Costa Rica Fishing Seasons

Costa Rica Fishing Seasons in the Caribbean

In this part of Costa Rica, you can go fishing in the Caribbean Sea, as well as enjoy the rich underwater fauna of numerous lakes, rivers, streams, and canals. If you want to catch Calba (Fat Snook) here, the preferred season is mid-November to late January. It is however quite common to catch this species even during the early fall months.

If you instead wish to catch some Snook, you can choose between a spring trip and a fall trip. The first Snook season is from March through May, while the second Snook season begins in September and proceeds until late November.

Both Tripletail and Wahoo are best fished during the first half of the year. The Tripletail season begins in January and proceeds until the end of June, while the Wahoo season is a bit shorter – from February to mid-May.

Atlantic Blue Marlin and Tarpon can be caught year-round, but both species have particular seasons when you are more likely to catch them. If you wish to catch Atlantic Blue Marlin, the preferred season is from February to late September. If you wish to catch Tarpon, the best season is from December to late May.

If you arrive between June and late November, you can still catch plenty of Tarpon if you use a boat that is large and sturdy enough to leave the river mouths and take you further out into the open sea.

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Fishing Seasons in the Northern Pacific

In the Northern Pacific, the Wahoo fishes will turn up as the rainy season commences in May, and the best months for Wahoo fishing is July and August.

If you are interested in catching sailfish, the best season is May through August, but you can catch this fish year-round. The first Costa Rica fishing season for Marlin will peak between mid-November and early March in this part of the Pacific.

They will thin out a bit during April-June, and then start increasing again until the season reaches a new peak in August and September. Tuna are caught year-round, but August, September, and October are considered to be the best months. Roosterfish is also available 12 months a year in the Northern Pacific, but in the Papagayo Bay area the season peak between November and late March.

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Seasons in Central Pacific

The center of sport fishing along this stretch of the coast is found between Cabo Blanco and Drake Bay Quepos, but you can find many companies that will take you to other parts of the coast as well.

The Costa Rica fishing seasons along the central part of the Costa Rican Pacific coast are naturally frequently similar to the seasons described above. There is however several notable difference that can be good to keep in mind when you plan your fishing vacation.

Wahoo is not very common near Quepos, so if you want to catch this fish you should ideally pick a fishing trip arranger that will take you to the Drake Bay and Caño’s Island area. In these waters, the Costa Rica fishing season for wahoos is from late June to early August.

The typical Costa Rica fishing season for sailfish in the Central Pacific is mid-December to late April, but large schools can move in during October. The Marlin population will peak in October, but September and November are also great months for Marlin fishing.

Tuna are caught year-round, but the best time of year is June-September. Roosterfish is the easiest to catch near river mouths during the summer season, from June to mid-September. Snook is quite unpredictable in these waters, but the best season is usually July-November.

Seasons in the Southern Pacific

Wahoo is not very common in this part of the Costa Rican Pacific Ocean and it is therefore difficult to recommend any Costa Rica fishing seasons for this species unless you are willing to travel further up north.

Sailfish are caught year-round, but the recommended Costa Rica fishing seasons here are December – March, and August – September. During April and June, there are usually only occasional catches.

The Marlin fishing season will peak between August and late December, but if the water temperature is high you can catch Marlin year-round. Tuna have roughly the same season as Marlin in these waters, but if you arrive between January and July you can usually still catch Marlin if you are prepared to journey a bit further from shore.

The Southern Pacific coast is famous for its large Roosterfish specimens and big Roosterfish is caught 12 months a year here. The recommended Costa Rica fishing seasons for Snook are May-July and January-February.