Enrico Capozzi
Since the early 1980s, Capozzi has been fishing Costa Rica, where he owns a home and bases his boat, the Spirit of Pilar, a custom 43 foot G&S, at Playa Carrillo.
The most recent record for his boat was caught on February 7 by his companion and fishing partner Stacey Parkerson, who nailed a 90.27 pound blue marlin off Carrillo on a 20 pound tippet flyrod after a one hour and 25 minute battle. If confirmed by the International Game Fish Association as expected, it will bring Parkerson’s total to 33 world records taken aboard the Spirit of Pilar and will be the first blue marlin world record ever recorded by a woman angler on a fly.
A former high-fashion designer and Italy-based manufacturer, Capozzi was born in Milan, Italy, and has since traveled the world. His first fishing trip was to Africa at age 13 while on safari with his father, and he said that was where he was “hooked for life.” He has since fished not only in Costa Rica, but also Australia, New Zealand, St. Thomas, Mexico, Panama, Guatemala and Venezuela, and plans to head for El Salvador this summer.
The veteran angler has been awarded the Billfish Foundation’s Angler of the Year Award 22 times in all billfish categories for the most tagged and released sailfish, blue marlin, black, white and swordfish. The AFTCO Trophy has gone to Capozzi 19 times as Angler of the Year for most tagged billfish, and to date he ahs released over 8800 billfish worldwide, including 507 marlin. A unique award from the IGFA was for catching and releasing every billfish species in all oceans, and a Super Grand Slam of Billfish IGFA world records.
Capozzi keeps meticulous records of his fishing trips, and his lifetime total is 8754 billfish caught and released, with 15 grand slams, including on a fyrod. He has even scored a Super Slam. He gives a lot of credit for his successful fishing to his crew, especially Scott Jones, originally from St. Croix, who has been with him since the early 1980s, and also to mates Jim Gates and Craig Thibault.
Activities and Sports 
