THERE is plentyof action on thePacific coast and thesnook are in solid onthe northern Caribbean,with idealweather in both locations.Forrest Zielkereports from the newSanctuary Resort andSpa, located betweenTamarindo andNosara, that there is still a lot of greenwater inshore, but the Reed Buhler familygot outside while fishing aboard the WhiteMagic last week, raising 10 sailfish, withthe two young daughters each releasingtwo and mom and dad one apiece.Two days later, Forrest reports, NancyEstep and her two boys had four sailfishup, with two to the boat for release.The family just purchased a condo atthe Sanctuary, newest fishing destinationon the Pacific, with hotel, condos, houserentals, pool, spa, and Scuba operation.THE White Magic scored again lastFriday, with skipper Danny Arnold at thehelm and his brother visiting from theU.S. aboard, with four sails up and 10tuna all in the 40 pound range.Roy Ventura reports from ZancudoLodge, down in the southeast corner of thecountry that dorado fishing has been good,with six to 12 a day, along with a couple ofsails, the latter showing earlier than lastyear. Late last week, one of of his boatsfishing inshore scored three wahoo alongwith a couple of roosters to 45 pounds,some snapper and an amberjack.Roy and his wife Dunia just reopenedZancudo Lodge after a three-month,4,000-mile cruise on their 43-foot boatthat took them to Ecuador, the GalapagosIslands, then through the Panama Canal tothe San Blas Islands, Cartagena, Uruba,Curacao, the islands off Venezuela,Trinidad, Tobahos and more. They leftthe boat in dry dock, and plan to fly backin April and cruise up the Amazon Riverto the Lord only knows where.FISHING legend Dr. CraigWhitehead is currently in residence at thelodge, aiming to add to the 35 certifiedIGFA records he already holds, most ofthem established at Roy´s lodge, where hehas been fishing most every year for thepast 16 yearsNo reports this week from anyone elseon the Pacific coast.As of last weekend, Dan Wise reportsfrom the Rio Colorado Lodge on theCaribbean that weather was ideal, withblue skies and plenty of calba, the smallsnook that migrate into the river systemthis time of year.Mississippi anglers Billy Penel,Donald Siedel and Hal Lameroux fished3 days and caught a few calba, mojara andrainbow bass in the the clear waters ofback lagoon.Billy, fishing with guide SpeedyTtucker, opted to fish for tarpon on Nov.24, jumping six with two to the boat forrelease, Dan said.Don and Hal concentrated on surffishing for big Atlantic snook one of theirdays and hit pay dirt beaching eight 12-to 22-pounders, all caught surf casting atthe mouth of Agua Dulce. They hookedbut lost three more in the surf and,according to guide Wendy Hodson, onewas a monster.They also caught a bunch of calba, thesmall snook, trolling blue and chromeRat-L-Traps in the Tortuguero canal.Dan said the park department hasopened its new headquarters at the mouthof the Colorado River for better observationof illegal netting and have alreadymade several arrests.The calba bite should continue excellentthrough Christmas and New Year’s.For more information on fishing orassistance in planning a trip to CostaRica, contact Jerry at jruhlow@costaricaoutdoors.com or visit www.costaricaoutdoors.com and click PLANNING ATRIP on the home page, fill in the briefform that pops up and click SEND. Willbe back immediately with a suggesteditinerary and total cost; no obligation.Can also call me toll-free from theU.S. and Canada at our Costa Rica office,1-800 308-3394. Skippers, lodge operatorsand individual anglers are invitedcontact Jerry with fishing reports bySunday of each week Call or fax: 282-6743 if calling from Costa Rica, orthrough the e-mail address above.
