A Beginner’s Guide to Landing Your First Marlin

Having The Right Captain Makes All the Difference When Seeking the Fish of a Lifetime

Dead calm water, with just a slight breeze. The boat is barely rocking back and forth, letting us know we are still moving; hunting, trolling for these elusive monsters lurking in the depths directly under us.

Capt. Geovanny Leal is in the tower above searching the horizon, glaring at the baits being pulled behind the boat, waiting for the strike. The two mates are intensely listening to Leal, as he is directing them on which new baits to attach to the leaders and what different teaser baits to troll.

And in the background, under the tower is where you find us. Nate, with his face against the air conditioner trying not to throw up, Dan sitting straight up, passed out with a beer in his hand. And me, thinking that there is no better place to be than fishing in the calm, warm waters of the Pacific off the Costa Rican coast out of the Los Sueños Resort and Marina with one of the top captains in the area!

Then…BOOM! All you hear is 60-pound line being taken out, screaming off the reel, almost smoking because it’s going so fast, as the bait has been taken by something gigantic, some monster! Capt. Leal yells, “Fish on! Fish on! Marlin, marlin, marlin!”

Choosing the Perfect Destination and Captain

Rewind six months and you would find Dan and me sitting at my kitchen island, beers in hand, contemplating our next fishing trip. What species would we be targeting, what time of year would give us the best odds of landing what we wanted to catch, and most importantly, what captain is going to give us the best chance of landing a trophy fish?

Now, as with most offshore fishing enthusiasts, the elusive marlin would probably be at the top of the list when someone thinks of a trophy fish, as it was most certainly at the top of our list. Dan was able to catch and release his first black marlin at Tropic Star Lodge back in 2020, a 350-pound behemoth that would have any angler pound of themselves. However, I still had a big open spot on my wall for my first marlin!

It is decided: marlin it is! So, where are we going and who are we going to be fishing with? After a few days of heavy research, we concluded that that our best chance of reeling in one of these monsters would potentially be on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Specifically, Los Sueños.

Now that we knew what we wanted to fish for and where we wanted to go, the next important step was to find a captain. If you ask anyone looking to book a fishing charter and captain, it can be a little overwhelming. You go online and as many as 50 different fishing charters will pop up, all claiming to be the best. Well, how do you know who the best is?

Before selecting anyone to fish with, we always ask one of our fishing acquaintances if they recommend anyone from the specific area that we are looking at going. Sure enough, we were led to Geovanny Leal, a captain who runs the 36-foot Maverick Super Fly out of Los Sueños Marina.

Now, don’t let Geovanny’s nickname of the “Rooster King” lead you to think that is all he can catch. His nickname really should be “Pacific King,” or “The Billfish Slayer,” or maybe simply “The Captain,” as he will put you on whatever your target species is.

Preparation and Anticipation: The Journey to Costa Rica

After three long months of anticipation, the day finally arrived. Dan, Nate, and I board our flight to San Jose, Costa Rica. We got to our condo and started preparing for two full days of offshore fishing with Leal and the Super Fly crew.

Setting Out for the Big Catch

The next morning, our cameras are charged and our Go Pros are ready. We arrived at the Los Sueños Marina, and walk into the Maverick Center building, where our captain is waiting for us. Geovanny introduces himself to us, as we were eager to finally meet him, and then he takes us on a brief walk down to the dock to get our fishing license and then to the boat.

The time has finally come! We follow Leal down the gangway to the boat slip where our vessel is waiting for us. The Super Fly is an offshore boat with twin diesel Cummins engines, a 360-degree walkaround, equipped with a new Furuno Omni Transducer sonar for hunting down deep-water monsters.

We board the boat, and after a brief safety review by the captain and a short ride out of the marina, we are on our way to the fishing grounds. Once we get to our destination, the real work begins. The two deckhands are getting the outriggers ready to take line out. Bait is being hooked up and tied onto the lines. Teaser baits are being tossed overboard into the water in preparation for trolling.

We’re all set. The captain slows the boat to a trolling speed and out goes all the line, teasers, and baits. There are three lines going out on both the left and the right outrigger. Two more lines coming off the back of the boat. In addition to that, standing on the top platform of the boat, Leal also has control of two teaser reels with line going out about 50 to 60 yards behind the boat. Let’s fish!!

Exhilarating Encounters with Marlin and More

Our first day was a hot one. The only shade we could find was under the tower, and that only depends on what direction the boat is travelling. The wind was blowing but you could not tell in what direction. The ocean had a small three-to-four-foot swell that day.

And all this didn’t matter whatsoever! When something hits the rod and starts ripping line off, that’s when all the action begins. One of us is jumping up going to whatever reel is going off. The other two of us are racing to help the two mates pull the rest of the lines into the boat so that whatever monster is on the end of the line doesn’t get tangled up, causing us to lose a potential trophy fish. Once the lines are reeled up and we get the fighting belt strapped around whoever is trying to wrangle this beast to the boat, the others are grabbing the cameras, getting the Go Pros together to try and catch a few glimpses of the action. Because, at any moment, it could be gone.

Luckily, Leal put us on the fish that day. Getting back to the marina that evening, it finally hit us as the deckhands were pulling out flag after flag, that we had a massive day on the water. We caught five dorados, four sailfish and three tunas. What a first day! We say “Hasta mañana” to Geovanny and to the two deckhands, and head back to our condo, each of us holding bags stuffed full of fresh tuna and mahi fillets.

After an exhausting but rewarding first day aboard the Super Fly, we’re back at for day two. Early morning fishing was on fire, as we hooked and release our first two sailfish of the day around 8:30 am. There was a little down time around lunch for about two hours, but before you know it, two reels go off at the same time. We had raised two sailfish, and both were hooked. Dan and I both jump at the same time and race to the rods that have hooked these twins. We are fighting both fish at the back of the boat. I am on the left side and Dan is on the right. Nate is rapidly helping the deckhands and Leal reels in all the other lines so we that we can do our best to land both sailfish.

In the meantime, these sailfish are big and going crazy. They are constantly crossing over each other lines, which in turn is forcing Dan and myself to follow suit. “Switch,” yells the captain. Dan takes his rod out of the gimbal that is attached to his belt; holds the rod straight up in the air while I crouch down and go underneath so that our lines become separated. “Switch,” we hear again and again coming from the tower above us, at Leal has his eyes focused on both fish and the direction they are running.

Next thing I hear is Dan yelling “No!” I lean my entire body backwards to put a little more tension on the line, looking over my shoulder to see Dan with a disgusted look on his face, one hand on his hip, staring into the water over the side of the boat. He had lost his fish. I continued to reel and finally brought the sailfish next to the boat, where the deckhands grabbed the leader and completed a good release.

Celebrating the Triumph: A Marlin’s Tale

Next thing you know, we are hooked up again. Nate darts to the rod and as soon as he picks up, off the stern on of the boat about 80 yards back, we see it: A giant blue monster leaping out and tail walking across the water. Capt. Leal has gotten us hooked up to a blue marlin! This fish is going absolutely insane. Every thirty seconds, this marlin is performing some sort of acrobatic maneuver, whether it’s leaping ten feet into the air or catapulting itself sideways out of the water. The fight was on!

Nate grabbed the rod first while I quickly strapped on a belt and planted my feet so that my legs would have leverage by leaning directly against the sides of the boat. Nate handed me the rod, and I immediately felt the weight of what seemed like a small vehicle pulling against me. I pressed my legs into the side of the boat for leverage and leaned backwards, trying to pull the tip of the rod towards the sky, pulling this beast of a fish inches closer to me, if possible, while the captain expertly backed down the boat. I leaned forward quickly, cranking down on the reel trying to tire out the marlin. This incredible tug of war went on for another twenty minutes or so.

Finally, the leader is in sight, barely beyond the reach of the deckhand. A few more hard pulls and head shakes and it’s over. The marlin is on the side of the boat. The hook is taken out, and the deckhand is holding onto the bill. High fives are being dished out left and right. Waves of celebration are emanating from our vessel, and Capt. Leal has a smile as big as mine because he knows it was my first marlin.

Nine-and-a-half feet long, 400-pounds. This is what these trips are about. Putting yourself in the right area, at the right time of year, with the right captain. Geovanny Leal is the right captain, and if you can share these moments with the guys that you have been fishing with your whole life, that’s just a bonus.

A Beginner’s Guide to Landing Your First Marlin

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