Costa Rica Fishing - News, Reviews, & Reports

Costa Rica Fishing Report - Crocodile Bay

The latest fishing report out of Crocodile Bay suggests that the gamefish were as excited for the new year as we were.  Todd Staley, fishing director at Crocodile Bay, reports that the marlin and yellowfin tuna are very strong in numbers, but the mahi-mahi action has slowed and the sailfish have not arrived to that part of the country yet.  The Wert family from Nebraska came down and landed a prize 250 lb tuna and a beautiful sailfish.  Paul Brown and friend Dina also had one heck of a fish story.  Early on they hooked into a yellowfin tuna and fought it for over seven and a half hours.  They got it close to the boat several times and just when they were about to get it to the deck the hook broke and the goliath swam off.  The crew estimated it to be at 350 lbs.

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(4 votes, average: 3.75 out of 5)

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Are the Sailfish Back in Costa Rica?

Costa Rica is known worldwide a first class destination for sport fishing, yet the locals see something different.  Every year tourists flock by the hundreds of thousands to come to this small Central American country to try their hand at some of the world’s best sport fishing, and while it is still great many might not know just what they are missing.  If you were to ask boat captains here with even just ten years of experience they will tell you that the sailfish numbers are no where what they used to be 15-20 years ago.  They will proceed to tell you grand fish tales of huge marlin and days of 20+ sailfish hookups, and you can’t help but wonder ‘what changed?’

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(3 votes, average: 4.67 out of 5)

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Costa Rica Kayak Fishing Report

Costa Rica kayak fishing guide Ralph Solano spent his Christmas morning the way he wanted to - fishing on the Pacific Ocean.  The only thing he enjoys more than fishing himself is getting new people interested in kayak fishing, and that’s exactly what he did on Dec 25th.  Ralph took first time kayak fisherman Carl Lindstrom out to Flamingo Beach where they proceeded to catch four different species of in-shore fish, including some great tablefare.  Their final tally was two needle fish, two jacks, three delicious red snappers and last but not least a 22 lb corvina.  For those of you who are ceviche connoisseurs, you know that corvina is great fish to use when making your favorite dish.  For those new to ceviche, we’ve included a great recipe for you using corvina.

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(3 votes, average: 4.33 out of 5)

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Costa Rica Fishing Report - Nov 08 / Tamarindo

As conventional wisdom goes, November marks the end of the green season and the start of the dry season in Costa Rica.  That means that the best fishing bite is supposed to shift south from Guanacaste down to the Central and South Pacific regions of Costa Rica to coincide with the warmer, clearer water.  The tough part for us fishermen is knowing exactly when the billfish are coming back and when the bite finally slows in the north and heats up in the south.  We do our best to judge it based on the weather and reports of where the bait fish are, but sometimes you just never know.  Luckily for us and Ron Wells, the fish were still in Guanacaste when he came down last month.

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(5 votes, average: 4.6 out of 5)

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Costa Rica Fishing Report - Dec 08 / Carrillo

This past weekend I had the opportunity to do something I have never done here in Costa Rica - fish out of Playa Carrillo.  In my three plus years here I have fished pretty much all over the country, including the hot spots like Los Suenos and Manuel Antonio.  I had never fished out on Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula however because we never knew of any quality boats out there.  That changed last weekend however when we were invited out for a day of fishing on the Kingfisher.

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(5 votes, average: 4.4 out of 5)

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Club del Mar Hotel Review - Jaco, Costa Rica

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to spend a weekend at the beautiful Club del Mar located in Playa Jaco, Costa Rica.  I’ve known this hotel for years and drive past it every time I make a trip down to the Central Pacific region of Costa Rica, but I’ve never actually seen it in person.  However last month a good friend of mine got married in Playa Jaco so I jumped on the opportunity to stay at the Club del Mar (http://www.vacationscostarica.com/fishing/club_del_mar.html) for a weekend and I’m so glad I did.  It is a beautiful boutique hotel located at the very southern end of Jaco and is a great destination for couples, families, and fishermen alike. Read the rest of this entry »

(4 votes, average: 4.25 out of 5)

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2008 Los Sueños Marlin Invitational Results

The results of the first ever Los Sueños Marlin Invitational are in.  The tournament took place at the gorgeous Los Sueños Resort & Marina (http://www.vacationscostarica.com/fishing/los_suenos_condos.html) in Playa Herradura, Costa Rica from November 19-22, 2008.  The catch and release only tournament was sanctioned by the World Billfish Series (WBS)and the International Game Fish Association, and all anglers automatically received points towards the competition in the WBS in the Pacific Rim Division.  The inaugral marlin tournament was brought about by the popularity of the other major fishing tournament hosted at the Los Sueños, the Los Sueños Signature Billfish Series, which is now in it’s sixth year. Read the rest of this entry »

(6 votes, average: 4.5 out of 5)

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Costa Rica Kayak Fishing - December 2008

This past Saturday I reunited with my good friend Ralph for a day of kayak fishing up in Guanacaste.  Earlier in the week Ralph said he was out and saw one of the biggest sardine balls he has ever seen (2-3 miles wide) and said there were game fish everywhere.  When the dolphins weren’t eating his live bait he said he had several large strikes that nearly snapped his 18 lb line and in the end all he pulled up was the head of his mullet fish he was trolling with.  He also said he had a large wahoo on, but after swallowing the hook it ended up biting straight through his wire leader!  Needless to say, I was excited to get out there. Read the rest of this entry »

(4 votes, average: 4.25 out of 5)

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Costa Rica Fishing Report - Dec 08 / Manuel Antonio

Today there is another spectacular fishing report from our friends at Blue Pearl down in Manuel Antonio.  The first week of December Steve & Michelle Jones came down Venice, Califorinia for an adventure filled vacation to Costa Rica.  They spent their six days in Manuel Antonio and filled their days with a tour of the Manuel Antonio National Park, white water rafting on the class III-IV Rio Naranjo, the canopy zip-line tour, and of course a day of fishing.  Although they only did a half day of fishing, they still managed to catch one beautiful sailfish and four dorados!  Not bad for 4 hours of work! Read the rest of this entry »

(4 votes, average: 4.25 out of 5)

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Costa Rica Fishing Report - Nov 08 / Manuel Antonio

As expected, November marked the end of one season and the beginning of another.  The season that ended at long last was the green season, or Costa Rican winter, and what began is the dry season, or summer and more importantly - the peak fishing season!  November is typically a month of transition as the seven month green season ends and strong winds bring in the clear skies and sunshine.  That in turn means that the waters along the central and southern Pacific coasts clear up and become much warmer, thereby attracting the game fish that we all know and love.

 Sarah O’Neill came all the way from the United Kingdom to spend her 40th birthday with us here in Costa Rica.  Besides a day of fishing, she also spent some at the spa, white water rafting, and exploring the beautiful Corcovado National Park during her four days down in the Osa Peninsula.  On November 11th they took out the Blue Pearl I and released one sailfish as well as raised a marlin.  Surely the 80 degree weather and a beautiful sailfish are not a common occurence in the UK!

That same week Sarah McMichael and her boyfriend, Travis Hall, took a much needed vacation and did two days of fishing on the Blue Pearl II.  On November 13th they raised two marlin and one sailfish, but weren’t able to boat any of them for pictures.  On November 15th they headed back out off-shore and caught and released three beautiful sailfish.  They were also adventerous enough to try the canopy zip-line tour in Manuel Antonio, which they both loved.  In addition to the great fishing, we were also happy that they were simply able to be together and relax in their own private 1-bedroom villa at the Buena Vista Villas (http://www.vacationscostarica.com/fishing/buena_vista_villas.html).  Travis has been in Iraq for over a year and this was some much needed R&R for both of them.  Great job guys and we’re glad you had a great time!

(4 votes, average: 4.5 out of 5)

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