GOLFITO SAILFISH RANCHO - The Tackle and Gear List
The following is a list of gear that we recommend. There isn't a whole lot you'll need!! Your biggest concern should be protecting yourself from the sun especially while fishing. Good polarized sunglasses are easier on the eyes and may help you spot fish, Bring as much easy to dry stuff as possible. 2-3 changes of clothes with regular washing will do the trick. The flights to and from the coasts can be fairly strict on weight if the plane is full. The limit is supposed to be 25 pounds so bring light stuff. I have trouble bringing less than 25 pounds of fly rods and reels! So the word is pack light!
- Sunscreens SPF 15, 30, 45, Zinc Oxide Sunblock for lips and nose
- Hat with brim and neck guard (or sunhat for non anglers)
- Long sleeve shirt and pants for fishing, white socks ( tops of feet get burned in the boats)
- Sunglasses (polarized of course)
- Bathing suit
- T-shirts
- Shorts
- Underwear
- Sandals
- Boat shoes (optional)
- Hiking/Jungle trek boots
- Rain jacket (This is the rain forest!)
- Bug repellent (always needed on jungle tours, sometimes at dinner)
- Camera & film
- Reading & writing materials
- Some cash to tip guides (Costa Rican Colones or American dollars)
- fishing tackle and equipment
- extra eyeglasses
- Passport
- rod repair kit with tip top and ferrule cement
We have a excellent supply of high quality conventional tackle, but you are welcome to bring your own. We don't provide fly tackle since it is much more fragile, so you definitively need to bring your own fly gear.
Fly Tackle:
8-12 weight for rooster fish, trevally, jacks
excellent disc drag large arbor reel, 300 yards of 30 pound backing
floating tarpon line ( stiffer tropical type line to turn over heavy flys)
type 6 fast sinking line, or sinking shooting heads, The heavier the better. overline the rod with a 200- 400 grain shooting head. Rio makes a great changeable tip line called the Leviathan Versa-tip which comes with an assortment of nice fast sinking tips.
9 foot leaders 12-16 pound class tippet with 40-60 pound shock tippet (for tarpon,snook)
12 -14 weight for billfish
excellent disc drag, large arbor reel, 400 yards of 30 pound backing
type 6 fast sinking line, or sinking shooting heads, The heavier the better. overline the rod with a 300- 700 grain shooting head. Rio makes a great changeable tip line called the Leviathan Versa-tip which comes with an assortment of nice fast sinking tips.
9 foot leaders 16-20 pound class tippet with 100-125 pound shock tippet
Misc:
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Extra fly lines
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wire cutters and crimps,
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extra tippet and shock material
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reel lubricant
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line cleaner
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backup rod
The Fly Box
You need to be well supplied because there are no fly shops.
Billfish Flys: 5/0 to 8/0 tandem hook offshore flys or offshore tube flies rigged with tandem hooks. They should have very little mylar ( warning: your captain will trim it) The best color is pink with a white belly. Any other colors are welcome but be sure to put some pink in every pattern and it must have a white belly. Count on needing an average of 2-3 per day per person.
Inshore flys: 1/0 to 4/0 streamers and poppers in various colors most with a white belly. Deceivers, clousers and Sea Habits are the top three patterns. Count on needing 5 a day per person.
Equipment and Gear Buying Guide
Rods:
Always buy 4 or 5 piece rods - they are so much easier to pack and the technology in making ferrules means you cant' feel the joints anymore. Whether it is the latest and greatest evolution of graphite or technology that is 5- 10 years old, modern rods are a pleasure to cast.
REELS:
I use large arbor reels for saltwater and fresh water. The retrieval rate is awesome and it helps the drag maintain a consistent pressure while a fish is running. ( The diameter doesn't change much as you lose line as it does on a standard arbor) There are some wonderful reels out there but the Mach Large Arbor is a great value, it is light, it is pretty, it is smooth and it doesn't cost a fortune!
FLY LINES:
Fly lines should be specific to the conditions - Broad categories include: Warm Water or Cold Water?, SaltWater or Fresh water? Lines can be full floating, full sinking, or partial sinking (sink tip). The tapers can vary infinite ways to help you throw different kinds of flies in different situations, or one taper may help you mend line easier than another. Almost every manufacture of high quality lines will offer a line for the specific species and purpose you are looking for.
LEADERS:
I prefer to use flouro carbon leaders for most of my fly fishing needs (salt or freshwater) as they have more abrasion resistance than standard monofilament.
I also always use flouro carbon tippets for fresh and saltwater applications for it's invisible nature. Most of our destinations have pretty stupid fish but it still makes sense to use the most invisible tippet.
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If you need flies for one of our trips we can provide you with a selection specific for the time of year and destination you are traveling to. This is a courtesy to our clients and we do not sell flies to anglers who have not booked a trip through us! ( We are not snobs we just are not set up to provide tons of flies!) The selections usually come in $100, $150, $200 selections.
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