Costa Rica fishing's been great, and it will only get better!

Now that the July 1 and July 4 festivities are over, it's time to
start thinking again about fishing in Costa Rica.

It's never too early to book. Even now, several of the top boats out
of Los Sueños marina and Quepos in the Central Pacific coast are
either totally unavailable or have very few open days for the great
sail bite that occurs between December and March. So if sails are your
target, call Americana Sportfishing (www.americanasportfishing.com) now
at one of our toll frees - 1-866-888-6425, 1-800-634-0012,
1-866-978-5198 - or e-mail me, and we'll get you on a boat with one
of Costa Rica's top captains.

Do it now, and fish with the best! Leave it too late and you either: a)
won't get the days you want on the boat you want; b) will have to
work your trip around open days; or c) will have to fish with a
second-choice captain.

If you, your buddies and/or families like to target big yellowfin tuna
and dorado, and have some time to spare - don't tell your boss
you're sick or God will find a way to get you (see below) - and a
couple of bucks to spend between now and the end of November, call me.
Many of Costa Rica's top boats, such as the 42-foot Spanish Fly out
of Los Sueños, are available before the sail season begins. The
fishing is great; the airfares from North America are (relatively) low
and most hotels offer lower green season prices. Call me and we'll
work up a great trip. And during these months don't forget about
marlin and tuna in the North Pacific, and the first sails and fabulous
inshore fishing in the south (Golfito and Puerto Jiménez).

It's also a great time to fish the Caribbean. The weather is usually
good and the seas are calm, so the tarpon should be out there. In
November/December, the snook are running, especially the really tasty
fat snook, smaller than its better-known cousin, called calba here.

But back to God, as promised: The priest was an avid angler, but hadn't
fished in months. One perfect Sunday morning he couldn't resist. He
called up the Bishop and claimed he had laryngitis and couldn't
preach. The priest then headed out to his favorite fishing spot. The
hook hadn't been in the water five minutes before he got a strike, and
landed the biggest fish he had ever caught. A half hour later he caught
the biggest fish he had ever seen. Forty-five minutes after that he
caught a fish that would have set a world record.

All this time Saint Peter and God had been watching the priest from
heaven. Saint Peter turned to God and said, "How can you reward this
priest? He lied to his bishop. He let down his congregation." God
smiled at Saint Peter: "I am punishing him." Saint Peter was
confused, so God continued, "Well, who can he tell his fish story
to?"

James Erich, who fished a full day with Capt. G-Joe on the 26-foot
Karahe out of Quepos, wrote us a detailed description of his charter:
"The weather was perfect, and the water a little choppy. We hopped on
board at about 7:30 AM and started heading about 23 miles off the
coast. We knew it was between seasons. Once out there the first mate
dropped in the first rigged ballyhoo. Before the second line was even
in the water, we had our first bite. Although the ballyhoo was bitten
in half and no fish was on the hook, it was a good sign.

"The first fish we boated was a nice yellowfin tuna. After that we
boated four smaller dorado. Hoping for a sail, we headed to a spot
G-Joe knew about. After a few hours' trolling we knew that a sail was
just not to be. So we headed back where we were before.

"As there seemed to be no action, my friend and I decided to crack
open some beer. Then it happened: first he hooked up; then, not a
minute later, I hooked up. We almost had a third hook-up but the fish
got off before the mate was able to get to the rod. After a good fight,
I pulled in another nice tuna. We thought we had encountered a school
of yellowfin but to our surprise, when my friend finally got his fish
to the boat, it turned out to be a large wahoo.

"Captain G-Joe told us it was time to turn back. The beers were
starting to run thin and a storm loomed in the distance. Just as we
were already starting to celebrate a great trip and the mate had just
begun to pull in the lines, something jumped on and my buddy boated the
last good sized dorado. Perfect ending to a perfect trip."

Tony Atchison also took a moment off to write us: "We had a great
trip with the Spanish Fly. The captain (Daniel Espinoza) and crew could
not have been any better. They were the most entertaining crew I have
ever been around. We missed three sailfish and caught five tuna on Day
1, and caught four sails on Day 2 without losing any. Three of the guys
caught their first billfish, and the crew really made it exciting with
great photos. Thanks for your recommendation. We will come back!"

Mark Lund and his friend flew up to Tortuguero on the Caribbean side
for a day of fishing with Captain Eddie Brown on the 22-foot Bull
Shark. "We had a great time fishing for tarpon and jack fish",
writes Mark. "Tortuga Lodge was beautiful and the food was excellent.
I can't wait to go back someday."

And a word from repeat customer David Via, who's fishing with us
again in August: "When we went on the last trip (with Captain Bill
Kieldsen on the 35-foot Sailfish out of Los Sueños), we had a slam
with a 450lb plus black marlin (caught by me), a 300lb plus blue marlin
caught by Jim Humphrey and a 50lb tuna caught by Bill Gregory. We also
each caught a big sail on that day. The seas were dead calm and the
captain and mate were unreal."

Join the long list of satisfied anglers who for the past dozen years
have booked their Costa Rica fishing trips through Americana
Sportfishing (www.americanasportfishing.com). Call me now at one of our
toll free numbers - 1-800-634-0012, 1-866-978-5198 - or e-mail me
with an idea of what you want, and we'll put together a great fishing
trip for you with Costa Rica's top captains.