Looking for fishing resort recommendations...

Panhandler80

Okay, here's the deal...

I'm recently engaged and we had talked a lot about doing the wedding in the keys in order to keep things small. If we did that, our plan was to do the deed about 1 week into regular lobster season. We were goign to trailer the boat down and rent a house, and after the wedding, just hang out and lobster weeks 2 through 3 or so of regular season, maybe look for a dolphin here and there, snappes in the bay, yellowtails, etc. Relaxing summer type stuff in the Keys.

WELL... neither family is down for having us leave for wedding. It's going to be here. With that being said, we're now thinking about soemthing different for honeymoon. Rather than having our own boat, just us in a rental house in the Key, etc, let's hop on a plane, step off and be pampered for 6 or 7 days. Personally, I'd rather take care of my own stuff, do more work, but spend more TIME in the keys.

So here's the deal. She is a he!l of a fisherman, but she probably won't want to fish every day. I will. Do the Tropic Stars of the world do split charters for days when she wants to stay on the hill?

Here would be our WANTS:

1. Some activities on hill for her (hiking, massage, etc)
2. THE best food. We don't want cruise ship food that's all prepared and presented well, but after two days it all tastes the same.
3. Ability to leave her on hill a few days while I fish. I noticed Tropic Star charges according to number of fishermen. If we sign up for two, adn she does not want to fish, surely they don't charge me the one / fisherman / boat rate that day... or do they?
4. I'd welcome a blue or black marlin into the spread any day. Have never caught one and think it would be reall cool to one day. Not really fired up about sails at all. More than anything I'd like to consistently catch YFT, nice dolphin and wahoo.
5. A place that's okay with harvesting meet fish.
6. A place that will clean, vacubag and ship steaks / filets of my choice back to me. Will only kill what will be eaten there or shipped back.
7. Top notch accomidations

Other optoins right now:

1. Same deal as above, but in AK. I'd be all about salmon fishings, she wants to catch halibut and lingcod.
2. Tour Europe. I put this option right there with the Keys. Would be fun, but that's something we'll probably end up doing at some point anyway. The resort thing... we'll never waste money on something like this again, so...

Would love to hear some first hand recommendations for Panama, Costa Rica, Alaska, wherever.

Please list what you know to be THE best. Money is of no concern (well, it is, but I just want to see what the best of the best is and what it costs, we'll probably have to scale back, but what's the cremede la creme).

Thanks

PH80

BCSAILS

For a Salmon, Halibut trip and Honeymoon type place all rolled into one this would be hard to beat.....http://www.painterslodge.com/ (I stayed on Qudra Island at their April Point Lodge but ate at Painters a few nights)

Best trip I ever had. Fly in to Seattle for a few days first, the rent a car and drive up the gold coast and take the car on the ferry's across to the lodge on Van Couver Island and drive up to Cambell river and spend 3-4 days fishing and boat tour up north. Then drive down to Victoria for a few days and then the ferry back to Seattle. Trip of a Lifetime.... Congrats on the wedding.....

nuevowavo

Costa Rica for sure, and you might consider Cabo.

Bodine

@ Tropic star you pay in advance for how many people in your party that will fish.
If she stays on land, no penalty.
Tropic star
Accommodations are good, excellent when you consider where they are.
Service excellent
Food excellent
Fishing excellent.
Hiking, beach toys, massage, all available for the Mrs.
2 days travel to get there, 2 days travel to get home.
You can keep and eat your catch there.
No shipping due to weight restrictions on the small planes you fly in on, plus Tropic Star is a first class steward of the ocean.

Panhandler80

Good info. Thanks. I know they're very proud of their stewardship, so I had wondered about the shipping thing.

I'm now thinking that I might just do a 36-48 hour YFT charter out of South La on a big boat this winter with a group of guys as a bachelor party. Will 1) Provide us with lots of YFT if we're successful, and 2) Will help get the fishing bug out of my system.

If I'm able to put that trip together, we're thinking maybe BC, Alaska, British Isles (my least favorite suggestion of the bunch), Italy or Greece.

I'm leaning towards BC or Alaska and then we'll do land based stuff and just try to squeeze in a day or two of chartered salmon and halibut fishing. We'll see.

FS Jeff

http://www.afognaklodge.com/

Not promoted as a fishing lodge per se, but more of a wilderness/cabin-on-an-island experience.

My wife and I had a terrific trip there 7-8 years ago. Caught halibut until we got tired of it, big lingcod. Fished small streams for big salmon and native trout. Ate like royalty and were treated like family. If Josh and Luke Randall still work there, definitely should be on your list!

I've traveled quite a bit... from the sound of it, you should steer clear of Alaskan fly-out lodges, as well as the road system, charterboat fleet stuff. Great fishing, but possibly stressful for the Missus. Go somewhere beautiful and quiet and hard to get to.