Costa Rica sportfishing — thrill to Costa Rica sportfishing for marlin, sailfish, and billfish. Go deep-sea fishing offshore on boat charters from Jaco Beach Los Sueños, Guanacaste, and Quepos, where Costa Rica sportfishing excels all year round and is this country’s most exciting activity. Fishing these waters calls for the top boats and the top captains — who know where to find the fish and how to get them alongside or into the boat.
More than two dozen different species of hard fighting gamefish await the intrepid angler who “pops off” from Paypagayo or Manuel Antonio for a full day of the greatest sport known to man.
In addition to angling for the Big Billfish, Guanacaste and Quepos also offer top of the line scuba diving facilities, surfing, white water river rafting and even canopy and rainforest tours. Stay at one of the many plush beach resorts and hotels, or even at one of several posh villas that enjoy panoramic vistas of the bay.
When and where to go
There are two basic seasons: April through December, most fishermen work the waters of the north Pacific coast, also known as the Gold Coast. Sailing from ports such as Playas del Coco, they can reach the Bat Island and Catalina Islands. The billfish will be plentiful this time of year, and it is not unusual for a party of anglers to catch and release many sails a day.
Marlin is also found in the northwest Pacific at this time, as the Gulf of Papagayo is renowned as one of the world’s most fertile fisheries for striped, blue, and black marlin. Tuna, from yellow-fin to big-eyed, can be caught any month of the year. Mahi Mahi and roosterfish are also commonly reported. Roosterfish, in fact, are probably more plentiful in this part of the country than in any other single area.