Unusual but welcome wahoo week crowns the Costa Rica fishing scene

It’s been an unusual wahoo week in the North Pacific. Anglers on four different charter boats each caught one of these fast, elusive and extremely tasty gamefish.

First, at Flamingo, anglers with Captain Junior Bustos on the 31ft Gamefisher II caught a 40lb wahoo along with a 20lb roosterfish, a 30lb cubera snapper,  four yellowtail snapper, three red snapper, two trigger fish, three needlefish and three rainbow runner, releasing most of them. What a day!

Then, anglers on the 36ft Capullo out of Tamarindo with Captain Manuel Leal caught a huge wahoo along with a bunch of dorado. Following this, anglers on the 38ft Talking Fish, also out of Tamarindo, with Captain Randy Wilson got this wahoo, three yellowfin tuna, a dorado, and more mackerel than one could count.

Finally,  back to Flamingo, where  anglers on the 42ft Bushwacker with Captain Skeet Warren caught this nice one.

Nice wahoo caught onj the 42ft Bushwacker with Captain Skeet Warren out of Flamingo

For wahoo, which are the lone wolves of the Pacific, and seldom travel in groups of four or more at best, if at all, everything has to be perfect. The water has to be cold and clear. Anglers who get one are in for a great fight – wahoo are among the fastest fish in the sea, and take off like a bat out of hell once hooked! – and an incredibly tasty dinner if they boat one.

June-October is also the time for fishing the FADs for marlin and sailfish. FADs are buoys placed on the ocean surface or just below it well offshore. For some unknown reason, they seem to attract fish, especially billfish. Anglers on a three-day trip to the FADs with Captain Glenn Morales on the 46ft CaribSea out of Pez Vela Marina in Quepos released ten blue marlin, three striped marlin and three sailfish in all, including a Grand Slam (two blues, a striped and three sailfish) on Day 2.

Captain Bobby McGuinness

IGFA award-winning captain Bobby McGuinness (left) offers multi-day trips to the FADs out of Golfito and Puerto Jiménez on Costa Rica’s South Pacific coast. Spend two-three days, and several magical nights, on the ocean. In 2016, the Billfish Foundation presented Bobby McGuinness with its award for tagging and releasing more Pacific blue marlin than any other captain anywhere. The vast majority of these marlin were caught, tagged and released at the FADs.

Contact FishCostaRica now. We’ll arrange a FAD trip for you with Bobby McGuinness. If you’re not up for that, Bobby does conventional full-day charters. If you are already headed for one of Costa Rica’s most popular sportfishing destinations, let us know. We will recommend one or more of Costa Rica’s top saltwater sportfishing captains right there or near you.  Finally, if you have a specific gamefish species you want to target, FishCostaRica will tell you when and where you can best catch them. We can put together your ultimate sportfishing vacation package.

Don’t let the opportunity slip away.