Vast tropical jungles, abundant wildlife and incredible marine diversity characterize the Southern Pacific region of Costa Rica.

The Southern Pacific coast is famous for it’s natural diversity, world class sports fishing, endless beaches, scuba diving, ancient stone spheres and maybe one of the best surf spots on the planet.

This area is one of Costa Rica’s final frontiers. The Osa Peninsula, Talamanca Mountain Range and Golfo Dulce are the premier natural wonders in this area.

The Southern Pacific region remains virtually untouched by large scale tourism. There are a handful of fabulous destinations and tour operators throughout the region.

Sierpe, Drake Bay, Golfito, Zancudo and Pavones are the main towns in the area and there are a variety of activities, hotels and restaurants to choose from. Golfito is the largest city in the area and because of the small airport, most Southern Pacific vacations begin there.

The drive to the Southern Region of Costa Rica takes about 8 hours. The road is in good condition but most people save time by taking a local flight from San Jose to Golfito. Taxi’s, buses, rental cars and tour guides are readily available in the Southern Pacific area. The roads in the region have undergone improvements in the past few years. There are a few roads that require 4-wheel drive during the rainy season.

Golfito is the largest town on Costa Rica’s Southern Pacific coast, but there are about a half a dozen Sport Fishing operators scattered between Drake Bay, Golfo Dulce, Golfito, Puerto Jimenez, and Zancudo Beach.

The Southern Pacific is famous for its incredible inshore fishing. The really big Snapper and Roosterfish are consistently caught here every year. The Southern Pacific, like the rest of the Pacific Coast has excellent offshore fishing for Sailfish, Marlin, Tuna, Dorado and Wahoo.

Thanks for your time,

Bubba
Jerry “bubba” Hallstrom
Costa Rica Fishing Report

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If you have a charter boat, hotel, condo, villa or vacation rental in Costa Rica and would like to be a part of Costa Rica Fishing Report send a email to sailfishcr@yahoo.com or give us a call.

Fishing Species and Seasons

The Snapper bite is good year round. There are several different species of Snapper on the Pacific Coast. The Southern Pacific is famous for its huge Cubera Snapper. Cubera Snappers in the 50 to 80 pound range are common. Fish the rocks, reefs and rivers mouths with live bait or poppers. The Snapper fishing is good along the entire Pacific Coast. more...

The Sailfish bite is above average year round. When the fishing is good, boats can average 20-30 Sailfish a day. When the fishing is slow, boats can average 5- 10 fish per day. The best months are normally December through March. The Sailfish bite can slow a bit from April through June but usually picks back up in July and peaks in August and September. more..

Blue Marlin, Black Marlin and the occasional Stripped Marlin can be caught anytime if the water temperature is right. The peak months are normally August, September, November and December. Many operators will fish the drop off outside the Matapalo Cape and those that target Marlin will usually catch fish. more...

Yellowfin Tuna are caught throughout the year on the Southern Pacific coast. The best Tuna fishing normally corresponds with best Marlin and Sailfish seasons. Schools of 12-20 pound Tuna are common, frequented by groups in the 40-60 pound range and every year there are plenty of 200 pounders caught. more...

The Dorado fishing is above average year round. May through October are normally the best months when the seasonal rains flood the rivers and wash out debris that forms trash lines inshore, the Dorado use these trash lines as cover. The rest of the year, the bigger Dorado are further offshore in the blue water, 30 to 50 pound Dorado are very common. more...

Wahoo can be a pleasant surprise anytime of the year. Wahoo are not abundant in this area but can be caught trolling offshore or fishing around the structure near the Matapalo Cape. more...

Snook are usually caught trolling or casting near the many river mouths that run into the Pacific Ocean. There are a lot of 20 to 40 pound Snook caught every year. The locals have known about these big Snook for years, now a few of the smaller charter boats are targeting them. There is a good Snook bite inside the Zancudo Peninsula and at the mouth of the Esquinas River.. more...

Map of Southern Pacific Costa Rica