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Typical Costa Rican Rooster Fish

 

 

 

 


 

 A big 75 Lb Rooster fish


Greg Vincent >Costa Rica

Greg arrived from Canada Into San Jose, Costa Rica on January 3 1993. He had given himself 30 days to travel the pacific coast to find a job as a sport fishing boat Captain. The plan was to fly to the southern most village of Golfito and work his way north by bus up the pacific coastline looking for work.

 

Three days later he was captain of an offshore boat at one of the premier sport fishing lodges on the pacific coast. As well as the Sailfish and Marlin these waters held big dorado and enormous yellowfin tuna. Inshore was also outstanding with large Roosterfish, Cubera snapper and large Pacific snook in the Golfo Dulce ( sweet Gulf ). The many other gamefish available is too long a list but these waters had it all. Greg’s first season included a 75 day stretch of consecutive days of fishing. Two more years of the same was to follow. Several hundred days spent fishing some of the worlds best billfish waters.

 

The main season for the 10 boat fleet was from December to May yet Greg was fortunate to be one of only two Captains retained for the slower season. This allowed Greg to fish these waters year round. The other Captain chosen was Raphael Barret, a Panamanian skipper that had now moved and settled in Costa Rica. ‘ Raffa “ as he is still known was a mind of information and he and Greg got along famously. To give an idea of Rafa’s experience, he was the captain who guided The father of Billfishing on fly, Doc Robinson to his 100th billfish on the fly way back in 1972. Rafa’s brother Rito was also a well known Panamanian Captain. He invented the Rito rig around the same time, a basic wooden body lure he would whittle to shape at home in northern Panama. The lure was copied and sold by Abu Garcia. Even though the lure sports his name, Rito to my knowledge has never received a penny of royalties to this day. The Barret brothers have never had the opportunity to be recognized for their long standing contribution to the sport and I  would like to take this opportunity to thank Rafa for his time and company during my years in Costa Rica and to recognize him as one of today’s most experienced and dedicated sportfishing captains on the pacific coat of the entire America’s.

 

During the slower summer months Greg would also travel into Panama and stay with friends at Boca del Torro, ( Mouth of the Bull ) a series of Islands on the northern Caribbean coast of Panama. As well as fishing the local waters around the Islands Greg would base himself from there and travel up to the Panama and Costa Rica Border to fish for tarpon. Back then no one had really heard of this area and Greg is confident he is one of the first to have wet a fly line in these waters.

Greg was asked to manage the sport fishing Lodge by the new owners who bought the place from the original owner who had built it. Unfortunately the new owners and Greg did not see eye to eye and Greg left. A year after that the lodge was sold to it’s current owners who did an incredible Job in putting the Lodge back at the top where it belonged.

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(Click to enlarge)

 

 

 

Pacific Blue Marlin

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pacific sailfish