Billfishing in Nicaragua
Location; San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua.
Event; Billfishing Tour
Date; May 21, 2019, to May 29th, 2019
Jeremy Howarth
After years of planning, we finally made it to the Pacific side of Nicaragua. We were there for some Offshore deep-sea fishing (specifically targeting Billfish - Marlin, and Sailfish to be exact).
This area of Nicaragua is a hidden gem. It’s underfished and has many migratory fish passing through its waters.
We aimed to arrive just after the beginning of the rainy season- which usually starts around May 15th. The heavy rains cause the rivers to run. With the new food source from the rivers, baitfish come closer to shore to feed. The larger fish follow the smaller fish in, and that’s where the action begins.
Our boat left the dock at 7:30 am. This was our first 10-hour day offshore.
Like myself, my friends, Jamie, Keith, and Mike were filled with anticipation for a full day of hunting down big game fish. We were a collection of experienced fishermen from across Canada (… well Winnipeg and Ottawa).
Captain Dorion and First mate Jose, both very excited for the day, had live bait for us - just in case we needed it.
After no luck with some live baiting, we started to troll. At around 10:30 am, there was a bang on one rod, and the action began.
Within seconds the line was peeling off the reel and was in danger of being spooled. We got our first glimpse of what turned out to be a 300lb Black Marlin. It was over 9 ft long!
The Marlin was Jumping out of the water and trying everything it could to get off the hook.
We battled the Marlin for the next 1 hr and 50 mins. All of us rotating on the rod and reel every 20 minutes.
The boat had to make dynamic maneuvers to keep up with the fish when it ran.
Thankfully the younger guys, Jamie and Mike, were up to the battle (I knew there was a reason we invited the young guys along).
Almost two hours later, the fish was at the side of the boat, and next thing you know, we’re cradling the fish for a picture. (The pictures were made even better with our Level Six team hats and shirts.)
After a long day of fishing, we headed back to port. During the 15 mile trek back to port, we were adopted by a pod of dolphins who follow and played around the boat.
A return trip is being planned for May 2020, 2nd Annual...
