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Report for Naples, Marco Island and the Ten Thousand Islands
Capt. Matt Hoover
October 2, 2001
Marco Island - Saltwater Fishing Report
Home Again
It is good to back in the States. My wife and I and extended family went to Costa Rica for some tarpon fishing. We left with mixed emotions just after the attack on America and traveling was sketchy to say the least. Consequently, we were in Costa Rica for an extended stay. It is not a bad place to be stuck in but I must tell you that we have a son in Special Forces and with the state of affairs being the way they are, we are very apprehensive. It is hard to have a good time when so much is at stake. God bless America.
If you want to catch tarpon every which way but loose, go to the Rio Colorado Lodge on the Rio Colorado River in Costa Rica. Take along plenty of heavy jigs. We made our own that we call “fligs”. They are a cross between flies and jigs. Flyrods and flies are necessary as well. You will have to use a shooting head of at least 500 grains. Orvis makes the best one on the market. This line is called the depth charge series and has a built in running line. The tarpon there love black and red or chartreuse colored lures and flies. The fish will be in a broad range of water depth. Much of it depends on weather. We caught fish in fifteen to one hundred feet of water.
When we arrived, the weather was calm and the fish were along the beach. My wife went to war with a one hundred-pound fish on the fly that was a potential world record. She fought it on sixteen-pound tippet unit a mackerel did her in by clipping her off. Most seasoned anglers and guides alike have had this frustration before. It happened on world record fish twice while we were there. I personally lost a seventy dollar fly line to a mackerel as well.
While we were there, two major tropical systems went through and dumped inches of rain on us. That put a damper on fishing between fronts. We went from multiple hookups to just a few each day. When the weather recovered, it was mayhem. In short, Costa Rica has warm people, great food and fantastic fishing.
We returned home to a frog strangling front. Everyone that I talked to stayed home to wait it out. I understand that there was plenty of bait and the redfish were the highlight and that snook were on the prowl too. Folks were catching medium to larger sized tarpon too. I ventured out with a flyfishing client after the front broke and found that fresh water was pouring out of the backcountry. We had our best success in front of the islands as the tide changed to an incoming.
This upcoming week should see an improvement as the weather looks like it is going to stabilize. The temperatures are a little cooler and the bait is everywhere. All the ingredients are coming together for that fall magic. This is the time of year when any method will work. I get many grand slams on my boat this time of year. Fish will be in the mood to feed as they get ready for the first cold fronts of winter. I might add that traveling on our way home went fairly smooth. Security was heightened but not intolerable. I feel that it is safe to fly. For our freinds and anglers up north, come on down. We depend on your commerce as the rest of the nation does. God Bless. Let’s get back on the water. I’ll see you out there.
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