People fish their entire lives and never have a day of fishing like we had on Sunday. We traveled about 40 miles out to get to a drift that Capt. Jesus wanted to bring us to. When got to the area where the drift was supposed to be, we spotted a floating log... and that started the day.

No more than thirty seconds after we dropped billy baits the poles were bent and we were reeling in yellowfin after yellowfin. And then Dorado after Dorado. And some huge Rainbow Runners. And then... a 600lb Black Marlin to end the day! A true trip of a lifetime!

Here's how the day went... 

After about an hour or so of reeling in more Tuna and small Dorado than Big Mama's family could eat in a week, we began to spot some bigger Bull Dolphin, or Dorado Grande, coming up. But by now we had come into a rare situation that Costa Rican fisherman do not see every day. We had rousted up a HUGE school of sharks. These black tipped beauties were on a feeding frenzy and were tearing up our tuna and eating everything before we could get it back to the boat. We were bringing back nothing but the heads of 15+ pound tuna! I sure wish Neko was there to say ewww, and Daina to say wow!

As always on a busy fishing day, we had to pull a serious improvisational act on the water. We had to get creative and outsmart the Black Tips to get the Big Dolfin. Memo chummed the sharks up on the starboard side of the Precedent, and pitched a bait to the Bull that was hanging out on the port side and BAM! Hook up on a nice Dorado. 

The day continued with two or three more large Dorado. (and some medium ones)  One more... the biggest... broke off at the boat. :-d  Oh well, we still have plenty to eat and plenty to take pictures of.

While we were still reeling in Yellowfin and Dorado, or at least what was left of them, we heard the call that any deepwater angler might wait a lifetime to hear...

MARLIN! MARLIN! MARLIN!

And with a quick reel in of a 10lb Yellofin, pitching him back out on the heavy equipment, we heard the zing... the same zing that we would hear for four hours!

 A legal catch was made after 3 hours and 15 minutes, but that wasn't good enough for angler Buddy Nappy, my dad. He wanted the fish in  the boat. So he fought for about another half an hour, getting the Dinosaur to the boat three more times, and having a whiskey while reeling each time.

On the fourth time to the boat, the fish snapped the line at the leader, a product of slowly tightening the drag as the fish got tired and the day got later. 

With a legal catch on a fish of a lifetime, it was time to head home, time for Dad to sleep and time for the day of a lifetime to finally end.

I will never forget this day of fishing for as long as I live. The only thing that did not make it perfect was that I could not share it with Daina and Neko. They had to stay in the States... but not for long!