crocodile bay lodge

[Lou]

Going to crocodile bay costa rica mid Dec. Would appreciate any input and recommendations.Flies,Lines,Rods THanks

[squimp]

Lou,

I fished there in late Jan two years ago and a mate went last year in late November. It is a very nice lodge.

There should be some sailfish around by the time you get there. I would use at least a 13 wt rod, suitable weight line (density not really an issue), 50 or 65lb gsp backing and a simple leader with a 50 - 60lb butt, 20 - 25lb class tippet and an 80 or 100lb shock tippet. Flies there seem to major on pink/white and usually tandem 6/0 poppers.

You can land them on a 12 wt - but a bigger rod shortens the fight and means the fish gets returned in better condition. Furthermore some weigh 130lb plus. You may well raise a marlin and a 12 wt isn't much use in that instance....

You may come across yellowfin tuna. If they are small enough (!) you can try for them on a big fly rod (at least a 14 weight). My friend hooked some that emptied his reel last November. He is going back this year with a 16 wt.

Two years ago we fished inshore for roosters, but could not get them to take a fly. I enjoyed the challenge - but the Croc bay skippers like to catch fish and so we ended up catching them on bait. We did catch jacks/barracuda using the same fly (bait and switch) tactics. Some of the roosters are huge.....

Be careful of the weight restrictions on the internal flights. On one trip a 25lb limit was imposed that included hand luggage. On another trip nobody bothered......

Hope this helps.

Tim Marks

[Lou]

Tim Thanks for the info.What lines and rods do you recommend for inshore fishing? Lou

[squimp]

Lou,

If you fish close inshore where the roosters may be, the real issue is delivering the fly with speed and accuracy.

Some of the roosters are massive - I had a 75lb fish on bait. So even a 12 wt will not be too heavy. Also the flies are fairly substantial - so a minimum of 11 wt would be my advice. I can't give you much advice on flies as we didn't hook any roosters! The suggested patterns were deceiver/baitfish type flies on 5/0 and 6/0 hooks. A yellow stripe on the pattern is supposed to help?

We caught jacks up to around 15lb - you could land them on a 10wt - but if a big rooster comes along, you would get smashed to hell!

There are also some schools of small mackerel type fish inside the Gulf. they are catchable on small (6 or 8) white flies fished on bonefish gear.

Hope this helps.

Tim Marks

[SpexnReds]

I agree, an 11wt would be the best option. But, if you plan on doing some inshore fishing in shallow areas where a fish can not run to cover and sit on a deep bottom, than a 9 wt can be alot of fun battling roosters up to 30 lbs. Even though alot of the fishing will involve heavy rods (10 wt and over), dont forget to bring at least one lighter ( an 8 or a 9 weight should be fine) for those opportunistic catches of smaller fish when those monsters aren't biting.