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Sportfishing Costa RicaN 9°56′ · W 84°05′

Sportfishing guides

Plain-English guides to fishing Costa Rica: the coasts, the seasons, the fish and the towns where the boats leave from.

Beyond fishingDiving the Catalina Islands, Guanacaste: Giant Mantas off FlamingoThe Catalina Islands are a chain of rocky islets off Guanacaste's coast near Playa Flamingo, and they're Costa Rica's best-known…
Jacó Bay's long curving beach and blue water seen from a forested hillside
Central PacificSportfishing in Jacó: Los Sueños, Sailfish and the Central PacificJacó is the closest Pacific fishing town to San José, and its boats leave from Los Sueños Marina in Herradura, a few minutes…
Sunny Playa Sámara with a small boat on the sand and green headland behind
GuanacasteFishing in Sámara: Small Boats, Roosterfish and Easy BeachesSámara is a relaxed beach town on the Nicoya Peninsula's Pacific side where fishing is done from small boats launched off the…
Rocky shoreline and a pale sand beach backed by palms and forested hills just south of Montezuma
Southern NicoyaMontezuma: Fishing, Boat Trips and the Wild Southern Tip of NicoyaMontezuma is a small, laid-back beach town on the southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula, with a waterfall, rocky coves and Costa…
An almaco jack swimming over a reef in blue water, showing its deep body and dark band through the eye
Fish speciesAmberjack in Costa Rica: The Almaco Jack of the Deep ReefsThe amberjack Costa Rican crews catch on the Pacific is mostly the almaco jack, a powerful fish of deep rocks, reefs and…
A smiling man in a helmet and harness riding a zip line cable through green forest near Jacó
Beyond fishingCanopy Tours in Costa Rica: Where to Zip Line and How to Pick a Safe OperatorCanopy tours, where you clip into a harness and ride steel cables from platform to platform through or over the forest, run all…
Steep green hills of Cocos Island rising from deep blue water under white clouds
Beyond fishingCocos Island: Costa Rica's Offshore Shark SanctuaryCocos Island is a national park more than 500 km off Costa Rica's Pacific coast, famous for schools of hammerhead sharks, and the…
Dark-sand Dominical beach lined with jungle and palms under a blue sky
Central PacificFishing from Dominical: Surf Town Base, Quepos BoatsDominical is a surf town south of Quepos with no marina of its own, so most anglers staying here fish on boats from Marina Pez…
Calm water at the mouth of Golfito Bay at dusk, with forested headlands on both sides and the Golfo Dulce beyond
Southern PacificGolfito: Sportfishing and Boating on the Golfo DulceGolfito is an old banana port on a deep, sheltered bay inside the Golfo Dulce, near the Panama border, and it's one of the main…
A spotted cabrilla grouper covered in dark spots with faint dark bands, resting under a rocky ledge
Fish speciesGrouper in Costa Rica: Cabrilla, Broomtail and the GiantsThe groupers caught on Costa Rica's Pacific reefs are mostly spotted cabrilla and broomtail grouper, and the huge Pacific goliath…
View from the forest on Isla del Caño over palm fronds to a rocky shore and blue Pacific water
Beyond fishingIsla del Caño: Diving and Snorkeling off the Osa PeninsulaIsla del Caño is a small island and biological reserve 16 km off the Osa Peninsula, with some of the best coral reefs on Costa…
Palm trees framing calm Caribbean water and a small island off the coast of Limón
Caribbean coastSportfishing on the Caribbean Coast: Limón, Tarpon and SnookCosta Rica's Caribbean coast, all of it in Limón Province, is tarpon and snook country rather than billfish water. The best…
A blue marlin alongside a sportfishing boat in deep blue Pacific water, ready to be released
Fish speciesMarlin in Costa Rica: Blue, Black and StripedCosta Rica's Pacific coast holds blue, black and striped marlin, all caught offshore and all released under Costa Rican law. Blue…
Sunset over Playa Flamingo, with pink and orange clouds above the sea, a few people on the wet sand and a wooded headland with houses on the right
GuanacastePlaya Flamingo: sportfishing and much more on Guanacaste's coastPlaya Flamingo is a beach town on Guanacaste's north Pacific coast with a long history as a sportfishing base, and since 2023 it…
Shaded beach at Playas del Coco looking across the bay to anchored boats and a green headland
GuanacasteSportfishing in Playas del Coco: Boats in the Bay, Billfish OffshorePlayas del Coco is a working beach town on the Gulf of Papagayo, half an hour from Liberia airport, where fishing boats ride at…
The wooden town pier at Puerto Jiménez reaching into the Golfo Dulce, with small boats moored off the end and the mountains across the gulf in the distance
Southern PacificPuerto Jiménez: sportfishing on the Golfo Dulce and the Osa coastPuerto Jiménez is the main town on the Osa Peninsula, on the shore of the Golfo Dulce, and a base for both calm-water inshore…
A young angler holds a roosterfish with its tall comb-like dorsal fin raised, over clear blue water
Fish speciesRoosterfish in Costa Rica: The Pacific's Inshore PrizeThe roosterfish is an inshore fish of Costa Rica's Pacific coast, famous for the tall comb on its back and its hard, fast runs…
A white sailing catamaran at anchor in clear water off a dry, forested headland in Guanacaste, seen from water level
Beyond fishingSailing in Costa Rica: Where to Go, When, and How It Fits a Fishing TripMost sailing in Costa Rica happens on the Pacific side, from the windy Gulf of Papagayo in Guanacaste to the calm Gulf of Nicoya…
Beyond fishingDiving the Bat Islands (Islas Murciélago): Bull Sharks off Santa RosaThe Bat Islands (Islas Murciélago) are a group of rocky islands in the protected marine sector of Santa Rosa National Park, in…
A scalloped hammerhead shark swimming toward the camera through a cloud of small fish at Cocos Island
Beyond fishingScuba Diving in Costa Rica: The Main Dive Areas and How to PlanCosta Rica's best diving is on the Pacific side, where cool, food-rich water brings big animals: mantas and bull sharks in…
Fish speciesSea Bass in Costa Rica: Corvina and the True Sea BassesIn Costa Rica, the fish sold and served as 'sea bass' is usually corvina, a family of croakers caught in the Gulf of Nicoya…
A yellow snapper swimming in green-blue Pacific water, with yellow fins and tail
Fish speciesSnapper in Costa Rica: Cubera, Rose and Yellow SnapperSnapper are caught all year on Costa Rica's Pacific coast, from the huge Pacific cubera (dog snapper) on the rocks to spotted…
A freshly caught common snook laid on a pale surface, showing the black lateral line and yellowish fins
Fish speciesSnook in Costa Rica: Record Fish on Both CoastsCosta Rica has snook on both coasts: common and fat snook on the Caribbean, black and white snook on the Pacific, living around…
Aerial view of the forested Cahuita point on Costa Rica's Caribbean coast, with the coral reef showing as pale green shallows offshore
Beyond fishingSnorkeling in Costa Rica: The Best Spots on Both CoastsCosta Rica's best snorkeling is at Isla del Caño off the Osa Peninsula, Tortuga Island in the Gulf of Nicoya, sheltered coves in…
Angler leaning over the side of a boat to release a sailfish caught in Costa Rica
Fishing chartersSportfishing in Costa Rica: Where and When to Fish, Licences and RulesCosta Rica has two very different fisheries: the Pacific, with sailfish, marlin, dorado, tuna and roosterfish, and the Caribbean…
Pale-sand beach in Manuel Antonio National Park with a tree-topped rock islet and clear blue water
Central PacificFishing Near Manuel Antonio: What Anglers Need to KnowManuel Antonio is one of Costa Rica's most popular beach areas, and its fishing happens offshore from Marina Pez Vela in Quepos…
Sunset over Bahía Culebra on the Papagayo Peninsula with a sailboat at anchor
GuanacasteSportfishing on the Papagayo Peninsula: Marina Papagayo and the GulfThe Papagayo Peninsula, in Costa Rica's far northwest, is home to Marina Papagayo, a large marina 30 minutes from Liberia airport…
White-sand crescent of Playa Flamingo and its bay seen from the hillside above
GuanacasteSportfishing in Playa Flamingo: Guanacaste's Marina TownPlaya Flamingo is one of Guanacaste's longtime sportfishing towns, and since Marina Flamingo opened in 2023 its boats board at a…
The wrecked boat sitting in clear shallow water beyond the reef at Puerto Viejo de Talamanca
Caribbean coastFishing Near Puerto Viejo de Talamanca: Small Boats and River MouthsPuerto Viejo de Talamanca is a laid-back Caribbean beach town where fishing is a small-scale affair: half-day trips with local…
Sportfishing boats docked at Marina Pez Vela in Quepos under a bright blue sky
Central PacificSportfishing in Quepos: Marina Pez Vela and the Sailfish SeasonQuepos is the sportfishing capital of Costa Rica's Central Pacific, with a large charter fleet based at Marina Pez Vela. Sailfish…
Aerial view of Tamarindo Bay with turquoise water, anchored boats and the town along the beach
GuanacasteSportfishing in Tamarindo: Bluewater Close to the BeachTamarindo is Guanacaste's busiest beach town, and its charter boats anchor in the bay and pick up guests from the sand. The best…
A surfer crouching low on a green, peeling wave at Witch's Rock, Guanacaste
Beyond fishingSurfing in Costa Rica: The Main Breaks by Region, Seasons and SafetyCosta Rica has surf on both coasts all year, with most of the well-known breaks on the Pacific, from Guanacaste's Tamarindo and…
A broadbill swordfish lying on the wooden deck of a boat, showing its long flat sword and large eye
Fish speciesSwordfish in Costa Rica: A Rare Catch for Sport AnglersSwordfish live in the deep offshore waters of Costa Rica's Pacific, but they're mostly caught by commercial longliners, and few…
A large silver tarpon swimming, its big mirror-like scales and upturned mouth clearly visible
Fish speciesTarpon in Costa Rica: The Silver King of the CaribbeanTarpon are Costa Rica's big Caribbean game fish, caught in the river mouths, rivers, lagoons and nearshore sea from Barra del…
An angler on a boat holds up a large bull dorado with its blue and gold colours still bright
Fish speciesDorado (Mahi-Mahi) in Costa RicaDorado (mahi-mahi) are fast, colourful offshore fish caught all along Costa Rica's Pacific coast, often around floating logs and…
Local fishermen casting from the rocks at sunset on Playa Santa Teresa, Nicoya Peninsula
Southern NicoyaFishing the Southern Nicoya Peninsula: Montezuma, Tambor and the GulfThe southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula, from Paquera and Tambor around to Montezuma, Cabuya and Santa Teresa, is small-boat…
A Pacific sailfish kept in the water beside a sportfishing boat off Jacó while the anglers get ready to release it
Fish speciesThe Pacific Sailfish: Costa Rica's Signature Game FishThe sailfish is Costa Rica's best-known game fish, caught offshore along the whole Pacific coast. The central and southern…
Small tour boat on a jungle-lined canal in Tortuguero National Park
Caribbean coastFishing in Tortuguero: Tarpon, Snook and the River MouthTortuguero is a village reachable only by boat or small plane, surrounded by a national park famous for nesting sea turtles.…
A wahoo swimming in open blue water, showing its long slim body and dark vertical bars
Fish speciesWahoo in Costa Rica: Speed, Teeth and Great EatingWahoo are long, fast, razor-toothed relatives of the mackerels, caught offshore and around rocky islands and seamounts on Costa…
Side view of a yellowfin tuna showing its dark blue back, gold side stripe and bright yellow finlets
Fish speciesYellowfin Tuna in Costa RicaYellowfin tuna are caught offshore along Costa Rica's Pacific coast all year, and fisheries data shows them as the most common…