Fishing in Costa Rica
Costa Rica has abundant fishing waters. With 212 km coast along the Caribbean Sea and 1,016 km coast along the Pacific Ocean you'll expect find the country saturated with well-priced and extremely fresh fish. Unfortunately, most fish is exported elsewhere! Still, fish is available in Costa Rica and usually very fresh, but the prices can be a little high!
The Pacific coast of this beautiful country offers big-game fishing throughout the year. Guanamar attracts blues and blacks from January until May, while Flamingo and El Ocotal provide an excellent sailfish bite. In costa Rica is not uncommon to raise more than 20 billfish in a day fishing. You can a billfish any day of the year. There is also a good showing of marlin in August and November, while months during and just after the rainy season produce more dorado. Big size tuna are almost always present and sometimes you can catch even a 300 pounds fish!
Anglers trolling in the blue waters of this Latin American country have often pleasant surprises. Humpback and pilot whales blow geysers high in the air. Sea turtles sun on the surface. But maybe the most awesome sight is the sight of a pod of killer whales migrating along the coast!
Many vacation resorts
In Costa Rica the inshore fishing is consistent all year too. Roosterfish and snapper are here the main attraction. Snook roam the beaches as well as the rivers. A dozen other types of snapper, grouper, amberjack, sharks and barracuda cruise the reefs. The volcanic structure of the country continues underwater, creating habitat and feeding grounds for all creatures of the ocean. Rio Esquinas river enters in a massive estuary system of creeks and mangroves. The drop-off quickly falls to more than 200 feet in depth, creating an ambush point for roosterfish and snapper. Rio Coto at Zancudo is also famous for its roosterfish and large schools of herring can be found in front of the river.
Volcanic reefs lay in the shallows offshore. Small snappers, in 5 to 10 pound range, jump out from water over the rocks and roosterfish patrol these mirrored waters in large number. Matapalo Rock acts as a reference point for many anglers. The rock has been described as and "underwater Jurassic Park" because it produces snapper so big you could never turn them on conventional tackle. Large schools of amberjack, massive goliath grouper, and sharks can be also found there. On rare occasions the anglers can see a mako shark takes to the air after swallowing a bait!
The fishing tourism in southern Costa Rica has gone through a change in the past decade, attracting more couples and families in addition to groups of hardcore fishermen. Crocodile Bay attracts many anglers and non fishing guests too. Corcovado National Park, the largest park in Costa Rica's world famous National Park system, contains the highest number of endangered species from all Central America. This area is home for an estimated 4% of the planet's bio diversity, so many travelers come here in vacation to see one of the last natural Paradises of the Earth!
Toucans and other exotic birds abound in Costa Rica, especially in this area. Three species of monkeys, crocodiles, as well as many other animals can be found in park. Occasionaly you could even see the rare jaguar during your fishing vacation in Costa Rica!