It was 4.25pm. We usually finish fishing around 3pm to set off on the 90 minute run to Marina Pez Vela in good time before sunset.
It had been a slow day, with just 3 Sailfish raised. We hooked & lost 1 Sail on a ballyhoo that we had put in a long rigger position to give Susie a chance at catching something whilst hubby Ty focused all efforts at catching a Marlin on the Fly, something which has eluded him so far despite his global Fly Fishing travels.
We had raised 2 other Sails on the short teaser which we teased almost to Fly casting range before they turned away at the last moment. It was a Full Moon & typical finicky billfish behavior as a result.
So it was 4.25pm & Capt Manuel Gabuardi gave me a whistle with a defeated shrug of his shoulders and the signal that we had better head home so we could reach the marina before dark. We reeled in the teasers, Ty reeled in his Fly Line and put his Fly rod in the rod holders up in the tower & decided to have a quick comfort break before the run home. I was reeling in the last teaser of the day when to our astonishment a Marlin bill appears behind it! I screamed to Ty to grab his fly rod & get the lie stripped back out and ready to cast as I continued teasing the now hot fish towards the boat in a heart stopping 30 seconds it took to tease the fish into range. As I pulled the teaser from
the water & Capt. Manuel rolled GOOD DAY into neutral, Ty positioned his Fly perfectly & the Marlin came right to it, enhaling the Fly before turning and giving Ty the opportunity for the hook up…..Fish on!! After a slow old day, to hear the drag of the Tibor Reels Pacífic scream to life & the 12 weight R.L. Winston Rod Company bend right to the cork as a stunning Blue Marlin went airborne was truly a sight to behold.
After a 35 minute fight filled with incredible aerial tail walking displays, some heart stopping moments and truly putting the Fly tackle to the test, Ty’s Blue Marlin was boatside. We tagged the fish for Gray FishTag Research, estimated it at 150lbs and released it strongly after a few photos.
Huge congratulations to Ty for his first ever Marlin on the Fly, surely one of the highlights of his Angling career. In his past couple of trips to Costa Rica, Ty has now caught both Marlin & Milkfish on the Fly, two of the most difficult fish to catch on a Fly in the Ocean. He will be back in April chasing a Roosterfish on Fly, we can’t wait for the next challenge!