By Mark Evans
The rains are here and that means machaca are feeding like mad! Guide Michah Baly of 506Outdoors.com and clients have been boating over 20 fish per trip recently in the San Carlos region so the bite is back in full swing for this freshwater beast!
With the rains come more food being washed off the banks and small creeks that feed the main rivers, and when this happens the machaca move up into the now deeper waters to gorge themselves on the extra food sources.
To catch these toothy beasts the best flies are grasshopper patterns in lime green solid foam with a strong 1/0 saltwater hook.
On the trout front we have had some higher waters due to the new rains which has made it a little more difficult to get any numbers just yet, but we expect that to change very soon and levels to normalize for July and August giving us excellent trout fishing in the Mountains! Keep it simple and go with a Prince Nymph and Caddis for Tico trout or try anything else you may have in your box, they will feed on most all offerings.
Our man Benn Gilmour with Jackpot Sport Fishing out of Quepos has been hooking up the clients on the saltwater fly action recently and that should continue well through August for both inshore and offshore.
Pack that fly rod and get out on the water! Keep’em wet!
Having graduated from cane pole fishing as a kid to more technical equipment these days, Mark Evans prefers floating the many rivers of Costa Rica in his kayak, with a fly rod in hand. Mark is one of the founding members of the Costa Rica Association of Fly Fishers (CRAFF) and two-time national fly fishing champion in the Club Amateur de Pesca of Costa Rica (CAP)