Fishing in Tortuguero

A village at the end of the canals

Tortuguero is a small Caribbean village on a sandbar between the sea and a maze of rivers and canals, about 80 kilometers north of Puerto Limón. No road reaches it. Everyone arrives by boat or small plane, and the village has no cars, which is a big part of its charm.

Most visitors come for Tortuguero National Park: green turtles nesting on the beach, and canal tours past monkeys, caimans, kingfishers and herons. But the same rivers that feed the canals empty into the Caribbean right by the village, and that river mouth is one of the best-known tarpon and snook spots on the coast.

What you'll catch and when

Tarpon are the main event. Guides fish the river mouth and, when the sea is calm enough to cross the bar, the water just outside it, where tarpon gather to feed. Snook are the other prize; FECOP, the Costa Rican sport fishing federation, notes that fat snook (calba) start running in December, and bigger snook are caught off the beaches near river mouths. Jack crevalle, barracuda and mackerel fill in the gaps.

Fishing here depends on the weather more than the calendar. The Caribbean has no real dry season, and a big swell can keep boats inside the river mouth for days, while heavy rain can muddy the water. Many guides favor late winter through spring and September and October, when the sea is often calmer, but tarpon are caught all year. Tarpon are a species of tourist-sport interest under Costa Rica's fishing law and are released alive.

Fishing and the national park

Tortuguero National Park protects the beach, the coastal sea and many of the canals, and Costa Rica's fishing law bans sport fishing in national parks. In practice, that means fishing happens only where the rules allow, and the boundaries aren't marked on the water. Go with a local licensed guide or through your lodge, carry your INCOPESCA sport fishing licence, and ask the guide to explain where you'll fish and whether any park permit is needed. Rules here have changed over the years, so check when you book.

For a dedicated tarpon trip, the lodges at Barra del Colorado, farther north, specialize in it; Silver King Lodge is one. See our guide to the Caribbean coast for the bigger picture.

A typical fishing trip

Fishing trips are usually arranged the day before through your lodge or a guide in the village, and they start early. You'll run down the canal to the river mouth in a small boat. If the bar is calm, the guide will cross it and look for tarpon rolling just outside; if it's rough, you'll fish the river channels and lagoons where snook and tarpon also feed. Expect to cast or troll lures and jigs, and expect to work hard if a big tarpon takes: they jump, run and can take a long time to bring alongside.

Half-day trips fit easily around a morning canal tour or an evening turtle walk, which is how most visitors combine the two.

Getting to Tortuguero

• By boat: drive or take a bus to La Pavona (via Cariari), then a boat up the canals to the village, about an hour. Many shuttle companies sell the whole trip from San José, Puerto Viejo or La Fortuna.
• By plane: SANSA flies from San José to Tortuguero's airstrip, north of the village; lodges send a boat to meet you.

Most lodges sell packages that include transport, meals and tours, and some add fishing trips.

Where to stay

Accommodation ranges from village guesthouses to lodges on the canals. Manatus Hotel is one of the canal-side hotels, with its own dock and tours. Staying in the village puts you closest to the beach and the river mouth.

Other things to do

• Turtle watching: green turtles nest on Tortuguero's beach from about July to October, and leatherbacks earlier in the year. Night visits are by guided tour only.
• Canal tours: early-morning boat or kayak trips through the park's canals for wildlife.
• Cerro Tortuguero: a short, steep hike to a lookout over the canals and the sea.
• The village: small sodas, a few bars and the Sea Turtle Conservancy's visitor center.