I've been booking Costa Rica fishing charters and complete Costa Rica fishing vacations for more than 15 years, and I've always made a point of highlighting the captains I put my clients with. We work with the best captains – American and local – fishing in Costa Rica They're the guys who put the bread and butter on my table, and they're the reason why well over half my business now is with repeat customers and referrals.

I'll let my clients back me up. Jane Pacholok and her son Peter came down from Canada to fish with Captain Bobby McGuinness on the 37-foot Cazador out of Golfito in the South Pacific. They flew into Tamarindo, and drove all the way south (a two-day adventure) just to get a couple of days with Bobby, selected by the IGFA as the world's top captain of 2006, who we recommended.

"Sorry I took so long to get in touch with you after our fishing trip in Costa Rica", she writes. "We had a great time fishing with Bobby and we would definitely fish with him again. Our first day was really slow and we did not catch any fish, but Day 2 was great. Peter landed eight sailfish, all in the 100-120lb range and one nice dorado (see photo at left) which we kept and ate for Christmas dinner. Once we even had a double header going. We were very pleased with all the arrangements you made for us and will certainly use your service again. Many thanks."

Mark Pisarek and three of his buddies traveled to Los Suenos Marina in the Central Pacific to fish for three days on the 38-foot Macushla with Captain Johnny Cerpas. Everyone we put on that boat has nothing but praise for Johnny and his crew. Like the other captains we select, these guys know how to catch fish!

"Another great trip", Mark told us. "Although it started rather slow we sure made up for it. The totals were: one 500lb black marlin; 15 sails caught and released (I can't tell you how many were raised but it was a lot); two yellowfin tuna caught and one 100lb yellowfin that broke off at the boat; three dorado. Most of these fish were caught over the last two days.

“And of course the Macushla and crew were just fantastic. I have been on a lot of charters but this crew is just the best… I will let you know in a few months when we are going next year."

From Houston there were Mike Rager and his lovely wife Sharon, who spent three days fishing with Captain Bill Gannon on the 33-foot Unique during their week-long stay in Quepos/Manuel Antonio in the Central Pacific.

Mike just wrote: "I wanted to thank you for putting together my trip to Costa Rica. I cannot say anything but great things about Bill Gannon and his mate Dempsey. To have the opportunity to fish with a professional and personable crew was very rewarding.

"I know the bite was off, we saw tons of fish each day, but unfortunately we couldn’t get a consistent bite going. We did land five of the seven sails (this photo at right shows off one very nicely) that entered our spread over the three days. I enjoyed Bill’s ability to change on the fly. We encountered a yellowfin tuna purse seine offshore and managed to get on the school of fish he was targeting. We had a great bite, landing eight of the nine tuna (up to 35lbs) hooked. We could have stayed on the school longer, but we could only eat so much and were seeing a lot of sails and wanted to focus on them. I do hope to have the opportunity to come down again next year."

By the way, Mike and Sharon took a day to see my development a couple of hours south of Quepos. I have 28 ocean view and mountain view lots at Lomas Coronado on the South Pacific – go to the website to take a look. The area is gorgeous, the views are stunning, and it’s a great opportunity for investment or for building a second (or even principal) residence.

Lots range in size from one and a quarter to more than three acres. As I said, the area is stupendously beautiful. So if you’re fishing in Los Suenos, Quepos, Puerto Jimenez or Golfito and have a free day, I'll take you there for a look. On me.

Call me toll free at 1-800-634-0012, 1-800-399-8532 or 1-866-978-5198 or e-mail me at info@americanacr.com for more info about these fabulous properties - and, of course, to book a Costa Rica fishing charter or complete Costa Rica fishing vacation with great captains such as Bobby, Johnny and Bill. There are still a lot of fish to be caught on both the Pacific and Caribbean coasts, and I can hook you up with world-class Costa Rica fishing captains just about everywhere. Get in touch - and don't forget Lomas Coronado!