Costa Rica, interview guide Pablo Chaves
As part of our fishing trip in 2012 we interviewed our fishing guide Pablo Chaves. This interview should give an idea to his experience and hs view on the fishing in Costa Rica, in this case in the Sierpe area.
Pablo Chaves
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Can you briefly introduce yourself?
Soy una persona que me gusta ser responsable y amigable; disfruto de la compañía de mi familia y me mayor pasatiempo es la pesca
I’m a friendly and responsible person; I enjoy to spend time with my family and fishing has always been my favorite hobby.
Where do you have your business and where do you fish?
Mi negocio está ubicado en Sierpe, pequeño pueblo situado al sur de Costa Rica. Yo desarrollo la pesca en el río Sierpe y en la costa del Pacífico sur de Costa Rica.
My business is located in Sierpe, a small town south of Costa Rica. I develop fishing in the Sierpe River and the southern Pacific coast of Costa Rica.
How long have you lived and fished in the area?
Tengo 14 años de vivir en Sierpe y unos 30 años de pescar en esta zona ya que antes de mudarme yo ya conocía y visitaba con mucha frecuencia el lugar
I have lived in Sierpe for fourteen years already, but it’s been approximately thirty years since I have been fishing in this area, due to my frequent visits to this area.
And how many years as a professional guide
En estos momentos tengo 8 años de ser guía profesional de pesca.
Right now I have 8 years of being professional fishing guide.
What do you think differentiates you from other guides in the area?
Soy una persona que está abierta a aprender diferentes técnicas y a experimentar. Cada día de pesca me esfuerzo al máximo para tratar de lograr el objetivo. Me gusta recomendar y no imponer la forma de llevar a cabo la pesca a mis clientes
I am a person who is opened to experience and learn different techniques. Each fishing day I strive their best to try to achieve the goal. I like to recommend and never impose a way to carry out fishing to my clients
Can you briefly describe which period per year is the best for specific types of fish? Please describe this per most relevant fish species.
Sailfish, Blue and Black Marlin: December to March Cubera Snapper: January to March Dorado and wahoo: July to November Although fishing for rooster fish it is good throughout the year, it also depends on the water being clean near the coast. You should be aware that we are talking about “peak” months for each species. Each particular species of fish has a “peak” season. Some other species that can be captured in this area: Spanish Mackerell, Bluefin Trivally, Jack Caravelle, Barracuda, Amberjack, Grouper …
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An overview of some species:
Roosterfish!
Nice dogteeth snapper
Amberjack
Sierra Mackerel
Rainbow runner
Needlefish
Jack Crevalle
Barracuda
Grouper
Cubera snapper
What kind of fishing techniques are possible in your area?
Casting, Trolling, live bait, jigging and also fly fishing . I want to make clear that I have no experience on this last fishing category.
Catching livebait
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Are there any specific climatic impacts that are important to know?
Para los meses de Mayo a Noviembre es la época lluviosa en Costa Rica. El clima normal para esta época sería de mañanas muy soleadas y por las tardes fuertes lluvias que duran entre una a tres horas. Normalmente este tipo de lluvias no afecta en gran manera la pesca. Sin embargo a veces tenemos fenómenos cerca del territorio (600 kilómetros) como tormentas tropicales o Huracanes los cuales incrementan fuertemente las lluvias y los vientos. Los ríos depositan gran cantidad de sedimentos y ensucia mucho el agua en la costa los cual no es bueno para la pesca, también los vientos hacen que tengamos oleajes fuertes lo que hace más difícil la navegación. Afortunadamente esto solo ocurre un par de veces al año
Rainy season in Costa Rica is during thorugh the months of May to November. The normal weather for this time would be very sunny in the mornings and heavy rains in the afternoons, lasting from one to three hours. Fishing is not affected by this type of weather. However, sometimes we have tropical storms or hurricanes (those pass around 600 kms from the coutry) which strongly increases the rains and winds. The rivers deposit large amounts of sediment and very dirty water on the coast which is not good for fishing. The wind causes large waves which make a difficult navigation. Fortunately this only happens a few times a year.
How many people can you take as customers on your boat?
Yo puedo llevar un máximo de 4 pescadores aunque lo ideal es 2 personas ya que para casting se necesita bastante espacio libre
I can take a maximum of 4 anglers but 2 people would be the ideal number since free space is needed for casting.
Pablo’s great boat
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And what level of experience do they need to have?
El nivel de experiencia no importa, yo he llevado desde Pescadores muy experimentados como los que en este momento me entrevistan así como aquellos que ni siquiera saben como sujetar bien una caña de pescar. Nosotros nos adaptamos a las necesidades y demandas de cada uno de nuestros clientes
The level of experience does not matter, I have taken from very experienced fishermen -just like to the ones I’m answering this interview-as well as those who do not even know how to hold a fishing rod well. We adapt to the needs and demands of each of our clients.
What can you offer the experienced angler / species / specimen hunters?
Al pescador experimentado le ofrecemos el máximo esfuerzo de nuestra parte para tratar de lograr los objetivos que trae trazados. Las especies en nuestra zona de pesca son abundantes muchas de ellas reconocidas mundialmente.
We offer the maximum effort on our part to the experienced fisherman,trying hard to to achiev their outlined objectives outlined. The fishing species in our area are plentiful, many of them worldwide well recognized.
What can you offer recreational fishing?
Le ofrecemos un ambiente relajado, sabemos que ellos no se toman las cosas tan en serio y aunque no por ello no nos esforzamos si nos tomamos las cosas con un poco mas de calma tratando de que el dia de pesca cumpla su objetivo: relajar y divertir no estresar.
We offer a relaxed atmosphere, and it doesn’t matter how serious this could be for our clients, we make our efforts to keep a good environment, trying to meet their goals:to relax, have fun, stress free.
To what extent can you provide fishing equipment? Or do people need to bring their own stuff?
En Sierpe-Fishing contamos con todo el equipo de pesca necesario para que quien no pueda o no quiera traer su equipo no tenga mas que subirse a la lancha y disfrutar del día de pesca
In Sierpe-Fishing we have all the necessary fishing tackle for those who can not or will not bring their equipment. Get in the boat and have a great fun fishing day is all that would take for them to do.
Apart from fishing, are there any other opportunities that you can offer?
Mangrove tour: to spot animals such as monkeys, crocodiles, snakes, birds etc. Snorkeling in Playa San Jocesito Humpback Whale Watching for the months of July to November.
View on Sierpe river
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And for families: for those not wanting to fish and staying behind, what opportunities offers the Sierpe area for the non-fishermen/-women in a family?
Ellos tienes la opurtunidad de realizar alguno de los tours que describimos ateriormente
They have the opportunity to perform any of the tours we’ve earlier described.
Why should people come specifically to the Sierpe area to fish and not go somewhere else?
Aunque no es un lugar donde encontrará numerosos bares o centros de entretenimiento, el pueblo de Sierpe lo compenza siendo uno de los lugares mas tranquilos y seguros de Toda Costa Rica. Además ´por ser una zona poco desarrollada es un lugar que se encuentra poco explotado en lo que se refiere a naturaleza y la pesca. Otra importante razón es que siendo más conocidos a nivel mundial otros destinos de pesca en Costa Rica son más caros que Sierpe ya que las empresas ubicadas ahí se valen de la alta demanda para incrementar los precios en hospedaje, alimentación y tours de pesca.
Although Sierpe is not a place with many bars and entertainment centers around, the town of Sierpe remainsto be one of the most peaceful and safe places in all Costa Rica. In addition ’to be a poorly developed area is a place that is little explored in regards to nature and fishing. Another important reason is that being known worldwide other fishing destinations in Costa Rica are more expensive than Sierpe, as those companies take advantage of the high demand to increase prices in accommodation, food and fishing tours.
The last question: what have we missed in this interview that you would like to add?
Nuestros mejores días de pesca no son aquellos en lo que pescamos gran cantidad de peces o uno de gran tamaño sino aquellos en que el cliente llega contento ya que ha visto nuestro esfuerzo por cumplir con sus expectativas en su viaje de pesca. Si el cliente es feliz yo también soy feliz!
Our best fishing days are not those on which we caught lots of fish or a large size but those where the customer gets happy as he has been our effort to meet your expectations on your fishing trip. If the customer is happy I am also happy!
