April so far has been a pretty fair month for fishing in Costa Rica, and we've had some great success stories to go along with my own fishing adventure 'with the boys'. More about that later...

Jim Tyson took a few days between business in San José and in Panama City to fly to Golfito in the South Pacific to fish first on the 28-foot Sweet Dream, and then on the 38-foot Cazador with Captain Bobby McGuinness. Jim has caught local species around the world, but had never caught a rooster before. Let him tell the story through his (edited) e-mails: "Caught 18 rooster fish yesterday (on the Sweet Dream)... Body hurts... need a really good massage tonight in Golfito".

Then after a day's well-earned rest, Jim went offshore on the Cazador with Bobby, and another e-mail. "Had an absolutely great day fishing yesterday", he wrote. "It's tough when you lose count of how many sailfish you caught. Eight or nine is close enough. Almost had one with a fly rod… will learn how next time!

"I will be in touch to schedule (another) trip with Bobby when our schedules will permit. Also, look forward to having friends or family come down and 'GO CATCHING'. Absolutely great captains, friendly and very knowledgeable mates and unbelievable fishing. I really expect to return in the near future. Thanks for all of your help."

Earlier, Kurt Hoffman fished on the 33-foot Unique out of Quepos in the Central Pacific with another of our world-class captains, Bill Gannon. Kurt obviously enjoyed the trip; catching fish always helps. "Thanks for hooking us up with Captain Bill Gannon and Dempsey his mate”, he wrote. "We landed six sailfish and fought and saw many others. Bill is a great guy and expert fisherman and we highly recommend him. Thanks for a great time".

Bobby and Bill are just two of the many world-class captains whom you can fish with on either the Pacific (north, central or south) or Caribbean coast when you book with Americana Sportfishing. Call me at one of our toll-frees – 1-800-634-0012, 1-800-399-8532 and 1-866-978-5198 – or e-mail me to discuss and then book an upcoming fishing charter or complete Costa Rica fishing vacation.

Now, my trip. I just took a couple of days off to fish with my San Diego high-school buddies Dean (Dino) Burriston and Kip Ives, plus Dan Corcoran, a retired Miami firefighter (see photo at right - from left to right: Dino, Kip, me, Dan). The four of us fished a day on the Tranquilo II with Captain Francisco Barrantes, and a day with Bill on the Unique, both boats out of Quepos. Although the tally wasn’t exactly what we had hoped for (three sails brought to the Tranquilo, two to the Unique), we fought a bunch more and had lots of fun. I have to admit that yours truly got skunked: I didn't bring one fish to the boat, even though I had my chances, but Dino did (see photo above) and so did the other two guys. What we can be proud of is our firewater tally – Guinness Book of Records quantities.

For anyone looking for a solid investment that will never decline in value, my 29 splendid ocean and mountain view lots at Lomas Coronado in a gorgeous area of the South Pacific coast between Dominical and Palmar Norte are a pretty good choice. I’ve sold six of my lots so far. There's only so much ocean view property on this earth, and it's getting more and more expensive all the time. When you're fishing here next time and have a free day, let's schedule a trip down to Lomas for a look. Don't miss this opportunity.

If you fancy a laid-back tropical beachfront lifestyle, my good friend Leo Plumley, who many of my clients met when he was manager of the popular Hotel Copacabana, and some well-heeled partners are building the Tres Regalos upscale beachfront condos at the end of Jacó Beach. The 28 luxury units are in meticulously-built low-rise buildings just steps from the beach with glorious views of the Pacific. Call me for more info about Tres Regalos, and I’ll send you up the latest pix. Fifteen units have been sold. If you want to take a look, we'll introduce you to Leo.

There's lots of great fishing to be had in Costa Rica year-round. The tarpon season is coming up on the Caribbean side, and the tuna season (along with the ever-present billfish) on the Pacific. Inshore fishing is good everywhere. We have the captains who know how to catch them. Take time off from the rat race and spend some enjoyable days fishing in Costa Rica. Call or e-mail me to book a Costa Rica fishing adventure like Jim and Kurt enjoyed. I’m waiting!