Welcome to the new sportfishing column that will appear weekly in The Costa Rica Star.

Costa Rica is one of the world’s top sportfishing destinations, drawing anglers year round in search of its world record Marlin, Sailfish, Yellowfin Tuna, Roosterfish, Snapper, Tarpon and Snook. There are usually great stories to be told on both the Pacific and Caribbean coasts.

Contributors Mark Sydney and Richard Krug at Americana Sportfishing in San José, who have more than 30 years experience between them booking fishing trips and writing about sportfishing in Costa Rica, will keep you posted on what’s going on in Costa Rica’s incredible sportfishing world; what’s biting and where; who some of the top captains and their comments and catches; and where best you can enjoy exciting saltwater adventures.

On the Pacific side, especially in the popular Central Pacific fishing destinations of Los Sueños Marina just north of Jacó, and the Pez Vela Marina in Quepos, many of the boats are now being overhauled in anticipation of the upcoming world-class billfish season, which gets underway in earnest beginning of December.

Captain Alex Holden is owner/captain of the 32ft Miss-Behav’in, a mid-size boat with an enviable record of sportfishing achievements at Los Sueños over the past half dozen years. Alex is hard at work getting his boat ready. For the more nautically-minded, here is his latest update: ‘Successfully gave my Furuno an upgrade and changed it from Navionics to C-Map charts. Got full charts upstairs. Now just waiting on my array to show up. Stoked!’

Mundane as it may appear, minute attention to all things mechanical and nautical can often be the difference between a humdrum and an incredibly successful sportfishing season. Alex is poised for another great year. First test on the Miss-Behav’in comes on October 18, with an offshore charter booked by Brennen Warren.

Even though compared to the rest of the year, fewer boats go out in October, it doesn’t mean that the fishing is slow. The Tarpon season is in full swing on the Caribbean coast. Captain Eddie Brown, considered Costa Rica’s top Tarpon fisherman/guide, just released four Tarpon on a half-day charter on his 22ft Bull Shark. And Captain James Smith on the 42ft Dragin Fly out of Los Sueños told us: ‘Awesome Marlin fishing… seems like the Blues are back with some nice Yellowfin Tuna.’

Look for more good stuff here next week. Tight lines.