Rondy: Nicaragua
Dates: Week of October 1, 2018
Leader: Nick Strelchuk 415-505-3276 mailto:strelch@aol.com
Number of anglers: 5
Description: The Rio San Juan begins its 110 mile journey to the Caribbean Ocean at the bottom of Lake Nicaragua. Along the way, Jungle Rivers pour into the San Juan. At the mouth of the San Juan where it flows into the Caribbean lies a beautiful fishing and eco-tourism resort, The Rio Indio Lodge. Built by local artisans, under the watchful eye of co-owner Dr. Alfredo Lopez, the lodge has for 2 years running (2015 and 2016) won the Trip Advisor Award of Excellence.
The GGACC Rondy Program is for the first time offering an opportunity to fish the renowned Rio San Juan. The trip to the lodge, located in Nicaragua, departs from San Jose, Costa Rica. We’ll be fishing in the Caribbean, on the San Juan River, the Indio River, in jungle lagoons and streams for Tarpon, Snook, Machaca and Rainbow Bass to mention a few of the main species. The trip is for 6 days – 5 nights and includes 4 full days of guided fishing.
The trip will consist of 5 club members plus our leader Nick Strelchuk who has visited this lodge multiple times. At 6 members total we will have the lodge to ourselves. Here is a sample itinerary schedule which is roughly what we will be doing.
Monday, Oct 1, 2018: Arrive San Juan, Costa Rica. Airport pickup and overnight in San Jose.
Tuesday, Oct 2: 6AM pickup for transfer to Lodge via a 30-minute chartered flight.
Fish Oct 2, 3, 4, 5. Four full days of fishing, customized to your desires.
Saturday Oct 6: Early morning charter flight back to San Jose for your flight home.
See Rio Indio Lodge at http://therioindiolodge.com/
TripAdvisor also has good information and reviews of Rio Indio Lodge
Suggested Gear: A 12 wt or heavier rod is advised when going for large tarpon. The snook, which can go over 20 pounds, can be fished with an 8 wt. There is lots of really fun mangrove fishing to do for snook and baby tarpon. The 8 wt would also work for the Machaca and Guapote although, for the sporting among you, a 6 wt will work. Fast sinking lines for the large tarpon, intermediate sinking and floating lines for the other species are suggested.
There are 2 classes of boats at the lodge: Smaller river/lagoon fishing boats and larger 25 foot ocean capable boats for when the ocean does not safely allow you to fish the area around the mouth using the smaller boats. All fishing is done from boats.
A full packing list of suggested gear to bring will be provided for those going on the trip.
Cost: The fee for this Rondy is $2900 (normally $3350) per angler - or $1395 (normally $1580) per non-angler. (This special pricing has been made available to the GGACC Rondy Program). Included are: Your first night’s stay in San Jose, all transfers, including the charter flight to and from the lodge, all meals, daily laundry service, plus a complementary rum and coke bar. For non-anglers, all eco tours and activities are included at no additional cost to you.
Not included are: Your flight to and from Costa Rica, custom fees, tips, and personal expenses. (Travelocity has round trip flights listed - as of January 2018 - from as low as $392 to $878. Southwest Airlines flies to Costa Rica.)
We are asking that members who are interested in going to pay $25 now to register that interest. If we get enough anglers to make the Rondy happen, we will ask anglers to book directly with the Rio Indio Lodge. If we do not get enough interest the $25 will be refunded.
Rio Indio Lodge's Cancellation Policy is as follows: A deposit of 30% to 50%, depending on service, is required upon booking. The balance is due 90 days prior to scheduled arrival at Rio Indio Lodge. Deposits, less a handling fee of $250 per person, will be refunded in cancellations of 90 days or more from scheduled arrival date. In cancellations of 30 days to 89 days from scheduled arrival date, 50% of deposit will be retained. There will be no refund of any monies for “no shows” or cancellations received less than 30 days prior to arrival. In the event of a cancellation, and a substitute client is provided, no charges will apply.