Tag Archives: FAD fishing

Turning a Fad into a Relaxation Station

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We found a FAD (fish aggregating device) on the windward side of Puaumu.  In my last blog, I shared how we repurposed several elements of the beacon that was attached to the FAD. Today, I am going to share with you what we did with the entire FAD raft.  We did not feel comfortable leaving the FAD on the shores of the island.  So, we disassembled the FAD with a razor-sharp knife and a few hours of our time. 

Fish Aggregating Device

Fish Aggregating Device

The FAD was built using 8 pieces of bamboo, heavy netting, 8 floats, and lots of various line (rope) holding it all together.  We started our work during low tide so we had more room to work on the raft which was about 2.5 meters x 2.5 meters.  After we cut the lines, we removed the netting, and separated the bamboo and floats.  Our friends on Moira (Ruby and Thomas) helped us with the removal.

Fish Aggregating Device

Fish Aggregating Device

Moving the FAD to the Other Side of the Island

Then the “fun” began as we tried to lug all of the pieces across the island to the leeward side (where our local friend’s Stephan and Manu have a camp.  We were not sure what we were going to do with all the pieces, but we knew it could not stay on the windward side (Pacific Ocean side).  The netting was ridiculously heavy as it was soaking wet and covered in barnacles.  The bamboo sticks were also holding water – we tried everything we could think of but the darn things would not drain!  We strung a long line through the floats and just dragged them to the other side and tossed all the small cut lines into a large piece of netting to carry over.

Matt gave it some thought and came up with a grand idea to recycle the FAD pieces.

Relaxation Station

We decided to make a love seat aka “relaxation station” near Stephan and Manu’s camp.  Because why not?  We picked a nice shady spot facing the ocean and began the “design phase”.  Trying to figure out which bamboo pieces needed to be cut (using a saw), which needed to stay long, and which needed to be the support.

Design Phase

Design Phase

There was a bit of trial and error but it was slowly coming together.  Matt started working on the netting, once the bamboo was in place.  This was tricky as we had to make the netting really tight to hold multiple guests.  The problem with that was that the line we had was soaked and sunbaked which made it weak.  The netting tore easily with the slightest bit of pressure.  Hmmmmm…

Matt was determined to only use pieces taken from the FAD on this relaxation station.  He did not want to use any of our sturdier line or netting which made the construction that much harder.  He finally figured it out after several not so successful attempts.

Of course, Matt and I had to test it out.  It was still wet and had some barnacles that would not leave the net, but other than that – not bad!

Events from this blog post occurred during the last week of April, 2021.  Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind our adventures.

Matt and a FAD

FAD: Fish Aggregating Device

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Many fishermen from around the world use a “FAD” (fish aggregating device) to catch their fish.  It can be a stationary or floating device.  The stationary FADs are tied to something at the bottom of the sea using an extremely long line.  The floating devices are attached to a beacon equipped with GPS, solar, batteries, circuit board, and sometimes depth gauges.

A FAD is a raft type float, usually made of bamboo, strong netting, loads of various sizes of line (rope), and floats.  Fisherman attach the beacon to the raft so they can find it later.  Small fish gather under the raft attracting larger fish which attract even larger fish.  Fisherman use the GPS to track the raft, then fish for the easy prey below.  Kind of like hunting using deer feeders – all cheating to me.

Anyway, won’t get into that debate.  The rafts and beacons tend to end up on shore.  As we walk around the windward side (Pacific Ocean side) of the motus we come across the FAD remnants. We picked up a beacon last year and tried to take it apart to see if there were any pieces we could salvage.  However, that particular beacon was sealed shut with 5200 glue and was useless.

Many of our friends have retrieved the FAD beacons and scored rechargeable batteries, small solar panels, LED lights, and stainless screws.  But we just did not think it was worth the trouble to lug these heavy beacons back to the boat so we usually leave them where we find them.

Try, Try, Again

Surprise, surprise.  We had just walked the Puaumu motu a few days ago and did not come across any FADs.  However, on this day, we came across a recently arrived FAD with a fairly new beacon attached.  We removed the beacon and dragged the raft as high up on the rocks as possible (its super heavy).  Trying to prevent it from going back out to sea.

Matt carried the beacon back to the boat and began the dissection.

FAD Beacon

FAD Beacon

The cover is connected with 20 stainless steel screws, nuts, and washers which can easily be reused on Sugar Shack!

After removing the clear plastic cover, we access the cute little solar panels.  Maybe we can use these to create a solar powered charger for our phones?  Surely there is something on google telling us to build that?

Beacon Solar Panels

Beacon Solar Panels

Below the solar panels is the circuit board.

Circuit Board

Circuit Board

Surrounded by a nice wood block are the batteries.  The white batteries on the top row do not have numbers so we are not sure if we can use them.  There are 10 soldered together.  The bottom row are D batteries and unfortunately, they are not rechargeable.  What a waste.  There are about 15 of these batteries.  The beacon also had 2 dehumidifier packs as well.

Beacon Parts

Beacon Parts

All in all, we will probably only keep the stainless-steel screws, nuts, washers, solar panels and maybe the wood.  We will dispose of the rest.  It was pure entertainment value.

All Beacon Parts

All Beacon Parts

Check out what we did with the FAD coming up next week.

Events from this blog post occurred on 23 April, 2021.  Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind our adventures.

Blue Marlin Caught FAD Fishing

Yacht Delivery and FAD Fishing

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Our friend Patrick, is the Captain of a beautiful 64′ fishing yacht.  He invited us on a short delivery from Quepos to Golfito for a little FAD fishing.  We met him at Manuel Antonio Estates and had the pleasure of hanging out with him while he was doing repairs on his boat.

64' Fishing Boat Delivery

64′ Fishing Boat Delivery

This trip would take Sugar Shack 2 full days to make, whereas Patrick’s boat would only take 3-4 hours.  But why rush when you can swing by the FADs?

FAD FISHING:

FAD stands for Fish Aggregating Device. They are man-made objects used to attract ocean going fish such as marlin, tuna and mahi-mahi (dolphin fish). They usually consist of buoys or floats tethered to the ocean floor with concrete blocks.

HOW FADS WORK:

FADs come in different sizes, and they will be strategically placed in various depths and spots in the ocean. Large predators, including Marlin, will congregate here due to the fact that small bait fish are naturally attracted to these structures. Thus, the larger fish come here to feed.

There is a lot of controversy around FAD fishing just as there is around hunting blinds.  I do not know enough to speak for or against FADs, so I will just tell you that people come from all over the world to do FAD fishing in Costa Rica.  Most charter boats are sport fisherman that do catch and release programs.

THE BOAT AND CREW:

Patrick the Captain; Tony the first mate, and Eliza the second mate joined us on this adventure.  As we are leaving the marina, at just above idle, moving 8 knots we realize his “idle speed” is close to our regular max speed 🙂  Love it.

Just outside the marina, Patrick showed us the benefits of a SeaKeeper.  A SeaKeeper is installed to minimize the movement of the boat.  Works particularly effective on monohulls and fishing boats as it keeps them from rocking side to side.  SeaKeeper video.  I am a huge fan – best 1/4 of a million dollars you could spend!

The crew rigged the boat and prepared the bait the day before.  I have never been on a sport fishing yacht and it was super cool and very fancy.  A really great experience for Matt and I.

Boat Rigged for Fishin

Boat Rigged for Fishin

Of course, this boat is beyond stocked.  They put out the outriggers with huge teasers and readied the poles with bait.  Below, you will see two black poles standing by for a nibble.  The bait is in the cylinders below the poles.  They wait to see the teaser move, then pull in the teaser as they toss out the bait on the poles.  An expert maneuver of bait and switch.  Its all about timing between the captain, first mate, and fisherman.

Outrigger and Fishing Gear

Outrigger and Fishing Gear

Once the throttle went down, we saw a max speed of 40.2 knots which burned 100 gallons per hour, per engine (2 engines).  The “cruising” speed was 32 knots at 1900 rpm and 70 gph.  And it all felt effortless.  A completely thrilling experience.

Dolphin Sighting

Dolphin Sighting

MAHI MAHI:

As we were headed out to the FADs, we passed by a huge fallen tree floating in the water.  Matt and I would normally tack to avoid such a collision, but Patrick actually headed toward it. Imagine my confusion.

Yellow Footed Boobies on a Floating Tree

Yellow Footed Boobies on a Floating Tree

Of course, he has a lot more horse power and could maneuver the boat a lot easier than our sailboat.  There were some yellow footed boobies hanging around the tree, taking a break from flying over the Pacific Ocean.  As we neared the trees, the crew tossed out a couple of lines and within a few minutes, we heard our first zing!  A beautiful Mahi-Mahi took the bait and jumped in one of the 4 freezers on deck.

Mahi Mahi Dinner

Mahi Mahi Dinner

BLUE MARLIN CATCH & RELEASE:

Hammer down, we made it 100 miles offshore to one of the FADs in just a few hours.  Matt was first in the “chair” and reeled in a beautiful blue Marlin.  We caught one on Sugar Shack – the same day we caught a sail fish.  But that experience was a lot more difficult than this one as we could not slow down our sail boat to reel in the fish like we did on Patrick’s boat.

Eliza reeled in the 2nd one which jumped on the line within 15 minutes of releasing the first one.  I was nervous about reeling in one as my arms are super weak.  Frankly, after “the cancer” I never went back to working out and the arms just never recovered.  But, Patrick was relentless and convinced me to hop in the chair.

After great instructions and a lot of help from the Captain, I was able to reel in my first blue marlin!  Word was he weighed about 350-400lbs.  Pretty freakin awesome!  Could not have happened without Patrick’s excellent boating skills, he continually reversed to help me reel in this beast.

Blue Marlin Catch and Release

Blue Marlin Catch and Releas

After catching the Mahi and 3 Blue Marlin, we decided to head to Golfito.  We released all of the marlin by the way.  Hammer down, a few hours later, we arrive at Fish Hook where Patrick effortlessly backs in this 64′ beauty into a slip – 1st try, no shouting, no problems, no worries.  Impressive!  That’s why he’s a paid captain of a multi-million dollar sport fishing yacht – as he says “its what I do.”

We enjoyed lots of fish for dinner, met a new friend Sheddy from Chuffed and celebrated our successful day.

The next day was a little “rough” for everyone, but Tony, Matt and I managed to hop in a taxi to Rio Claro to catch a 4-hour bus back to Quepos.

The Celebration and Bus Ride Home

The Celebration and Bus Ride Home

AMAZING DAY:

Patrick worked closely with the boat owners to design and create this beautiful boat.  It is truly a master piece.  Not only is it beautiful, but it makes incredible use of every nook and cranny.  Extremely efficient, useful, and elegant.  It was a special treat to be among such luxury.

We are truly blessed to have met such wonderful people!  It was a once in a lifetime experience and we will always be grateful to Patrick for this adventure!