Crocodile Bay Sport Fishing Fleet
Our fleet is comprised of 33 and 35 foot Strike Tower boats. We also have 24 and 25 foot Boston Whaler Outrages.
All of boats have the ability to fish either offshore or inshore because of our generally calm sea conditions.
Fishing Tackle
Our boats are outfitted with Penn International 50’s and 30’s as well as both Penn spinning and conventional gear in 20 and 30 pound outfits. We use Temple Fork Fly Fishing gear on-site but we welcome anglers to bring their own gear if they prefer.
Our Sport Fishing Crews
Most of our crewmembers grew up in the area and know the waters well. Our crews will give you as much or as little help as you want. We want this to be a great experience and communication with your crew enhances your visit here. You will be pleasantly surprised to find an English speaking crew member on your boat as that is not always the case in other fishing operations.
Offshore Fishing
Fishing at Crocodile Bay Resort, Costa Rica is world-class with catch and release Bill Fishing in the Pacific Ocean for Sailfish, Striped, Blue and Black Marlin, Dorado, Tuna and Wahoo. We provide a variety of Costa Rica fishing options such as; live bait, trolling, casting, and fly-fishing inshore and offshore.
Crocodile Bay Resort fishing includes all fishing licenses, lunch, drinks (beer and soft drinks), PENN and other high-end gear, live bait, and bilingual crew who have a vast knowledge of the area.
Offshore Fishing Species
Marlin
The “lady in the blue dress” or blue marlin is the most common of our marlin and cruise our cobalt waters all year. They peak in November and December as well as March and April. Black Marlin are most abundant in July and August and few Striped Marlin are around at the same time.
Sailfish
Again year round when a half dozen are common any day of the year. From November to May the numbers increase.
Dorado
Any day of the year, common January through May and very abundant November and December.
Tuna
Yellowfin is the main species. The big boys, those 100 to 300 pounds can test your back any day of the year if you are lucky enough to come across a school of porpoises offshore. The big Tuna swim with them and the feed on the same baitfish. “football size tunas hang around floating debris or peak in schools in July and August and November and December. No wonder the Marlin peak at the same time.
Wahoo
A Wahoo can surprise you any day of the year but are not common in this area.
Inshore Fishing
Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula is one of the most exciting destinations in the world for inshore fishing. After a short 45 minute trip to the mouth of this picturesque golf, you will be ready to chase an amazing variety of inshore species in the comfort of a Boston Whaler or Strike Yacht.
Crocodile Bay Resort fishing includes all fishing licenses, lunch, drinks (beer and soft drinks), PENN and other high-end gear, live bait, and bilingual crew who have a vast knowledge of the area.
Inshore Fishing Species
Roosterfish
The species most sought after is the Roosterfish. Twenty-five to fifty pound fish are very common and we catch a couple over 50 each week. The Resort record for this fish is 106 lbs.
Snapper
We have a dozen different kinds of snapper with the cubera being top dog. They average about 15 to 20 lbs with the biggest to date here 63 lbs. Other bottom fish is the Broomtail Grouper as well as other groupers and the Goliath Grouper. These are pretty tasty.
And many more!
Other species caught inshore include but are not limited to Barracuda, several types of Jacks, Snook, Bonito, Mackerel, African Pompano, Bluefin Trevally, Rainbow Runners, Shark, etc.
Fly Fishing
In offshore fly fishing we use 12-14 wt rods with fast taper and fighting butt. Fly fishing for Billfish does not require long casts, emphasis should be more on the rods as a fighting tool, than casting. We offer quality large arbor fly reels with good line capacity and cork or ceramic drag. Billfish reels are all about the drag, they should hold plenty of line, and have a big enough arbor to allow you to reel line in a hurry. We use Sci-anglers Billfish line, heavy weight forward floating line, or heavy shooting head. For flies we offer Cam Sigler or Rainy’s tandem rigged tube flies and flashy profile flies or similar variation, with popper head. We offer a variety of colors, including pink, blue/white, green/yellow, and black/red.
Leader: 100lb shock tippet, 20lb class tippet; fly line backing, 65-80lb braid.
Kayak Fishing
If you’re eager to claim your catch from a different vantage point, cast your line from a kayak or the shore. From your kayak, you’ll be guided through calm waters to find the perfect destination to cast the shoreline or estuaries for roosterfish, snapper, snook and a variety of other inshore species. Shore fishing places you within reach of your catch as you cast from the shore of the beautiful beaches and long for the eagerly anticipated tug on your line.
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. |
Monthly Fishing Reports
Crocodile Bay - Fishing Report for July 2022
This July, our fishing guests at Crocodile Bay were greeted with pleasant weather featuring mostly sunny and calm days and experienced adventures both on and off the water. July was another fantastic month for tuna fishing here at Croc. Bay with a few 100+ lbs yellow tails brought to the boat and the dinner...
Crocodile Bay - Fishing Report for July 2022
Read More
Crocodile Bay - Fishing Report for June 2022
Walking down the pier at Crocodile Bay just after dawn to meet your captain and mate for the 1st time is a thrill you’ll never forget. Our guests travel to Crocodile Bay from all over the world because we provide them a fishing experience like no one else can. Our experienced staff have been fishing...
Crocodile Bay - Fishing Report for June 2022
Read More
Crocodile Bay - Fishing Report for May 2022
May was an exciting month at Crocodile Bay, both on and off the water. The big news in May is that Botánika Osa Peninsula, Curio Collection by Hilton has opened it’s doors on our property. Botánika is the new accommodation offering for Crocodile Bay’s fishing guests.
Crocodile Bay - Fishing Report for May 2022
Read More
Crocodile Bay Marina Fishing Report for April 2022
In North America, the spring season is an exciting time ushering in transition and growth. Here in Costa Rica, it’s been a month of big changes, expansions, and transformations for Crocodile Bay too! Starting with our name: Crocodile Bay Resort has evolved into Crocodile Bay Marina. In other huge news: our fishing guests are now...
Crocodile Bay Marina Fishing Report for April 2022
Read More
April 2022 - Costa Rica Fishing Report
The month of March was full of pleasant surprises for our anglers in the water: from great weather, calm seas and exceptional fishing! For the last 3 fishing reports I mentioned how impressive the marlin bite has been this season and it continues to surprise us. The waters around the Osa Peninsula are usually good...
April 2022 - Costa Rica Fishing Report
Read More
March 2022 - Costa Rica Fishing Report
I’m happy to report on the fantastic fishing we had at Crocodile Bay in February. The Golfo Dulce continues to pleasantly surprise me with calm seas and a super-hot offshore bite. This February our guests were landing plenty of dorado, wahoo, tuna, sailfish and higher than usual numbers of marlin. We are at the tail...
March 2022 - Costa Rica Fishing Report
Read More
February 2022 - Costa Rica Fishing Report
January was fantastic for both inshore and offshore fishing. We started to see a good number of sailfish coming up to our spreads and taking our bait like candy. Also, yellowfin tuna are still coming in which makes for some really fresh sashimi. But the main surprise has been the hot marlin bite: We have...
February 2022 - Costa Rica Fishing Report
Read More
Major Upgrades and Improvements at Crocodile Bay for 2022
We are so excited to share with you that at the very same time that Crocodile Bay Resort is evolving to provide the most comfortable accommodations to its friends and family, we have also added a considerable amount of extra comfort to your vacation time. We are driving with all cylinders to improve every aspect...
Major Upgrades and Improvements at Crocodile Bay for 2022
Read More