|
We arrived
at Los Sueños and prepared for a tour of the property with Bill
Royster, an American developer who got the idea to build the resort and
condos on this sheltered horseshoe-shape cove after landing a 750-pound
marlin here in 1991. Los Sueños covers more than 1,100 acres, but
Royster, in line with the country’s efforts to keep Costa Rica green,
has left more than half of the property in its natural state. The remaining
area is taken up by an attractive Marriott resort, marina, and a multitude
of condominiums, all styled in an attractive 16th-century colonial theme.
The marina is impressive. It can accommodate vessels to 150 feet and is
protected by a man-made breakwater constructed of two million cubic feet
of earth and rock.
In addition
to the offshore angling opportunities, Los Sueños offers ocean
kayaking, horseback riding, PWCs, golf, a spa, a casino, and whitewater
rafting. You can even take a “canopy tour,” which involves
climbing through trees high atop the rainforest. But for this trip I had
tunnel vision, and my focus had a long bill and a sail on its back.
I awoke
two hours early for my first day of fishing. I told myself it was because
I was still on New York time, but really, it was more that childlike Christmas
morning feeling: I wanted that present, and I didn’t want to wait
for Mom or Dad to have coffee first. I managed to contain my excitement
long enough to eat breakfast, get on my game face, and hop onboard the
charter boat Dream I, a 36 Luhrs Open powered by twin 450C Cummins diesel
inboards.
Capt.
Eduardo Lizano piloted the boat to the blue water, an easy 20-mile ride,
at a comfortable 19 knots into the three-foot head sea. (The ocean would
eventually lie down and stay flat for the next two days.) My research
prior to the trip showed that prime time for billfish here is December
through June, but I’d heard that sailfish were being caught, and
my hopes were high that I’d get one. Even if I didn’t, there
were reports of wahoo and tuna, not too shabby and tasty in their own
right.
Lizano
and mate Roy Vega set out the squid teasers, varying
trolling speeds between 5.5 and 7.5 knots. “I troll by how
the baits look,” Lizano told me during a visit with him on the tower.
The rigged ballyhoo baits on Shimano TLDs lined with green 30-pound mono
sat at the ready as we peered out at the prop wash.
Next
page > Costa Rica, Part 3 > Page
1, 2, 3, 4
|