From the Crocodile Bay Lodge, Puerto Jiménez
by Todd Staley, Fishing Director
January 18, 2002
The sails are finally starting to settle in after playing hide-and-seek for the last week. One day a boat raised 25 sails, the next day 1 or 2. Finally, boats are all getting 6 to 10 shots a day and fly-rodders have been scoring good numbers. Rusty Chinnis from Long Boat Key Florida landed 3 one morning on the fly, and Ted Herrick brought his group back from Colorado and then hand-lined a couple in after breaking their rods. A few tuna are still roaming the area as well as small blue marlin. Dorado have been scarce but a few taken tipped the scales at 50 lbs.
Dr. Dave Barry and his wife Gracia took 8 nice roosters on the inside. Gracia's 50 plus pounder was the top fish. A few bonitas and blue-fin trevally have been fooled by inshore fly guys, and some small snook have been hanging at the river mouths. Snapper have been winning the battle with some big ones hitting the rocks at Matapalo, but Lennie Fitzpatrick managed a nice one for a honeymoon dinner.
January 29, 2002
Fins to the right, fins to the left, and you're the only bait in town.
Bait and switch has been the ticket lately with sails. Bring em' up with teasers and toss em' something to eat. Whether it be a ballyhoo, mullet, blue runner or fly, they're eatin'.
Sykes Wilford fished by himself and boated 14 sails in one day. Steve Newsome brought his group of fly rodders down again this year and they are all pulling in fish, hooking as many as six a day on flies. Some smaller size marlin have been crashing the teasers but are slow to take a bait. One around 400 lbs made it to the boat for release.
On the inside the roosterfish have been bending rods. The fish are averaging around 20 lbs but one over fifty was taken this week. Inshore fly guys have been doing well around schools of sardines and with bonito in the gulf. Jeff Heitzberg's group hooked up 5 times in seven casts and added a 20 lb snook to the day's fishing. Other snook of similar size are coming from the river mouths.
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