Article on the history of Tarpon fishing in Costa Rica.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Here is a good post I just found on Dan Blanton message board:

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Posted by Dan Blanton on 2018-02-27 13:53:11

For an great read on the early history of fly-fishing for giant tarpon out of Club Casa Mar on Costa Rica's Rio Colorado going back to 1973, copy and paste this link:

https://www.theflyfishjournal.com/exclusive/ghosts-casa-mar

The article was recently published in the magazine The Fly Fishing Journal and is now available on-line. Many of the photos are mine. Peter Gorinski who is featured in the article is a good friend and has contributed to this board on numerous occasions.

Dan

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Dan Blanton and friends where some of the pioneers of this great fishery.

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[cdccopp]

What a great article Bill. Brings back many memories of my trip there around 77. That was a benefit for a local clinic organized by Fishing International. That was before roads and everyone, 50+, were flown in by small planes over 2 days. Met many new people and became long lasting friends with many of those. This group took up both lodges that were there at the time. Great time was had by all.

Dennis Swope
Burney, Ca

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

That's great Dennis,

Of all the travel I did in the tropics I never made it there but many of my friends and customers did.

Beside the Giant Tarpon I saw in pictures and heard from others that it was very beautiful there too.



What kind of group was it? Medical?

[cdccopp]

That's great Dennis,

Of all the travel I did in the tropics I never made it there but many of my friends and customers did.

Beside the Giant Tarpon I saw in pictures and heard from others that it was very beautiful there too.



What kind of group was it? Medical?

Bill, It was a fund raiser for the local medical clinic. My partner was Rick Piscatello. Others there were Hal Janssen, Mel Levin, Dan Blanton, Gary Graham, Harry Kiem, Frank and Bob FI, Art Agnew ( who brought the new Kaboom coated lead core heads from Sunset Line and Twine, Peter Gorinisky ( our tour guide in San Jose before the tournament}. There were over 50 on this trip, most were on the same flight out of SFO. Quigley lent me a rod, reel and most of the flies, I only had 4 days notice from Rick that there was and opening. Never had fished Salt before. Snakes, sharks and cayman were always around. Got to fish some of the small lagoons with Mel Levin. Saw him hook a tarpon from the beach at the mouth of a small outlet. He didn't land it but it jumped many times. Sorry to hear about the decline in the area, but as you know, nothing is the same as it was 40 years ago. IE Hat Creek, coastal rivers and many of the others we loved back then.