Service Type: Sportfishing
Location:
Central Pacific Coast
Cabo Blanco to Drake Bay:
Quepos is the center of fishing on Costa Rica 's central Pacific coast, with 50 or more professionally equipped boats in the 27-feet-and-up range, and smaller boats well-suited to the excellent inshore angling in the area. Some sails are taken throughout the entire year. It's seldom more than a 12- to 20-mile run to the blue water where most of the billfish action is found.
Boats out of Quepos also offer multi-day trips to the Drake Bay and Caños Island area, over-nighting at one of the several lodges centered around Drake Bay and there are a few boats based at Drake Bay , also a top diving area. This region is best known for its wahoo, big cubera and roosterfish, but there are also tuna, dorado, sails and marlin.
Marlin: October is normally the top month for marlin in this area, but action is also good in September and November. Occasional blues and a rare black are likely to be found anytime of year.
Sailfish: Mid-December to the end of April is rated the best season, but the big schools often move in about October and stay longer. A few sails always show among the catch from June through September, mixed with the other species that are found inshore during those months.
Tuna: Found throughout the year as they are all along the Pacific coast, but most abundant from about June through September. Most are the eight to 12 pounders, but a dozen or more over 200 pounds and maybe another two dozen in the 100- to 200-pound range are taken every year.
Wahoo : Pretty rare in the area around Quepos, but more abundant in the late summer farther south, especially the Drake Bay and Caños Island area from late June to early August.
Dorado: Best action begins with the winter rains that start in late May and wash debris from the river mouths, creating the inshore trash lines that the dolphin like to lie under.
Roosterfish: Fishing for this hard-hitting inshore species is little short of incredible with the best spots off the river mouths and the rocky drop-offs. Exceptional at the mouth of the Parrita River; Palo Seco between Parrita and Damas; just outside Damas; off the mouth of the Naranjo River; around the points at Dominical Beach and throughout the Drake Bay area. Best fishing is during the summer months, from June through early September.
Snook: Best spots are just off the many river mouths along the coast, up the Sierpe River and in the big lagoon on the Sierpe. The world-record Pacific black snook was taken a couple years ago in July just off the mouth of the Río Naranjo on a charter with Capt. Jim Geary. Although it is a new fishery, the best months seem to be from July through November during the heavy rainy season.
Region: Central Pacific
