In Costa Rica, the superb gamefish bite is definitely 365/7

A lot of people assume that summer and autumn in the northern hemisphere (June-November) aren’t good months to travel to Costa Rica and fish. They’re dead wrong!

There are always billfish off Costa Rica’s Pacific coast.  The sailfish bite is beginning to heat up in the north. Destinations like Tamarindo, Flamingo and the Papagayo area are great spots to fish. In July, the marlin season up there gets going, and is excellent from then until mid-autumn.

As we indicated in our previous blog, summer and autumn is the time to embark on multi-day overnighters to the FADs for billfish. There are always yellowfin tuna and dorado to be caught also. On the Caribbean side, the tarpon and snook season starts in earnest at the end of summer.

And, of course, there is inshore fishing. Here in Costa Rica, nearshore fishing plays second fiddle to the acclaimed offshore billfish bite. It’s terrific all year around, summer and autumn being no exception. As my own violin teacher – who played for the Toronto Symphony Orchestra – used to say, it’s a great honor being the best second violinist in the world!

Costa Rica has no equal when it comes to roosterfish. Although not big by billfish standards, roosterfish are tough guys, they will give you a fight to remember. Anglers fishing at Los Sueños Marina on the 28ft Wing Man with Captain Carlos Arguedas released this 45lb beauty.

Roosterfish are tough nearshore gamefish that will give you a fight every inch of the way

Also out of Los Sueños, anglers with Captain Javier Hernandez on the 27ft Predator released eight of them on a full-day charter. Anglers on the 26ft Fish Hunter out of nearby Herradura Bay with Captain Juan Sirias released four roosterfish and caught 10 dorado as well.  There are tasty snapper and grouper inshore as well.

And the billfish are biting too! Up north in Flamingo, there were twos all round for anglers on the 31ft Gamefisher II with Captain Junior Bustos: two sailfish raised and one released; two blue marlin raised and two released (200 and 300lbs); and two dorado and two yellowfin tuna caught. At Los Sueños, anglers on the 42ft Dragin Fly with Captain James Smith released two blue marln and three striped marlin.

Captain Michael Alligood did an inshore/offshore trip on the 34ft Epic at Los Sueños. Anglers caught a roosterfish and recovered a grayfishtag research tag; released two mullet snapper (pargo lisa) and a rainbow runner; fought a blacktip shark; kept two dorado; and then moved offshore and went 1-2 on sailfish (above right).

Contact us now. Call 1-800-407-9438 toll free from the USA and Canada, +506 2282-7215 from everywhere else, or email us. The bite is hot in all of Costa Rica’s sportfishing destinations. We will hook you up with Costa Rica’s top sportfishing charter captains. Enjoy non-stop inshore action, or go after billfish this summer and autumn.