Kayak/Small Boat fishing in Costa Rica

My work took me to Guatemala recently so I decided to try some kayak fishing in the Osa Peninsula of Costa Rica while I was down there (you know – fly from Miami to Guatemala and then take a left). There is an ex-Washingtonian in Puerto Jimenez that does kayak fishing trips so I signed up for a couple of days. The first picture is the kayaks getting ready to venture out Golfo Dulce in search of snook and rooster fish. However, the rainy season had been hard so the fishing wasn’t so great with only catfish, puffers and blue runners caught.
I decided to give up and then ran into the former bartender of the place I was staying and he convinced me to give it another try. Luis, a tico, is an avid fisherman and not shy about boasting – he said he had a friend with a boat and he would guarantee me a rooster fish the next day (this was after a few drinks at “pasta night” at the local restaurant.
As the second picture makes clear, Luis made good on his promise (we actually caught two). The fish hits hard and then runs then sometimes stops to swallow bait and then the fight is on. While I don’t have the experience of many on the Board, this was hands-down the best fighting fish I have ever caught. It is also one of the most interesting with the rooster fins.
Finally, the last picture shows Luis and his friend using hand lines to fish for the same  fish I was  targeting. I couldn’t imagine how they could handle the runs but Luis showed me his fingers with several scars from line cuts and explained the runs weren’t the problem – it was the initial hit that happens so fast, fingers get in the way. They are much tougher (and more skilled) than I am.
So while again, it was from a small, local boat with an outboard and not a kayak, it's still a fish story worth sharing.   YY