Amberjack in Costa Rica

Which amberjack?

"Amberjack" covers several close relatives in the genus Seriola, and the names get mixed up. On Costa Rica's Pacific coast, the fish crews usually mean is the almaco jack (Seriola rivoliana), sometimes called longfin yellowtail, and medregal in much of Latin America. The greater amberjack (Seriola dumerili) is the famous one of the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico, and the yellowtail amberjack (Seriola lalandi) is mainly a cooler-water fish. The old version of this page mixed up these three species; this one sticks to the almaco jack.

The almaco jack has a deep, powerful body, olive-brown to bluish on top and silvery to brassy below, with a dark band slanting from the snout through the eye to the start of the dorsal fin. Compared with other amberjacks, its body is deeper and its second dorsal and anal fins have taller front lobes. FishBase lists a maximum of 160 cm fork length and a published weight of 59.9 kg, with a common length of about 90 cm.

Where to find them in Costa Rica

Almaco jacks are fish of deep structure. They patrol rocky pinnacles, reefs, drop-offs, islands and offshore seamounts, often in groups, and they're usually caught in water from a few dozen to well over 100 m deep. Boats from every Pacific port find them: around the islands and rocky points of Guanacaste, on the reefs and banks of the central Pacific, and on the deep structure of the southern Pacific off the Osa Peninsula.

Some of the best-looking structure is protected. Fishing is banned inside national parks and biological reserves, including Isla del Caño Biological Reserve, Marino Ballena National Park and Isla del Coco, so crews fish the banks and pinnacles outside them.

Best months

Almaco jacks live on the same reefs all year, so there isn't a real season. Conditions matter more: calmer days make deep jigging much easier, and strong currents can make it hard to keep a jig near the bottom. Ask your crew which spots are fishing well when you book.

How crews fish for them

The two main methods are:

• Vertical jigging: a heavy metal jig is dropped to the bottom near structure and worked back up with sharp lifts. Both fast speed jigging and slower slow-pitch jigging work.
• Bottom fishing with live bait: a live sardine, blue runner or small bonito is sent down on a weighted rig near the reef.

An almaco jack's first move is straight down toward the rocks, and if it gets there it will cut the line. Crews use strong braided line, a heavy leader and gear with plenty of lifting power, and the angler has to lift hard and fast in the first few seconds. The same reefs hold grouper and snapper, so a jigging day often brings a mixed catch.

The rules

Amberjack aren't a catch-and-release species in Costa Rica, and we found no special size or bag limit for them in sport fishing. The fisheries regulation (Decreto 36782, article 68) lets you land 5 fish per trip for your own use and bans selling sport catches. Everyone fishing from a boat needs an INCOPESCA sport fishing licence (Ley 8436, article 75), available in 8-day, 30-day and 1-year versions; many operators can arrange it.

Fish brought up from deep water can suffer from the pressure change. If you plan to release one, do it quickly and ask your crew about the best way to help it back down.

Eating quality

Almaco jack has firm, mild flesh and is good grilled, baked or as sashimi. Its relative, farmed almaco jack, is sold in restaurants under the Hawaiian name kampachi.