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Fishing in Costa Rica is amazing. One of the best times I’ve ever had was taking out rookies not so long ago. Two very different rookies indeed. One experienced Tico river fisherman and a granola girl—neither of whom have been offshore fishing before. The experience was insightful to say the least. Welcome to the sportfishing world. We got up early that day, 4am to be sure, and packed up the marine cooler in expectation of filling it with fresh fish; and made our way to Los Suenos Marina located in Herradura. It was sheer excitement all the way there for me; not only was it my first real ‘tuna hunt’, but it was my girlfriend’s first-time fishing. We got there with plenty of time to meet Captain Franklin and the rest of the crew on the Fire Fly charter boat for our departure. Ironic how fishing excitement can turn into drinking beer at 8 a.m. in the morning. Welcome to my world. So, while drinking a beer on the back of the boat as we made our run to the fishing grounds, I got an opportunity to chat up Heiner, our first time Tico fisherman. I about choked on my beer when he said that he thought that catching a tuna would feel about the same as catching a river fish—a.k.a. trout. I laughed, took another swig of my beer and told him I would ask him the same question after he brought in a tuna. He smiled, as only someone who doesn’t know can smile, and I waited. It didn’t take long to find the tuna, the spinner dolphins hunt them, and the rule is on the water, you find the dolphins and birds—you find the tuna. You also find sailfish and marlin, depending on what you’re using for bait. We were on the hunt for tuna and it didn’t take long for a line to hit. I was the first one to have a fish on the line. The excitement was extra because my friend who had never been fishing before was with me. I needed to perform. The fish wasn’t that big and only took 5 minutes or so to bring in; a 25 pound tuna. The fish gets gaffed and brought into the boat, as most tuna are considered meat fish. Now, this was all pretty normal for us fishermen but for my friend the granola girl, who had never witnessed this activity, it was all pretty overwhelming. Off to the head (front bathroom) she ran. It took about 20 minutes for her to compose herself, all while our Tico fisherman was bringing in his very own tuna—if I remember correctly, it was the catch of the day. At the very same time, we’re experiencing one person who is upset by fishing, and one who is loving every moment of it. Tarantino couldn’t have directed it better. Seriously graphic. So, how do you react? My advice? Pour your friend a vodka, tell them to sit in the a/c and read their book and when sashimi is served, don’t tell them where it came from. Then you can continue to fish your epic day of fishing, bring in 9 of 10 tuna, and just as luck would have it a black tip shark. (which was carefully released) What of the Tico fisherman and his belief that bringing in a tuna should be much like bringing in a river fish? Here is what he said: “There is NO COMPARISON. I was so wrong. My arms are sore already. When are we going again?” So, it’s up to you. Are you the granola girl who wants to sit in the cabin and read a book or are you Heiner, the Tico fisherman who has sore arms and is already talking about the next time before the first time is over? When you decide, let me know. I’ll hook you up with my very best recommendations for your personalized day on the water.