Costa Rica Fishing - News, Reviews, & Reports

El Niño and Costa Rica Sport Fishing

Over the past couple months many people have asked us what effects the potential El Niño will have on the peak sport fishing months in Costa Rica this year.  Others have taken it to another extreme and have decided they are flat out not coming down to fish in 2010 and are going to come in 2011.  So the question remains - what, if any, effect will an El Niño year have on the Costa Rica sport fishing industry?  The answer varies a bit, but in general no one here is too worried about it.

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(3 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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INCOPESCA Takes Another Step Forward in Conservation

Last month INCOPESCA (Instituto Costarricense de Pesca y Agricultura) took another step forward in the conservation efforts of their own fisheries.  A new law will require a vessel monitoring systems (VMSs) on all commercial vessels in Costa Rican waters that are 56 ft or longer.  The new law was enacted on August 5th, 2009 and all boats must have working VMS within six months of that date.

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(3 votes, average: 4.67 out of 5)

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Los Suenos Fishing Report - July 09

This past weekend I had the luxury of heading down to the gorgeous Los Suenos Resort & Marina again for a weekend of fishing.  We knew we were going up against two formidable foes - a red tide and the fact that we were fishing in the so called ‘off-season’, but we weren’t too worried about our chances because we knew that we had a few good things going for us too - the fact that we were fishing during the “summer of San Juan” and the knowledge that we were heading out on some of the best charter boats at Los Suenos.  For those of you who don’t know, Costa Rica’s green season runs from early May to late November, and that also coincides with the slower fishing months around the Los Suenos Resort.  The “Summer of San Juan” is simply a one or two week period in July where the Central Valley experiences dry season weather.  All weather factors and superstitions aside, the fishing at Los Suenos once again lived up to it’s lofty reputation.

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(3 votes, average: 4.33 out of 5)

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Just Another Reason to Visit Costa Rica

The list of reasons to visit Costa Rica is neither short nor new, however last week another very unique and prestigious honor was bestowed upon this tiny Central American country.  According to The New Economics Foundation, an independent think tank in the UK, Costa Rica ranked first as the happiest place on Earth.  The survey was conducted throughout 143 countries which 99% of the world’s population calls home, and Costa Rica came out on top.  The formula for the rankings was a based on life expectancy, environmental impact, and individual’s happiness.  According to the survey, 85% of ‘Ticos’ interviewed consider themselves happy.

Long considered “the gem of Central America”, it is not too hard to see why Costa Ricans are so happy.  They have a life expectancy of 78.5 years and a small group of locals living in the Nicoya Peninsula were said to have one of the longest life expectancies on Earth.  The weather here is great,it is rarely cold enough to warrent heating buildings and is rarely hot enough for long periods of time where air-conditioning is necesssary.  The food here is delicious and fresh, and that includes everything from fresh fish to pineapples.  On top of all that Costa Ricans have a very strong sense of national pride, both for their country and their beloved national soccer team, so you won’t find many Ticos who want to leave their little country.

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(3 votes, average: 4 out of 5)

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Aguila de Osa Inn - Jungle Luxury

Over the years I have been fortunate enough to travel to nearly every corner of Costa Rica and I’ve seen a lot of very nice hotels.  I’ve even been to the Osa Peninsula twice before, but last week this ’seen it all before’ old dog learned something new.  I had the pleasure of spending a weekend at the beautiful Aguila de Osa Inn, which more than lived up to it’s expectations.  Long regarded as one of the most luxurious hotels in what is Costa Rica’s most exotic and remote areas, the Aguila de Osa features 13 rooms, a can’t beat waterfront location, and some of the best food you can find.

After just a quick 40 minute flight to Drake Bay, we were met at the airstrip by an air-conditioned van and taken 15 minutes to the beach where we were passed off to a waiting motorboat who then took us the remaining five  minutes to the hotel.  I’m still amazed that in this “developing” nation you can go from a busy capital city to one of the world’s most exotic rain forests in under an hour.  Upon arriving at the hotel we were met by Carlos, the bilingual and extremely outgoing host, who quickly got us a fresh passion fruit smoothy (with rum, of course) to set the tone for the weekend.

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(3 votes, average: 4.67 out of 5)

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My First Marlin - Los Suenos, Costa Rica

Last weekend I had the opportunity to go to the famous Los Suenos Resort & Marina for the first time, and it definitely lived up to the hype.  For years I’ve been hearing about how nice this property is and how incredible the fishing can be, and I finally got to experience it in person.  Located near the popular Jaco Beach and just one hour away from the capital of San Jose, the Los Suenos Resort is not only one of the nicest properties in Costa Rica, it is also one of the easiest to get to.   The property features luxurious 1, 2, and 3 bedroom condos, private homes, 18 hole golf course, spa, casino, eight restaurants, a 600 acre rainforest reserve, and of course the famous 200-slip state of the art  Los Suenos Marina.  Three friends and I headed down there on Friday and stayed in the gorgeous Harmon Estate for the weekend.  It was a stunning, 6-bedroom house that came complete with flat screen TV, full kitchen, and a beautiful pool area.  It was a very unique design as well as there was a spacious master suite on the second floor and two of the six rooms were private, free standing 1-bedroom casitas.  Factor in they had a workout room inside the house, a swim up bar in the pool, huge BBQ, and views of the 13th fairway and it is a virtual paradise.  To say the least, I won’t forget where I was when I was watching my beloved Pittsburgh Penguins win their third Stanely Cup! Read the rest of this entry »

(6 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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Los Suenos Peak Season Ends with a Bang

Conventional wisdom, and more importantly the people who know and work in the industry, say that the peak fishing season along the Central Pacific Coast of Costa Rica runs from November though the end of April.  For those of you who are not aware, those months also coincide with the dry season, or Costa Rican summer, when the vast majority of the country enjoys hot and sunny weather for the better part of six months.  When Phillip Arnold and his group of twelve planned their first Costa Rica fishing vacation at the end of April we crossed our fingers and hoped that the rains would not have arrived yet and that the billfish where still in the area - and boy were they ever.

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(4 votes, average: 4.75 out of 5)

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Costa Rica Fishing Report - April 2009

As we come to the end of another great peak fishing season along the Central Pacific Coast in Costa Rica, the Northwest Pacific region of Costa Rica is eagerly awaiting it’s turn.  If the first half of this year’s numbers are any indication, the Guanacaste region has good reason to be excited for the bite that is soon to move it’s way.

As reported earlier, the fishing reports and sheer number of fish being taken out of the Pacific waters this year has been amazing.  While Costa Rica sportfishing is already known as some of the best in the world, this year impressed even those who have been here for years.  The fishing has been so good in fact that many captains are saying this is the best fishing they’ve seen in the past 10 years.  No one has been able to pinpoint exactly why it has been so good, but there are three possible explanations.  The first is the new, stricter laws imposed upon the commercial fishing boats which limits the number of billfish they can take.  Another is of course the wonderful economic woes the entire world is facing right now.  The number of visitors, and therefore fisherman, to Costa Rica has decreased a little bit from previous years so that means there are less fishermen out there and more fish for the ones who are able to travel.  Finally another reason may simply be that we are just enjoying a nice cycle, or it could be any combination of the three.  In any case, there have been a lot of people in 2009 who have returned extremely happy from their Costa Rica fishing vacation.

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(4 votes, average: 4.5 out of 5)

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2009 Los Sueños Signature Billfish Tournament - Leg 1 Results

In light of this weekend’s second leg and conclusion to the 2009 Los Sueños Signature Billfish Series Tournament, it is about time we gave you the final results to Leg 1 of the tournament.  The first leg of the tournament, presented by Viking Yachts, was held at the Los Suenos Resort & Marina in Playa Heradura, Costa Rica from January 21-24, 2009.  The annual tournament saw a total of 43 boats go to battle in the three day tournament along Costa Rica’s Central Pacific Coast.  Perhaps even more astonishing than the overall number of billfish that were successfully released in three day tournament is that, as per tournament rules, they were all hooked up within a 50 mile radius of the Los Suenos Resort.

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(6 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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Costa Rica’s 2009 Sailfish Numbers Continue to Impress

By now most people know that Costa Rica is a tourism mecca and home to some of the best sport fishing in this half of the world.  Many fishermen know that fishing in Costa Rica is typically best between December through April when the dry season weather coincides with the peak fishing season.  For those who were brave enough, and fortunate enough, to take fishing vacation to Costa Rica this year have been rewarded with some of the best numbers in recent memory.  Fishing reports have been coming in with some astonishing numbers, with many captains saying it is the best they have seen in the past decade.

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(4 votes, average: 4.75 out of 5)

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