Colio Sportfishing Charters
A 28-foot TwinVee out of Golfito
Colio Sportfishing Charters is a one-boat outfit in Golfito built around a custom 28-foot TwinVee catamaran. Founder Mike Hennessy, a Matapalo resident of more than 20 years, works alongside lead captain Luis Enrique, who runs the boat all year. It suits small private groups of up to 4 who want Golfo Dulce inshore days or long offshore runs for marlin and big yellowfin.
At a glance
- Location
- Golfito, Southern Pacific, Costa Rica
- Boat
- Colio, a custom 28-foot TwinVee catamaran with a hardtop and rocket launchers
- Crew
- founder Mike Hennessy and lead captain Luis Enrique, born on the Golfo Dulce
- Group size
- up to 4 anglers, private charters only
- Trips
- half day (about 4 hours), full day (8 hours), seamount day (10 to 12 hours), a week-long package
- Fishing
- Matapalo reefs and the gulf inshore; shelf and seamounts offshore
- Release
- all sailfish and marlin, on circle hooks, unhooked in the water
- Leaves from
- Fish Hook Marina, Golfito
Contact
- Website
- coliosportfishing.com
- +1 808 366 7835
- [email protected]
Contact details checked 15 November 2026
Part of our complete guide: Fishing the Southern Pacific: the complete guide
Who runs it
Colio is a small, owner-led charter in Golfito. Its founder, Mike Hennessy, has lived at Matapalo, the tip of the Osa Peninsula, for more than 20 years and skippered boats in Kona before that. The site also shows his team taking first place at the 2010 Bisbee's Black & Blue tournament in Mexico. These days Mike handles planning and fishes with guests for part of the year, while lead captain Luis Enrique, who grew up on the Golfo Dulce, runs the deck year-round.
The charter is clearly active: its website was rebuilt in 2026, with new catch photos added in July and August 2026.
The boat
There's one boat, and it's the boat's name too: Colio, a custom 28-foot TwinVee. TwinVee builds power catamarans, and a twin hull like this tends to ride flatter and more evenly than a single-hull boat of the same length, which you'll appreciate on a long run offshore. It carries a hardtop for shade, rocket launchers for extra rods and Penn and Shimano tackle (the trip pages also mention Daiwa). You're welcome to bring your own spinning rod for popping.
Every trip is private and takes up to 4 anglers. The crew is bilingual, and it likes guests to get involved in rigging baits and setting the hook rather than just reeling.
Where it leaves from
The boat boards at Fish Hook Marina in Golfito. SANSA flies from San José to Golfito, and the trip pages note that hotels in Golfito and Puerto Jiménez are a short walk or taxi ride from the dock. Pickup time depends on what you want to fish and on the weather, so it's agreed when you book.
What you'll fish for
Inshore
The half day works the ledges off Matapalo and the structure inside the Golfo Dulce: roosterfish, cubera snapper, snook, jacks, African pompano, amberjack, grouper and, now and then, tarpon.
Offshore
Full days head out for blue and black marlin, sailfish, yellowfin tuna, wahoo and dorado. The seamount trip is the big one: a 10 to 12 hour day, roughly 5 a.m. to 6 p.m., running out to underwater pinnacles about 30 to 70 miles off the Osa for marlin and tuna, with sailfish often met on the way.
The crew fishes all year. In the dry season (December to April) the sea is usually calmer and sailfish are at their best; the green months bring river runoff and more marlin. That fits the wider pattern in our Southern Pacific guide.
Release practice
Colio's site says every sailfish and marlin goes back alive. The crew uses non-offset circle hooks and unhooks billfish in the water rather than lifting them aboard, which is the approach described in our guide to releasing a billfish. That's in line with Costa Rica's rule that billfish must be released.
Trips and booking
Choose from a half day, a full day, the seamount day, or a week-long package that pairs 3 fishing days with a stay at a Matapalo lodge. For anything longer than 3 days, talk to Mike directly. Lunch comes with the full and seamount days but not the half day, so bring food for a short trip.
Book through the website, by WhatsApp on +1 808 366 7835 or by email at [email protected]. Each angler also needs an INCOPESCA licence, which our step-by-step licence guide explains.
Frequently asked questions
Where does Colio leave from?
From Fish Hook Marina in Golfito. Golfito has an airstrip with SANSA flights from San José.
How many people can fish on the boat?
Up to 4 anglers, and every trip is private.
How far offshore does the seamount trip go?
The crew describes the seamounts as roughly 30 to 70 miles off the Osa Peninsula, which is why that trip runs 10 to 12 hours.
Do they release billfish?
Yes. All sailfish and marlin are released alive, caught on circle hooks and unhooked in the water.
Is lunch included?
On full days and seamount days, yes. On the half day, snacks and drinks are included but lunch isn't.
