Since I first came to Costa Rica one of my main priorities have been contacting other ex-pats; for I believe it is important to get together once in a while for a friendly Poker session, or perhaps go in one of the many adventure tours the country has to offer.

There is however one activity I have not tried yet …fishing

I am not talking about your regular fishing (on a river or a lake) the kind of fishing that I am mentioning is “The Marlin Kind” and let me tell you that the tours and tournaments here in Costa Rica are always bursting with people.

Take for example the upcoming Los Sueños Billfish Tournament, the competition consist of two tournaments, the first was held in January from the 9-12 and the second starts on March 12- 15, the fishing tournament is for all species of marlin and Pacific sailfish, and as it is law in Costa Rica, all fishing is strictly catch and release.

How big is this fishing tournament in Costa Rica? As usual, let us see the numbers!

Let me start by saying that the event is going to be sanctioned by The World Billfish Series and IGFA (International Game Fish Association) 500 points are awarded for every each successful marlin release and 100 points per sailfish. The entry fee is currently $7000 per boat, or $10.000 for the entire series. The cash prize will be determined as usual by the number of boats in the fishing tournament and the payout structure will be of: 50% to the 1st place, 30% to the second, 30% to the 3rd.

Now this fishing tournament thing gets even better on March 28- 29, as Hall of Famer Wade Boggs will be joining other sports legends like, Mark Cooper and Gary Dunn in an event organized by Boomer Eiason the Classic Billfish Tournament. This would be a charity event to raise funds for the Boomer Eiason Foundation, a nonprofit entity that assists cystic fibrosis patients and collects funds for CF research.

After finding all that out I am finally buying some fishing gear to practice during the weekend, and if I don’t succeed on acquiring Mr. Chopra’s signature (Previous post) I can definitely try my luck with Boggs.