What to Bring on a Costa Rica Fishing Charter

The short answer

On a Costa Rica fishing charter, the boat brings the fishing gear and you bring everything that keeps you comfortable. Rods, reels, tackle, bait and ice are almost always aboard. What isn't is protection from the tropical sun, shoes that grip a wet deck, the paperwork the law asks for and something to settle your stomach if the swell picks up.

This list goes deeper into the packing section of our guide to planning a Costa Rica fishing trip. It starts with what the boat usually supplies, then works through the essentials, what to add for each kind of trip, and what to leave at the hotel.

What the boat usually supplies

Most charters, from a family panga to a big sportfisher out of Marina Pez Vela, include:

• Rods, reels and terminal tackle, rigged by the crew before you arrive
• Bait, caught or bought at dawn, or rigged ballyhoo and lures for trolling
• Ice and a fish box for anything you keep
• Life jackets for everyone aboard

Other things vary from boat to boat, so ask when you book:

• Drinks and snacks. Many boats carry water and soft drinks; some add beer.
• Lunch. Common on full days, rarer on half days.
• Your fishing licence. Everyone who fishes from a sportfishing boat needs an INCOPESCA licence, whatever their age. Some crews buy it for you if you send your passport details ahead; others expect you to buy it online yourself.
• Hotel pickup, and whether the boat leaves from a marina, a dock or the beach.

If you'd rather fish your own rods or fly gear, that's a different list: see our guide to bringing your own rods and tackle into Costa Rica.

The essentials: your packing list

Sun protection: the thing people get wrong

The most common way to ruin a fishing holiday in Costa Rica isn't a lost fish, it's a sunburn on day 1. You're close to the equator, on bright water that reflects light back at you, often with a breeze that hides how hot it is.

The CDC's advice for Costa Rica is to use sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15, wear protective clothing and seek shade between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. On a boat that last one is hard, so the clothing does most of the work:

• Cover up. A long-sleeved shirt, light trousers or long shorts and a buff or neck gaiter protect better than any lotion, and they don't wash off.
• Hat and sunglasses. A brimmed hat with a neck flap, and polarised lenses on a strap. A strap matters: sunglasses go overboard all the time.
• Lotion, applied before you leave. Put it on at the hotel so it's working by the time you're on the water, then reapply through the day, especially after a swim. Choose a lotion or stick over a spray, which blows across the deck.
• Shade on the boat. If you can, pick a boat with a T-top, a canopy or a cabin. On a small open panga, there may be none at all.
• Lips and the backs of your hands. They get forgotten, and they burn first.

Shoes and clothes

Documents and money

Your fishing licence

Costa Rican law requires a sport fishing licence for the crew and for every tourist who fishes from a sportfishing boat, regardless of age. Buy it online from INCOPESCA, the national fisheries institute, or ask your crew whether they'll arrange it; FECOP, the sport fishing federation, notes that operators can get short-term licences for their guests in advance. Carry it on your phone or printed. Our step-by-step page on how to get a Costa Rica fishing licence explains the options.

A passport copy

Costa Rica's tourism board recommends carrying a photocopy of your passport, including the page with your entry stamp, at all times during your stay. That's far safer on a boat than the original, which can stay in the hotel safe. A photo on your phone is a useful backup.

Cash for the crew

Tipping the crew is a normal part of a charter here. Bring cash in small notes, US dollars or colones, and hand it over at the end of the trip. FishingBooker's tipping guide notes that the mate usually works for tips, so many anglers give the mate's share to them directly. We don't suggest amounts, since that's between you and the crew; tip for effort as well as fish. Our planning guide covers tipping customs in more detail.

Your seasickness kit

Even a calm Pacific day can have a long, slow swell, and a boat drifting live bait rolls more than one under way. The CDC's travel advice is practical:

• Take medicine early. It works best before you board, because once you feel sick your stomach absorbs it more slowly. Talk to your doctor about which one suits you, since most cause drowsiness.
• Sleep well and go easy the night before. The CDC notes that alcohol and lack of sleep make it worse.
• Stay on deck, near the middle of the boat, watching the horizon. Avoid reading or staring at your phone.
• Eat lightly and keep sipping water.

If you know you're prone to it, start with a half-day inshore trip and tell the crew early if you feel unwell.

Extras by kind of trip

Inshore on a panga or small boat

Half-day inshore trips are short but exposed. There's often little or no shade, and you may launch from the sand.

• Water shoes and a dry bag are a must
• Extra sun protection, since a panga may have no canopy
• Wear your life jacket: Costa Rica's Coast Guard says life jackets must be worn on open-hull boats such as pangas

Offshore on a sportfisher

Full days offshore mean an early start, a long run and hours of trolling, with bigger boats and more comfort.

• A light layer for the dawn run, when it can feel cool at speed
• Seasickness medicine, taken before you leave the dock
• A camera or phone ready to go: sailfish and marlin are released in the water and may not be lifted aboard for photos, so the crew needs you ready for a quick picture alongside the boat
• Lunch and drinks, if they aren't included

Rivers, lagoons and the Caribbean

Tarpon and snook fishing on the Caribbean and in the northern lowlands takes you into river mouths, lagoons and rainforest canals, where it can rain in any month.

• Insect repellent: the CDC lists dengue and Zika as mosquito-borne risks in Costa Rica and advises avoiding bites
• A proper rain jacket, not just a shell
• Long sleeves for both sun and bugs

See our Caribbean fishing guide and our freshwater fishing guide for those waters.

With children

Add child-sized life jackets (ask the crew, or bring one from home for a small child), more snacks and water than seems sensible, and a change of clothes. Our page on fishing with kids in Costa Rica covers ages, seasickness and the best places for families.

If you're keeping a fish

The rules allow a sportfishing boat to land up to 5 fish per trip for eating, and sport-caught fish can never be sold. Billfish, roosterfish and tarpon go back. If you keep a dorado, tuna or snapper for dinner, most crews will fillet it at the dock. Bring:

• A soft cooler bag and a few sealable bags for the fillets
• A plan: some restaurants in fishing towns will cook what guests bring in, so ask your captain where people go, or have your lodge kitchen cook it

What to leave at the hotel

• Your passport, unless the crew specifically asks for it. Bring the copy.
• Jewellery and anything you'd hate to lose overboard.
• Hard suitcases and big bags. Space on a boat is tight; a small backpack or dry bag is plenty.
• Your own tackle, unless you've told the crew in advance and they've agreed. Most boats prefer to fish their own rigs.
• Glass bottles, which break on a moving deck.

Last checks before you leave the dock

A quick look round before the lines come in:

• Licence on your phone, passport copy in the dry bag
• Sunscreen on, hat and sunglasses with strap
• Seasickness medicine taken, if you need it
• Water and snacks aboard (or confirmed by the crew)
• Cash for the tip
• Life jackets found, and fitted for any children

That's it: the crew handles the rest. For choosing your zone, season and boat, head back to our guide to planning a Costa Rica fishing trip, and for what each coast is biting, see our Costa Rica fishing seasons chart.