Twenty-five years ago, Costa Rica was known as the sailfish capital of the world.This was quite an accomplishment, as the sport fishing industry was still relatively new here. Quepos was the epicenter, and names like Larry Hustler, Jeanette Perez, John Cory, Bill Cannon, and Harry Gray and their crews had put Costa Rica on the world fishing map. Days of 20-plus sailfish per boat were common. Marsha Bennett was opening the Gran Escape, which became the place to be for fishermen when not on the water.

This month I wanted to do something a little different and touch on some of the new equipment we have coming for our 2019/20 season. On the lure front, we have some great Yo Zuri Bull poppers and Halco Roosta poppers coming in. Both of these poppers have proven effective on the tuna and are even capable of attracting the lure-shy roosterfish.

Costa Rica is known not only for its amazing wildlife, but also for its scenic beaches and great surf.

Crocodile Bay Resort is located in the small village of Puerto Jimenez on the Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica. The peninsula is one of the least developed regions in the country and like many other emerging communities, it requires a little extra nurturing. The government is often unable to provide sufficient funding, so local private […]

Rabin Ortiz, Crocodile Bay Resort’s general manager, was born and raised in Puerto Rico. He says: “I love adventure, people, and discovering new places so, somehow, I always knew I wanted to work in hospitality.” Read about his experiences and what he most loves about his job.

   It seems like yesterday that I made my first visit to Puerto Jimenez. It was well over 20 years ago. As I passed over the Golfo Dulce in the Travelair Trislander, a small three motor passenger plane we had nicknamed the “needlefish,” because of its funny shape, I was awestruck. The gulf was a […]

Botánika Osa Peninsula, Curio Collection by Hilton will blend into its environment with intelligent architectural designs that seamlessly meld between the outdoors and the indoors. On the surface, guests will be enveloped in blissful comfort. Beneath the surface, Botánika’s staff will be passionate about the details and the individual needs. Botánika will be operated as […]

August has been an excellent month at Crocodile Bay Resort in Costa Rica! We began with a wide-open tuna bite, as the fish were just a few miles offshore. The dolphins and tuna have been corralling big schools of blue runners and feeding on them voraciously — an excellent opportunity for some great topwater action. The weapons of choice were Williamson, Yo-Zuri and Halco poppers along with live blue runners and goggle eyes.

It seems like yesterday that I made my first visit to Puerto Jimenez. It was well over 20 years ago. As I passed over the Golfo Dulce in the Travelair Trislander, a small three motor passenger plane we had nicknamed the “needlefish,” because of its funny shape, I was awestruck. The gulf was a near cobalt blue. Around the edges near the volcanic reefs at Mogos the water changed to different shades of emerald, and from the numerous rainforest rivers ran coffee cream water into the Golfo Dulce. Most impressive though were the schools of fish busting baits.

The history of the Osa Peninsula is steeped in mystery, and at one time this biologically intense place was a part of the ocean floor. However, as the volcanoes continued to erupt and the tectonic plates collided, an unbroken land bridge between North and South America formed, and the Osa Peninsula rose above the surface […]

Sportfishing Calendar

January

Tuna, marlin and dorado taper off. Number of sailfish begins to increase.

February

Prime time for sailfish. Occassional marlin, tuna or dorado.

March

Prime time for sailfish.

April

Sailfish numbers drop mid-April and some marlin begin to appear.

May

Slower for billfish. Typically we start seeing schools of spinner dolphins with yellowfin tuna.

June

Slower for billfish. Spinner dolphins with yellowfin tuna.

July

Marlin begin to appear. A chance for black marlin as well as blues and striped marlin. A chance for tuna.

August

Marlin and tuna.

September

Slower for billfish. A chance for tuna and dorado.

October

Dorado begin to appear in numbers with marlin close behind.

November

A mixed bag of dorado, marlin and some big tuna.

December

Marlin, dorado, tuna and sailfish are all possibilities.