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Overview
Sportfishing is justly world-famous in Costa Rica. With
two oceans to the east and west, and many inland rivers, this
is a fisherman's paradise. To quote:-
"Where
else can an angler wake up in the morning with the option
of fishing marlin, sailfish, tuna or dorado in the Pacific;
tarpon and snook on the Caribbean; rainbow bass in a magnificent
22-mile long lake, or trout in the mountains?"
(Tico Times, Exploring Costa Rica)
That
the fishing is world-class is testified by the international
competitions held in Costa Rica annually, and 99 world records
from the waters of Costa Rica recorded in the 2000 edition of
the International Game Fishing Association's world record game
fish.
What
is also great is that distances to the fishing hot spots on
the Pacific or Caribbean coasts are really relatively short.
The furthest are within 40 minutes flying time from the centrally-located
capital of San José. 2 local airlines provide daily scheduled
flights, and there are also efficient charter services which
are particularly worthwhile for groups. Most places in
Costa Rica can be reached by car in 3-6 hours.
Fishing by region
Pacific coast
World-renowned for billfish. Marlin and sailfish move northwards
up the coast, starting in November when they arrive in large
numbers in the Golfito area, carrying up to Quepos for the December-April
season, reaching southern Nicoya (around Samara) from February-April,
and finally arriving in the north of Nicoya (around Flamingo)
in May-September. So they can be caught almost year-round!
Billfish
are not the only attraction: inshore fishing for yellowfin tuna,
skipjack tuna, wahoo, sierra mackerel, almaco Jack, and jack
cravelle is also very popular, as well as for a variety of snapper
including Pacific cubera or dog tooth, rooster fish up to 75
pounds, grouper, black tipped sharks, and a variety of other
reef and bottom dwellers.
The
main fishing centers are the Flamingo area, Quepos, and Osa
Peninsula. Flamingo beach has a full-service marina and
is the major sport-fishing center in the area. Boats also charter
out of Coco Beach, Tamarindo, Ocotal, Potrero, Brasilito and
a few points in between. There are boats operating from Cabo
Blanco, Nosara, Garza, Samara and Carrillo beaches. In Central
and South Pacific, Quepos is the main fishing center, but there
are charters out of Puntarenas, the southern end of the Nicoya
Peninsula, Jaco Beach, Punta Leona and Drake's Bay. There are
also new fishing operations and lodges close to Golfito and
Zancudo.
For sportfishing packages in the Osa Peninsula region
and Drake Bay click 
Caribbean
coast
In the north and covering Barra Colorado, Tortuguero and
Parismina. Equally famous for its excellent snook and tarpon.
The network of canals, estuaries and sea shore provide rich
opportunity. Rainbow bass (locally known as guapote),
catfish, alligator gar, and other species are also common. The
best time to fish is during the dry season, December to early
May, and during the short break (called "veranillo")
of late July to early August. This area has high rainfall, more
than 200 inches annually.
Lake
Arenal
A 22 mile long scenic lake alongside the highly active Arenal
volcano, very popular for freshwater fishing, particularly
rainbow bass (guapote). Further north and close to the
Nicaraguan border is another network of rivers and seasonal
lakes, Cano Negro,
where there are plentiful tarpon, snook and panfish.
Shore
fishing from both coasts is great for snapper, snook and
other fish.
Mountain
fishing, often reasonably close to San Jose, offers flyfishers
the chance to catch trout and other local species.
Fishing
by season - click here
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