Spectacular Fishing in Costa Rica: Your Guide to Where and When to Go

If you can’t wait to get away from Old Man Winter, a Costa Rica fishing trip may be just the thing to recharge your batteries! There are several Costa Rica vacation packages available online for sport fishing. With dozens of world fishing records to its credit, Costa Rica is said to have some of the best ocean fishing in the world.

Sure, you can dip a line into a small frozen lake or stream near your house. Those little crappies and sunnies were fun when you were growing up. Long johns and parkas and electric socks and sitting for hours on cold ice, your butt numb from the cold and sitting in a little ice shack all day.

You are a big boy now. Isn’t it time for a big boy to fish? Trade shoveling snow until your back aches, a runny nose, and dismal weather for shorts and a fun-looking tropical shirt. Put away your lipstick, break out your suntan lotion, head to tropical beaches where you can fish in crystal clear water without a care in the world.

Don’t know where or when to take that Costa Rica fishing trip? Without worries. Here is the skinny straight.

Start with the basics. Just a couple of hours south of Miami is Costa Rica. With nearly 780 miles of coastline on two great oceans, it is a mecca for saltwater fishing. So many places to fish, where to start?

Here’s an idea. Follow Columbus. More than 500 years ago, that famous explorer landed on the Caribbean coast in a place so incredible that he called it —- Costa Rica — the Costa Rica. It was full of fish, full of sea turtles. Since it was good enough for Columbus, it’s good enough for you, intrepid fisherman.

On the Atlantic coast, you’ll find the world famous Tortuguero National Park and the fishing waters from Barra del Colorado to the Nicaraguan border. The sea here can be very rough, but when the waters are flat, this is a fisherman’s paradise! From May through November, silver fighting shad are abundant here, and can reach weights of up to 150 pounds. If you are very lucky, you may land a rare Atlantic sail. This is also a great place for big snook. Jack Crevalle, Guapote, Giant Grouper, and Tripletail can also be caught here. And be sure to visit the world famous green sea turtle nesting beaches in Tortuguero.

To get to either Barra del Colorado or Tortuguero National Park, you will have to go by boat because there are no roads. This is a wild country. Typically, people travel to Limón, a small Caribbean community, by charter plane, car, or express bus, and then head north on a boat.

But — and this is a secret — some of the best tarpon fishing anywhere in the world now has a direct path to it! Literally a few miles from where Columbus made landfall is a place that some fishermen call the “mother lode” of tarpon and snook fishing. Visit the Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Reserve along the southern Caribbean coast of Costa Rica, almost on the border with Panama.

Deserted beaches for miles, crystal clear waters, and when the tarpon are in, fabulous fishing. Fishing is good year-round, but the best months for tarpon are usually March, April, May, and September through October. And, if you come between March and July, you can also see the nesting of sea turtles.

Another great place for a Costa Rica fishing vacation is the North Pacific coast. This area is known as the “Gold Coast” due to its amenities and convenient access to it. Simply fly into the nearby Liberia International Airport, where you’ll be just a short drive from your waiting boat. You will find the fishing centers of Tamarindo and Flamingo with miles of great beaches and many Costa Rica attractions. If you’re looking for sailfish, visit this coast between May and August for the best fishing, although these fish are here year-round as well. From August to October, you can find large schools of different species of tuna, some weighing up to 400 pounds and many exceeding 60 pounds. Catch inshore roosterfish here from November to March, not far from the Papagayo Resort. You also have a good chance of fighting large billfish, wahoo, and brightly colored dorado.

Many visitors fishing in Costa Rica look for marlins and these beauties are very common along the Central Pacific coast. Drive to the world famous marina of Los Sueños or the small town of Quepos and charter in the offshore waters to fish for marlin and sailfish. December to April is the best time to catch these fighters. Vibrant goldfish are often found here from May to October while trolling. Closer to shore, people often fish for snapper, bass, roosterfish, and wahoo. The tuna is offshore.

Finally, for many, Costa Rica’s fishing paradise lies on the southern Pacific coast to Panama, off Puerto Jiménez, Golfo Dulce and Bahía Drake. When the water is warm, sails and marlin are plentiful. On shore, you are likely to come across roosters, large snapper, wahoo, and amberjack. Charter operators report that the Golfo Dulce offers the best inshore fishing in Costa Rica. This is because it contains many small coves and is very rocky, giving fish a great hiding place. There are many types of fish here, including large groupers, luscious sea bass, and toothy barracuda. Sometimes you will have hundreds of porpoises around your boat as they follow the baitfish.

Of course, you can only catch the Big One if you’re fishing for the Big One. So shut down your computer, say goodbye to your comrades, and take that much-needed vacation to Costa Rica.