Billfish Bonanza (Part uno)
Greetings from Costa Rica!
We arrived in San Jose Sunday evening and hit the first snag of the trip as Costa Rica Customs wanted to know what we were doing with two 50lb boxes of T-shirts and duffel bags full of tackle and fishing swag! It was "Gringo Grande" to the rescue as Robbo Endsley persuaded the customs official that we were not any type of sportfishing terrorists. In his best pidgeon spanish, Robbo assured the concerned customs official that this mass of gear were all "Give-away's Senor,…Free…gratis…for our amigos…"
Once we arrived at Los Suenos Resort we settled in for a quick five-hour snooze and it was up and at 'em for our first day on the ocean. Here, Endsley and Tobeck get the latest fishing lowdown from "The Sunny One's" expert deckhand Christian.
My wife Kathy is all smiles as she lands her first (and second) billfish ever! In the first hour of our trip we hooked two sails, landed one and had a marlin in the spread!
Robbo didn't have to wait very long as we enjoyed very steady action on our first day. Here he is giving me photography advice while I'm telling him how to play that sailfish!
Ever the competitor, Tobeck's sail shows off it's vertical…"I made him do that" says Robbie….yeah….right…
The action continues hot and heavy as Robbo jumps in on my turn by doubling up on two dandy sailfish! You've got to keep an eye on Endsley… he's sneaky like that…
Tobeck's next sail has him working up a sweat….that and the fact that it's 90 degrees on the ocean….
It's a proud moment in any father's life to watch his son take on a billfish. Here, Matt is on a hot sailfish which spend more time in the air than it did in the water and yes, we do have footage of Robbo launching Matt off the dock, a rite of passage for every first time successful billfisherman!
Robbie's wife Sonya Tobeck, is a real trooper and she whupped this sail's tail in a matter of minutes!
We've only been in Costa Rica for three days and already it's the most memorable family vacation I've ever experienced. The Billfish Bonanza begins tomorrow and I'm positive there will be much, much more to tell. Now, if you'll excuse me, all of this typing in the heat has made me thirsty. Un cerveza muy frio…por favor!!!