Los Suenos Signature Series, Leg 2

© Jonathan Yonkers/www.PhotographyinCostaRica.com

When the opportunity to represent The Billfish Foundation at the second leg of the 2011 Los Sueños Signature Series came up, I was very excited.  Los Sueños, Costa Rica has a reputation for being a beautiful, first class operation, equipped with a world class marina filled with boats and captains that get it done.  This reputation in many ways does not do it justice.  Simply stated, whether it’s golf, fishing, fine dining, or just getting away from the grind, Los Sueños has it covered.

© Jonathan Yonkers/www.photographyincostarica.comThe run out: full of promise and anticipation.

A couple of days before my departure, as I was preparing some Central American policy work and getting supplies together for the trip, I got a call from Mrs. Marita Schultz, who along with her husband Buddy and a couple of partners, owns the Gotcha.  From the mountains of tag cards that TBF receives from the Gotcha, I knew these guys are skilled when it comes to getting on the billfish.  Marita asked if I could send her some blue release cards for the fish that they release without a tag.  I asked her if the Gotcha would be fishing the tournament, because, if so, I could do her one better.  The next day, I got a call from Marita with an invitation to ride along for a day with Gotcha in the tournament.  Now I was really excited.

© Elliott StarkGolf course view from the back porch of the condo.With a TBF banner and bags full of information on The TBF Experience trip giveaways, I headed down to Miami International for the flight to San Jose, Costa Rica.  Upon landing and navigating through customs, I met Mr. Mark Lloyd owner and designer of Vanmark Jewelry with whom I would be sharing a shuttle to Los Sueños.  Zig zagging over mountainous terrain for an hour and half, Mark and I got the chance to talk fishing, travel, and life in general.  Upon pulling into Los Sueños, Mark, who was staying in a condo at the invitation of Lewis Marine’s Steve and Jodie Lewis, invited me to crash in the condo as well.  I thanked him quite a bit, as this was quite an improvement from my plan to stay in Jaco.

The next day would bring the captain’s meeting and the beginning of festivities.  I had the chance to meet Tournament Director Ashley Bretecher and Tina Weller who works in marketing for the marina, these two and the rest of the Los Sueños staff put on a first class event.  With a TBF set up of magazines and UV shirts, the captain’s meeting brought the chance to catch up with friends and TBF members old and new.  

At an August meeting of the TBF-OSPESCA Central American Expanded Tagging Program meeting at Los Sueños, I had the chance to meet Jimmy Kitchell, the captain of the Gotcha and a member of The Billfish Foundation.  Seeing Jimmy again, I confirmed where the boat was docked and the time I should arrive.  I also got the chance to present Artist Rick Bogert with a $500 TBF membership for his donation from art sales at the PCCA Aruba Cup in November.  Rick, in addition to being pretty handy with the paint brush, is a good fisherman and all around cool guy.  TBF is proud to have him as a member.© Jonathan Yonkers/www.photographyincostarica.comCaptain Jimmy Kitchell with his lucky hat. A cool guy and a hell of a fisherman.

A 4:55 wakeup call comes early, but with the proposition to get offshore, morning grogginess didn’t stand a chance.  Arriving at the boat I had the chance to meet Jimmy and mates Jose Picado and Gio Gonzalez.  The Gotcha—a 65’ Robin Smith—is a hell of a ride, but its occupants are the real story.  Jose is a skilled practitioner of all things mate, endowed the power to transform ordinary dead ballyhoo into perfect-swimming, sailfish catching machines.  Gio is no slouch in the cockpit himself, but turns into Emeril Lagasse when he gets into the galley.  Before much longer I met Buddy Schultz, Cliff Mountain, Jason Nolan, and Dale Wills who would be manning the rods.  

© Jonathan Yonkers/www.photographyincostarica.comTeam Gotcha: Cliff, Dale, Jason, and Buddy.Buddy is a Chairman’s Club member of TBF who has fished all over the world.  In addition to fishing out of Los Sueños for most of the year, the Gotcha makes an annual trip to Panama in the Winter time.  He fished for years in Venezuela and both enjoys marlin fishing and has caught lots and lots of them.  Cliff, like Buddy, is a Texas guy, a hell of an angler, and longtime member of TBF.  He is a partner in the Gotcha and equally capable on the dropback and with the fishing story.  Jason Nolan runs Texas Sportfishing Yacht Sales out of League City with his father.  Before this venture, Jason travelled extensively as an angler and mate, including fishing the Billfish Xtreme Release League.  Dale Wills is the editor of In the Bite Magazine and a well travelled angler and captain as well.  © Jonathan Yonkers/www.photographyincostarica.comMy perch from the tower-- sailfish reconnaissance.

Catch fish these guys did, but that wasn’t the half of it. We hadn’t left the dock on the first morning before the jokes and good times had begun.  Buddy told me the rules of the boat, “1. Be Safe. 2. Have fun. 3. Catch fish.”  Sounded like a plan to me.  Buddy informed me that they were serious fishermen, but not altogether too serious.  If my plan had been to be uptight and have no fun all week, I would have been out of luck aboard this boat.  Luckily for me, I had no such plans.  These guys were a trip, a hell of a bunch of fishermen, and I was appreciative to be a part. With a cooler full of baits ready and an angler on each rod, I ascended to the tower intent to burn my eyes out watching the spread and give forewarning of the rise of anything with a bill.  

© Elliott StarkBuddy Schultz cranking on a striped marlin... Gotcha!The Gotcha was running a swimming ballyhoo out of the long rigger, a marlin plug out the short rigger, a squid chain with a ballyhoo on an islander for bridge teasers, and a swimming ballyhoo on the flat lines.  On the port side, they ran a dredge full of plastic shad with a horse ballyhoo hanging out the back end.   With its wide beam and the riggers popped out, the Gotcha’s spread looked like a well organized search party on the hunt for marlin and sails.  The morning brought with it fast paced action and consistent bites.  With lines in at 8, by 9:30 we had caught 4 sails and a big stripe.  The marlin came into the spread leaving little doubt about its identity.  It flew in and out of the baits, whacking a couple ballyhoo before finding itself stuck on© Elliott StarkNice striped marlin. Gotcha! Buddy’s skirted plug run out of the left short.  From the tower, its dark back separated the electric blue pec fins that looked like neon bicycle handle bars navigating through the clear, blue water.  Awesome.

© Elliott StarkFor the hapless bait, this scene was like an Alfred Hitchcock film.The afternoon of day one brought with it a scene for which Costa Rica is famous.  Thousands of birds—boobies and tuna birds—had declared war on the ocean’s surface and were doing everything in their power to destroy it.  Their aerial attacks were in conjunction with hundreds of porpoise who were having themselves a time eating© Elliott StarkJason Nolan and the Gotcha are escorted to the second of a double header sails by 40 porpoises riding the the transom wave. bait and carrying on.  Even if this scene had not been accompanied by lots of sailfish around the fringes of the melee, it would have been awesome.  At the close of day one, the tally was 17 sails and one marlin.  That was good for 2200 points and second place. Upon pulling back into the marina, the guys raised a Texas flag about 8 feet long on the starboard rigger.  I liked fishing with these guys before, but now this was personal.  Refusing to drink the customary rum and coke under these circumstances would have been un-American.  Buddy invited me to back the remainder of the tournament.  Awesome.

© Elliott StarkAn acrobatic sailfish, jumping on the leader.Day two brought with it more of the same for the Gotcha.  The view from the tower was a steady rise of sailfish all day.  Buddy, Cliff, Jason, and Dale released 23 sails, for 2300 points.  Jimmy and Buddy had joked with me quite a bit the day before, giving instructions on how to avoid interrogation aimed at revealing where we were catching the fish.  I told them that I was ready with the good old, “I’m just a scientist, I don’t even like fishing,” or the tried and true “I was so hung over all day that I just slept in the salon.  I didn’t know they had caught anything.”  Neither of these was in the least bit true, but it is always good to be prepared.  

Los Sueños is a pretty big time stop on the Central American fishing© Elliott StarkThe After You after sails. scene.  This is true most any time, but the talent assembled for the tournament was indeed top notch.  The Gotcha was docked right next to Gray Ingram’s Big Oh.  With the roll that Gray and Captain Ronnie Fields have been on for the past three or four years—including multiple TBF awards and quite a few tournament titles—they could raise a blue marlin fishing in Nebraska.   Sam Peters, owner of Release Marine, maker of beautiful fighting chairs was fishing the tournament. Brooks Smith and his 68’ Bayliss the Uno Mas were fishing the tournament as well. There was Ted Smith’s Southern Pride and Greg Angel and Captain B.C. Angel aboard the Sea Angel were fishing also.  Walking the docks at Los Sueños Marina can be quite a bit like walking into the pages of Marlin Magazine or In the Bite.  

© Debra ToddCaptain Terry Robinson accepting Don Tyson's TBF Rybovich Lifetime Achievement Award in October, 2010.On the docks after day two of fishing, I had the sincere honor of personally delivering seven issues of Billfish Magazine to Captain Terry Robinson of the Tyson’s Pride.  I wished that there could have been brighter circumstances surrounding this visit than to thank him for all that they have done for TBF and to deliver the magazines that contain the memorial for Don Tyson.  Don was a TBF board member for years and in terms of impact on conservation and sportfishing, not many have done more.

Day three brought with it a stiff wind out of the north that made the ride out a bit bumpier than the normally calm sea state Los Sueños usually enjoys.  On the boat this day was Tournament Photographer Jonathan Yonkers (www.PhotographyinCostaRica.com).  As with most good camera men, he had a knack for getting into the right place for the picture while staying out the way of the crew and captain.  The wind made the ride in the tower a bit sporty as well and in order to yell loud enough to be heard in the cockpit, we really had to holler.  Going into the final day of fishing the Gotcha was in a close second place.  The Big Oh was right behind in third and was fishing in proximity to us for most of the day.  Jimmy stuck by his guns and the guys manned the rods, fishing the same waters that had produced for days one and two.  Day three brought 15 sails for the Gotcha and the culmination of a hell of a tournament.  

© Jonathan Yonkers/www.photographyincostarica.comGotcha-- emissary of Texas and good fishing. There is no celebration like the ride in.Just before we started to steam back to the docks, Jimmy and Buddy heard over the radio that we may have finished with a place on stage.  From initial indications, it sounded like the Gotcha had taken second place.  This made the celebration on the way back to the docks even more spirited.  The Texas flag came out a bit earlier and Jose taught to rig the ballyhoo that had seen be accosted by so many sailfish.  When we arrived at the dock, upon completing the Gotcha’s good time traditions, Captain Ronnie Fields came into the salon to congratulate Jimmy and Buddy.  It was not until this point, that we were informed that the Gotcha was the 2011 Los Sueños Signature Series Grand Champion.  This was great.  

The guys invited me to eat with them at the awards ceremony, at which they were awarded checks, trophies, and enough rods and reels to outfit a fleet.  It was the least I could do to give Buddy, Cliff, Jimmy, Jose, and Gio a TBF 25th Anniversary UV shirt.   It was trip that I won’t soon forget. 

Congratulations to the Gotcha.  

© Los Suenos MarinaTeam Gotcha receiving the hardware.