Fish Hook Marina & Lodge

A small marina for the Golfo Dulce

Fish Hook sits on the main road through Golfito, in a blue building across from the town cemetery at Km 2. Behind it, a short floating dock runs out into the bay. It's a small place: the marina's own site lists 22 slips in one spot and 20 in another, so think of it as about 20 berths and check what's free before you count on one.

For an angler, the appeal is the same as anywhere on this waterfront. The Golfo Dulce is a deep, protected gulf with steep rainforest on both sides, and the town sits far enough inside it that the water off the docks is calm most days. You can sleep upstairs, eat breakfast over the water and be on a boat at first light.

What the fishing looks like from here

Golfito has a long sportfishing history, and Fish Hook's own site points to it: it says anglers here can catch and release black marlin, blue marlin and sailfish in the same day, and it mentions more than 200 record catches in the bay area. We haven't been able to check that count against the IGFA's records, so treat it as the marina's own claim.

What's clear is the layout. Inshore, the gulf holds roosterfish, snapper, jacks and other species along its rocky edges and river mouths. Offshore, the billfish and tuna water starts past the gulf's mouth, so an offshore day from Golfito always begins with a run out of the gulf. Sailfish and marlin are catch-and-release by Costa Rican law.

Fish Hook is a marina and lodge first. Plenty of Golfito charters tie up along this stretch of waterfront, so when you book a boat, ask the operator directly where you'll board and which captain and boat you'll get.

For visiting boats

The marina takes boats up to 180 feet, with extra-wide docks, an on-site dockmaster, daily and monthly rates, long-term berthing and 24-hour security. It also helps with maintenance and provisioning. Golfito has groceries, banks, a hospital, a small airport and the duty-free zone, which is handy for stocking up before a long fishing trip.

Fish Hook doesn't publish what shore power, water or fuel is available at its own dock, so ask when you call. If you need diesel, Banana Bay Marina next door lists a fuel dock.

The lodge and the restaurant

The hotel has king and queen suites with air conditioning, Wi-Fi, cable TV, hot water, a fridge, microwave and coffee maker, and breakfast is included. The open-air restaurant and bar looks over the docks, serves American and Costa Rican food and is open from 6 am to 10 pm. After a day on the water, it's an easy place to swap fish stories.

Getting there

Golfito's airstrip has short domestic flights from San José, and the drive down the coast takes most of a day. Across the gulf, Crocodile Bay runs its own fleet from Puerto Jiménez, and near the gulf's mouth The Zancudo Lodge runs a fishing-only operation. See the Southern Pacific section for more.