# Costa Rica Fishing Tournaments: The Yearly Calendar and Past Winners

> Costa Rica's big billfish tournaments run from January to April out of Marina Pez Vela in Quepos and Los Sueños in Playa Herradura, with smaller events in Guanacaste in summer and on the Golfo Dulce in May. Almost all are release-only for billfish, and Costa Rican anglers have had standout years lately, led by Erika Sandi's top-angler title at the 2026 Offshore World Championship.

Source: https://sportfishing-costarica.com/costa-rica-fishing-tournaments/
Last checked: 2026-11-14
Main venues: Marina Pez Vela (Quepos) and Safe Harbor Los Sueños (Playa Herradura)
Peak season: January to April, central Pacific
Biggest field: Pelagic Rockstar Offshore, 117 boats in 2026
World final: Offshore World Championship, Quepos, every April
Women only: Pescadora Billfish Championship, February, Quepos
Guanacaste: Presidential Flamingo Fishing Rodeo, late July or early August
South: Battle of the Bay, Golfo Dulce, May (since 2025)
Billfish: released in the water, circle hooks with natural bait

## The short answer

Costa Rica's tournament season follows the sailfish. From January to April, the central Pacific fills with tournament boats from the US, Latin America and beyond, fishing out of [Marina Pez Vela](/marina-pez-vela-a-luxurious-getaway/) in Quepos and [Los Sueños](/los-suenos-marina-and-resort/) in Playa Herradura. These are some of the biggest billfish release tournaments anywhere: the 2026 Pelagic Rockstar drew 117 boats, and one day of the 2016 Los Sueños Triple Crown saw 1,103 sailfish released.

Away from the central Pacific, Guanacaste hosts the Presidential Flamingo Fishing Rodeo in mid-summer, Marina Papagayo has run a family tournament, and since 2025 the Golfo Dulce has its own event in May. Almost every tournament releases its billfish, and several have Costa Rican winners worth knowing about.

This guide lists every yearly event we could confirm, with dates, format and how to enter, then the winners year by year from 2016 to 2026. Where we couldn't find a result, we say so rather than guess.

## The calendar at a glance

| Month | Tournament | Where | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | Pelagic Rockstar Offshore | Marina Pez Vela, Quepos | Team billfish release, plus tuna |
| January | Los Sueños Signature Triple Crown, Leg I | Los Sueños, Playa Herradura | Billfish release |
| February | Pescadora Billfish Championship | Marina Pez Vela | Women only, billfish release |
| February | Los Sueños Triple Crown, Leg II | Los Sueños | Billfish release |
| February | Quepos Billfish Cup (may have lapsed) | Marina Pez Vela | Billfish release |
| March | IGFA Open | Marina Pez Vela | Billfish release |
| March | Club Amateur de Pesca International Sailfish and Marlin | Central Pacific | Billfish release, national teams |
| Late March to early April | Los Sueños Triple Crown, Leg III | Los Sueños | Billfish release |
| April | Bisbee's Costa Rica Offshore | Marina Pez Vela | Billfish release |
| April | Marina Pez Vela Open (OWC qualifier) | Marina Pez Vela | Billfish release |
| April | Offshore World Championship | Marina Pez Vela | Invitation, world final |
| May | Battle of the Bay | Golfo Dulce | Billfish, roosterfish and gamefish |
| Late June | Tuna Thunder | Marina Pez Vela | Tuna |
| June to July | Peninsula Papagayo Classic | Marina Papagayo, Guanacaste | Family teams, billfish and gamefish |
| Late July or early August | Presidential Flamingo Fishing Rodeo | Marina Flamingo, Guanacaste | Offshore and inshore release |
| November | Dorado Derby | Quepos | Dorado, catch donated |
| December | Flor de Caña tournament, Costa Rica edition | Marina Pez Vela | Billfish release, sonar and non-sonar |

Dates shift a little each year, so always check the organiser's site. Our [fishing seasons guide](/costa-rica-fishing-seasons/) shows why the calendar looks like this.

![A small fleet of unmarked white sportfishing boats heading out across calm blue water at sunrise](/static/img/tou-fleet-at-dawn-800.webp)

## How the rules work in Costa Rica

A few things are true of nearly every Costa Rican tournament:

- **Billfish are released.** Sailfish and marlin stay in the water and are released at the boat. INCOPESCA's agreement AJDIP/280-2014 bans lifting billfish aboard for photos and using gaffs to bring them alongside, with an exception for fish being weighed for a record or in an INCOPESCA-approved tournament. In practice, the big events here are release-only for billfish.
- **Circle hooks with natural bait.** Costa Rica's fishing regulation requires circle hooks when you fish natural bait for big pelagic fish. Fly fishing and trolling artificial lures without natural bait are exempt.
- **Releases are verified.** Most events use observers, video or a catch-reporting app. Points are typically 100 for a sailfish and 500 for a marlin at Los Sueños; the OWC adjusts points for boats using omni-directional sonar.
- **Gamefish are weighed.** Tuna and dorado divisions are weighed at the dock, and the fish are kept within the normal limits.
- **Everyone needs a licence.** Anglers and crew need an INCOPESCA sport fishing licence, as on any trip. See [Costa Rica fishing rules](/costa-rica-fishing-rules/).
- **Kids can fish.** A 2016 decree changed the regulation that had kept under-16s out of recreational fishing, licences and tournaments, and INCOPESCA has since set a special rate for children's tournament licences.

For how these rules came about and what they've done for the fishery, read our [conservation guide](/costa-rica-fishing-conservation/).

## Los Sueños Signature Triple Crown

**When:** 3 legs a year, in January, February and late March to early April. The 2027 legs are 20 to 23 January, 24 to 27 February and 31 March to 3 April.
**Where:** Safe Harbor Los Sueños Marina, Playa Herradura, on the central Pacific.
**Format:** Teams fish 3 days per leg and can enter one leg or the whole series, with a series champion crowned at the end. Billfish are release-only and scored by points. A Ladies Only day has been held in leg week since 2019, and the resort's own Ladies Only tournament marked its 25th edition that year.
**How to enter:** Team entry form and registration on the organiser's site, with in-person check-in at the Beach Club. The series is aimed at boats with a slip at Los Sueños.
**Organiser:** [Los Sueños Triple Crown](https://lossuenostriplecrown.com/los-suenos-triple-crown/)

The Triple Crown is the longest-running series on the central Pacific, and it's where many of the fleet's records were set. Team Galati has won the series 4 times since 2016 (2020, 2021, 2023 and 2026), and the 2026 series ended with Galati releasing 111 sailfish in the final leg while the 40-boat fleet released 2,491 in 3 days.

![A sailfish with its tall sail raised along the whole length of its back, chasing a bright teaser just under the surface](/static/img/tou-sailfish-teaser-800.webp)

## Pelagic Rockstar Offshore

**When:** Mid-January. The 2026 edition, the 10th, ran 15 to 18 January.
**Where:** Marina Pez Vela, Quepos.
**Format:** Team billfish release over 2 fishing days, with optional jackpot levels, a tuna division and small-boat categories.
**How to enter:** Registration opens through the organiser, Pelagic, in the second half of the year.
**Organiser:** [Pelagic](https://pelagicgear.com/blogs/news/costa-ricas-largest-and-richest-fishing-tournament)

The Rockstar is Costa Rica's largest and richest tournament. It set a one-day release record in 2025 when 107 teams released 2,425 billfish across the event, and in 2026 a record 117 boats from 14 countries took part. The 2025 winner, Game Plan, carried 2 Costa Rican anglers, Manuel Molina Arias and Danny Hidalgo Fernández. That year also drew Michael Jordan, who fished on his own boat and placed 11th.

## Offshore World Championship (OWC)

**When:** April. The 2027 championship is 11 to 15 April, with fishing on 12, 13 and 14 April.
**Where:** Quepos, with weigh-ins at Marina Pez Vela. Boats may leave from any Pacific marina but must fish within 50 nautical miles of Pez Vela.
**Format:** IGFA rules, all anglers hook their own fish, and billfish, dorado and tuna count. Since 2026, teams fish their own private or chartered boats rather than being assigned boats at random, and boats using omni sonar score fewer points per fish.
**How to enter:** By invitation. Champions of official qualifying tournaments around the world get a place, and other teams can apply to the committee. Registration is through the event's catch-reporting site. Each entry covers up to 4 anglers, and 5 may fish each day.
**Organiser:** [Offshore World Championship](https://www.marlinmag.com/tournaments/offshore-world-championship/)

This is the world final of billfish tournament fishing, and Costa Rica has hosted it for years. The 2026 edition came very close for the home side: Spain's team, The Rodfather, won aboard Pura Vida with 10,920 points, and the team representing Costa Rica as 2021 champions finished 20 points behind on 10,900. The headline, though, was Erika Sandi, a Costa Rican angler fishing with the Spanish team, who became the first Costa Rican to be named top overall angler, and also top lady angler, with 28 sailfish releases.

![A blue marlin leaping clear of deep blue water, spray flying from its bill in warm golden light](/static/img/tou-blue-marlin-jump-800.webp)

## Pescadora Billfish Championship (women only)

**When:** Late February. The 2026 event was 19 to 21 February; 2027 is set for 18 to 20 February.
**Where:** Marina Pez Vela, Quepos.
**Format:** All-women teams, with billfish scored in an IGFA release division and a separate hook-and-hand division, plus a meat fish division for dorado and tuna.
**How to enter:** Through the organiser's site.
**Organiser:** [Pescadora](https://pescadora.squarespace.com)

Pescadora started in 2019 and has grown fast: in 2025, 56 teams and 260 women released 1,741 billfish over 2 days. That year Josabeth Abarca, a deckhand from Quepos who trained at FECOP's women's nautical school and now teaches there, won the IGFA top lady angler award with 24 sailfish. It's one of the best stories in Costa Rican fishing.

## IGFA Open

**When:** March. **Where:** Marina Pez Vela, Quepos. **Format:** Billfish release under IGFA rules. **Organiser:** the International Game Fish Association, with results published in [Marlin Magazine](https://www.marlinmag.com/tournaments/igfa-open-2026-results/).

The Open began in 2025, when 28 teams released 988 billfish and Team Galati won with 81 sailfish. In 2026, 30 boats released 1,206 billfish in 2 days and Pura Vida took the title.

## Bisbee's Costa Rica Offshore

**When:** April. The 2027 event runs 6 to 10 April, with fishing on 7, 8 and 9 April.
**Where:** Marina Pez Vela, Quepos.
**Format:** Billfish release with optional jackpots.
**How to enter:** Through [Bisbee's](https://bisbees.com/tournaments/bisbees-costa-rica-offshore/schedule).

Bisbee's has run tournaments in Cabo San Lucas since 1981, and Quepos was its first event outside Mexico. The first edition in April 2026 drew 79 teams. Pura Vida won with 59 sailfish and 3 blue marlin, with Costa Rican Erika Sandi among the crew.

::: triptych "Tournament days: sailfish released by the hundred, and tuna for the gamefish divisions"
![A sailfish swimming away into clear blue water after release](/static/img/tou-released-sailfish-800.webp)
![An empty fighting chair in the cockpit of a sportfishing boat facing a calm blue sea](/static/img/tou-fighting-chair-800.webp)
![A yellowfin tuna with long yellow fins swimming fast through deep blue water](/static/img/tou-yellowfin-800.webp)
:::

## Smaller events in Quepos and Los Sueños

**Marina Pez Vela Open.** A 2-day April tournament that sends its winner to the OWC. In 2018 a record 19 teams fished it and Team Pelagic won aboard Miss Judy, with top angler Mario Cubillo. In 2023, the Marina Pez Vela Open's qualifying team finished 2nd at the world championship.

**Quepos Billfish Cup.** An early-February event at Pez Vela. Billfish (Capt. John Mumford) won in 2017 with about 36 sailfish and 3 marlin. We found no results after 2017, so it may have lapsed.

**Flor de Caña tournament, Costa Rica edition.** Held at Pez Vela in December. In 2025, 32 boats released 228 billfish, 75 of them blue marlin; Annie Girl won the sonar division and Kelly Dawn the non-sonar division.

**Tuna Thunder.** A one-day tuna event at Pez Vela in late June; El Mundo CR previewed the 2025 edition on 28 June. We found no published winners.

**Dorado Derby.** A Quepos event in November. At the 4th edition in 2020, organisers donated 90 kg of the dorado caught to an elderly care home in Quepos.

**Club Amateur de Pesca International Sailfish and Marlin.** A long-running club tournament organised by the Club Amateur de Pesca and fished by national teams (the 2018 edition was the 35th). The 38th edition, in 2021 at Los Sueños, saw 47 anglers from 6 countries release 738 sailfish. The Dominican Republic won the team title, Costa Rica's Amejaye team was 2nd, and Costa Rican Carlos Páez was top angler with 44 fish.

![A tall polished silver trophy cup with no engraving standing on a teak table on a dock at sunset](/static/img/tou-trophy-cup-800.webp)

## Guanacaste tournaments

**Presidential Flamingo Fishing Rodeo.** Held at Marina Flamingo in late July or early August, with offshore and inshore divisions. It's also an OWC qualifier, and in 2021 the team that qualified through it won the world championship. The event has grown steadily since the marina was rebuilt: a record 32 boats and 181 anglers fished in 2024, and the 2025 edition (the 10th) had 28 boats release 524 sailfish and 5 blue marlin. The 2021 winners fished as Casa Marlin/Bushwacker; our listing for [Bushwacker Sportfishing](/bushwacker-sportfishing/) covers that Flamingo boat.

**Peninsula Papagayo Classic.** A family-team event at [Marina Papagayo](/marina-papagayo-a-grand-retreat/), first held in July 2019 with IGFA observers. Good Times won billfish and Nimbu won gamefish. We found no results for later years, so check with the marina before planning around it.

For the rest of this coast, see our [Guanacaste fishing guide](/guanacaste-fishing-guide/).

## Southern Pacific: Battle of the Bay

**When:** May. **Where:** the Golfo Dulce, run by Marina Bahía Golfito with [Crocodile Bay](/crocodile-bay-resort/) and the [Zancudo Lodge](/zancudo-fishing-lodge/). **Format:** Catch and release over 2 days, with billfish, roosterfish and gamefish categories and a Triple Crown overall award.

The first edition in May 2025 brought 14 boats; Z1 won overall, Seaduction won billfish, Los Cocos won roosterfish and Southern Exposure won gamefish. The second, on 7 to 9 May 2026, grew to 16 boats and added a roosterfish release category. We couldn't find the 2026 winners. Our [Southern Pacific fishing guide](/southern-pacific-fishing-guide/) has more on the gulf.

## The Caribbean: tarpon tournaments

The Club Amateur de Pesca has run a national tarpon (sábalo) tournament on the northern Caribbean, around Barra del Colorado and Tortuguero, for many years. The most recent results we could find are from 2012, when Mario Sáenz was national champion. We found nothing published for 2016 to 2026, so treat it as a club event rather than one visitors can plan around. Tarpon lodges such as [Silver King Lodge](/silver-king-lodge/) are the way to fish this coast; see our [Caribbean fishing guide](/caribbean-fishing-guide/) and the [tarpon page](/tarpon-in-costa-rica/).

![An Atlantic tarpon, big silver scales catching the light, swimming in clear water](/static/img/tou-tarpon-800.webp "Photo: [Atlantic tarpon](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Megalops_atlanticus_by_DaijuAzuma.jpg) by Daiju Azuma, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons")

## How to fish a tournament as a visitor

![A row of heavy trolling rods with gold reels standing in the rod holders of a sportfishing boat at sea](/static/img/tou-rods-in-holders-800.webp)

You don't need your own boat. Plenty of Quepos and Los Sueños charter boats fish tournaments with visiting teams, and some events (the OWC since 2026, Bisbee's, Pescadora) explicitly allow chartered boats. A few tips:

- **Book early.** Tournament weeks in January to April fill the marinas, the hotels and the best boats months ahead.
- **Agree on the paperwork.** Ask who registers the team, who pays the entry and jackpots, and who arranges the INCOPESCA licences.
- **Learn the release rules.** Each event explains how releases are verified. Know them before the first bite.
- **Fish a non-tournament day first.** A practice day with the same crew helps everyone work together.
- **Consider the smaller events.** The Flamingo Rodeo, the Battle of the Bay and Pescadora are friendly entry points.

If you're new to sailfish, our [techniques guide](/costa-rica-fishing-techniques/) explains teasers, dredges and the bait-and-switch, and our [planning guide](/planning-a-costa-rica-fishing-trip/) covers the rest of the trip. Want your own gear? See [bait and tackle in Costa Rica](/costa-rica-bait-and-tackle/).

## Notable winners, 2016 to 2026

These are the champions we could confirm in published results (mostly Marlin Magazine, the Tico Times and the organisers). A dash means we couldn't find a result; we'd rather leave a gap than guess. Costa Rican anglers and teams are in **bold**.

### Los Sueños Signature Triple Crown (series champion)

| Year | Champion | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Agitator (Capt. Jon Duffie) | 246 sailfish over 3 legs; one-day record of 1,103 fleet releases in Leg II |
| 2017 | Not confirmed | Xta-Sea won Leg I, Agitator won Leg II and led the series |
| 2018 | Tarheel (Capt. John Bayliss) | 10,600 points; Gunsmoke won a leg |
| 2019 | Fish Tank | 17,400 points; Uno Mas won Leg III; first Ladies Only day |
| 2020 | Team Galati | 13,900 points; Leg III lost to the pandemic and settled in 2021 |
| 2021 | Team Galati | Maria Magalhaes became the first woman named top series angler |
| 2022 | Rum Runner (fishing as Team Sea Angel) | 14,100 points, ahead of Max Bet on time |
| 2023 | Team Galati (Capt. Tony Carrizosa) | 15,200 points |
| 2024 | Not found | |
| 2025 | Billfisher (Capt. Noel McVicker) | 23,400 points, 204 sailfish |
| 2026 | Team Galati (Capt. Tony Carrizosa) | 26,500 points; Max Bet won Leg I |

### Pelagic Rockstar Offshore

| Year | Champion | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Not found | First edition |
| 2018 | Game Plan | Reported by the organiser |
| 2019 | Not confirmed | |
| 2020 | Nigerian Navigator aboard Vaquero | Swept all 5 day-two jackpot levels |
| 2021 | Cabana (Capt. Eddie Wheeler) | 67 teams |
| 2022 | Vaquero (Capt. Lance Hightower) | 83 teams |
| 2023 | Galati/Fish Tank (Capt. Ben Horning) | 94 teams; first woman top angler |
| 2024 | Fish Tank/Galati | First back-to-back champions |
| 2025 | Game Plan (Capt. John Brennan) | **Costa Rican anglers Manuel Molina Arias and Danny Hidalgo Fernández** aboard |
| 2026 | Pura Vida (Capt. Rudy Arguedas) | 117 boats, 62 sailfish |

### Offshore World Championship

| Year | Champion | Costa Rican highlight |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Trinidad and Tobago | 66 teams from 29 countries |
| 2017 | Torneio de Peixes de Bico (Brazil) | **Los Sueños captains Johnny Vanegas, Juan Carlos Zamora and Carlos Espinosa at the top of the captains' standings** |
| 2018 | Torneio Marlin do Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) | Costa Rica's International Sailfish Tournament team had the biggest wahoo |
| 2019 | Oregon Tuna Classic (USA) | |
| 2020 | Not found | Probably not held because of the pandemic |
| 2021 | Presidential Flamingo Fishing Rodeo team | US anglers who qualified through **Costa Rica's** Flamingo Rodeo |
| 2022 | Kenya | |
| 2023 | International Roosterfish Tournament (Mexico) | **Marina Pez Vela Open team 2nd** |
| 2024 | Marlin Rio (Brazil) | |
| 2025 | Fish for Holly (USA) | **Alonso Araya 3rd angler** |
| 2026 | The Rodfather (Spain), aboard Pura Vida | **Erika Sandi top angler and top lady angler; Costa Rica's team 2nd by 20 points** |

### Pescadora Billfish Championship

| Year | Champion | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Uno Mas | First edition, 49 releases |
| 2020 | Big Oh | 34 teams |
| 2021 | Not found | |
| 2022 | Tarheel | Billfish division |
| 2023 | Not found | |
| 2024 | Not found | |
| 2025 | Pura Vida (Capt. Rudy Arguedas) | **Josabeth Abarca of Quepos, IGFA top lady angler, 24 sailfish** |
| 2026 | Not found | |

### Other events

| Year | Tournament | Champion |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Quepos Billfish Cup | Billfish (Capt. John Mumford) |
| 2018 | Marina Pez Vela Open | Miss Judy (Team Pelagic), top angler Mario Cubillo |
| 2019 | Peninsula Papagayo Classic | Good Times (billfish), Nimbu (gamefish) |
| 2021 | Club Amateur de Pesca International Sailfish and Marlin | Dominican Republic; **Carlos Páez top angler, Amejaye 2nd** |
| 2021 | Presidential Flamingo Fishing Rodeo (6th) | Casa Marlin/Bushwacker |
| 2024 | Presidential Flamingo Fishing Rodeo (9th) | Southern Pride |
| 2025 | Presidential Flamingo Fishing Rodeo (10th) | Xta-Sea (Capt. Ronny Riebe) |
| 2025 | IGFA Open (1st) | Team Galati (Capt. Tony Carrizosa) |
| 2025 | Battle of the Bay (1st) | Z1 |
| 2025 | Flor de Caña, Costa Rica edition | Annie Girl (sonar), Kelly Dawn (non-sonar) |
| 2026 | IGFA Open | Pura Vida (Capt. Rudy Arguedas) |
| 2026 | Bisbee's Costa Rica Offshore (1st) | Pura Vida, **with Erika Sandi in the crew** |

Pura Vida's 2026 deserves a note: the same boat and captain won the Pelagic Rockstar, the IGFA Open and the first Bisbee's, and carried the Spanish team to the OWC title, all in one season. The sources don't state the captain's nationality, so we haven't marked it as a Costa Rican win.

## Frequently asked questions

### When is fishing tournament season in Costa Rica?

The main season is January to April on the central Pacific, when the sailfish run peaks. Guanacaste's big event is in late July or early August, and the Golfo Dulce's is in May.

### What is the biggest fishing tournament in Costa Rica?

The Pelagic Rockstar Offshore in Quepos, held every January, is the largest and richest. The 2026 edition drew 117 boats from 14 countries.

### Can tourists enter Costa Rican fishing tournaments?

Yes. Most events accept visiting teams on chartered boats. The Offshore World Championship is by invitation, but teams that win a qualifying event or are accepted by the committee can enter.

### Are billfish killed in Costa Rican tournaments?

No. Sailfish and marlin are released at the boat in the major tournaments, and Costa Rican rules ban lifting billfish aboard for photos. Tuna and dorado can be weighed.

### Is there a women's fishing tournament in Costa Rica?

Yes, the Pescadora Billfish Championship at Marina Pez Vela every February. Los Sueños also runs a Ladies Only event during Triple Crown week.

### Has a Costa Rican ever won the Offshore World Championship?

No Costa Rican team has won it yet, but in 2026 Costa Rica's team finished 2nd by just 20 points, and Erika Sandi became the first Costa Rican named top overall angler.

### Where can I see this year's results?

Each organiser posts results on its own site, and Marlin Magazine covers most central Pacific events. We add tournament news to this site as results come in.