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Sportfishing Costa RicaN 9°56′ · W 84°05′
Anglers in the cockpit of a sportfishing boat off Jacó with a sailfish alongside

Two oceans · Pacific and Caribbean · since 2013

Into the blue

Sailfish off Quepos, roosterfish in the Gulf of Papagayo, tarpon in the Caribbean river mouths. Where to go, when the fish are running, and the crews who know the water.

Find a charterWhen to go

Photo: Jaco Tour Sportfishing

Where the bite is

Five coasts, five fisheries

The Pacific shelf drops off fast, so blue water and big fish are often less than an hour from the marina. The Caribbean side is a different game: rivers, lagoons and tarpon.

10.6° N · 85.7° WGuanacastePapagayo, Playas del Coco, Flamingo, Tamarindo. Roosterfish on the rocks, marlin and sailfish offshore.Best · May to September15 listings9.4° N · 84.2° WCentral PacificLos Sueños, Jacó, Quepos and Marina Pez Vela. The country's busiest sailfish grounds.Best · December to April13 listings8.6° N · 83.2° WSouthern PacificGolfito, Zancudo, Puerto Jiménez. Calm gulf water, roosterfish and big yellowfin.Best · December to May13 listings9.7° N · 85.1° WNicoya PeninsulaNosara, Sámara, Santa Teresa, Montezuma and Tambor. Pangas off the beaches, roosterfish and snapper close in.Best · November to April10 listings10.8° N · 83.6° WCaribbean coastBarra del Colorado, Tortuguero, Limón. Tarpon and snook in the rivers and surf.Best · January to May, September to October4 listings

How the fishing works

The map

Where to fish

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  • Charters
  • Marinas
  • Lodges
  • Fishing towns
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Background photos: Sailfish by 出羽雀台 (CC BY-SA 4.0); Yellowfin tuna by NOAA National Undersea Research Program (public domain); Almaco jack by Julien Bidet (CC BY-SA 4.0); Striped marlin by stevestevens (CC0); Yellow snapper by Diego Delso (CC BY-SA 4.0); Wahoo by Bommerer (CC BY 4.0); Spotted cabrilla by Alberto Alcalá (CC BY 4.0); Atlantic tarpon by Daiju Azuma (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons.

Season chart

When they're running

This is a rough guide based on charter-fleet calendars and fisheries data: every one of these fish can be caught outside its best months, and weather, water temperature and bait change things from year to year.

Best months for each fish
FishJanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecember
Sailfish Central and South PacificJanuary bestFebruary bestMarch bestApril bestMay goodJune goodJuly goodAugust goodSeptember goodOctober goodNovember goodDecember best
Sailfish GuanacasteJanuary goodFebruary goodMarch goodApril goodMay bestJune bestJuly bestAugust bestSeptember goodOctober goodNovember goodDecember good
Blue marlin Pacific, offshoreJanuary goodFebruary goodMarch goodApril goodMay bestJune bestJuly bestAugust bestSeptember bestOctober goodNovember bestDecember best
Roosterfish Pacific, inshoreJanuary bestFebruary bestMarch bestApril bestMay goodJune goodJuly goodAugust goodSeptember goodOctober goodNovember goodDecember good
Dorado (mahi-mahi) Pacific, offshoreJanuary goodFebruary goodMarch goodApril goodMay goodJune goodJuly bestAugust bestSeptember bestOctober bestNovember bestDecember best
Yellowfin tuna Pacific, offshoreJanuary goodFebruary goodMarch goodApril goodMay bestJune bestJuly bestAugust bestSeptember goodOctober goodNovember goodDecember good
Wahoo Pacific, offshoreJanuary goodFebruary goodMarch goodApril goodMay bestJune bestJuly bestAugust bestSeptember goodOctober goodNovember goodDecember good
Tarpon CaribbeanJanuary goodFebruary bestMarch bestApril bestMay goodJune goodJuly slowAugust slowSeptember bestOctober bestNovember goodDecember slow
Snook CaribbeanJanuary bestFebruary goodMarch goodApril goodMay goodJune goodJuly goodAugust goodSeptember bestOctober bestNovember bestDecember best
BestGoodSlow

Meet the fish

Crews and boats

Who to fish with

Charters checked against each crew's own website, with where they leave from and how to reach them.

A blue-hulled sportfisher with a tall tuna tower running fast across calm water past green forested hills near Los Sueños
Jacó · charterAdventure Tours Costa RicaAdventure Tours Costa Rica is a licensed travel agency and tour company with an office in Jacó, and its fishing desk books a list…
A new silver Lowe aluminium fishing boat with a wooden deck, a pedestal seat and a black Mercury outboard, sitting on its trailer on a green lawn
El Castillo · charterArenal Lake Fishing with SalomónArenal Lake Fishing with Salomón is a one-man guide service on Lake Arenal, run by Capt. Gohering Salomón Rodríguez, who grew up…
A white express sportfisher with a tuna tower and outriggers at anchor on calm water in the Gulf of Nicoya, with green hills and white clouds behind
Paquera · fishing lodgeBahía Rica Fishing and Kayak LodgeBahía Rica is a small fishing and kayak lodge at Punta Cuchillo, just east of the Paquera ferry landing on the Gulf of Nicoya…
Anglers and crew lined up on the stern of the Bushwacker, a white sportfishing boat with its name and Flamingo, Costa Rica painted on the transom, with the captain on the flybridge
Playa Flamingo · charterBushwacker Fishing ChartersBushwacker is a one-boat charter in Playa Flamingo, on Guanacaste's north Pacific coast, built around a 42-foot Bertram with a…
Two smiling anglers and a crew member in a red shirt holding a big jack on board a fishing boat, with blue sea and a rocky islet behind
Playa Hermosa · charterCapitan Mendez Fishing ChartersCapitan Mendez Fishing Charters is a one-boat, captain-run charter at Playa Hermosa, just north of Playas del Coco in Guanacaste.…
The light blue sportfishing boat Capullo trolling with outriggers out on deep blue water, with a beach and dry brown hills of the Guanacaste coast behind
Tamarindo · charterCapullo Sport FishingCapullo Sport Fishing is a long-running Tamarindo charter with two boats: the 36-foot Topaz Capullo for groups of up to 8 and the…

All 46 charters

Docks and beds

Marinas and fishing lodges

Where the boats tie up, and the lodges where you walk from breakfast to the dock.

Sportfishing boats and motor yachts tied stern-in along the wooden docks at Banana Bay Marina, with sailboat masts and the Golfo Dulce behind
Golfito · marinaBanana Bay MarinaBanana Bay Marina is a small marina and sportfishing center on Golfito Bay, inside the sheltered Golfo Dulce in Costa Rica's far…
Overhead drone view of Fish Hook Marina's floating dock in Golfito, with white sportfishing boats and cruisers tied up on both sides in green water
Golfito · marinaFish Hook Marina & LodgeFish Hook Marina & Lodge is a compact marina, small hotel and open-air restaurant on the Golfito waterfront, in the sheltered…
Aerial view at sunset of Los Sueños Marina in Herradura Bay, with long rows of white sportfishing boats at the docks and resort buildings on the forested shore
Playa Herradura · marinaLos Sueños Resort and MarinaLos Sueños is a resort community and marina on Herradura Bay, just north of Jacó on Costa Rica's Central Pacific coast. Its…
A pale blue sportfishing boat named Albatros with a tuna tower and outriggers tied up at a wooden dock beside a jungle-covered bank
Drake Bay · fishing lodgeAguila de Osa Rainforest & Marine Adventure LodgeAguila de Osa is a rainforest lodge on the hillside above the Agujitas River in Drake Bay, on the Osa Peninsula, with its own…
A white express sportfisher with a tuna tower and outriggers at anchor on calm water in the Gulf of Nicoya, with green hills and white clouds behind
Paquera · fishing lodgeBahía Rica Fishing and Kayak LodgeBahía Rica is a small fishing and kayak lodge at Punta Cuchillo, just east of the Paquera ferry landing on the Gulf of Nicoya…
An angler in a cap and sunglasses leans over the side of a Crocodile Bay boat holding a sailfish's bill beside the hull before releasing it in deep blue water
Puerto Jiménez · fishing lodgeCrocodile Bay ResortCrocodile Bay is a sportfishing operation and marina in Puerto Jiménez, on the Osa Peninsula side of the Golfo Dulce, running…

All lodges

In the water

The fish

All fish species

Read before you go

The guides

  1. 01Fishing from Jacó: Los Sueños, Herradura and the sailfish groundsJacó is the closest Pacific fishing town to San José, about 2 hours by road, and its charters leave from Los Sueños Marina or the beach at…
  2. 02Fishing from Sámara and CarrilloSámara and Puerto Carrillo, on the Nicoya Peninsula's Pacific side, are small-boat fishing towns with no marina: you wade out from the…
  3. 03Fishing from MontezumaMontezuma has no harbor, so it's a base rather than a port: fishing boats pick you up on the beach at first light, leave from Cabuya just…
  4. 04Bringing Your Own Rods and Tackle into Costa Rica: Airlines, Customs and What's Worth PackingYou can bring your own rods and tackle into Costa Rica as ordinary luggage, as long as it's for your own use: travellers arriving with only…
  5. 05Caño Negro and the Río Frío: tarpon, snook and gar in fresh waterCaño Negro and the Río Frío, near the Nicaraguan border, are where you hook tarpon in fresh water, along with snook, guapote and the…
  6. 06Fishing lodges on Costa Rica's Caribbean coastSilver King Lodge at Barra del Colorado is the only full-service fishing lodge on Costa Rica's Caribbean coast that we could confirm open…
  7. 07The Fall Snook Run (Calba) on Costa Rica's CaribbeanCalba, or fat snook, gather at the Caribbean's river and lagoon mouths to spawn from about October to January, and anglers have long fished…
  8. 08Tarpon Season on Costa Rica's Caribbean CoastTarpon live in Costa Rica's Caribbean rivers all year, but September and October are usually the best months, with calm seas that let boats…

All 85 guides