:30 am we moved 52 miles to another sea mount and at 10:55 Roy hooked a blue one which ran a shot distance and broke the 20 pound class tippet. 

At 11:29 we raised a blue marlin that tried to eat the teaser but would not tease in for the fly. Then we moved 28 miles to another spot, and then 7 more miles to a sea mount where the water was warmer and deep blue in color. At 2:19 we raised a Blue Marlin that did not tease, after that fishing was slow until it got dark. The weather closed in all around us and it began raining hard as we headed in toward Los Suenos marina. Today’s score was 5/1/0 on Blue Marlin, 1/0/0 on Striped Marlin, and 1/1/1 on Sailfish.

For the entire 3 days Roy raised 8 sailfish, got 4 bites, and caught 2 sailfish. We raised 2 striped marlin, got 1 bite and caught 1 striped marlin. We raised 36 Blue Marlin, got 14 bites and Roy Jensen caught 3 Blue Marlin on fly; his first 3 ever! Congratulations to Roy on catching a Striped Marlin, 2 Sailfish, and 3 Blue Marlin on fly using IGFA 20 pound class tippet, all in one fishing trip!

I’ll be heading back out on Monday, stay tuned for more fly fishing reports! I love my job❤️❤️❤️

@makoreels @cortlandline @tforods @gamakatsuhooks @jonesbrothersmarine #makoreels #tforods #cortlandline #gamakatsuhooks #jonesbrothersmarine #bluemarlinonfly #ilovemyjob 

Costa Rica Blue Marlin Flyfishing School Report July 19-23, 2021

 

July 19:

At 3:45 pm I arrived at the FV Dragin Fly with my clients Tim and Nancy Llacuna. We loaded our gear aboard, made introductions with the crew, Captain James Smith along with Berto, Aramis and Roberto, and at 4:00 pm we headed offshore. Thirty minutes later Captain James slowed down to trolling speed, deployed our teasers and then we began fly fishing. At 6:30 we haven’t raised any fish as it got dark. Dinner was delicious white chicken lasagna with a mixed green salad, and we were in bed by 8:00 pm.

 

July 20:

At 5:00 am we arrived at the sea mount and Berto deployed our teasers while I got the fly rod ready. Roberto had the coffee ready and was preparing breakfast. At 5:29 Tim cast to a Sailfish that ate the fly and by 5:35 we released our first fish of the day. After a great breakfast and some awesome Costa Rican coffee we raised a blue marlin at 5:59 it did not eat. At 6:15 we raised a dorado and then at 7:01 we raised a blue marlin that did not tease in. We are pulling 3 teasers and using my @tforods BW-HD fly rod, with @makoreels #9700-B fly reel, and @cortlandline Billfish fly line, and my pink and white Marlin Tube Fly, with @gamakatsuhooks 8/0 octopus hook, which is ready with one pound of drag set to cast to and catch a blue marlin using IGFA 20-pound class tippet. At 8:00 am Roberto served fresh, sweet, ice cold watermelon and then at 8:28 am Nancy hooked a 200 + pound blue marlin. That big fish jumped at least 30 times and fought valiantly, Nancy got within 30 feet from that fish 3 times before she finally wound the leader into the tiptop of her rod, at 8:49 Berto grabbed the leader and released that dish after getting the fly back. That was Nancy’s first ever blue marlin on fly, and it isn’t 9:00 yet. At 9:59 we raised a blue marlin; Tim made a good cast and the marlin tried to eat the fly but got it stuck on its bill. The fish stayed around however would not bite. At 10:58 we raised a double Sailfish, Tim made a good cast, and a big sailfish ate the fly then went crazy jumping, on the 9th jump while charging the boat the hook and fly fell out of that sailfish’s mouth and was gone. At 11:14 we missed another Sailfish and then at 12:30 with slow fishing we began a 24 mile move to a different sea mount. We arrived at 2:45 and at 2:50 pm Tim hooked a big blue marlin. That marlin shook its head and then took off at full speed: about 300 yards out it began a series of jumps and broke the 20-pound class tippet.

At 3:27 Tim got an awesome blue marlin bite, it took off and fought for 7 minutes then in a series of crazy jumps the hook pulled and we got the fly back, this was the most aggressive bite in quite a while. Fishing slowed down and at 5:30 we found a floating raft of trash we trolled around until dark. At 6:20 pm we stopped fishing as it got dark. We had jumbo prawns  for dinner, took a hot shower and went to bed at 8:00. Daily score 6 raised, 4 bites, 1 caught Blue Marlin. 4 raised, 3 bites, 1 caught sailfish.

 

July 21:

Woke up at 4:30 to calm seas and clear skies, at 5:00 am we pulled the sea anchor, deployed the teasers, and began fishing. After hot cakes and sausage for the anglers and crew (granola with almond milk for me), we started trolling 13 miles back to the sea mount. At 7:39 am we raised a 250-pound Blue Marlin, Nancy made the cast, and that marlin gobbled the fly. This was a red-hot fish with lots of runs and jumps, however Nancy is a good fly angler and at 8:01 Berto grabbed the leader and retrieved the fly as we released our first blue marlin of the day. At 8:04 Tim cast to a blue marlin just under 200 pounds, that fish attacked Tim’s fly and raced away at high speed. Lots of awesome jumps and long runs with plenty of action for 22 minutes before Tim wound the leader into the tip of the rid and caught his first Blue Marlin ever on fly, he was using IGFA 20-pound class tippet. After Berto retrieved the fly, we went back to fishing at about 8:30 am. At 9:24 we raised a blue that did not tease in and then at 10:14 Nancy got a spectacular bite from a red-hot blue marlin. That fish went nuts and jumped dozens of times over the next 4 minutes at which time it charged the boat, jumped over the fly line, and spit the hook. Next at 10:28 we raised a blue marlin that teased in but would not eat Tim’s well-presented fly. At 12:14 we raised a blue one which Tim cast to, that marlin ate the fly, and the battle was on. After lots of jumping and tug of war we got close several times and then at 1:03 pm Tim got his second blue marlin ever on fly. We retrieved the fly then put out the teasers and went hunting for another blue marlin. Next at 1:45 we raised a blue which wouldn’t eat and then at 2:21 Nancy hooked a blue marlin, which put on a great show. After a wonderful battle she caught that marlin at 2:35 pm. After that we stopped seeing fish and Captain James moved 20 something miles where we began fishing at 4:40 pm. At 5:17 we raised a blue that Tim hooked and fought for 12 minutes before the fish somehow broke the 100-pound bite tippet and was gone.  At 6:15 it got dark, and we quit for the day. After a hot shower we enjoyed an awesome dinner and went to bed before 8:00 pm. Today’s score for Blue Marlin was 13 raised, 7 bites, 4 caught and released.

 

July 22:

We woke up at 5:00 am to the smell of fresh brewed Costa Rican coffee and started fishing at 5:15 am. We started with cloudy, rainy, weather with 10-15 knot wind and a light chop on the seas. At 7:41 am Nancy hooked a big marlin, this fish jumped more than 40 times and we got within 20 foot from her fish then the marlin went deep. After a long hard awesome fight at 8:39 Nancy wound the leader into the tiptop of her fly rod. Berto then retrieved the fly and released Nancy’s fourth blue marlin of the trip. At 9:29 we raised a marlin that didn’t tease in and then at 10:00 am it is pouring rain. At 10:44 we raised a blue which ate Tim’s fly in the pouring rain and immediately ripped off 250 yards of backing. After more than 50 jumps and everyone getting soaking wet Tim wound the leader into the rod top and after video & pictures Berto released our 7 th blue marlin of the trip at 11:16 am. Pouring rain with rough seas and solid 15 knot wind makes for fun fishing. At 11:29 Nancy made a great cast in pouring rain and that blue marlin ate the fly coming straight up from under the fly, first we saw the bill, then the mouth with the fly in its mouth and then the whole body as that marlin rocketed out of the water and took off as it hit the water. That fish didn’t last long as the 20-pound IGFA tippet broke on re-entry and the marlin was gone. At 11:50 Tim got a bite and hooked this marlin in the hard part of the bill. After a short run the hook came loose. Next at 1:09 we raised a sailfish, Nancy made a good cast in the rain, the sailfish ate her fly however it did not stay hooked.  At

2:02 pm Tim hooked a 200-pound hot marlin in the rain, in choppy seas. That marlin stayed on top and jumped like crazy, then a soaking wet Tim Llacuna wound the leader inside of the tiptop and caught another Blue Marlin. At 2:31 we raised a blue which was not going to eat, and then at 3:47 Nancy hooked a big Blue Marlin. That marlin ran away from the boat then reversed and jumped out in front of the boat. After 31 minutes Nancy caught her fifth Blue Marlin on fly ever and all five were caught during this trip. At 6:15 pm, as it got dark, we called it a day and began heading toward the Los Suenos Marina. After hot showers we had a steak dinner before going to sleep. 

Today’s score included 9 Blue Marlin and one Sailfish raised, 6 Blue Marlin and one Sailfish bites, and we caught 4 Blue Marlin on Fly. Great Day!

 

For the entire 3 days of Fly Fishing for Blue Marlin Nancy and Tim Llacuna raised a total of 28 Blue Marlin and 5 Sailfish, we got 17 Blue Marlin and 5 Sailfish bites, and we caught 9 Blue Marlin and a Sailfish. 

 

I love my Job , heading back out on Monday, stay tuned for more reports.

@makoreels @tforods @cortlandline

@jakejordan #marlinonfly #tforods #makoreels #cortlandline #gamakatsuhooks @gamakatsuhooks @jonesbrothersmarine 

 

 

Costa Rica Blue Marlin Fly Fishing School, July 12-16, 2021

 

July 12:

Peter Gelfand and Eworth Garbutt Joined me aboard the vessel “Dragin Fly” today, July 13, at 4:00pm and Captain James Smith headed the boat out to sea. At 4:30 we slowed down to trolling speed and put out the teasers. We trolled due south until the sun set and never raised a fish. At 6:30pm we pulled in the teasers and put away the fly rod, then a few minutes later Aramis heated up the Lasagna and served dinner. By 8:00pm we were in bed sleeping. 

 

July 13:

At 5:00am we awoke to the smell of breakfast cooking and coffee brewing. Berto and Danny deployed the teasers, and we began fishing at 5:05am. We then ate our sausage and eggs breakfast served with awesome Costa Rican coffee! 

We raised our first marlin at 6:06am however it did not tease in, then at 6:54 a hot 200-pound Blue Marlin came in on the bridge teaser. Peter made a great cast in calm seas and that Marlin ate the pink and white “Jake Jordan Marlin Tube Popper” fly. The @Gamakatsu 8/0 hook came tight in the mouth of that marlin as it swam away at high speed, within 4 seconds the @cortlandline Billfish fly line and 100 yards of backing was off the @makoreels fly reel with the drag set at one pound of pressure. Peter held my @Tforods BW HD fly rod level pointing it at the marlin and as the boat backed toward the fish Peter began gaining line rapidly. After several minutes as we got closer to that big marlin it took off at 50 mph and began jumping, as peter wound slack line rapidly onto the fly reel and before he got his hand off the handle the line came tight and the 20-pound IGFA class tippet broke, that awesome fish was gone!

At 8:30 we were not seeing fish, so Captain James steered the Dragin Fly along a ridge heading for another sea mound. Aramis served cold watermelon at 9:00 am and then guacamole and chips at 10:00 am.  

Fishing is slow at 11:30 am so we decided to head east toward some sea mounds that are located 90 miles from here. At 2:00 pm we arrived at another sea mound and deployed the teasers. We ran hard from 2:30 until 4:30 then started fishing again, we are now in 4-foot swells with a chop on top under cloudy skies. At 4:51 we raised a hot blue marlin that teased in and ate 

Eworth’s well placed fly which came unhooked, then Berto re-teased that same marlin, and it ate that fly again. That fish swam out the length of the fly line and again came unhooked. In moderately choppy seas at 6:15 pm we finished our first day after raising 3 blue marlin getting 2 bites and catching none. We took a hot shower, had a delicious dinner, and then went to bed at 7:30 pm. With these choppy seas on top of big swells we slept like baby’s due to the most awesome “sea keeper” aboard “Dragin Fly”, that tool is a game changer for us!

 

July 14:

At 5:00 am Captain James started the engines while Berto and Danny pulled in the sea anchor. At the same time Aramis prepared the breakfast and we drank some strong Costa Rican coffee. Teasers were deployed and I got the fly tackle ready to fish at 5:05. The seas are choppy with medium swells and the sky is partly to mostly cloudy with rain around us. Eworth is our first angler and at 7:49 am as the seas calmed down and the sun came out a hot Blue Marlin teased in for a bite. Eworth made a great cast, and the marlin ate the fly, after a great run with several jumps the line went slack. That marlin jumped 6 more times as it was going away after it broke off. When we wound the line back onto the reel, I was very disappointed to see that the 60-pound test butt section of the leader where the loop-to-loop connection is had slipped out of the crimp. This was my fault as it was due to my equipment failure, which isn’t ever supposed to happen. 

Next up we raised a 150-pound Blue Marlin at 9:05 am, Peter cast the fly and that marlin gobbled the fly. After a 40 second run the fish jumped back toward the boat and the hook fell out of the fish’s mouth. Edward made a good cast to a blue marlin at 9:30 the fish attempted to eat the fly twice but never got hooked. At 10:15 we raised a marlin that got bill rapped and never teased in. At 11:09 a marlin came up on the long teaser but did not come to the boat, then at 12:36 we raised a marlin that didn’t bite. At 2:45 the seas have calmed down, the skies are gray, and the fishing is slow, at this sea mound 147 miles from Los Suenos Marina. Still slow at 4:15 pm, then we started a long 90-mile trip to the west looking for a more productive sea mound with hungry Marlin. We had shrimp and vegetables for dinner after dark, took a hot shower and to sleep at 8:00 pm. Today’s score was 6 blue marlin raised, three bites, and no fish landed. Slow fishing so far!

 

July, 15:

Today we woke up to calm seas with clear skies and coffee brewing, at 5:00 am we deployed the teasers. Breakfast was served at 5:30 as we saw two other vessels arrive to fish this same area 126 miles from home. At 8:00 am after not seeing a fish we ran 12 miles where we began fishing again. Then after stopping at 3 different sea mounds James took us to a secret spot. At 10:40 we raised a 200-pound blue that came in red hot, Eworth’s cast was great, that marlin jumped all over the fly and the battle was on. After a 24-minute battle and at least 30 jumps, Eworth wound the leader into the rod tip and caught his first ever blue marlin on fly. After Berto got the fly back he released that awesome blue marlin, and we went back to fishing.

At noon we had fresh yellowfin tuna tacos  for lunch. At 12:27 Peter cast to a hot Blue Marlin that ate his fly immediately and ripped off 150 yards of backing before jumping a bunch of times around in a circle. That fish was wild, he charged the boat, went under then jumped on the other side. At 1:13 Peter wound the leader in, and he had caught his first Blue Marlin on IGFA 20-pound tippet on fly ever. Next at 1:24 pm we raised a double and Eworth hooked the first fish, as his marlin was jumping away, I cast at the second fish. My 200-pound marlin ate the fly, I set the hook, and that marlin swam directly at me, and I got to release that marlin about 45 seconds later. Then at 1:35 pm Eworth caught and released our 4th Blue marlin of the day. By the way Eworth and I just caught the first Blue Marlin double header on Fly ever on the awesome vessel Dragin Fly with Captain James Smith, And mates Berto, Aramis, and Danny. 

At 2:15 we raised a blue marlin that didn’t tease in, then at 3:14 Peter hooked the biggest fish of the trip. Lots of jumps and up to 300 yards of backing out after 15 minutes. That fish was awesome and put on a show

However, Peter persisted and at 3:51 Berto got the fly back and released that big fish. 

At 4:36 a hot Sailfish came in and Eworth cast a fly to it. The sailfish ate the fly and 5 minutes later Berto released that sailfish.  At 4:59 we raised a blue that did not tease in and then we ran out of daylight and headed back toward Los Suenos. We raised 8 Blue Marlin and a Sailfish today, 5 Blue marlin and one Sailfish bit our flies, we caught and released 5 Blue Marlin and one Sailfish on fly using IGFA 20-pound class tippet.

 

Our total score for this trip was 17 Blue Marlin and one Sailfish raised, 10 Blue Marlin and one Sailfish ate our flies, we caught and released 5 Blue Marlin and one Sailfish, for a 50% catch per bite ratio!

We are also proud that we successfully caught a Blue Marlin double on fly, the first ever on Dragin Fly! Thanks to James, Berto, Aramis, and Danny, the awesome crew of “Dragin Fly” for another great trip.

 

I still love my Job ! I’ll be back out on Monday, more reports to follow.

@tforods @cortlandline @makoreels #tforods #makoreels #cortlandline 

Monday, June 21: John Wilson and his son Will Wilson arrived yesterday at my condo in Los Suenos to join me on my second Costa Rica Blue Marlin Fly Fishing School trip of the season. We boarded the “Dragin Fly” at 4:00 pm in the rain and headed offshore in search of Blue Marlin to catch on fly rods. At 4:30 Captain James Smith slowed the boat to trolling speed. While First Mate Berto deployed the teasers I prepared the fly rod and gave Will a lesson at casting a TFO HEAVY DUTY fly rod with a Cortland billfish line and a Mako #9700 fly reel. We fished in the rain until dark, we saw no fish! We had pasta and meatballs for dinner and went to bed in choppy seas with steady rain at 7:30 pm! 

Tuesday, June 22: we arrived at the first FAD before 5:30 am, it was still choppy but the rain stopped and it was partly cloudy as we ate breakfast and drank great Costa Rican coffee. Teasers were deployed at 5:30 and we raised the first Blue marlin at 6:21, it did not eat. At 6:51 we raised a big Sailfish, Will made a good cast, increased the drag on the Mako reel from 1 to 6 pounds, and hooked that sailfish. After a great fight with lots of jumps, at 7:01 am, Will Wilson caught and released his first ever billfish on fly! 

Between 7:30 am and Noon we raised 3 Blue Marlin of which none teased in for a bite. Then at 12:23 and 12:36 we raised 2 more Blue Marlin, neither one would eat our fly.  The weather is now fairly calm and sunny, lots of fish marked but hard to get them to commit to eating a fly. The next marlin we raised at 3:42 pm would not eat and then at 4:28 and 4:43 we raised marlin that would not eat. At 4:45 the weather is hot with sunshine and dead calm seas and we raised a marlin at 4:46 but still no bite. At 5:43 we raised a Sailfish that didn’t bite then as the sun set we never saw another fish, it got dark at 6:20 pm. On day one we raised 9 Blue Marlin and two Sailfish, we got one sailfish bite and Will caught that sailfish on fly. We ate dinner at 6:45 and went to sleep at 8:00 pm.

Wednesday, June 23: We woke up at 4:45 am to hot coffer and breakfast cooking. The crew pulled the sea anchor and then Captain James Smith started the Dragin Fly and headed back toward the sea mound. At 5: 26 we raised a blue, at 6:31 we raised a hot 200 pound blue marlin, John made a great cast and that marlin pounced on that fly. The marlin ran out 150 yards, Jumped, the backing wrapped around the rod tip and broke the rod tip and the 20 pound tippet at the same time, and that fish was gone. We raised another Blue marlin at 7:40 but got no bite and then at 8:21 and 8 49 we raised fish that didn’t bite. At 9:18 a big blue came in hot and John’s fly got tangled with the teaser, the marlin went to eat the teaser and got the fly leader stuck in its mouth, jumped 3 or 4 times before breaking the leader.  At 9:52 we raised a hot 250+ pound blue marlin and John Wilson @cortlandline made a perfect cast which that marlin pounced on. That marlin took off 200 yards of backing at one pound of drag, then jumped for 5 minutes in a giant circle. After 26 minutes and a great fight, Berto grabbed the leader and released that fish at 10:18 am. This was John’s first blue marlin of the trip! At 10:50 we raised another blue one which did not tease in, then at 11:30 a nice marlin teased in and Will made a great cast. As that marlin attempted to eat the fly Will made a strip in an attempt to make the fly pop. Just as that marlin tried to eat the fly the fly moved 12 inches and the marlin missed it all together!

At 12:29 Will hooked a wild blue marlin that pulled off over 150 yards in 12 seconds then jumped and the fly fell out of the Marlin’s mouth and was gone. No bite from a marlin raised at 12:49 then in hot calm water it slowed down. Fishing slowed down and we raised two more marlin which didn’t bite, then at 6:30 we stopped fishing and deployed the sea anchor. Fishing seemed slow today as we raised 16 spooky marlin, only four bit the fly and John Wilson @cortlandline caught the first marlin of the trip. Tonight we had giant prawns , potatoes and mixed vegetables for dinner it was delicious. By 8:00 we were asleep.

Thursday, June 24: 

At 4:40 am the engines of FV Dragin Fly roared to life and the crew hauled the sea anchor aboard. As the awesome Costa Rican coffee brewed and breakfast was cooking Captain James headed us towards the sea mound. It is raining hard with lightning all around the boat and we are not raising any fish, so at 8:30 am we pulled the teasers in and headed west toward another set of FADs. We ran out of the rain and at 10:03 am stopped and began fishing at another location. At 10:31 we saw a finning sailfish that would not eat, then at 10:49 a hot 250-300 pound blue marlin roared in and ate a fly which Will had cast. That big marlin must have jumped at least 50 times as Will fought it like a pro. Twice that fish was within 10 foot of the leader and then surged. At 11:13 we almost had the leader, Will was winding as we watched the fish 20 foot behind the boat, surge and break the tippet as it jumped. At 11:19 we raised a big blue marlin that missed the fly and it immediately disappeared We raised a blue marlin at 1:30 that did not eat, then at 2:05 we raised another blue and sail the sail tried to eat the marlin fly but missed. At 2:25 Will hooked a Blue marlin that stayed on for 3 minutes and then took off at very high speed before breaking the 20 pound class tippet. At 3:15 we raised a blue than tangled in the bridge teaser and was gone. We raised a marlin at 5:52 pm but no bite, then we fished until dark with no more fish. At 6:20 we ended the day and headed toward the Los Suenos marina. Today we raised 7 blue marlin and 2 sailfish, we got 2 blue marlin bites. Steak for dinner tonight and we will be at Los Suenos by 7:00 am.

The numbers for this trip were: 4 sailfish and 32 Blue marlin raised, 1 sailfish and 6 blue marlin bit our fly and we caught one sailfish and a big blue marlin on fly. John Wilson @cortlandline and Will Wilson both caught a billfish on fly, and we had a great time. This trip fishing over the full moon was really hard to convert marlin raised to marlin bites, that said  my friend John, his son Will and I had a really fun trip together. More reports to follow, I love my Job❤️❤️

#tforods @tforods #makoreels @makoreels #cortlandline @cortlandline  #jake_jordans_fishing

#jonesbrothersmarine #draginflycostarica @jwilsoncortland 

Costa Rica Blue Marlin Fly Fishing School, June 14-17, 2021

We just got back to the dock in Los Suenos Marina Resort, aboard the sport fishing vessel “Dragin Fly” after 3 full days of fly fishing for Blue Marlin. Below is my notes from our first of 10 weeks of our 2021 season!

June 14: Bob & Rob Filler and I  left the dock aboard “Dragin Fly” at 4:00 pm, we experienced clouds and intermittent rain until dark at 6:30 pm. The choppy seas felt calm with the new “Sea Keeper” installed aboard the boat. Dinner consisted of smoked pork chops, mashed potato’s and fresh veggies then went to bed at 8:30 pm!

June 15: Coffee was ready at 5:00 am and the teasers were deployed as soon as we could see them, eggs, sausage, pancakes, and coffee were served at 5:00 am. Our first blue marlin was raised at 7:28 am, Rob made a great cast while using my TFO Blue Water HD fly rod paired with my Mako  9700 BG fly reel while using a Cortland billfish fly line. That 250 pound Blue Marlin piled on my Jake Jordan Pink and White marlin tube fly and ripped off 200 yards of backing. Rob was using exactly 1 pound of drag on that Mako reel for the first 14 minutes then increased to 3 pounds until he got all of the backing back on the reel and then increased to 6 pounds of drag to finish the job. 29 minutes later we released that marlin after removing the 8/0 Gamakatsu octopus hook and fly from its mouth. This was the first Blue Marlin that Rob had ever seen and he caught it using IGFA 20 pound class tippet and he was following the IGFA rules of fly fishing.

The next fish was a fat pacific sailfish, it came in hot at 9:20 am, Bob made a perfect cast and was hooked up and fighting that fish quickly. After pictures and video of Bob’s sailfish on fly. Berto removed the hook and fly at 9:31 am, and Bob had released his first billfish of the trip.

At 10:30 we raised a Sailfish that did not eat the fly, then at 11:59 am we raised a Blue Marlin, which teased in, looked at the fly several times, ate the teaser 4 times than swam away at 12:03 after no bite. 

Between noon and dark we never saw another fish, we were marking fish and bait on the fish finder however they refused to come to the surface. We all had hot showers and ate a delicious dinner then went to bed at 8:00 pm.

June 16: at 4:30 am Captain James Smith started the engines while the crew pulled and stored the sea anchor. By 5:00 am we deployed the teasers while coffee and breakfast was being served. Ramoes, our second mate and chief cook served great Costa Rican coffee, scrambled eggs with cheese and onions, with bacon and toast for breakfast. We started on a different sea mount this morning, seas were 2 foot with 10 knot breeze and partly sunny skies. Fishing was slow this morning, our first blue marlin was raised at 7:58 am, it was along a ridge heading to a different FAD. That blue marlin came up behind the big bridge teaser, Bob made a great cast and the marlin swam under the fly twice, however it refused the fly and would not come back in on a re-tease. 

The next marlin that we raised was located at  a different sea mound 137 miles from the Los Suenos marina, at 10:01 am that marlin attacked the teaser aggressively then came in close to the boat but refused  to eat the pink and white fly before fading away.

This FAD has lots of bait and marlin on it we raised another marlin at 10:15 but no bite. At 10:45 am a big blue marlin came in hot on the long teaser, Bob Filler made his first cast ever to a marlin and that fish came out of the water to pounce on that fly.  Bob is a retired naval officer and an avid fly angler, before this trip he never had a shot at a marlin, that said he did a great job fighting that 300+ pound blue. Six times during this four hour forty five minute epic battle we were within 6 foot of  getting the leader only for that fish to rip off several hundred yards of backing. Finally at 3:30 pm we landed Bob’s fish, got the fly back and released that fish unharmed. My knots worked just fine! We had chicken and rice with coconut butter sauce for lunch, it was really delicious.

At 4:05 we raised a blue marlin that teased in but would not eat Rob’s well presented fly. Then at 4:31 a hot 175 pound blue marlin charged in and ate Rob’s fly, what a great fight with lots of jumps. At 4:47 Berto grabbed the leader and took the fly out of that Marlins mouth before releasing our third fly caught blue marlin of this trip! At 5:14 and 5:20 we raised 2 more marlin but they would not bite. At 5:46 we raised another blue marlin, again these marlin are not teasing in to casting distance or not very aggressive. Then at 6:01 Rob hooked a blue that ran way out and came unhooked. It was dark at 6:20 when we deployed the sea anchor and shut down for the day. So far we had 4 marlin bites and a sailfish bite, and my anglers caught 3 Blue Marlin and one Sailfish after two days. Dinner was giant prawns with steamed vegetables, with ice cream for desert!

June 17: Day Three

Up and ready to fish at 5:00 am, coffee and breakfast was ready to serve at 5:30 however we had to wait for Bob to catch the first Blue marlin raised today. That 100 pound awesome marlin ate Bob’s well placed fly at 5:31 and then at 6:00 after releasing that fish we were served a traditional Costa Rican breakfast with great CR coffee. At 6:49 we raised a blue that did not bite. It has been raining since 3:00 am however the fishing is still good. At 7:05  we raised another blue with no bite. Next raise was at 7:30 am, again Rob made a good cast but no bite. At 7:59 am Rob hooked a 120 pound red hot blue marlin, it jumped 33 times before he caught and released it at 8:14 am. We raised another blue at 8:22 but no bite then at 8:28 we raised a blue that Bob hooked, it ran out 30 yards, jumped, and the hook came loose. At 8:31 Bob hooked a blue marlin, a very aggressive bite from a 200 pound fish, that marlin was really tough and fought like a giant. Bob did a good job and fought that marlin valiantly, after a 1 hour 28 minute battle he caught his third marlin of the trip. Berto grabbed the leader and removed the fly at 9:59 am. We raised another blue marlin at 10:28 but it would not tease in and did not bite! Then at 10:50 Bob made a good cast and hooked another hot marlin, it jumped a lot at the beginning of the fight. At 11:15 we released our fourth marlin of the day. We raised another blue at11:20 am but it did not bite, then at 11:41 am we raised a big, (maybe 400 pound) blue marlin, rob made a good cast and a little yellowfin tuna took the fly away from that marlin, Rob landed the tuna which we will have for sashimi later today. We raised one more fish which didn’t eat at 11:46 am. At 11:59 we raised the 16th blue marlin of the day, no bite! At 12:15 pm we raised another blue marlin that would not tease in, then at 12: 21 another fish hit the long teaser and was gone. Rob hooked a blue marlin at 1:44 pm, it ran out about 80 feet then stopped dead, shook it’s head and the 9/0 Gamakatsu octopus hook fell out of the Marlin’s mouth. We raised another blue at 2:05, this fish did not tease again at 2:11 pm, with no bite. At 4:03 pm Rob hooked a 400 plus pound blue marlin that went crazy jumping in a big circle. After a few minutes that fish took off like a rocket doing 30 foot longitudinal jumps and on the third jump, 250 yards out the 20 pound class tippet broke and the marlin was gone. At 6:00 pm we ended a great day of fishing and pointed “The Dragin Fly” toward the Los Suenos marina then after an awesome steak dinner, we went to sleep at 8:00 pm.

Today we raised 22 blue marlin, 7 of them bit our flies and the Filler team caught and released 4 blue marlin on fly using 20 pound test class tippet. 

For the whole trip we raised 34 blue marlin and a sailfish, we had 10 blue marlin and one sailfish bite our flies, of which we caught one sailfish and 7 Blue Marlin all on 20 pound tippet on fly. 

We arrived back at my condo at the Los Suenos resort and marina at 7:00 am, after a world class fly fishing trip. The crew of Captain James Smith along with mates Berto, Ramos, an Danny did a great job, A world class boat and team, I love my Job.❤️❤️❤️

More reports next week!