Costa
Rica is an angler's dream come true. The country's Pacific
ports and beach resorts provide access to some the best
deep sea fishing in the world, while the canals and rivers
of the northern Atlantic coast feature world-class snook
and tarpon fishing. Billfish are the country's biggest attractions,
with abundant sailfish and marlin off the Pacific coast,
but the fishermen also hook plenty of other feisty fighters,
such as wahoo and roosterfish. Though deep sea fishing is
the country's forte, there is also has great fresh water
fishing in Lake Arenal and the larger rivers in the Northern
Zone, where anglers can fight with the small but ornery
guapote, a hump-backed fish also known as the rainbow bass.
Giant marlin, sailfish beyond number; highjumping tarpon,
record closs snook an a dozen or more hard hitting fresh
water species...
Costa Rica has them all! Fishing just doesn't get any better
than tou will find in friendly, pacefulCosta Rica and because
this ia a small nation, it's possible to enjoy it all on
a single visit, perhaps with a day of with water rafting
and a volcano and rain forest tour thrown in.
On the Pacific, it's common to release a dozen or more sails
and even a marlin or two in a single day, and not unusual
to release more than 30 sailfish a day. There are also dolphin(including
the long-standing International Game Fish Association's
all-tackle record 87 pounder), giant yellowfin tuna, wahoo,
cubera, rooster fish, a variety of snapper; grouper; blue
runners, rainbow runners, snook and much more. And Costa
Rica boat operators release all billfish that are not record
contenders, so the future of the resuorce is assured.
Pacific
The Pacific provides Costa Rica's most consistently exciting
fishing, with sailfish, marlin, tuna, wahoo, roosterfish,
mackerel, mahi mahi and snapper being caught regularly.
It is the abundance of billfish that has made that area
famous, with sailfish and marlin being taken in phenomenal
numbers. There are plenty of ports out of which you can
fish the Pacific. In the northwest province of Guanacaste,
charter boats work out of Coco, Ocotal, Flamingo, Tamarindo
and Carrillo. Further south, you can fish out of Puntarenas,
Tambor, Punta Leona, Quepos and Manuel Antonio, Dominical,
Drake Bay, Golfito and Zancudo.
Northern
Pacific
Cabo Blanco to the Gulf of Papagayo Flamingo Beach, with
a full service marina, is the major sportfishing center
in the northern coastal area, but boats also charter out
of earby Coco's beach, Tamarindo, Ocotal, Potrero, Brasilito
and a few points in between. A bit further south, there
are boats operating below Cabo Blanco, out of Nozara, Garza,
Sámara and Carrillo beach, a region that gets more
protection from the winds that normally blow late December
into March and April. Some boats from the more northerly
areas often base at Carrillo beach from about December through
March if the wind is lowing and the main billfish population
is moving north from the central coast area.
Seasons
Marlin: Caught every month of the year;
with midNovember to early Marh exceptional, then slowing
a bit from April into early June when it picks up again,
peaking in August and September.
Sailfish: Caught throughout the year; with May through August
normally the top season. They may begin to thin out in September
and from late August Through November.
Tuna: Peak months are probably August through
October; but when all these fails, there are always tuna,
anytime of the year you want to look for them, and more
oNen than not when you'd just as soon avoid them to concentrate
on billfish. The yellowfin and some bigeye tuna are often
found well inside the Snata Catalina Islands, 30 minutes
or less running time from the beach, while schools of 12
to 20 pounders are usually abundant on the outside. You
frequently find concentrations of 40 to 60 pound tuna, and
there are plenty of the 200 to 400 pounder caught every
year.
Dorado: More properly known as dolphin,
these colorful gamester are most abundant from late May
through October when the seasonal rains flood the rivers,
carryind out ebris that forms trash lines close inshore
that they like to lie under. Troll past a floating long
and you'll like hook a dordo.
Wahoo: The first showing begins about the
time the rains start in May, peaking in July an August.
Most are caught around the rocky points and islands, but
you will pick one up occasionally fishing offshore. Roosterfisch:
available all year, but are more caught in the Papagayo
Bay area from November through March. That may be because
more boats in the northern most area of this region are
fishing inshoreduring those windy months. and the roosters
like the structure of the shoreline and islands where they're
found 50 to 60 feet of water.
Central
Pacific
Cabo Blanco to Drake Bay Quepos is center of fishing on
the central coast, but there are charters avaible out of
Puntarenas, the resorts at the southern end of Nicoya Peninsula,
Jacó Beach, Punta Leona and at Drake Bay. Billfish
are the target of most visiting anglers, and they are seldom
disappointed from around December through April.
Some sails and marlin are taken throughout the year. From
most areas mentioned above, it's no more than 12 to 20 miles
run to the blue water where most of the billfish action
is encountered. Inshore sport includes tuna, roosterfish,
wahoo, dorado, jacks, mackerel, cubera, a varity of small
snapper species and even snook.
The snook can be taken trolling just outside the breaker
line off the river mouths in the area, but are more often
fished from shore. Some boats out of Quepos also offer multi-day
trips to Drake Bay and Caño's Island area, overnighting
at one of the several lodgescentered around Drake Bay. This
region is best known for its eahoo, big cubera and roosterfish,
but there are also tuna, dorado, sails and some marlin.
Seasons
Marlin: October is normally the top month
for marlin in this area, but action is also good in September
and November and occasional blues and rare black are likely
to be found any timeof year although they are usually out
further than the boats hunting for sailfish are likely to
be fishing.
Sailfish: Middle of December to the end
of April when they begin moving north is rated the best
season, but the big schools often move in about October
and occasionally stay longer. A few sail always show among
the catch from June through September, mixed with the other
species that are found inshore during those months.
Tuna: Found through the year as they all
along the Pacific coast, but most abundant from June through
September. Most are the eight to 12 pounders, but a dozen
pounders and maybe another two dozen in the 100 to 200 pound
range are taken every year.
Wahoo: Not common in the area around Quepos, but more abundant
in the late summer further south, especially the Drake Bay
and Caño's Island area from late June to early August.
Dorado: Best action begins with the winter rains that start
in late May and wash debris from the river mouths lines
that the dolphin favor.
Roosterfish: Fishing for this hard-hitting
inshore species is incredible, with the best spots off the
river mouths and the rocky dropoffs. Favored spots are the
mouth of the Parrita; Palo Seco between Parrita and Damas
just outside Damas; off the mouth of the Naranjo River;
around the points at Dominical and throughout the Drake
Bay and Caño's Island area. Best fishing is from
June through early September.
Snook: Favored spots are just the many
river mouths all along the coast, up the Sierpe river and
in the big lagoon on Sierpe.
The IGFA world record Pacific black snook was taken in the
month of July at the mouth of the Rio Naranjo on a boat
trolling just outside the braker line. This a relatively
new target for some small charter boats, but the best months
seem to be from July through November during the heavy rainy
season.
South Pacific
Golfito and Playa Zancudo
Golfito is the larguest town on Costa Rica southern coast,
but there are only a half dozen operators scattered between
the northern end of Dulce Gulf, the town of Golfito, Puesto
Jiménez on the Osa Peninsula and Zancudo beach. Zancudo
is a narrow peninsula with miles of beach on the ocean side
and bordered by several rivers on the other. Expect to raise
a dozen or more sails and likely a marlin or two outside
Matapalo Cape during peak season, and plenty of jacks, runners,
mackerel, amberjack, roosterfish and big sanapper inshore.
There are two modern marinas in Golfito, both offering fishing
charters as well as facilities for transient yachts.
Light tackle
fishing inside Dulce Gulf, with these provision of small
caves and rocky islets and shoreline, is also good for small
barracuda and snaper, corvina and occasional snook to over
40 pounds. Fishing the dropoff outside Matapalo Cape they
get sails, marlin, tuna and other blue water species, and
inshore there are roosters that average over 30 pounds,
grouper, jacks, barracuda, trophy size Pacific cubera snapper
and more.
There is also excellent snook fishing inside the Zancudo
Penisula and further north, at the mouth of the Esquínas
river.
Seasons
Marlin: August through December is the peak season,
but an occasional striped, blue or black may be taken most
any month if the water temperature is up.
Sailfish: A few taken off and on year round with best fishing
from December through March. It Often slows form April into
early June, then picks up again and peaks in August and
September.
Tuna: Best fishing for the 100 pound up yellowfin corresponds
with marlin and sailfish season, but the schools of up 30
pound tuna can nearly always be found outside.
Dorado: Best runs are traditionally from late May through
October, when the rivers are running full.
Wahoo: Not abundant, but occasional fish may be taken most
any time of the year while trolling offshore for billfish
or around the structure off Matapalo Cape.
Roosterfish: The region is famous for its big roosters and
they can be caught virtually any month of the year.
Snook: All year, but best from mid or late May through July
and in January and February.
Caribbean
The canals and rivers of the northern Caribbean coast boast
some of the best snook and tarpon fishing in the world,
and they are lined with lush rain forest, which adds to
the natural experience. The tarpon average about 80 pounds
in the Caribbean canals, and though the snook are much smaller,
they are good little fighters that taste great. About half
a dozen fishing lodges are located in Barra del Colorado,
Tortuguero and Parismina, all on the canals, and the houseboat
Rain Goddess offers roving adventure that let anglers fish
the canals, several rivers and hidden lakes.
Seasons
Tarpon: They're always around, with traditional
high season from December through May, but that was a number
of years ago when all of the lodges were fishing with 16-foot
boats and couln't get outside the river mouths as they do
today with lager boats designed for that purpose.
Snook: Big snook generally peak from March
through Mayand again September through the end of November.
Fat Snook: (Calba) Peak from mid-Novemberthrough late January,
but often make an appearance much earlier.
Billfish: When you can get outside to the blue water you
will find Atlantic blue marlin most any time of the year.
Most are caught from February through September.
Wahoo: Plentiful on the outside from early
February through mid June.
Dorado: Caught jus outside the river mouths
throughout the year. Best fishingis when the runoff carries
out the debris that forms inshore trash lines.
Tripletail: January through June.
Kingfish, Spanish and Cero Mackerel, Jack Crevalle, Barracuda:
Abundant close to shore any time te ocean is flat.
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