Owners Andrew "Andy" Couch and Connie Balusek
Andrew "Andy" Couch is the owner of Quepos Fish Adventures. Growing up in Texas and going to college in Louisiana, Andy is no stranger to the water or boats, from first sneaking out in his father's boat, at age 8, to taking offshore excursions in his friend's Hatteras, off the coast of Louisiana. Andy has always loved boats and fishing! Finally, he made it to Costa Rica in July 2019, and he has been living the boating/fishing lover's dream! He bought the 6-boat fleet from the previous owner, John S, and added a 7th boat in 2021.
Connie Balusek grew in Conroe, Texas and received her Bachelors of Science from Sam Houston State University. She is no stranger to fishing and hunting as she was an infant when her passion for both were introduced. For 9 years, she was an educator in Willis, Navasota, College Station, and Kingsland, Texas.
The both of them decided to make a change and learn "Pura Vida" and be close to the saltwater everyday. Andy Couch and Connie Balusek have been the owners of Quepos Fish Adventure since July 2019.
Captain Junior Smith
"Stress Reeliever" is an awesome, professionally rigged 32-foot Ocean Master completely rebuilt with weightless noise-absorbing CoreCell. It is a quick and stealthy boat with a super enthusiastic crew that enjoys fishing as much or more than the customers!
Brand new CAT 7.1, 400 HP (2023) with new ZF transmission.
Capt. Junior is a native English-speaking captain, who might very well have the most charter trips under his belt of any Quepos captain. Formerly the head captain of Luna Tours back in the 2000s, Junior has fished 250 days a year offshore for the last 15 years.
He is also related to some of the best tournament captains in the area, and any boat he has ever fished is always successful.
We are also the busiest boat in Quepos, and being out on the water almost every day helps us keep track of where the fish are hiding!
Captain Sydney Smith
"Mucho Fisho" is our dedicated inshore boat, with Sydney doing over 200 days a year inshore! It is perfectly set up for roosterfish.
Captain Sydney, father of Jessy and Junior, is one of the few captains in Quepos who would much rather fish inshore than offshore. Roosterfish and snapper are his passion.
It has super high sides for kids as well, and its long, thin design is great for getting around inshore with plenty of space!
The boat has a private, clean bathroom with a toilet and a door for the ladies!
Captain Alex Gutierrez
Captain Alex has been fishing in Quepos his whole life. For the 10 years before he started with us, he was the captain of another 25-foot Apex similar to this one. Since he was used to driving a 25 Apex, we bought a 28 Apex (the 28 has a private bathroom), and with a ton of new gear.
Alex is a great option when looking for roosterfish in Quepos! In addition to roosterfish, Alex also specializes in bottom fishing; he is one of the few inshore bottom fishermen here and is great chasing down the billfish!
He is a great addition to our team, and we are looking forward to some awesome fishing trips from him!
Mucho Fisho 2 was built by the previous owner, John S, and finished in November 2015. This boat is built out of super lightweight and sound-absorbing Core Cell foam covered in special lightweight fiberglass. This is one of the lightest boats in Costa Rica, and that allows us to get out to wherever the fish are hiding without spending too much fuel. Once we are there, this boat floats really high in the water, making for a very clean wake to catch lots of billfish. In addition to floating really high in the water, the CoreCell also absorbs most of the motor noise, making this a great boat for offshore trolling, as well as, inshore fishing!
Captain Antonio "Tony" Gonzalez Arce
"Stress Reeliever 2" is a serious fisherman's boat. It's cold-molded wood boat and was made by a company that started here in the 80s, named Gamefisherman. This particular boat was the first hull that was produced by Gamefisherman, back when they were based in Costa Rica.
This, plus the other 7-8 hulls they made here, gave them a worldwide reputation for raising fish and kicked off the now world-famous Gamefisherman company.
When Gamefisherman moved to Florida, they left behind the boat builders who now build the Maverick Yachts. This hull is famous for its sharp entry and zero dead rise, which produce a super clean wake. It is also very light, so it doesn't sit deep in the water, again producing a cleaner wake. More on why we like the wood boats below.
Capt. Mike "Speedy" Meza
Mike is the captain on the Fandango. Apart from having the coolest nickname from any captain in Quepos, Mike has experience. Mike has been with our company since 2008 and fishes at least 200 days a year. He has released over 10,000 sailfish and 600 Marlin, so he knows billfish!
He got his nickname from being able to spot fish fast, usually before they even break the surface to go after a lure. His experience definitely shows when a fish comes in the spread, he is not only fast at spotting the fish but usually has the fish hooked before anybody even knows the fish is back there.
Capt. Jessy Smith
Capt. Jessy Smith, Junior's Brother, is a native English-speaking captain has become a very well known captain in Quepos. The only in the fleet with his 100 Ton Captains license. Jessy has fished over 250 days a year offshore for the last 10 years. He is also related to some of the best tournament captains in the area, and any boat he has ever fished is always successful. Jessy is the captain of our 40-foot custom air conditioned cabin, named "Blue Daze"
