Hello from beautiful Drake Bay, Costa Rica

AUTHOR: CAPITAN WILLY ATENCIO

When you come to our amazing country, you have many diverse locations and activities to choose from. If your primary objective is to experience nature and wildlife, the Southern Pacific coast is the place to be. More specifically, Drake Bay has world-class sport fishing, snorkeling, scuba diving, and hiking in an unspoiled pristine setting.

In the village of Drake Bay, you don’t even need a car. Everything you will need, including restaurants, supermarkets, hiking trails, and the beach only steps away. Drake offers accommodations from basic to luxury.

My favorite activity is, of course, sport fishing. We are blessed to have incredible fishing grounds right in our backyard. We offer both inshore and offshore trips on our two boats, the Reel Escape and the Reel Time. Because we are so close to Cano Island, we don’t have to go far to catch fish. The vast reef system surrounding the island holds lots of Snapper, Grouper, Amberjack, Dorado, Wahoo, Roosterfish, Pompano, and Tuna.

A little further offshore in the deeper, blue water is where the really big ones live. We fish for Blue and Black Marlin, Sailfish, big Yellow-fin Tuna, and big Mahi. Not too many years ago, one angler from the US caught and released a 550 lb. Black Marlin after an epic 4 hour battle on the Reel Escape. Whether you want to fish inshore or offshore or even a combination trip, make sure to bring your cooler. My mates and I will expertly filet your fish and put them on ice. Clients often take home a month’s worth of fish in a single day.

Probably one of the most fabulous sport fish anywhere is the magnificent Roosterfish. Roosters are a bucket list fish primarily for the beauty and incredible hard fight. The only place in the world these fish are found is from the Baja to Peru. Over many years, I have perfected the best methods to catch the big ones. Just outside Drake Bay are some of the world’s best spots for “catch and release”.

For “sport” fish such as Sailfish, Marlin, and Roosters, we practice catch and release. I have been releasing fish well before this practice became popular. Releasing fish has many benefits, including making sure we have a healthy fish population in Costa Rica. Tourists from all over the world will continue to travel here and stimulate the economy. Most importantly, our kids and grandkids will have the opportunity to enjoy these waters as much as we do.

At the time of writing this article, we are open for business with absolute hygiene and social distancing requirements. Please note that we will take your temperature before you board the boat to keep everyone safe. We are offering a 15% discount for trips booked directly for 2020!

Until Next Time…Tight Lines!