roosterfish in costa rica?

[ausitnnye12]

im heading to tamarindo in may and would like to try to catch a roosterfish on fly. if anybody has any experience in the area or tips or ANYthing, id appreciate it. what kind of set up should i use, line type, flies, techniques, etc? ive heard the only way to fish for them is bait and switch, but am wondering if they cruise the beaches like they do in baja. any info will be greatly appreciated. thanks.


also, what other inshore species should i prepare for? do i need 8wt-14wt to cover all inshore species and sailfish, will i need anything smaller?

thanks

austin

[Bender]

Hi,Tamarindo is a surfing village but i've see a lot of bonito near the beach when they are catching sardinas.
I think you will have more chances for rooster if you fish the left side of the beach, during rainy period is also good the estuary that divides the Tamarindo beach to Playa Grande,you can see it because is the only river on the right side to Tamarindo.
Inside the river mouth i've caught many Snapper with popper and red marabou streamer near the mangroves,for these ones bring an 8 outfit,fish range from 2lbs to 6lbs. Some snook are present on the right tide. You can rent a boat and a guide (for birdwatching,not a fishing guide!) if you want to fish inside the estuary and i recommend a short rod for this type of fishing(like the Sage Bass rod 7'11).
For rooster i never try from the beach but i think it is better to go with a 10WT and an intermediate line,C.R. is home of very big rooster,so it is best to be prepared. For sure there are a lot of bonito and mackarel just in front of the beach,and don't forget the Pacific Jack Crevalle!
I hope this helps!

[ausitnnye12]

very helpful! thanks.

[ucfsae81]

watch "chasing down the man" its about some guys catching rooster fish from the shore, Big ones, and it goes over the flies and stuff very cool dvd and i would go with at least a 10 wt for the rooster and nothing under 12 for off shore

[CR Gamefish]

The bay of Tamarindo holds alot of bait along the shoreline. Its usually best to try and wade in the surf and more close to where the boats are located (due to smaller surf). Best to try and get flys on top of where bait is busting the surface... the Pelicans will show you the way. And yes, there are big roosters around Tamarindo, and an occasional rooster is spotted in the surf. The locals will pick one off every once and awhile hand-lining with home-made white bone jigs, poppers, and small 4" sardines they net in the surf. They catch alot of Jack Crevelle, Blue Runners, Snapper, occasional big Snook, and Sierra mackerel off the beach wading.

As far as trying to get one on fly from a charter boat.. same thing. You have to try and find the birds working and bait being busted in closer to the beach. No bait and switch thing...only by casting & pulling your fly through the action and trying to get past the Jack Crevelle, Bonito, Mackerel & Needlefish.

I will be honest with you.. the best way to get the large 30-60lb. Roosters from Tamarindo is by live-baiting with a small Bonito, Bullet Tuna, or Blue Runner off the inshore reefs, from a boat. You can get whooped by a big one with live-bait! A 1/2 day trip inshore would serve you well.

Now, if you want Sailfish on Fly, we usually do the "tease-em-up" kind of thing: we reel the hookless teaser closer to the boat as the Sailfish follows it, you lay the fly out next to the fish, and then we rip the teaser away from em! Thats fun to watch...its a blast when you see the fish smash the fly, its right in your face off the transom. We also spot alot of Sails tailing on the surface sometimes and you can cast flys in front of them too. We usually have to do alot of trolling around to find the Sailfish... I would recommend going offshore if you wish to target any kind of Billfish on the fly.

Hope that helps my friend.

Capt Adam
CR Gamefish Sportfishing
Tamarindo, Costa Rica

[Shadowcast]

I can't wait to do it one day myself!!!