I just got back from a week in Quepos, Costa Rica, where I was fishing out of Marina Pez Vela on a 51-foot Riviera. Keep an eye out for an upcoming story in the mag, but briefly, I’ll say that it was a sick time. We caught loads of sailfish averaging about 80-100 pounds, and I landed a 180-pound striped marlin, while a larger black marlin we hooked into just eluded our grasp. The surrounding countryside is absolutely gorgeous and perfect for family vacations, romantic getaways, or fishing trips with the guys. The locals are friendly and seem to love Americans, and the fishing is world-class. Some poor guy on my flight there passed out from all the turbulence over the Gulf of Mexico, and one of the locals tricked me into eating a scotch bonnet, a pepper that makes a habanero taste like an heirloom tomato (there is a special pain in frantically chugging coffee creamer while getting laughed and pointed at by nine Costa Ricans)—but despite those setbacks, I can’t wait to get back there. The place is special.
