Costa Rica Fishing - News, Reviews, & Reports

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.

The pair of couples in the Miller party from New York had a vacation to die for.  In just two days they landed 14 sailfish and 300 lb blue marlin.  The Kecy party from California landed six sailfish, five mahi-mahis, twenty mackerals, and over 40 jacks in their three days of fishing out of Quepos.  Besides world class fishing, they also loved their private luxury casas at the Buena Vista Villas.  Finally Brian B. from Florda landed 10 sailfish and one marlin on his three days of fishing between Jaco and Manuel Antonio.

The sailfish and marlin numbers have also been extremely strong in the south part of the country around the Osa Peninsula.  Our friends at Crocodile Bay report that customers are regularly coming back with double digit sailfish numbers.  Last month they also had a group of six boats report 19 marlin sightings, and all that were landed were in the 300-500 lb range.

Finally last but not least, even the tarpon fishing in Costa Rica has been amazing.  On one day in March we headed out with a local guide, Primo, on his 23′ boat named the “White Dove”.  In just five hours of fishing we hooked up seven tarpon and landed three of them.  The Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica is known for having some of the world’s best tarpon fishing, and we certainly weren’t disappointed.