Jake Jordan report July 26-30

“Costa Rica Blue Marlin Fly Fishing School” Report 

July 26-30, 2019

July 26, 2019:

Danny Cline arrived at my condo at 2:00 pm today to begin his second Costa Rica Blue Marlin fly fishing School, of this season. We had a late lunch at the Parrot Restaurant then after a swim in my pool went to bed early.

July 27, 2019:

We rested up, rigged our fly tackle then had lunch at the Hook-up restaurant. I have been working on my computer, trying to get the corrupted files out of my OneDrive account, unsuccessfully. At 4:00 pm we arrived at the marina where Captain James Smith with Mates Berto and Bernie had the awesome vessel “Dragin Fly” provisioned, full of fuel and ready to head out on our adventure. We pulled teasers until dark but raised no fish. At 7:00 pm Bernie served us fried chicken and then we went to bed at 8:00 pm.

July 28, 2019:

We woke at 5:30 and smelled the coffee brewing, still 13 miles to the FAD which we are going to fish. Cleaned up, put on sunscreen, got dressed came out to dead calm seas, blue skies, sunshine, 5 knot wind, and 84-degree water temperature. Sausage, eggs, and pancakes were served as our breakfast, then at 7:00 am we raised our first Blue Marlin of the day, it did not bite. Our next fish came in at 7:28 but would not tease, then at 7:40 Danny got his first bite. It was a big fast Blue Marlin that pulled off 400 yards than jumped 3 times before breaking the 20-pound test class tippet. At 7:54 we raised another Blue Marlin which did not even look at Danny’s fly. Next fish came in hot at 8:15 before it got to the fly it ate the big teaser and jumped over the fly and was gone. At 8:24 a 175-pound Blue ate Danny’s fly and put on quite a show, Danny Caught and released that fish at 9:02 am.

Our next Blue Marlin was at 9:15 we raised a double, the 350-pound fish ate my fly, ran 30 feet and dropped the fly, I wound it in and made another cast this time a red hot 150-pound Blue ate my fly. After 45 minutes Berto grabbed the leader and we released our second Blue Marlin of the day. At 10:15 I got out my Axiom LLC rod and Atoll fly Reel and Danny Caught 6, 3 to 5-pound yellowfin tuna for lunch. At 10:38 Danny hooked a great, red hot, Blue marlin, I counted 47 jumps before we got the leader, then while Berto was trying to release that marlin it jumped 9 more times before we got the hook and fly back and released the marlin. At 10:50 am we raised a marlin that tried but missed the fly. At 11:05 Danny pulled the hook on a big marlin, and then at 11:50 we raised a Blue Marlin that did not tease in for a bite. At 12:40 we raised a double, they swam around the fly, which I recasted 5 times, they would not eat a fly? At 12:50 we raised a marlin that did not tease then at 12:55 I hooked a hot 200-pound Blue. I fought that fish for 12 minutes and I was 6 inches away from catching that marlin, when it went straight down 12 feet, turned toward me and shook it’s head and we all saw the fly and hook come out of that marlins mouth and he was gone. This is truly a game of inches. At 1:14 and 1:21 we raised 2 separate marlin that would not tease in for a bite. At 2:05 we raised another fish that did not bite. We raised another marlin at 2:40, no bite. We changed to a Blue and white fly and then we raised fish at 3:00, 3:15, and 3:35. This is crazy, these marlin are swimming around the flies but will not bite??? Back to pink & white fly, and drink some rum, we will see? 4:01 marlin raised however there was no tease. 5:31 raised a marlin with no bite. At 6:00 pm we have raised 26, got 7 bites and only caught 3 Blue Marlin on fly. At 6:15 pm as it got dark, we quit fishing and the crew deployed the sea anchor. Bernie prepared tenderloin steak with mashed potatoes with a little ice creams for dessert. At 7:30 the squid showed up by the hundreds, Berto and James caught a five-gallon bucket full in about 15 minutes, fresh calamari for lunch tomorrow. At 8:00 pm we were exhausted and ready to sleep.

July 29, 2019:

We awoke this morning at 5:00 am. Breakfast was sausage, cheese, eggs, bacon, coffee, and bacon. We raised a sailfish at 6:00 am but it did not bite, then we raised a Blue Marlin, it tried to eat the fly but got it stuck on the bill, ran 50 feet and the fly fell off. At 6:25 I cast to a big Blue that ate my fly and put on a spectacular jumping show, at 6:54 we released that 300+ pound Monster, (This is my biggest Marlin of the season, well over the world record). At 7:05 Danny hooked a hot fish that jumped in a big circle around the boat then reversed direction, jumped, and broke the 20-pound class tippet.  At 7:12 am Danny hooked a hot 250-pound Blue Marlin, he almost got it 6 different times but that big fish would not give up. Finally, at 8:01 am an exhausted Danny Cline caught & released that exhausted 250-pound Blue Marlin. Our next fish teased in at 8:30 am, looked at the fly but would not bite. At 8:46 I hooked a 200+ pound Blue Marlin, this fish stayed on top and jumped over 50 times, never went deep, at 9:14 am Berto got the fly back and we had released our third Blue Marlin of the morning. 9:28 am Danny hooked a 150-pound Blue Marlin, it fought hard and deep but at 9:59 am Danny wound it into the Rod tip and Berto got the fly back and released our fourth Blue of the day. 10:19 raised a Blue That did not tease. At 12 noon as Bernie served an exquisite lunch of fresh calamari sauté in butter, garlic, salt and pepper, along with rice & beans, with a fresh lettuce and tomato salad, I noticed the sun was gone and it became overcast. The air temperature dropped from the low 90s to about 82 degrees, the water temperature remains at 84 degrees, however there is no wind and calm seas. At 3:45 pm there is a 10-knot wind with a one to two-foot chop on the water, we have not seen a fish in 5 1/2 hours, still marking fish and bait on the fish finder, they stopped eating. Finally, at 4:36 we raised a Blue Marlin, it didn’t tease in. So, at 6:00 pm it got dark and the crew deployed the sea anchor, our score today was: Raised 11, got 6 bites, and caught 4 Blue Marlin on fly. Dinner tonight was grilled chicken breast, with mixed veggies, very good, went to bed at 8:00 pm. For first two days we raised 37, got 13 bites, and caught 7 Blues.

July 30, 2019:

Danny Cline and I awoke at 4:45 am when Captain James started the engines and the crew pulled the sea anchor. By 5:30 we had the teasers out and we were fishing. The wind came up overnight and we are now fishing in 2 to 4-foot seas with a short chop. At 7:15 we have not raised a fish.

Then at 7:27 am we raised a 200+ pound Blue Marlin which ate my pink & white “JJ large tube marlin popper fly” and it took off running and jumping. At

8:01 am this exhausted fly angler wound the leader into the tip-top of my TFFO BW-HD fly rod, then Berto grabbed the leader, removed the hook and fly, then let that marlin go. At 8:19 we raised a marlin that tried to eat Danny’s fly, it was hooked on the bill and after 30 feet the hook fell off. At 8:25 and 8:30 we raised marlin that would not bite than at 9:34 Danny hooked a hot Blue Marlin, and at 9:59 Danny released that 140-pound marlin. At 10:02, and 10:14 we raised marlin that did not bite then at 10:35 we raised a marlin that did not tease, it is raining and overcast, there are storms to the west of us. We had fresh sweet pineapple and watermelon as an early snack, then at 11:00 Bernie served special tuna carpaccio, it was awesome! At 12:00 noon we pulled in the teasers and Captain James shoved the throttles down and headed to another FAD 46 miles away. Bernie served us fresh calamari for lunch while we were traveling, then at 2:00 pm we arrived at a FAD where it was calm and sunny. The teasers were deployed at 2:05 pm and never raised a fish, at 4:15 pm we began trolling and raised a Striped Marlin that did not eat, we continued the 98 miles toward home.  Then at 6:15 we quit fishing, ate a great dinner, had fun discussing this wonderful adventure and went to bed at 8:00 pm Our total score today was as follows: we raised 8 Blue Marlin, 1 Striped Marlin, we got 3 bites, of which we caught and released 2 hot Blue Marlin.

Our total score for this my seventh “Costa Rica Blue Marlin fly fishing School” of this season was: we raised 45 Blue Marlin, 1 Striped Marlin, we got 16 of the Blues to bite our flies, we caught and released 9 Blue Marlin on this trip. Remember we only fly fish, using IGFA rules of fly fishing, all fish are caught using 20-pound test breaking strength IGFA class tippets (leaders)!

We arrived back at my condo in Los Suenos early in the morning, relaxed, had great meals and drank some 25-year-old Flor de Cana Rum, then packed for our trip to the US early on August first. Danny is heading home to West Virginia while I will be attending a meeting at TFO rods in Dallas on August 2 & 3, instead of fly fishing for marlin!! I will be back home in Los Suenos on August 4 for my next “Costa Rica Blue Marlin Fly Fishing School” beginning on August 5.

I love My Job, wish you were here to experience the best fly fishing for Blue Marlin “EVER”. Stay tuned for more reports to follow shortly. I still have a couple of dates available during August and September, give me a call if you can make it.

#draginflycostarica #tforods #makoreels #cortlandlines #fishseigler #jake_jordan_fishing

Regards:

Jake Jordan’s Fishing Adventures

PO Box 309,

Havelock, NC 28532

305-872-6060

Sailfishjake@gmail.com

www.jakejordan.com

 

July sea mount trip

The flight into San Jose, Costa Rica was uneventful, and Jake’s driver was waiting for us outside the airport exit. He drove us down the mountains to a beautiful enclave perched on the Pacific Coast. Los Suenos is a planned community, surrounded by lush palm groves with residential, retail and fine dining centered around a beautiful resort with large marina and a Jack Nicklaus designed golf course. We gave our names to security and entered a gated community. Jake was waiting to greet us. Tile floors, ten foot ceilings and handsome furnishings create living accommodations that are comfortable to say the least. Jake showed Elizabeth and I to our rooms and invited us to change into our bathing suits and relax by his infinity pool. Overlooking the Marriot Hotel complex with a view of the Pacific Ocean, we decompressed in the pool from a day of travel. That evening Jake took us to dinner at a local seafood restaurant: octopus sautéed in garlic, fresh tuna and deep fried snapper. Saturday was a beautiful day. Jake gave us a personal tour of the entire resort and then showed us a local town named Jaco and the famous surfing beach at Playa Hormosa. Jake capped off the day by taking us to The Bamboo Asian Restaurant in the Los Suenos Marina Complex. The fresh seafood was again spectacular. Sunday morning we rose to delicious Cost Rican coffee with real cream and discussed our afternoon departure on Dragin Fly. Jake explained everything we needed to know about casting flies to Marlin and fighting these magnificent fish to a successful release. At 4:45 Jake drove us to the marina. Berto, Danny and Bernie, mates on the Dragin Fly, introduced themselves and took our bags. We stepped onto the 42’ Maverick and were greeted by James, one of the premier billfish fly fishing captains in the world. A large man with a calm demeaner and a warm smile, James instills confidence. James showed us around our home for the next three days and made sure we knew how to work the facilities and where we would be sleeping. Our bunks were spacious and comfortable. We stowed our bags and went up to the saloon to get comfortable. James cranked up the powerful engines, Jake wished us good luck and the mates casted off the lines. At 5 pm, the Dragin Fly headed out into the Pacific Ocean. The sky looked threatening. Dark clouds were overhead and outside the cove we encountered a light chop. Inside the saloon, Bernie served us a beverage and prepared a light supper of chicken quesadillas. Bedtime followed soon after dark. Elizabeth and I each had a large berth to stretch out on. The air-conditioning was turned to 68 and we had clean sheets and warm blankets. James was on the bridge, guiding the Dragin Fly out to the FADs. We would awake at dawn, 90 miles off the coast of Costa Rica and start fishing. Mother nature had other plans. We could hear rain drops hitting the skylight above our head. Random flashes of lightening became rapid and then thunder started booming. Five of us were laying down in our bunks around the boat, assuming everyone else was sleep. We all laughed about the storm the next day. We could feel the boat gliding across the waves, occasionally hitting a big wave that made the boat shudder. The lightening became so intense that the skylights were flashing like disco balls. The rain, pelting the boat and the thunder booming above us continued for about three hours. James was on the bridge all night, skillfully driving the boat through the storm. During the last few hours of darkness, the storm died out and we managed to get some sleep. As soon as dawn broke, we were awakened by the powering down of the engines and the preparations of the mates for a day of fishing. Coffee was brewing in the galley as the teasers were being deployed off the stern. The coffee tasted great as did our breakfast. Little did we expect that today would be an epic day of fly fishing for Blue Marlin aboard the Dragin Fly. The fishing actually started off slow. Our first fish raised was about 90 minutes after dawn. Then the fish came in faster and more aggressive. Every time we finished fighting a fish and deployed the teasers again, we had another Marlin in the spread. Sometimes it was two or three Marlin. They attacked the teasers; they attacked our flies. Several just raced through the spread of teasers, then under the boat not to be seen again. Did I mention that the fish were hot? The mates are expert at teasing the fish up to the transom. That day, the Marlin were not shy about taking the fly. Blue Marlin characteristically raise up, with the tops of their heads slightly out of the water to pounce on the fly. These big beautiful fish are graceful and fast. With the pink and white fly in their mouths, they become unpredictable. Lightening fast, they jet ski away from the boat, pulling line off the Mako 9700 fly reels so fast that any misplaced fingers will feel the sting of the handle. Then in an instant, they turn and jump clear out of the water, or dive, only to surface in a series of jumps on the other side of the boat. Sometimes they peel off 500 yards of line in what seems like seconds, headed toward the horizon. Angler error usually results in a broken tippet. Back and forth from the port side aft to the starboard side aft and then back again. James keeps the boat positioned properly with respect to the Marlin. The adrenalin and excitement of being connected to these amazing fish, by a thin fly line, is what we do this for. Graceful, powerful and dangerous, these 200-pound, silver and blue rockets are built for speed. Occasionally a Blue Marlin decides to come across the top of the water aiming right at the boat. People who know better take cover when one of these missiles takes aim at the cock pit. We had non-stop action under dark skies until the raindrops started to fall. We put on our rain gear and continued to fish. The Marlin didn’t seem to mind the weather, so neither did we. Like children playing in the rain, we laughed and screamed through an hour of an absolute downpour. When the rain subsided, we took off our rain gear and continued like the storm never happened. As the light waned and the fragrance of dinner drifted out of the cabin, we took stock of the day. Thirty-one Blue Marlin raised, elven released. My daughter, Elizabeth, who had asked for this trip to celebrate her recent graduation from the business school of the University of Pittsburgh, had released her first Blue Marlin on fly. She also released her fifth. We settled into the saloon and ate one of Bernie’s fine meals: pasta with a creamy shrimp sauce. The mates put out the sea anchor and we were all asleep before long. Our second day was more of the same, although at a slower pace and without the weather. Six releases equally divided between Elizabeth and me. For a rookie, she had picked up the sport of Marlin on fly rather quickly. God given talent for sure, but also a healthy dose of Jake’s coaching stayed with her throughout the trip. By the third day, the Blue Marlin seemed to be worn out. Lethargic and sloppy, they refused the fly or made halfhearted attempts to eat. Only one good bite at the end of the day. We enjoyed another great dinner as the Dragin Fly headed back to Los Suenos. We would get some much needed sleep. A following current cut our running time down by three hours. At 3:30 am the Dragin Fly reached it’s slip and there was Jake, all smiles, to bring us back to his condo. We said goodbye to Captain James, clearly a man at the top of his profession. Danny was smiling and congratulating us on our success. Berto took time out from his chores to shake hands and give hugs. Bernie rushed up from down below to thank us. Elizabeth and I both knew that we were in the company of incredibly capable and talented people who perform at the top of their profession. They are a team; Jake’s team and an excellent team at that. We thank them for giving us a once in a lifetime experience…at least until next summer!

Back at Jake’s condo we caught a few more hours of sleep and enjoyed a leisurely breakfast prepared by Jake. We recounted all the details we could remember, even though Jake seemed to know everything that happened. As I write my thoughts on Jake’s computer, Elizabeth and Jake are sound asleep. 1 am is a peaceful time and a good time to reflect. This has been a terrific adventure and good father – daughter bonding experience. Elizabeth and I will cherish these memories forever. Jake is my friend. He has been good to both my daughters and they appreciate him. Thank you; Jake. I owe it all to you. Your friend, Austin

 

Archives

 

Home • About Us • Rates • Fishing Reports • Client Comments • Merchandise • Check Availability • Contact Us • Catch Statistics • Photo Gallery