Costa Rican vacation an adventure worth every peso
RIO PARISMINA, Costa Rica - The Caribbean Sea is actually part of the Atlantic Ocean, and every time I'm in a small boat, gliding over the 2-3 foot swells, I feel as if I'm taking a trip back in time, when explorers came to this region looking for treasure and new lands to conquer.
And when I looked to the west at the nearby mountains, where breathtaking views unfold, I kept staring at the steam emanating from the crater of the volcano a few miles away on the western horizon.
Our 21-foot boat slowly drifted on a calm, glass-like ocean surface, a mere hundred yards offshore of the thick jungle.
For me, it felt like I never left this Central American angling paradise. And then my reality changed gears when my reel screamed the signal to start the wrestling match. A silver-colored tarpon jumped out of the water and immediately stripped off 50 yards of 25-pound mono line.
This is tarpon country, where stateside anglers learned long ago that one could catch dozens of these denizens of the deep (or shallow) for fewer dollars than one would have lay out for a trip to the Canadian bush for monster pike or walleye.
But that's not a fair comparison.
Rio Parismina Lodge is located on Costa Rica's East coast, where giant tarpon headline the menu.
A number of years ago, lodge owner Judy Heidt concocted a formula that gave fishermen everything necessary to help make their dreams come true. And that included excellent meals, immaculate rooms, great fishing boats, super guides and an environment including both big-water and river angling that never grew stale.
I come here every year because from the very first moments on my initial trip I became instantly addicted to light tackle tarpon grappling. I don't mean using a grappling hook, but rather the inch-by-inch, toe-to-toe battling that goes on with every fish hooked and then released.
Bob Thomas brought his 31-year old son Michael because Bob wanted Mike to experience this kind of fishing.
"I never imagined anything like this, and that it would be this great," Michael told me after one day of catching a couple brutes. "These were the biggest fish I ever saw and caught," he added.
Grayslake angler Gene Simpson had a huge smile on his face every evening when we sat around swapping stories about the big ones we all caught.
"This was unreal fishing," he said, "and you didn't exaggerate one bit when you suggested I come."
A biologist who worked the eastern coast of Costa Rica once told me there are tens of thousands of giant tarpon that are residents, in that they aren't part of the minions of migrating fish that make the long journey over thousands of miles. That's why a fisherman can come down here at just about any time and know the catching will be phenomenal.
Palatine angler Ken Kortas knows how to play the game down here. He's been with me on a number of trips both here and into the Canadian bush.
"There is nothing that compares to this light tackle, big-fish outing," he said one evening.
We got out on the water at 6:30 a.m., just after breakfast, and came back in around 11:30 to freshen up before lunch. After that it was a siesta, or dip-in-the-pool time, and then back out for the afternoon battles.
Even though I've always had a great hunger to find and catch jumbo pike and muskies, this kind of search and catch angling rates right at the top of my list of places to go.
Expect reductions in outdoors televisionIf you are of one those couch potatoes that lives and breathes every single word on ESPN and ESPN2 regarding outdoor television programming, better get your fill now. It's been reported that ESPN is pulling the plug on all outdoor shows by the end of this year.The natural speculation is that ESPN can get more commercial revenue from other watchable activities like poker, NASCAR and the like. BassFan reports that ESPN wants more live, event-based programming (which don't include fishing). It's reported that soccer will be one of the sports to get more emphasis.Fishing reportWith the hot weather, one can almost see little boys dragging their fishing poles to the ponds and lakes ...Lake Michigan: The perching is gangbusters right now. From Waukegan to Chicago's far south end, anglers are cashing in on jumbo perch. The salmon action consists of a mixed bag of coho and some kings off Waukegan and Winthrop Harbor. Some of the fish are at 100-foot depths, while others, including a few steelhead, can be located down around 50 feet.Fox Chain: Walleye action has slowed, but the big bite comes from great bluegill activity on the north end of Channel Lake. A few muskies have been chasing surface baits on Channel Lake. Crappie and white bass seem to be the ticket in the late afternoon on Petite Lake.bull; Mike Jackson can be reached via e-mail at angler88@att.net, and you can catch his radio program 6-7 a.m. Sundays on WSBC 1240-AM. <p class="factboxheadblack">If you go</p><p class="News"><b>Where:</b> Rio Parismina Lodge, Costa Rica</p><p class="News"><b>Time of year:</b> Any month except December.</p><p class="News"><b>Cost:</b> Four-day trip for $2,400 excluding air fare from Chicago.</p>