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Random Quote: May the most you wish for be the least you receive (Shelton Adams) by Bailey Boat
Guys I just spent 3 days fishing in Los Suenos and had terrible sailfishing. I have been going down there since 2000 on and off and I can tell you each time I go I see fewer fish.
The quality of the crew has been roughly consistent as has the amount of time fished on all my trips.
Not trying to hurt biz for the CR guys on this site but I would like to know for those who have the data what they think.
I personally think that longlining is starting to take a chunk out of the sail population. I find it ironic that the government mandates circle hooks out of respect for the environment but they let these longliners tear the ocean up. The past three trips down there our boat has become entangled in the longlines in some way.
Last year we tore up the white marlin and a few sails. Their is a furniture guy down their that owes me $4,500.00 worth of furniture,good reason for another trip.
Fishing has been crappy to say the least. Its more than likely due to it being an elnino year. The fish are around, and guys are seeing them. There's also alot more bait around too. The fish are probably full.......I know guys that have raised unwards of 20 plus sails this year on one day.
On a side note, the fishing last year at this time was unbelievable. The winner of last years second leg of the Los Suenos Signature Billfish series released 19 Striped Marlin the first day !!! Marlin were coming into the spread in what they were calling Wolf Packs.....3-5 at a time. More Marlin were caught that year than sails....
I was in Quepos in January, and we did decent. We fished 3 days total. First day we released 4 sails, second day we released 8 sails, and the third day we released 6 sails. Not huge numbers but worth the trip out there. Sorry to hear it was slow for you. You are correct though, it seems that billfishing in CR has been on the decline since I've been going.
While longlines are probably a huge factor in the decline, the countless anglers that fight a sail then take the fish out of the water for a picture don't help the situation....I'm sure some will disagree.
__________________ Mckee Craft Marathon 172 CC w/ F115 Yamaha
Hauling a fish out for a picture, done right, is probably no more than a bad day for a sailfish. Unhooking one from a longline and hauling it home on the deck is a bit more detrimental to the population as a whole. In spite of the longlines off the Osa we've had consistant action the last few years but I'm sure it would be alot better if there wasn't a freaking web of longlines like we saw there in January. You couldn't hold a bearing more than a km before having to change course. Going back Saturday for a few weeks and will report back.
__________________ THT's Very First Member
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14' Vermont Fishing Dory
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but I'm sure it would be alot better if there wasn't a freaking web of longlines like we saw there in January. You couldn't hold a bearing more than a km before having to change course.
It's been slow pretty much everywhere in Costa Rica this year, and yes El Nino seems to be a factor.
Regardless, if I wanted large sailfish numbers I'd be fishing down south in Golfito, we had 77 releases last year in 3 days, and 15 plus a blue in 2 days this year.
I've only fished CR for the last 5 years, at first mostly out of Quepos and now mostly out of Golfito . . . so there's not nearly enough data for me to even guess what degree the longliners are having an effect down there. We can all probably agree it's not good, though.
It is an off year because of el nino/ la nina may cause the same next year. It has been Slow from Cabo San Lucas to Panama!
Long lining is an issue but the govt now has finally address it.
Last year we had more sails out of Golfito (20-35 a day plus a marlin each day average, a friends best day was 71)than in Guat.. That should say something.
__________________ Golfito, Costa Rica got it all!
I an never amazed that sports-fishermen always blame it on the commercial guys and never the fact that the amount of sport-fishing boats doubles about every 10 years. I have fished the pacific coast from Panama to mag bay, Baja Mexico for the last 10 years and a few years on and off before that. Yes fishing all up and down the coast is slower than 10 years ago. I have not seen any increase in long-line activity over that same time period. Now from day to day, yes there is more long-lines some days than others.
As for CR, the sport fleet there has increased by about 4X in the last 10 years. If anyone thinks that 100% of released fish live they are sadly mistaken. With 100 sport boats fishing out of Quepos and Los Seunos daily during the season vs. 25 10 years ago I think that may have something to do with a decline in that area. the decline may not be in total but if 25 boats released 200 fish a day then you have 8 fish average per boat. now you have 200 fish released by 100 boats that is only 2 per day. I have seen that same thing happen in St. Thomas over the years also.
Yes, Fish numbers are declining and El Nino has it effects as does commercial activity. Lets not leave out the sport fleet effect on the fishery. We may try to minimize it but we still effect population numbers.
Just a note: This Fall and winter the Striped Marlin season in Baja has been as bad as it gets while last year was one of the better years in the past 10.
Unfortunately not all sailfish caught by sportsfishermen get revived properly (if not fought to total exhaustion) before being released. On one day two weeks ago, we saw 6 dead Sailfish floating in a debris line over a mere few miles.......
I'm an East Coast guy, but didn't NOM-029 go into effect about 3 or 4 years ago? The law with an intended purpose to protect sharks but allowing incidental bycatch to be kept and allowing longlining within the formerly 50 mile protected zone?
Costa Rica BillFishing... In decline? 
