Costa Rica's Largest Gamefish

At the top of the food chain and number one on the passionate angler’s list are the marlin and Costa Rica Sport Fishing hosts both Blue and Black species. Marlin are fished the entire length of the Costa Rican coast, some areas all year long, and the preferred bait is live skipjack. The bait is trolled over pinnacles, seamounts, reefs and in openwater. Marlin fishing can become an obsession for some and anglers devote their lives to hunting these great fish. Both Blue and Black marlin can reach over 1000 pounds in Costa Rican waters.

If marlin are the king of the sea, the beautiful Pacific sailfish must surely be the prince. To see these brilliant, iridescent, fish jump out of the sea doing aerial acrobatics amidst a rainbow of seawater is something that is not easily forgotten. Costa Rican waters host an abundance of sailfish and it’s not unusual to get double hookups. Sailfish feed on squid, skipjack and other small pelagic fist and these preferred baits are trolled in openwater. Costa Rica fishermen consistently catch sailfish over 100 pounds.

The Yellowfin tuna is, not only, a valuable commercial fish it is another of Costa Rica’s premier species and these tuna are not only one of the fastest fish in the sea, they are also one of the most powerful. Anglers often refer to them as a ball of muscle and landing this prize gamefish can be an arduous chore. Yellowfin tuna are usually found in large schools and are almost always fished with live bait. Bonita are caught offshore, kept alive in tuna tubes and are irresistible to these awesome fish that can tip the scales at over 400 pounds.

Tarpon and snook fishing in Costa Rica can’t be beat. These much sought after gamefish are abundant and can offer all the excitement that an angler can ask for. Snook can be fished by surfcasting or trolling along the banks of slow moving jungle rivers. The world record snook was taken in Costa Rica and weighed in at 53 lbs. 10 ounces. Tarpon are coastal fish and tarpon fishing in its purest form is done with flies. It takes patient perseverance and accurate casting to bring these silver bullets to the boat. A big Costa Rican tarpon can go over 200 pounds.

Costa Rica has 84 gamefish records and it is the premier, world class, destination for the serious angler.