Andres and his first mate Arixa are top notch, from the moment they set up a panga boat for you to get to their boat, to the moment you get dropped back off on the beach.
No charter can 100% guarantee fish and Andres is very forward with you about expectations based on what you are looking for. But it IS up to YOU as the customer to make your intentions clear. He isn’t going to lead you astray and sell you on lies. I cannot stress how important that is in a charter, as I’ve been on over 10 charters in recent years.
I booked the 10 hour trip by myself to really try and hit my big three of tuna, mahi and any species of billfish in one day. They found me success and we managed to get a big eye tuna and a nice sized mahi to the boat. I messed up twice, once by holding the spool and breaking off a (likely) tuna, and not getting a proper hook set on our first bite and the fish spit the hook. Didn’t know what kind of fish that was. Had fresh sashimi on the boat, which is something I’ve always wanted.
We had another tuna run at the lure, but didn’t take it. Saw a marlin run next to out boat, about 100 yards out too as we were trolling on the way back in, but you can’t just magically make them come to your rigs, life happens. So close to my big 3!
They kept me full on food and plenty hydrated with a good assortment of beverages, which was greatly appreciated as the temperatures were high.
They will do whatever you want within reason. If you just want to sit there and be handed a rod, you can do that. If you want to work some rods, they’ll let you do that too!
They were polite, entertaining and show what good hospitality is.
Arixa is by far THE best first mate I’ve seen on a charter. She could run circles around some of the people I’ve met. Certified badass of a person and first mate. She could teach a class on how to work the rigs and hook fish.
If you are looking for a hotel on the water, this isn’t your boat. But the best part about it? We were running with all the massive sport fishing vessels, catching fish all the same….at a fraction of the cost. If you care more about fishing than saying you got on a big fancy boat, stop thinking about it and book this charter. One thing to note, if your party is over 3 people, it may get tight on the boat, so your party needs to be on point with how you are walking around the boat so to not get in the way of the captain and first mate as they work hard to get you on fish.
Additionally, tip your captain, first mate and panga drivers, especially if they treat you well! After all, this is a service industry and if the service is good, show them your appreciation.
Andres and Arixa, I can’t wait till I come back to Costa Rica and we make that trip out to the Sea Monts.
Andres and his first mate Arixa are top notch, from the moment they set up a panga boat for you to get to their boat, to the...
