Fishing guides › Pacific Central America
FISHING GUIDE · PACIFIC COAST, COSTA RICA
Costa Rica Pacific Coast Fishing Guide
Costa Rica's Pacific coast is a major billfish fishery, with sailfish, blue, black and striped marlin, and good runs of tuna, dorado and wahoo. In the central Pacific, the main sailfish season is about December or January through April, while the north (Guanacaste) is strongest for marlin in spring through summer. Billfish are released in the water, and every angler needs a current INCOPESCA sport fishing license.
📍 Costa Rica's Pacific side. In the north, Guanacaste and the Gulf of Papagayo (Flamingo, Tamarindo, Coco, the Bat Islands). In the central Pacific, Los Sueños Marina in Herradura Bay and Marina Pez Vela in Quepos. Farther south, Drake Bay and Isla del Caño off the Osa Peninsula.
Map: spots, ramps and marinas
★ Fishing hot spot · ● Boat ramp · ● Marina · ▭ Protected area (solid red = no fishing, dashed = fishing with rules)
Open the full Pacific Central America map →
Quick facts
- In Costa Rica, billfish and sailfish are caught and released in the water (INCOPESCA).
- INCOPESCA rules say billfish must be released without taking them out of the water, and boats may not lift them over the rail for photos or use gaffs on them (AJDIP 476-2008).
- From Quepos, the sailfish grounds are about 11 to 35 miles from the marina.
- The Los Sueños tournament series in Herradura Bay has run three events from January through March since 2014; in its 2016 second leg, 43 boats released 2,752 sailfish in three days.
- Fishing is not allowed in Costa Rica's protected areas, including the marine area of Santa Rosa National Park around the Bat Islands (Islas Murciélago).
What you can catch
- Pacific sailfish
Main target; peak about Jan-Apr in the central Pacific. Release in the water. - Blue marlin
Found on the offshore seamounts; release in the water. - Black marlin
Off Quepos around Furuno Bank (about 30 miles out); release in the water. - Striped marlin
Shows up some seasons; release in the water. - Roosterfish
Inshore target; strong in January around Herradura. - Yellowfin tuna
Offshore; larger tuna are mainly May through December. - Dorado (mahi-mahi)
Offshore; a highlight in November. - Cubera snapper and wahoo
Snapper inshore and on rocks; wahoo offshore.
Month by month
| January | Central Pacific high season (Jan-Apr) for sailfish; roosterfish strong around Herradura. Los Sueños series starts. |
|---|---|
| February | Sailfish peak. Papagayo winds can blow hard in Guanacaste in the winter months. |
| March | Sailfish still the main target; last Los Sueños series event. |
| April | End of the main sailfish season; Offshore World Championship held at Quepos. |
| May | Black marlin and wahoo; dorado show late in the month. Good for multi-day trips. |
| June | Rainy season starts (Jun-Oct). North Pacific good for marlin; offshore season near the Bat Islands begins. |
| July | Billfish strongest in the north; tuna, wahoo and dorado along the coast. |
| August | Marlin, sailfish, tuna and dorado; rainy season. |
| September | Northern Pacific best for marlin, tuna and dorado; often rough and slower. |
| October | Slowest month on the Pacific; roosterfish and some billfish still around. |
| November | Billfish, tuna and wahoo return; dorado are the highlight. |
| December | Marlin and sailfish pick up; start of the main Pacific season (Dec-Apr). |
Tips
- Get your INCOPESCA sport fishing license online before the trip and carry it; many charters can help.
- Use circle hooks with bait for billfish, and keep billfish in the water for photos and release.
- In Guanacaste in winter, Papagayo winds can reach 30-40 knots; pick a boat of at least 30 feet for runs to the Bat Islands.
- Do not fish inside national parks or biological reserves such as Santa Rosa (Bat Islands), Manuel Antonio or Isla del Caño.
- Expect slower, rougher fishing in September and October on the Pacific side.
Rules and license
INCOPESCA (Instituto Costarricense de Pesca y Acuicultura); SINAC for protected areas · Official rules page ↗
- Every angler, Costa Rican or foreign, must carry a current INCOPESCA sport fishing license (carné); buy it online or at an INCOPESCA regional office. For fees and validity, check current rules.
- A 2016 decree removed the age limit: every person, of any age, needs the carné to sport fish.
- Billfish (marlin and sailfish) are catch and release in the water.
- Billfish must be released without lifting them out of the water; no putting them over the rail for photos and no gaffs (AJDIP 476-2008, Arts. 6-7).
- Circle hooks are required when fishing billfish with live or dead bait (INCOPESCA agreement of 2003, per MarViva guide).
- Sailfish, blue, black and striped marlin and tarpon are declared of tourist and sport interest (Ley de Pesca 8436, Art. 76).
- Fishing is banned in national parks, national monuments and biological reserves (Ley 8436, Art. 9), such as Santa Rosa (Bat Islands) and Isla del Caño Biological Reserve with its 3 km marine area.
Rules change. Always check the official page before you fish.
Boat ramps and marinas
The map above shows 3 boat ramps and 8 marinas from OpenStreetMap. Tap any dot for directions.
- Bahia Playa Agujas
- Club de Yates
- Marina Los Sueños
- Marina Pez Vela
- Marina Punta Leona
- Muelle Conchal
- Muelle del Mercado Municipal
- Rampa Punta Leona
Sources
- https://www.incopesca.go.cr/pesca/pesca_deportiva.aspx
- https://www.incopesca.go.cr/tramites_servicios/carne-ESP-ENG.aspx
- https://www.incopesca.go.cr/
- https://faolex.fao.org/docs/pdf/cos84392.pdf
- https://faolex.fao.org/docs/pdf/cos162725.pdf
- https://marviva.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/pesca_deportiva_y_tur_stica_cr.pdf
- https://www.visitcostarica.com/sites/default/files/legacy/pdf/15_PN Santa Rosa.pdf
- https://www.scielo.sa.cr/pdf/rbt/v63s1/0034-7744-rbt-63-s1-97.pdf
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isla_del_Ca%C3%B1o
- https://www.marlinmag.com/?p=41278
- https://www.marlinmag.com/story/tournaments/los-suenos-signature-triple-crown-history/
- https://fishcostarica.org/2019/11/costa-rica-offshore-report-los-suenos/
- https://fishingbooker.com/blog/costa-rica-fishing-seasons/
- https://ticotravel.com/costa-rica-fishing
- https://ticotimes.net/2021/06/28/is-costa-rica-banning-fishing-for-blue-marlin-and-tarpon
Checked October 2026. BigJoe does not invent facts: every number on this page comes from the sources listed above.