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Sportfishing Costa RicaN 9°56′ · W 84°05′

10.6° N · 85.7° W

Guanacaste

The dry northwest: the Gulf of Papagayo, Playas del Coco, Flamingo, Tamarindo and Sámara. Roosterfish on the rocks, marlin and sailfish offshore.

Start here: the complete guideFishing in Guanacaste: the complete guideGuanacaste is Costa Rica's northern Pacific coast, and its billfish season runs opposite to the rest of the country: sailfish and marlin are best from about May to December, while roosterfish are at their best in the windy dry months. Boats leave from 2 marinas (Papagayo and Flamingo) and from the beaches at Hermosa, Coco, Ocotal and Tamarindo, all within about an hour of Liberia airport, and the run to the fish is often short.

Charters, lodges and marinas

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…
The Coyote Tres, a white 35-foot sportfisher with a tuna tower and outriggers, seen from behind with crew on the tower and anglers in the cockpit
Tamarindo · charterCoyote SportfishingCoyote Sportfishing is a family charter in Tamarindo founded in 1993 by Capt. Frank Berrocal, a Tamarindo native. It runs 3…
A small unmarked white fishing boat anchored off a rocky dry-forest point on calm turquoise water in morning light
Playas del Coco · charterFishing Adventures Costa RicaFishing Adventures Costa Rica is a Playas del Coco charter company with 3 boats, running private fishing trips in the Gulf of…
Stern of a dark blue sportfishing boat named Guerrero del Mar with outriggers up and a captain on the flybridge, on clear water near a green headland
Playa Flamingo · charterFlamingo Sport FishingFlamingo Sport Fishing is a Costa Rican family charter business in Playa Flamingo whose family has fished these waters since…
Peninsula Papagayo · resortFour Seasons Resort Peninsula Papagayo, Costa RicaFour Seasons Resort Peninsula Papagayo is a beach resort at the tip of the Peninsula Papagayo in northern Guanacaste, between two…
Straight-down aerial view of Marina Papagayo's floating piers, with sportfishing boats and cruisers in their slips on deep green water
Peninsula Papagayo · marinaMarina PapagayoMarina Papagayo is a full-service marina on Culebra Bay, on the Peninsula Papagayo in northern Guanacaste. It has 180 berths for…
A white sportfishing boat with a tuna tower and outriggers running fast across blue water, with dry wooded hills behind
Playas del Coco · charterPapagayo FishingPapagayo Fishing is a family-run charter company in Playas del Coco, started in 2010 by Capt. José Méndez, a former dive boat…
Stern view of the Rhino Charger, a white sportfishing boat with a flybridge and outriggers, riding at anchor in a calm bay with green hills behind
Tamarindo · charterRhino Charger Sport FishingRhino Charger Sport Fishing is a one-boat charter in Tamarindo, on Guanacaste's Pacific coast, built around a 34-foot Island…
2 Rocket Frog Divers boats running fast across calm water in the Gulf of Papagayo, with dry hills behind
Playas del Coco · divingRocket Frog DiversRocket Frog Divers is a PADI 5 Star Instructor Development Center in Playas del Coco, Guanacaste, with its own fleet of dive…
A white center console fishing boat with a T-top and outriggers moored in a calm bay under grey clouds, with a green shoreline behind
Tamarindo · charterSea Breeze Fishing & AdventuresSea Breeze Fishing and Adventures is a small Tamarindo charter founded in 2018 by Capt. Noah and his partner Darcy. It runs 2…
A yellow and white center console named Sea Star I with a black T-top, rod holders and a Yamaha outboard, crew aboard, on calm water at golden hour
Playas del Coco · charterSea Star CRSea Star CR is a family charter in Playas del Coco with 2 boats: the Sea Star I, a 26-foot Robalo center console, and The Big…
A blue and white center console named El Gato III with a Suzuki outboard and rods in the holders, the captain at the console, off a beach with hillside buildings behind
Playa Flamingo · charterSport Fishing El Gato IIISport Fishing El Gato III is a husband-and-wife charter in Playa Flamingo, Guanacaste. Capt. Luis Sandi, licensed since 2004…
Chorotega, a white sportfishing boat with a tuna tower and outriggers, at anchor in a calm bay at dusk with other boats and a small island behind
Playa Flamingo · charterYellowfin Sportfishing ChartersYellowfin Sportfishing Charters is a Playa Flamingo company, founded in 2002, with a big mixed fleet that runs from a 27-foot…

Guides

The Gulf of Papagayo in the dry season, a wide blue bay ringed by brown hills under a clear sky
GuanacasteThe Papagayo winds: how they change Guanacaste fishing from December to MarchThe Papagayo winds are strong northeast winds that blow across northern Guanacaste from about December to March, strongest in…
Shaded beach at Playas del Coco looking across the bay to anchored boats and a green headland
GuanacasteFishing from Playas del CocoPlayas del Coco has more fishing boats than any other town in Guanacaste, over 20 charters and captains, and it's only half an…
Sunset over the bay at Playa Hermosa, Guanacaste, with small boats moored off the beach below a dark rocky headland
GuanacasteRoosterfish in Guanacaste: where and when to find themRoosterfish live along Guanacaste's rocky shore all year, and they're at their best from about January to April, when the…
Sunset over Bahía Culebra on the Papagayo Peninsula with a sailboat at anchor
GuanacasteFishing from the Papagayo PeninsulaThe Papagayo Peninsula is a gated resort peninsula on Culebra Bay, 30 minutes from Liberia airport, and Marina Papagayo is the…
White-sand crescent of Playa Flamingo and its bay seen from the hillside above
GuanacasteFishing from Flamingo, Potrero and BrasilitoFlamingo is Guanacaste's dock-boarding fishing town: Marina Flamingo opened in February 2023, and the region's second-biggest…
Aerial view of Tamarindo Bay with turquoise water, anchored boats and the town along the beach
GuanacasteFishing from TamarindoTamarindo has no marina: its charter boats ride on moorings in the bay and you board from the beach, usually in front of El…
Beyond fishingDiving the Catalina Islands, Guanacaste: Giant Mantas off FlamingoThe Catalina Islands are a chain of rocky islets off Guanacaste's coast near Playa Flamingo, and they're Costa Rica's best-known…
Fishing boats and sailboats moored in the bay at Playas del Coco, with dry hills behind the beach
GuanacasteFishing in Guanacaste: the complete guideGuanacaste is Costa Rica's northern Pacific coast, and its billfish season runs opposite to the rest of the country: sailfish and…
Beyond fishingDiving the Bat Islands (Islas Murciélago): Bull Sharks off Santa RosaThe Bat Islands (Islas Murciélago) are a group of rocky islands in the protected marine sector of Santa Rosa National Park, in…
Angler leaning over the side of a boat to release a sailfish caught in Costa Rica
Fishing chartersSportfishing in Costa Rica: Where and When to Fish, Licences and RulesCosta Rica has two very different fisheries: the Pacific, with sailfish, marlin, dorado, tuna and roosterfish, and the Caribbean…