# Fishing in Costa Rica in January: what's biting on every coast

> January is the start of sailfish high season on the central and southern Pacific and one of the best roosterfish months on the whole Pacific coast, while Guanacaste fishes inshore around the Papagayo winds. On the Caribbean it's a snook month with tarpon around, and it's also a busy holiday month, so book boats early.

Source: https://sportfishing-costarica.com/fishing-costa-rica-in-january/
Last checked: 2026-11-15
Best bets: Sailfish off Quepos, Los Sueños and the Osa; roosterfish on every Pacific coast
Guanacaste: Windy (the Papagayo winds); morning trips, mostly inshore
Caribbean: Snook in a best month, tarpon good, wet with cold fronts
Freshwater: Lakes and lagoons start dropping, which concentrates fish
Weather: Dry on the Pacific, wet on the Caribbean
Big events: Pelagic Rockstar (Quepos, mid-January) and Triple Crown Leg 1 (Los Sueños, January 20 to 23, 2027)
Crowds: New Year week is very busy; Costa Rican schools are out all month

## The short answer

January is one of the easiest months to plan a Costa Rica fishing trip, as long as you pick the right coast. On the central and southern Pacific, it's the start of sailfish high season, with dry weather, calm mornings and numbers building toward the February peak. Roosterfish are in one of their best months all along the Pacific. Guanacaste is windy, so its boats fish inshore in the mornings, and the Caribbean is a snook month with tarpon around between cold fronts.

This page goes deeper on January than our [month-by-month guide to Costa Rica's fishing seasons](/costa-rica-fishing-seasons/), which covers the whole year. Here you'll find what's biting on each coast, the weather and sea, the holidays and festivals that fill hotels and roads, the tournaments, and how to book well in a busy month.

## January at a glance

These ratings come from the site's season chart, which rates every fish as best, good or slow in each month. Every fish can be caught outside its best months; this is about the odds.

| Fish | Where | January |
|---|---|---|
| Sailfish | Central and Southern Pacific | Best |
| Sailfish | Guanacaste | Good |
| Roosterfish | Pacific, inshore | Best |
| Blue marlin | Pacific, offshore | Good |
| Yellowfin tuna | Pacific, offshore | Good |
| Dorado | Pacific, offshore | Good |
| Wahoo | Pacific, offshore | Good |
| Snook | Caribbean | Best |
| Tarpon | Caribbean | Good |

The pattern behind the table is simple. On the central and southern Pacific, January is dry season and billfish season at once. In the far north, the same dry season brings strong offshore winds, so the action moves inshore. And the Caribbean runs on its own calendar, wet in January but with snook at their best.

## The Pacific coast in January

### Guanacaste: roosterfish and the wind

January is the heart of the windy season in Guanacaste. The Papagayo winds blow from the northeast, off the land and out to sea, in surges that can last several days, and they make the run offshore rough, especially in the far north around Bahía Salinas and the Gulf of Papagayo. Crews deal with it by leaving at first light, fishing close to the rocks in the lee of headlands, and running south toward Flamingo and Tamarindo on the days when the gulf is white. Our page on [the Papagayo winds](/papagayo-winds-fishing/) explains how they work.

The good news is that roosterfish don't mind. January is in their best stretch on our chart, the cold water that the wind pulls up brings plenty of bait to the points, and the water is often clear. Snapper and jacks fill in around the same rocks. Our [roosterfish in Guanacaste guide](/roosterfish-in-guanacaste/) covers the spots and methods.

Offshore, sailfish are around in "good" numbers on calmer days, but this isn't the northern peak. One telling detail from Todd Staley's billfish guide for FECOP, the Costa Rican sport fishing federation: one Flamingo charter operation he lists moves its boat to Quepos in January to fish the central coast's prime season. If billfish are your main goal this month, you might do the same.

![A dark blue sea whipped into rows of white-capped waves by strong offshore wind under a clear, cloudless dry-season sky](/static/img/fjan-ai-whitecaps-800.webp)

### Nicoya Peninsula: inshore from the beach

Along the Nicoya coast, January is an inshore month: roosterfish, snapper, jacks and Sierra mackerel off Sámara, Carrillo, Santa Teresa and the southern tip, mostly from pangas launched off the beach. Boats from Tambor and Montezuma on the southern tip can reach the edge of the central Pacific sailfish grounds on calm days. Our guide to [panga fishing on the Nicoya Peninsula](/panga-fishing-nicoya-peninsula/) explains what a beach launch is like, and the [Gulf of Nicoya](/gulf-of-nicoya-fishing/) fishes for corvina and snapper in every month. The [Nicoya Peninsula guide](/nicoya-peninsula-fishing-guide/) has the towns and crews.

### Central Pacific: sailfish season gets going

This is the coast most people mean when they talk about January fishing in Costa Rica. Sailfish start returning in late November, the season is well under way by January, and the bite usually builds to a peak in February. Adventure Tours Costa Rica, which runs boats from Los Sueños, names December to March as the strongest sailfish months, and Staley's guide quotes boats at both [Los Sueños](/los-suenos-marina-and-resort/) and [Marina Pez Vela](/marina-pez-vela-a-luxurious-getaway/) in Quepos putting their sailfish peak from January to April.

There's more than sailfish. Adventure Tours gives November to March as the best months for roosterfish inshore, and puts yellowfin tuna in good numbers from January. Dorado and marlin are around offshore in smaller numbers.

Boats fish roughly 15 to 40 miles out, which is why a full day is the better choice for billfish. If you're short on time, a half day inshore for roosterfish and snapper makes more sense. Our page on [sailfish season on the Central Pacific](/central-pacific-sailfish-season/) covers the grounds and how a sailfish day works, and if you're based in the capital, see [fishing near San José](/fishing-near-san-jose/).

::: triptych "January on the Central Pacific: a full marina, a teaser spread to raise the fish, and a sailfish at the surface"
![The main building of Marina Pez Vela in Quepos under a clear blue dry-season sky, with palms in front](/static/img/fjan-quepos-marina-800.webp "Photo: [Marina Pez Vela, Quepos](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Quepos_Marina_(1).jpg) by Hanay, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons")
![A chain of soft pink and blue rubber squid teasers with no hooks coiled on the white deck of a boat](/static/img/fjan-ai-squid-teasers-800.webp)
![A Pacific sailfish at the surface of deep blue water with its tall dark spotted sail raised along the whole length of its back](/static/img/fjan-ai-sailfish-sail-800.webp)
:::

### Southern Pacific: sailfish rising, big tuna still around

In the far south, around Puerto Jiménez, Golfito, Zancudo and Drake Bay, January is a crossover month offshore. [Crocodile Bay Resort](/crocodile-bay-resort/) in Puerto Jiménez says the number of sailfish begins to increase in January, building toward what it calls prime time in February and March. Its notes also put yellowfin tuna of 100 to 250 pounds offshore in December and January, along with marlin and dorado, though its own calendar says those start to taper off during the month. Our guide to [big yellowfin on the Southern Pacific](/southern-pacific-yellowfin-tuna/) goes into how crews find them.

Inshore, January is the start of the best roosterfish stretch in the [Golfo Dulce](/golfo-dulce-fishing/), which runs to about April, with snapper, jacks and grouper around the rocks of Cabo Matapalo. The gulf is sheltered, so small boats fish it comfortably almost every day. The [Southern Pacific guide](/southern-pacific-fishing-guide/) covers the whole zone.

![A large yellowfin tuna with bright yellow finlets and long curved yellow fins swimming fast through clear deep blue water](/static/img/fjan-ai-yellowfin-800.webp)

## The Caribbean in January

The Caribbean is wet in January (Limón averages about 320 mm of rain this month), and cold fronts from the north can bring several days of rain and big seas in a row. In between, there's good fishing.

**Snook.** January is a best month for snook on our chart, and it's the tail end of the fat snook run. Calba, as everyone on this coast calls them, gather at the river and lagoon mouths to spawn from about October to January, and guides fish the run from about November to February. Our page on [the calba run](/caribbean-snook-run-calba/) covers the fish and where to go.

**A rule that matters this month.** In the Barra del Colorado refuge, SINAC's 2026 anglers' guide closes the river mouth to calba and the inner lagoons to all fishing from October 1 to January 31, for spawning. The main river channels stay open. So if you're there in the last week of January, the lagoons are still off limits; from February 1 they reopen. The refuge also needs its own SINAC licence, has no fishing on Tuesdays, and only allows fishing from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m.

**Tarpon.** Tarpon are "good" in January, not peak. They live in the rivers all year, and the best months are September and October, with a second window from about February to April. [Silver King Lodge](/silver-king-lodge/) on the Río Colorado gives its own prime time as February to mid-June, so January sits just before it. When the sea is calm enough to cross the river-mouth bar, boats fish outside; when it isn't, they fish the rivers and lagoons. Our [Caribbean tarpon season guide](/caribbean-tarpon-season/) and the [Caribbean fishing guide](/caribbean-fishing-guide/) have more.

![A common snook with a silver body, a sharp black stripe along its side and a jutting lower jaw, holding beside red mangrove roots in tea-brown river water](/static/img/fjan-ai-snook-river-800.webp)

## Freshwater in January

Freshwater fishing follows the water level, and January is when the levels start to fall. That's good news, because fish crowd into the water that's left.

- **Lake Arenal:** The reservoir starts dropping in the dry season, and guides rate the drier months from about January to May as the best for guapote (rainbow bass). Go early; mornings beat afternoons. See our [Lake Arenal guapote guide](/lake-arenal-guapote-fishing/).
- **Caño Negro and the Río Frío:** From about January to April the big lagoon breaks up into channels and small lakes, and fish concentrate. The refuge closes to fishing for part of each year, with dates that differ by source, so check before you book. See our [Caño Negro and Río Frío guide](/cano-negro-rio-frio-fishing/).
- **Trout in the mountains:** On the Savegre at San Gerardo de Dota, Visit Costa Rica gives December to March as the bait-fishing season.

The [freshwater fishing guide](/freshwater-fishing-costa-rica/) covers the rest.

## Weather and sea in January

| Coast | Rain | Wind and sea |
|---|---|---|
| Guanacaste and northern Nicoya | Dry; Liberia averages close to zero rain | Strong offshore winds in surges; calmest at dawn |
| Central and Southern Pacific | Dry and sunny | Usually calm, with an afternoon breeze some days |
| Caribbean | Wet; about 320 mm at Limón | Cold fronts bring rough days; calm spells between |
| Northern lowlands and Arenal | Drying out | Steady winds on the west end of Lake Arenal |

For anglers, wind and swell matter more than rain. A sunny January day in northern Guanacaste can still be too rough to run offshore, while a rainy morning on the Caribbean can be perfectly fishable inside the river. Our [weather guide](/weather/) explains each coast's pattern.

### El Niño and January 2027

Ocean conditions shift from year to year, and January 2027 looks set to be an El Niño year. In November 2026, El Observador reported NOAA giving El Niño a 96% chance of lasting until February 2027, and CRHoy reported that Costa Rica's weather service, the IMN, expects its strong effects to continue into early 2027, with temperatures up to 2 °C above average from November to January.

What that does to the fishing is hard to call. A 2023 study of charter catch records from Herradura and Quepos, published in Frontiers in Marine Science, found that the El Niño and La Niña cycle was the main reason one sailfish season differed from the next, but it doesn't make every El Niño year better or worse. Ask your crew what the water has been like in the weeks before you go.

## Holidays, festivals and crowds

January is busy, and not only because of visitors from the north.

- **New Year's Day** (January 1) is a national holiday, and the first days of January are the end of the Christmas rush. Hotels at the beach and boats at the big marinas fill up well ahead.
- **Costa Rican school holidays.** The new school year doesn't start until March 1 in 2027, under the education ministry's calendar, so Costa Rican families are on holiday all January and February. Expect busy beach towns and weekend traffic.
- **Fiestas de Santa Cruz.** Guanacaste's big mid-January fiesta honours the Santo Cristo de Esquipulas, with folk dancing, marimba music and Costa Rican-style bull events. In 2026 it ran from January 14 to 18.
- **Fiestas de Palmares.** The country's biggest January festival, in the Central Valley town of Palmares, ran from January 15 to 26 in 2026, with a tope (a traditional horse parade) and a carnival. It draws big crowds on the roads west of San José.

![A line of riders in red jackets and black hats on brown horses lined up on a grass field during a Costa Rican tope](/static/img/fjan-tope-horses-800.webp "Photo: [Riders at a national tope](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tope.jpg) by Gutis1979, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons")

## January tournaments

Two big billfish tournaments fill the central Pacific marinas this month.

- **Pelagic Rockstar Offshore Tournament, Marina Pez Vela, Quepos.** Usually mid-January. The 10th edition in January 2026 drew a record 117 boats, which released about 2,340 billfish, almost all sailfish. The organiser gives the 2027 dates as January 15 to 17 in one place and January 14 to 17 in another, so the week of the 14th is the one to avoid if you aren't fishing it.
- **Los Sueños Triple Crown, Leg 1.** The first of 3 release-only legs, fished from Los Sueños. In 2027 Leg 1 runs January 20 to 23, with lines in from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the 3 fishing days.

Those numbers show how good the January bite can be, but they also show how full the marinas get. Our [tournaments guide](/costa-rica-fishing-tournaments/) explains how entry works.

## Booking a January trip

- **Book early.** The central and southern Pacific are in high season, the holidays overlap the start of the month, and tournament weeks take the best boats. Months ahead isn't too early for a specific crew.
- **Match the coast to the fish.** Sailfish: Quepos, Los Sueños, the Osa or Golfito. Roosterfish: anywhere on the Pacific. Snook: the Caribbean, outside the Barra del Colorado closures until February 1.
- **In Guanacaste, plan for wind.** Book morning trips, keep a spare day, and ask your crew whether they'll fish inshore or run south on rough days.
- **Get your licence.** Everyone fishing from a boat needs an INCOPESCA sport fishing licence, bought online for 8 days, a month or a year. Many crews will help if you send your passport details ahead. Our [fishing rules guide](/costa-rica-fishing-rules/) explains it.

Our [trip planning guide](/planning-a-costa-rica-fishing-trip/) covers flights, transfers and what to ask a crew, and for the year as a whole, go back to the [Costa Rica fishing seasons guide](/costa-rica-fishing-seasons/). If January doesn't suit, see what the other side of the calendar looks like in our guide to [fishing in Costa Rica in July](/fishing-costa-rica-in-july/).

## Frequently asked questions

### Is January a good month to fish in Costa Rica?

Yes. It's the start of sailfish high season on the central and southern Pacific, one of the best roosterfish months on the whole Pacific, and a best month for snook on the Caribbean.

### Where's the best place for sailfish in January?

The central and southern Pacific: Los Sueños, Quepos, Golfito and the Osa. Sailfish build through January toward a February and March peak. Guanacaste has sailfish too, but its windy dry season isn't its peak.

### Is it too windy to fish Guanacaste in January?

Not usually, but it changes the fishing. Strong offshore winds make afternoons rough, so crews leave early and fish inshore for roosterfish and snapper, often in the lee of headlands. Keep a spare day in case a surge cancels one.

### Can I fish for calba in January?

Yes, in most places, but not at the Río Colorado river mouth or in the Barra del Colorado refuge's inner lagoons, which are closed until January 31. Check the rules where you're fishing.

### How far ahead should I book for January?

As early as you can, especially for New Year week and the Pelagic Rockstar and Triple Crown weeks in Quepos and Los Sueños. Costa Rican schools are out all month too.

### Does it rain in January?

Hardly at all on the Pacific, which is in its dry season. The Caribbean is wet, with about 320 mm of rain at Limón and rough spells when cold fronts arrive.