No fishing foray to Costa Rica would be complete without an inshore venture in search of the coveted roosterfish, an exotic species similar to amberjack. The roosterfish’s most striking feature is the seven long feather-like dorsal spines that suggest the comb of an actual barnyard rooster. Since they make such poor table fare (like most fish in the jack family), angling for roosterfish becomes a catch-and-release proposition, but because this species fights with all the tenacity of a tuna, they are highly prized as gamefish.
So at 6:30 a.m. on the morning of our fourth day in Costa Rica, transplanted Coloradan Justin A. Krauss of Pez Rey Sport Fishing meets my wife Patti and me at our hotel. It’s a quick drive to the docks at Marina Pez Vela in Quepos where we’re greeted by our captain, Perfecto Leonardo Mairena Tucker, a lifetime Costa Rican resident who goes by the nickname of Pepsi. We board our 27 foot center console, the Pez Rey I, and shove off to probe the depths of the Pacific inshore.
Powered by a 140 horse 4-stroke Suzuki outboard, the Pez Rey makes short work of the trip to the nearby fishing grounds less than a mile from the marina. Our tackle this morning consists of lightweight Penn spinning gear mounted on Shakespeare Ugly Stik rods. It’s barely 7:00 a.m. when Pepsi baits the circle hooks with live moonfish, also called ‘look downs,’ that he keeps in good supply in the live bait well that overflows onto the deck. He suggests we remove our shoes since our feet will get very wet. Unlike offshore trolling, our angling approach today will be strictly hands-on. Patti and I grip our respective rods, bales open, awaiting the first bite of the day.
As we slow troll at a speed of 2 or 3 knots in about 85 feet of water, our good-natured, dreadlocked captain advises us that once we feel the roosterfish tug at the bait we should release the free-spooling line for a count of about eight before flipping the bale and setting the hook. At age 37, Pepsi knows his stuff. He has been fishing all his life, and, in fact, had spent 250 days of the past year on the water. ‘This is the best time of year to catch roosterfish here,’ he assures us.
Our baits have barely hit the brine when the first fish strikes and Patti hooks up with a hungry rooster. These fish average around 20 pounds in size with trophy fish pushing 50 pounds or more. Patti’s fish is a good one and puts up a brisk battle for at least 15 minutes before we see color. ‘Looks like he’s coming up to take a look,’ nods Pepsi. Sure enough, after another five minutes, Patti brings the fish to the rail where Pepsi grabs the leader, grips the fish, and hoists it into the boat. It’s a very respectable specimen and Pepsi judges it weighs about 50 pounds.
Pepsi is clearly a concerned conservationist when it comes to these fish, and we perform rapid CPR – Catch, Photograph, Release – on the rooster as I snap a few photos. We congratulate Patti on her angling prowess and Pepsi returns the rooster to the water. Next it’s my turn with another solid hook-up just moments later. Mine turns out to be a small to average roosterfish, about 20 pounds worth, but on lightweight tackle and 20-pound test line it puts up quite a battle before we finally horse him into the boat for his CPR treatment. Patti jokes that I should keep fishing until I top her fifty-pounder. It’s a challenge that’s answered just minutes later when the next fish hits my trolled bait and begins effortlessly peeling line from the reel.
It becomes immediately apparent that I’ve got a real bruiser on my hands as line continues to strip off the reel and Pepsi adjusts the drag. The battle is on, and every time I gain some ground, I lose it right back and then some. ‘How big do you think he is?’ I ask the captain.
‘Maybe around 49 and a half pounds,’ grins Pepsi, sensing a friendly spousal rivalry between Patti and me. But the lengthy struggle suggests that this fish might score at the heaviest end of the roosterfish spectrum. In poultry parlance he might well be the cock of the walk. Twenty minutes later I’m starting to wear down, but my finny opponent has plenty of fight left. I start to bring him to the boat at least half a dozen times only to have him bull his way back down to the bottom. I find myself breaking a major sweat under sun soaked, cloudless skies with the temperature pushing 90. Even the water here, Pepsi reports checking his electronics, is a sizzling 89 degrees.
It takes over half an hour, but when the hefty fish finally shows itself just below the surface, Pepsi’s response suggests it’s something special. ‘Wow!’ he whispers, all kidding aside, before the rooster summons its sapping strength and once again dives for the depths. ‘That’s a nice fish,’ Pepsi confesses, ‘a really nice fish.’ After some forty-five minutes of this tug-of-war, the stubborn roosterfish is finally played out, and he’s not the only one. Mr. Rooster surrenders and Pepsi hauls him into the boat, still marveling at his heft.
The captain takes great care to assure the fish’s survival, splashing water over the rooster’s face and gills. Given the animal’s size, weight and slippery quotient, it’s a challenge for Pepsi and me to lift him for Patti’s photo shoot. Pepsi asks her to take a few photos with his own camera as well, further confirmation that this is truly a trophy. We then slip the rooster back into the water where, after considerable care and effort, Pepsi eventually revives him and the fatigued fish swims off.
One more rooster will attack our baits that morning, but it’s a brief encounter as the fish immediately jumps at the end of Patti’s line and throws the hook. After that the bite turns off. We spend the next hour or so extolling the virtues of Ugly Stiks, observing a family of humpback whales, watching the amorous adventures of a pair of loggerhead turtles, and photographing the rich bird life that includes brown boobies, pelicans, and frigates. Meanwhile, schools of manta rays and skipjack swimming nearby intermittently break the surface.
Heading back to port after our 5 hour adventure, Pepsi estimates the weight of my last roosterfish at close to 100 pounds. Despite fishing for these critters almost every day of his life, he seems duly impressed with my catch. ‘I may have set a new unofficial world record for roosterfish on 20-pound test,’ I speculate. ‘Guess we’ll never know for sure.’ Pepsi merely shakes his dreadlocked head and laughs.
For more information on Pez Rey sport fishing, check their website at www.pezrey.com or email Justin Krauss at jak@pezrey.com
The Brandywine Trout and Conservation Club will host their 30th Annual B.T.C.C. Kids Fishing Clinic on Saturday, March 24, from 9:00 a.m. until noon at the Moose Lodge in Downingtown. Admission is free and includes hot dogs and drinks at the break. Park and enter at the west end of the building.
