Sport fishing

Sport fishing in Costa Rica

From the mighty Pacific over several lakes inland to the exotic Caribbean, thanks to the impressive variety of fish species in Costa Rica you will find a suitable place to throw your fishing rod. There are four different fishing areas: the North Pacific, the Central Pacific, the South Pacific and the Caribbean.

North Pacific

In the North Pacific on the coast of Guanacaste, there are several towns and beautiful beaches, which are well suited for fishing. Among the best destinations are Coco Beach, Ocotal, Tamarindo, Flamingo, Nosara, Sámara and Carrillo. In this zone, you can find marlin, sailfish, mahi-mahi, roosterfish, sawfish and tuna. They are present all year round; only the mahi-mahi is more likely from May to October. In the table, you can find Information on the best season.

Species	Season	Best time
Marlin	all year	Nov - Mar
Sailfish	all year	Mar - Aug
Tuna	all year	Aug - Oct
Mahi-mahi	May - Oct	-
Roosterfish	all year	Nov - Mar
Sawfish	all year	-

Central Pacific

You can go fishing in Puntarenas, Playa Jacó and Quepos and find marlin, mahi-mahi, roosterfish, sailfish and tuna. The fishing season and best times to fish the respective fish are listed in the table below.

Species	Season	Best time
Marlin	Sep - Nov	-
Sailfish	Dec - Apr	-
Tuna	all year	Jun - Sep
Mahi-mahi	all year	May
Roosterfish	Jun - Sep	-

 

South Pacific

In the South Pacific of Costa Rica, there are also numerous fishing centers, for example in Drake Bay, Puerto Jiménez, Golfito and Zancudo. The area around Zancudo is a good place to catch marlin and sailfish.

Species	Season	Best time
Marlin	Aug - Dec	-
Sailfish	Dez - Mar	-
Tuna	all year	-
Mahi-mahi	May - Oct	-
Roosterfish	all year	-
Snook	all year	May - Jul

 

Caribbean

The species and environment in the Caribbean differ significantly from those in the Pacific Ocean. Snooks and tarpons are available in large numbers and in quiet days, barracudas stay close to the beach. Other species and the best seasons can be found in the table.

Species	Season	Best time
Tarpon	all year	Dec - May
Snook	Mar – May	Sep - Nov
Atlantic sailfish	all year	-
sawfish	all year	-

 

Lakes and rivers

In Costa Rica, you can also fish in the interior of the country. The Arenal Lake, the lagoon in the Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge and the Savegre River near San Gerardo de Dota are suitable destinations for fishing enthusiasts. Among the fish species are:

• rainbow trout
• South American trout
• cichlids, e.g. jaguar cichlid