Costa Rica Fishing Report, May 2016

costa rica fishingCosta Rica Fishing Report By Todd Staley, Fishing Director – Crocodile Bay Resort, Costa RicaMay 2016 – Who would think I would hate children after raising 10, but the last “El Niño” made me rethink the whole thing about “niños”. The El Niño which has officially passed made only one thing predictable about fishing in the Southern zone of Costa Rica. The only thing predictable was that it was unpredictable. We have a few months of normal weather patterns coming our way and if history repeats itself, a strong El Niño is usually followed a few months later by an “La Niña” which usually is favorable in this area.

In the coming months offshore fishing in the South means marlin. Most of the year we usually see blue marlin but now and then there are a few blacks and striped marlin mixed in with the blues. Find the spinner or spotted dolphins and you will find the yellowfin tuna.

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Since the FECOP sponsored tuna decree moving purse seiners farther offshore, boats all along the Pacific coast have reported catching more tuna and have been seeing larger pods of dolphin. Sometimes during the Fiestas de San Juan when the schools are on vacation, an Indian summer will pass through and we will see sailfish numbers increase to double digit days.

Inshore our fishery is year round but the green season produces some of the biggest roosterfish of the year. Bridle up a live bonito and let him do his thing near Matapalo Rock and you have a chance at a 60 plus pound fish. A big cubera snapper may find your bait first and the tug-a-war is on to keep them out of the rocks.

Here are a few monster roosterfish catches (all fish released) from the past at Crocodile Bay Resort, Costa Rica

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The following photos are thanks to Jean and Hunter Michewicz and Garrett and Christina Hutto. The wives surprised their husbands with a surprise fishing trip to Crocodile Bay.

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Roosterfish in Costa Rica

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Keep your eye on the fish!

Don’t forget Father’s Day is right around the corner, and the kids are almost out of school – Summer is a perfect time to spend quality time with the family at Crocodile Bay Resort. We get lots of father/son teams down, but fishing is not just for the boys – and we offer a luxury spa as well as 30 eco, cultural and educational tours for those who want to do something other than fish. We know you’ll enjoy this video featuring local girls and some of our staff members catching a variety of inshore species including roosterfish, African pompano, and snapper.

Call and ask about our Father’s Day and Summer Introductory Costa Rica Fishing Packages – 1-855-945-4171 – perfect for families and groups of all sizes – Or you can check availability below.

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.