# Billfish Vacation Advice



## Bowbender45 (May 21, 2011)

Has anyone been or have advice on a great place to take a Offshore Fishing vacation, targeting billfish. i.e. Panama, Costa Rice etc. We live in Navarre, Florida and enjoy great fishing there, but want to try something different. My budget is around 8-10K. We are looking around the December-February time frame. Any advice or past expienences would be great!!

Thanks
Ron


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## photofishin (Jun 26, 2009)

Bowbender45 said:


> Has anyone been or have advice on a great place to take a Offshore Fishing vacation, targeting billfish. i.e. Panama, Costa Rice etc. We live in Navarre, Florida and enjoy great fishing there, but want to try something different. My budget is around 8-10K. We are looking around the December-February time frame. Any advice or past expienences would be great!!
> 
> Thanks
> Ron


Cabo San Lucas has always been awesome to me. Boat rates are cheap as compared to the US, striped marlin are plentiful and the nightlife and scenery in Cabo is fantastic.
Look up Redrum Charters or ElBudster. We've had good luck with both charters. They have english speaking captains and work hard to put you on fish.


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## AAR (Mar 15, 2011)

I would second the Cabo San Lucas. I would suggest you get hooked up with a Captain before making the trip out there. It is Mexico and they will gang up on you to try to sell you a fshing trip if you just wander up to the Marina.

We went there on our honeymoon and caught a Mako and a Marlin, then had to return to port because the Captain didn't have any ice and I kept the Mako. Pissed me off and cut out trip in half. Heck, they could have told me to get ice before going out! I guess I should have been happy they remembered the gas for the boat!

Anyway, just get a good Captain, the fish are there.


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## MSViking (Oct 11, 2007)

I did a lot of research and made reservations for Tropic Star Lodge in Panama for this upcoming Sept. It was more my "style" of fishing and more focus on blues and blacks, as where Cabo is more striped marlin. both are awesome places. Wait till late Sept and and I will give you a first hand report!

Robert


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## samoajoe (Dec 28, 2010)

Tropic Star is sweet from what I have seen with shots at blues and blacks, and a mix of large yellowfin too. But a week or so ago there were a dozen or so fish caught in Kona ALL over 500lbs. There is always a shot at a grander there. That's where I would go. I don't know of too many places where that happens, Madiera, Carins, Acension maybe. Good luck where ever you decide.


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## GAHUNTER (Jan 30, 2008)

Compared to Guatemala, well, actually, nothing compares to Guatemala! Minimum of 15 shots at billfish per day, with 30-40 not uncommon. 

I had freinds go there two years ago, and they still get starry-eyed when talking about it. They actually caught -- not had shots at, but caught -- 24 Pacific sailfish one day. By the third day, they were tired of catching fish on conventional tackle, so they tried fly fishing, landing seven!

The all-inclusive resorts are world class, and the captains the best in the world. Here's the link to where they went:


http://www.buenavistasportfishing.com/home29/billfish-capital-of-the-world

Click on the Fishing Reports to see what the boats have been catching.


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## Bowbender45 (May 21, 2011)

Thanks for all info. I'm in Afghanistan now and I'm getting excited thinking about it. Thanks for all the help. It sounds like I have a few options. I look forward to hearing about your September Tropic Star Trip!!

Thanks
Ron


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## GAHUNTER (Jan 30, 2008)

Where you at in the Stan? My son's a platoon leader in Kunar Province.


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## team_A_II (Mar 31, 2009)

MSYellowfin said:


> I did a lot of research and made reservations for Tropic Star Lodge in Panama for this upcoming Sept. It was more my "style" of fishing and more focus on blues and blacks, as where Cabo is more striped marlin. both are awesome places. Wait till late Sept and and I will give you a first hand report!
> 
> Robert


I will second the Tropic Star advice.... hard to beat. Especially in January... First class on everything, food is amazing, fishing is amazing, and the lodge is amazing. Worth the money to go out there


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## Bowbender45 (May 21, 2011)

East......way East


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## Bullshark (Mar 19, 2009)

I did Costa Rica and it was great even offseason. No marlin but a ton of sails, yellowfin and dorado. The thing about centeral America is you can barter so your 8 to 10k will go along way. We used to bring 1k on college spring break and split trips. We would go on 2 or 3. If I had to pick I would choose that or palm beach to the keys from November to December on a full moon for wahoo and sails. And 3rd your local guides up there seem to catch a crap ton of blue marlin. You can get some serious trips up there for 8k.


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## Fiver (Nov 6, 2008)

puerto vallarta


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## Island24 (May 12, 2008)

I caught my first Blue Marlin in Cabo San Lucas so I give a bump to it, but I do want to try Panama and Costa Rica too


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## xyzzy (Oct 26, 2008)

Kona!


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## WestGalBay (Jul 12, 2011)

Cabo X10 I've been 9 times and landed 10 blues and the last one was a 700 lb. Blackie out of a panga from the Gorda Banks . You can't beat the Cape for the $$


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## ScottH (Jul 18, 2011)

I have been lucky enough to fish most of the places that are being mentioned here. I'd go in late Jan or Feb and go to Central America Pacific. You need to book soon. Good boats and captains book up early as it is busy season.

Kona - Slower time of the year for blues. May be small stripes and such around. Year round fishery, but summer is best for blues.

Cabo - Hit or miss, with a lot of misses the last few years. Tough to get a reliable boat/captain that will make the run to get to numbers of stripes.

Guatemala - Go if you just want sheer numbers of billfish, understanding it will be 98% sailfish. It is a blast, but I personally prefer more variety than they typically get, though they do catch some marlin.

Cost Rica - One of my favorite spots. Going in Feb. Push to later part of your timeframe if go here (Feb). Highly recommend Guanamar/Playa Carillo over Los Suenos, Quepos, etc. That time of year it is one of the best spots in the world for variety of billfish (sails, stripes, blues, some blacks). I caught all four over 5-6 days fishing there in 2008. Not as swanky as Los Suenos, but my group strongly prefers it. Check out Steve Curtis on the Capullo. He is based north in Tamarindo, but goes down to Carillo during busy season and to avoid trade winds to the north that time of year.

Panama - Also a great spot, I just haven't hit it at the right time yet. Go here if you want the best shot of a sizeable black marlin in this part of the world along with numbers and large sized yellowfin. Tropic Star will almost certainly be booked up already. Try Lee and Panama Big Game Fishing Club. I fished them last year. More remote than the other places on the list, but great once you get there.


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## gator7_5 (Oct 4, 2007)

Bowbender45 said:


> Has anyone been or have advice on a great place to take a Offshore Fishing vacation, targeting billfish. i.e. Panama, Costa Rice etc. We live in Navarre, Florida and enjoy great fishing there, but want to try something different. My budget is around 8-10K. We are looking around the December-February time frame. Any advice or past expienences would be great!!
> 
> Thanks
> Ron


Cabo San Lucas in December around christmas time. Striped Marlin fishing is off the chain. Any decent boat will get you at least a half dozen hook ups a day. Also, great yellowtail fishing then inshore. The Roosterfish are far and few between though.


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## gator7_5 (Oct 4, 2007)

My report from Dec '07 with some great fleet names. http://www.pensacolafishingforum.com/f42/cabo-stripeys-5175/


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## MrFish (Aug 21, 2009)

I went in March to Cabo a few years back. It was just my wife and I in the boat and we were catching 5 stripes a day. We went out for stripes twice and once after roosterfish. Supposedly the big blues and blacks don't really move in there until October, at least that's what our captain told us. That's when most of the big tournaments are going on anyways.


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