Season 4 Episodes 11 and 12 In the Rainforest…You never know what you might see (or not see).

Froggy   

This morning Katie and Rafael were walking around the lower section of our property when Rafael said, come look at this…   As Rafa was pointing to a single leaf on a lime tree, Katie was straining to see what he was referencing. Turns out, the “Brown leaf” wasn’t a brown leaf at all but a 3-inch frog that had somehow parked itself completely on the Green leaf.   

Not only was it hard to distinguish compared to the other leaves on the tree but how it managed to get there is a mystery as the leaf was over 5 feet off the ground.  It didn’t seem possible that it could’ve climbed down from the tree because the slim branch supporting/leading to the leaf was way to thin for it to climb on. Could it have jumped straight up over 5 Ft. to somehow land on and gram the leaf?  No idea.  Anyway, it makes another great Rainforest picture (taken with my i-Phone).     

More Nature photos: Toucans

Both species of Toucans have been back to gorge on the Papaya tree just off our deck and I’ve been able to capture more exceptional photos.  Trying to time these shots is challenging and here are the variables: You have to have a place where the birds will consistently visit (food source). You have to be there and ready to take the shots (camera stationed 24/7 waiting). You have to have the right light (in the foreground of the birds so that they are not silhouetted). You have to have them positioned against a dark background (leaves of the tree). You have to take hundreds of shots with the right equipment to get a few exceptional ones (Nikon D-800 with a 400 mm lens). Here are a few more.             

 Now for the fishing report.   The fish and photos that took me three years to finally get.   Kayak fishing with Captain Tosh and Dave Horn was exceptional once again and I finally achieved my goal of landing a trophy Rooster Fish (40 pound class) and was able to get it to the beach for some water shots.     

 This fish towed me around the gulf and after about 40 minutes, I was fortunate enough to “lead it” to the beach where it cooperated for some amazing photos. These prized game fish are so powerful with tremendous endurance that they actually tow the Kayak around in excess of 5 knots. If you’re not careful in how you manage the fish during the fight, it can get you sideways and actually pull you off the kayak. 

BTW… Degree of Difficulty to catch this fish and have it close enough to the beach for photos is about 3.5 on the Diving scale.     

The Gulf Expedition (DroneBoy photos). 

 Katie and I have been exploring the back section of the Osa Gulf and the scenery has been as spectacular as the fishing. The water is deep blue (at this time of the season) and the color contrast with the reefs is incredible. Note the boat in each of the photos.               

 The fishing has been equally exceptional with Katie and I landing multiple trophy Roosters, Pompano and Jacks on every outing.

We even managed to pull off a rare Double Rooster catch on our last outing. 

 The small Roosterfish exhibit the most intense color contrasts with their stripes. Here is a “baby” that ate a live sardine that was about 7” long. More to follow as we have two more days of fishing scheduled before we return to Montana for a few weeks.   

Please share the photos and - Plan your trips.   T.O.