Costa Rica Fishing: Inside Scoop On Where To Go

Ah, winter! Shoveling snow ’til your back aches, runny noses, and depressing weather. Holed up in your windowless cubicle? Imagine putting your Chapstick in a drawer and getting out your suntan lotion, heading to tropical beaches and being out on a boat angling in sun kissed waters wondering how the other half is living. Suddenly, your line gets a hit and the adventure is on. If this sounds like what you need, a Costa Rica fishing vacation could be something for you!

Surely, fishing in your little lake is fun because you get to be all dressed up in your heavy parka, long underwear, scarf, mittens, and two pair of socks. Then, you have the pleasure of sitting on your butt all day over the ice. All in pursuit of little fish nearly as cold as you. Of, you can hop a jet and travel to Costa Rica where the only ice you will see will be in your glass. Think about it. What sounds better: Costa Rica fishing or a frozen butt?

On the North Pacific coast of Costa Rica, two of the most popular fishing centers are Flamingo and Tamarindo, both of which are along its famed Gold Coast. Sailfish are available here year round but the best fishing is May through August. Like tuna? Try your luck between August to October. You can often find large schools of tuna from 40 to 400 pounds. If roosterfish appeal to you, fish the Bay of Papagayo around November to March, staying near the shorelines. Depending on the time of year, you also have a chance to hook wahoo, marlin, or the shimmering dorado. And, for a terrific experience, consider renting an ocean kayak.

Billfish are a popular quarry for Costa Rica fishermen and ladies and the Central Pacific coast offers lots of them. Fish the waters off Quepos or the Los Suenos Marina from December to April for large marlin or sailfish. Between May though October many folks catch a vibrant dorado while trolling offshore. Tuna, wahoo, snapper, roosters, and snook are also available along these shores and are found closer in. You will not be disappointed fishing here!

For many, Costa Rica fishing paradise is found along the southern Pacific Coast near the incomparable Osa Peninsula down to Panama. In the months when the water is warm, big marlin and sailfish are abundant. Inshore, you will likely run into roosters, large snapper, wahoo, and amberjack. The Golfo Dulce is claimed by charter operators to offer the finest inland fishing in Costa Rica. This is mostly due to the fact that it contains many small coves and is very rocky, giving fish a great place to hide. Hook a barracuda, grouper, or delicious sea bass here as well as other inland species. And, at times, you will have thousands of porpoises around your boat as they follow the bait fish.

Costa Rica’s Caribbean waters contain the famed fishing areas of Barra del Colorado and Tortuguero. Although these waters can be very choppy, you can catch many types of deep sea fish on days when the water is flat. The spectacular tarpon are plentiful here from May to November and some reach about 150 pounds or more. They are caught off river mouths and also in rivers and estuaries that are filled with wildlife. This remote coast is one of the few places where you might catch a rare Atlantic sail. Big snook are also very common. You may even hook a giant grouper, guapote, tripletail, or Jack Crevalle! And, try to time your visit when the Atlantic green sea turtles are nesting along mile after mile of Tortuguero beaches.

If you need to get out of the office, a Costa Rica fishing trip may be just what you need! There are several Costa Rica vacation packages available online for sportfishing. With dozens of fishing world fishing records to its credit, Costa Rica is said to have the best deep sea fishing in the world. See for yourself. Pura Vida!!!

Victor Krumm lives in tropical Costa Rica and has a lovely and informative website about Costa Rica Vacations. For many fishermen, Costa Rica Fishing is the spectacular culmination of their Costa Rica trip.