Costa Rica is one of the best fishing sites in the world where you will get the abundance of several species of fish to satisfy your hobby, profession, or appetite. Many residents of Costa Rica have made fishing a family business, due to it being a hub of some of the best fishing in the world.
Costa Rica has two major coastlines on the Pacific and Caribbean, along with several rivers where you can catch world-class fish. Fishing in Costa Rica can be seasonal, although it is darn good year-round. However, marlin, sailfish, tuna, dorado, snapper and grouper can always be seen in the Central Pacific coast of Costa Rica while big snook and big Tarpon are commonly found in the North Caribbean coast.
One reason behind this precious marine wealth are some of the strict catch and release policies that protect native marine life in Costa Rica. So, let’s discover something about the treasure of Costa Rica that can rightly be said as an Angler’s paradise. Scroll down through our fishing guide and learn about the best fishing experience in Costa Rica.
Fishing on the Pacific Coast
If you want to enjoy the best off-shore fishing experience, the Pacific coast may be the best place to do it. Marlin, sailfish, wahoo, tuna, and dorado are found off-shore, while you’ll find snapper, snook, and roosterfish cruising closer to shore. As we said before, the fishing in Costa Rica is seasonal, but there is always an opportunity to find the hidden fishing holes with a good guide. Costa Rica has some of the best fishing experts for hire at great values. Let’s look at some of the best fishing sites on the Pacific Coast.
Los Suenos Marina, Central Pacific
Wanna enjoy sports fishing? The Los Suenos Marina is the best place to do it. The waters have an abundance of the world’s best marlin and roosterfish. It is located near Los Suenos Resort in Herradura. Los Suenos Marina is a large facility which host many boats.
Crocodile Bay, Osa Peninsula
This amazing site offers off-shore, in-shore, and kayak fishing for those who love sports fishing. Strict catch and release policies are imposed in this area to protect marine life. Anglers can find marlin and blue sailfish off-shore while grouper, snapper, and roosterfish can be angled inshore.
Tamarindo Sportsfishing, Guanacaste
You have the option to choose a full day or half-day charter planned by the fishing experts at Tamarindo. It is the place where you can always go to catch fish; however, the peak season for the billfish starts in the month of April and ends August. Marlin and sailfish can be angled anytime of the year. You will find snapper, roosterfish, and amberJack inshore.
Marina Papagayo, Papagayo Peninsula
Marina Papagayo is located near the Andaz Papagayo resort. It is a beautiful and environmentally safe marina in Costa Rica. Marlin, tuna, and roosterfish are abundantly found in these waters.
Quepos, Central Pacific
Quepos is known to be the sailfish capital because of the abundance of the sailfish found in the waters of the area. Snapper, dorado, marlin, and roosterfish are also found here. You can plan a half-day or a full-day fishing trip to fish the best sailfish in the waters off Quepos.
Marina Pez Vela, Central Pacific
Marina Pez Vala is located in Quepos and Manuel Antonio. It hosts tourists and fishermen for fishing and several entertaining activities like snorkeling and diving. You will commonly find Marlin and roosterfish in this area.
Lake Arenal
If you want to catch fish inland, Lake Arenal is a reasonable site to do this. Hire a charter and find the best fishing spots in the area. You can also book tours according to your preference. Freshwater guapote, rainbow bass, and machaca fish are commonly found in the area.
North Caribbean Coast
Giant tarpon and snook are commonly found in the North Caribbean coast of Costa Rica.
Take a look at our calendar times below to better understand the peak fishing times in Costa Rica.
Northern Pacific
Marlin is the specialty of these waters. The peak season to catch Marlin starts from November and ends in March. Sailfish are found from March to August. Tuna’s peak season is August to October, while mahi-mahi is also found from May to October. The best time to catch wahoo is May to August, and the roosterfish can be caught from November to March.
Central Pacific
In the central pacific, marlin are found from September to November while sailfish are found from December to April. tuna’s peak season is June to December, while roosterfish can be caught from June to September.
Southern Pacific
Marlin are found from August till December, while sailfish can be caught from December to March. You can catch tuna and roosterfish all year round while mahi mahi are found in May to October, with wahoo’s peak season May to July.
Caribbean
Tarpon are found from December to May, while the snook’s peak season is September to November. Fat snook will be found from November to January while the Atlantic sailfish, tripletail, and wahoo cruise in the water all year round.
As you see, Costa Rica is a sports fisherman’s dream. Come down and throw a pole in the water with us. You won’t regret it.