GIFT Tournament - Day 4 - We Win!!!

After 4 days of fishing Team Frenzy wins the 9th annual Gray International Fly Tournament. My fishing partner, Kerwin Steffen, won the Outstanding Angler award! We only had 3 sails for the day and managed to hold off a late rally by our friends Steve and John on the Sea Lady. The day was filled with a lot of excitement as most boats reported multiple marlin raises and some hookups. We had two in the baits but no bites. This tournament produced the most marlin anyone has seen in a long time. Our totals for the 4 days of fishing are: 40 sailfish raised with 11 releases and 9 marlin raised with 1 released. I'll update this post with some photos later today.

Kerwin and I could not have won this tournament without the great teamwork of our captain Jose and mate Marco. These two guys work great together and keep their heads about them even when marlin come crashing the baits. We have fished with Jose and Marco for a number of years and look forward to many more years together.

This year, as for the past two tournaments, Captain Glenn Wilson, from Georgetown, SC's Defiant Sportfishing, joined the Frenzy team as a mate. He is a gifted fisherman and fit right in with Jose and Marco and was a huge part of our success.

We sure can't forget Willy Jimenez, Frenzy's operations manager, who keeps it all glued together. Great job Willy!!!

Our friends at El Gran Escape, Marsha and Christel, as usual hosted a fabulous event. They and their staff worked tirelessly to make sure everything went smoothly. Thanks so much for everything you and your staff did for all of us!!! Now about that bar bill ...

Right now Kerwin and I are headed up to Jaco to check on the progress of the 43. Photos to follow.

The Frenzy continues ...

Jamie

GIFT Tournament - Jan 28th - Day 3

Wow what a day!!! Kerwin caught his first marlin on fly. In only 30 minutes Kerwin caught and released a blue marlin of about 200 pounds. High fives all around!!! Kerwin's marlin put us in 1st place for the 3 days with 13 points. We're 3 points ahead of Stanley and Lee. But, it's fishing and everything can change quickly so we'll just have to stay focused. Shortly after Kerwin caught his fish I got hooked up to a marlin but the tippet broke only 3 minutes into the fight. We sure could have used those extra 500 points.

Photos will be posted later and some fantastic video will be posted as well. But now we're off to El Gran Escape, our favorite watering hole, for some appetizers and cold drinks.

The Frenzy continues ...

Jamie

GIFT Tournament - Jan 27th - Day 2

Well today we didn't shine our best but still managed 3 sailfish. That put us tied with our friends Lee and Stanley. The highlight of the day was hearing that Stanley had caught a marlin. He's a great friend and a great angler so the catch was no surprise. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

Tonight for dinner Kerwin, Glenn and I are having some of the anglers up for dinner. We even have an electric piano for Stanley to play. Our housekeeper is a fantastic cook so dinner will be fabulous and the leftovers tomorrow for lunch will be much enjoyed!

Check out Larry's shoes!

The Frenzy continues ...

Jamie

GIFT Tournament - Jan 26th - Day 1

Today we raised 15 sailfish and 4 marlin. Hard to believe we raised 4 marlin in one day but we did. We managed to release 5 sailfish which put us into 2nd place. It was a beautiful day on the water. Lots of bird life, bait pods, dolphin, etc. The team worked well together. Kerwin did his job on two particularly tough fish. We're excited about being in 2nd place but have our work cut out for us tomorrow.

The Frenzy continues ...

Jamie

GIFT Tournament - Jan 25th - First Practice Day

Today was our first and only practice day. As usual the waters off Quepos are calm. I play my iPod on the way out. We get on the fish and manage one release for the day. It was great to be back on the boat with Jose and Marco and to be fishing with my friend Kerwin. Glenn got back into the swing of catching billfish and worked the deck well with minimal instruction from Marco. We feel good about our chances this year and look forward to the start of the tournament tomorrow.

The captain' s meeting at El Gran Escape re-connects us with our old friends, some of whom we haven't seen in a year. Stanley is in his usual form... Everyone's off to bed early with anticipation for tomorrow. Us as well.

The Frenzy continues ...

Jamie

GIFT Tournament - Jan 24th - Travel Day 2

Well we finally made it to Quepos after a long day of travel. We've now hooked up with my tournament partner, Kerwin, who's as ready to get started as we are. Casa Carolina looks great and Lizbeth is there to greet us as we arrive. After lunch, some pool time and a short nap we head on do to El Gran Escape for dinner and a visit with our friends Marsha and Christel and our fishing friends. Tomorrow is the first practice day. I'm sure we're destined to mediocrity!

But, just the same, the Frenzy continues...

Jamie

GIFT Tournament - Jan 23rd - Travel Day

Well, Glenn and I are stuck in the Atlanta airport for the day as we missed our flight from Atlanta to Costa Rica. The cause of this was being held in Columbia for two hours on the tarmac due to "ground stoppage" in Atlanta. Glenn and I have done about all you can do in Atlanta's airport and not get into trouble. Our flight to CR leaves at 6:50 and we'll overnight in SJO. Kerwin is already there. Tomorrow we'll fly over to Quepos.

The Frenzy continues ...

Jamie

Leaving for Costa Rica in the morning

Tomorrow morning we leave for Costa Rica. My fishing partner, Kerwin Steffen, and I will each board a plane from opposite ends of the country and fly to San Jose, Costa Rica then on to Quepos for the GIFT Tournament. As regular followers of our blog know, the fishing has been outstanding this year so all teams will have high hopes of winning! Follow us through the practice days Saturday and Sunday as we warm up then during the tournament. I hope to post many photos and some video during the week. It is always an exciting time!!!

The FRENZY continues ...

Jamie

Trip comments from Kent and Jeff

It's always nice to hear from folks who come fishing on the FRENZY. We often get e-mails from folks who just got back from their first trip to Costa Rica where they caught their first billfish with us. Kent and Jeff are veteran Costa Rica fishermen who know what they're doing. Their comments below and photos speak for themselves!!! Thanks guys.

"Just wanted to elaborate a little on our wonderful experience with all the people involved with the Frenzy Sportfishing Family. From our buddy and friend Willy Jimenez who never seems to let us down in taking care of everything from food to travel comradery etc. He does a wonderful job. It sure takes the pressure out of being prepared!! We sometimes think there most be three of him. The boat and crew are un-surpassed by any operation anywhere no exceptions! Capt Jose and mate Marco are fantastic fisherman and do everything possible to make each day the best it can be! They never give up and try every trick in the book. Which is all you can hope for when you fish!!

We fished 3 days and managed to catch 9 sailfish, 1 large Mahi Mahi and two of the biggest roosterfish I have ever seen 1 55lbs and 1 close to 70lbs.

I would recommend anyone wanting a trip of a lifetime to book quickly and take advantage of a class act experience !!! Wish I could come back tomorrow !!!

Pura-Vida
Kent and Jeff"

New 43 Express photo!

Here's a photo of the new 43 express "FRENZY" being built by Maverick Boat Works in Jaco, Costa Rica. It's still under the shed but it's starting to really take shape!

More photos to follow once the hull get's flipped over and it's moved into the bodega.

Jamie

Fishing Report for the week

We'll folks the fantastic fishing continues in Quepos. This week has seen a lot of action on the FRENZY. Jenny Walker and her friends have caught a total of about 18 sails, seen a couple of whopper marlin and enjoyed 3 great days on the water with Jose and Marco. As usual, Willy has taken good care of the group by selecting great lunches and arranging other aspects of their trip.

Kent Lipton has fished a few days with us this week and has also done well. I don't have an exact catch report but I do know that he and his fishing buddy from South Carolina have caught sails and some nice dorado!

Kerwin and I arrive next Friday to prepare for the GIFT Tournament. Stay tuned, we plan to win this year!!!

Jamie

I heard that Jenny and the girls landed six sailfish yesterday and had a marlin crash the baits!!!

I'm hoping the fishing just gets better as we head into tournament week in about 10 days!

We'll be posting our daily action from The Frenzy soon.

Kerwin

Presentation

Last night I did a presentation to the Puget Sound Fly Fishers in Tacoma Washington about Blue Water Fly Fishing in Costa Rica. It was very well received and I had a number of people come up to discuss making a trip on the Frenzy soon. I can't wait to see photos of the large marlin released by the Frenzy a couple of days ago. I hear it was 800 to 1000 lbs. I want to hear Marco when he tells the story. I'll be on the boat two weeks from tomorrow with Jamie as we get ready to win the Harry Gray Invitational Fly Tournament out of Quepos.

Kerwin

HUGE MARLIN CAUGHT --- 800 POUNDS PLUS!!!

Yesterday after about a 5 hour battle the FRENZY caught and released a blue marlin conservatively estimated at 800 pounds. Some on the boat were calling it a grander. We'll never know for sure because it was released but what a whopper!

Jose and Marco are on a roll this year with the marlin. They are really racking them up. I'll have to get the actual count but man what a year so far! Our other charter boat, the Moon Walker, is also catching their fairshare of marlin, sailfish and tuna. Rafa lost one yellowfin this week after a 4 hour fight. The look they got of the fish called it 300 lbs.

As I have been saying, 2009 is shaping up to be a great year for fishing. We have charter days on the boat available so contact Willy for reservations: willy@frenzysportfishing.com. Tell him you too want a whopper marlin or yellowfin, and mix a few sails in for the fun of it!

Kerwin and I will be back down there on the 24th for the GIFT Tournament so stay tuned for the daily results. Man I sure hope that we don't get a fly bite on a grander!

The Frenzy continues ...

Jamie

Fishing Report for January 4th

Well our guys are at it again! Jose and Marco continue their hot streak with 5 sailfish, 2 yellowfin tunas (35 - 45 lbs) and a blue marlin of about 250 pounds! Pretty work guys!

New Years Eve Marlin Double Header!!!

Yesterday Jerry fished again but this time he took Kerwin's 12 year old daughter Olivia who over the past 10 days has caught a couple of sails on fly. Olivia ended their day by catching a 200+ pound blue marlin. Very notable for a 12 year old, but Olivia is already showing signs of becoming a great fisherman! 

Now what's also notable for the day is that Olivia's marlin crowned the day which had already included 2 sails, a small yellowfin and another blue marlin! The other marlin was caught by Jerry's wife Beth. Babs Benesh caught her first ever billfish. Nice work all around girls! Great way to end the year!!!

2009 looks to be a great year for fishing Quepos and our Frenzy Sportfishing team is looking forward to it. Hope to see you down here with us.

Now Kerwin we need a photo of Olivia's marlin...

Jamie