February can only be described as a HOT HOT HOT time for Offshore fishing here in Quepos. It is perhaps the Number 1 month in the calendar for Sailfish and is why thousands of Anglers from around the world descend on Quepos to hook up with one of our great captains and experience our amazing fishery. If you have always dreamt of catching a Billfish then you have come to the right place and you could not have timed it better than coming here in February. Big Pacific Sailfish in the 70-140lb range will be available 20+ miles off our coastline. Blue, Black and Striped Marlin will be in the mix also, as well as Yellow Fin Tuna and Dorado. If you want to target the big Pelagic’s such as Sailfish & Marlin, a full day (8-9 hour) Offshore trip is the best option to give you adequate time on the water and increase your chances of landing a dream catch. Check out some of the photos of our happy Anglers from the past month or so releasing their trophy Marlin & Sailfish catches. They will not be forgetting their experience in a hurry!
Our November Fishing here in Quepos was a blast with lots of big Dorado (Mahi Mahi) keeping Anglers busy during their Offshore trips. The bite has been super close to Quepos with great Dorado fishing only 10 or so miles from the Marina. Dorado will continue to be caught in December, however, boats will be pushing out further and deeper as most visiting Anglers will be here with one thing on their mind, Billfish!
Blue Marlin ready for release
December is one of the top months of the year to catch Marlin and our Sailfish bite will be heating up as the month progresses before it peaks between January & March. With good numbers of Sailfish about and the opportunity of catching Blue, Black & Striped Marlin, December holds great potential for Anglers that would love to try and catch a grand slam of three different Billfish species in a day. No easy feat anywhere in the world, however, Quepos holds that potential.
There will be some great Yellow Fin Tuna fishing Offshore whilst our Inshore fleet will be focusing on Roosterfish, Snook, Snapper, Jacks & Mackerel whilst fishing the rocks, islands and river mouths close to Quepos. With the water temperature warming as we enter the summer, we will see more bait inshore around Quepos than we have for six months bringing the predatory fish hot on their heels.
November is one of the favourite months for fisherman here in Quepos. A month or two in the boat yard getting our boats ready to go again for high season is long enough for any Captain and we cannot wait to go fishing again come November 1st!
The rains disperse as the month progresses to make way for the clear blue skies and flat calm seas that the Central Pacific coast is famous for. November is a transitional month, where water temperatures start to rise, baitfish numbers increase and lots of predatory fish hot on their heels.
EXCELLENT VARIETY IN NOVEMBER
Yellow fin tuna
We typically don’t see the crazy Sailfish bite that we do during January-April but there should be good numbers of Sailfish around and couple this with the excellent variety of species we have in November, Anglers should be in for some awesome fishing. Right now is the peak time to catch Blue Marlin on day charters from Quepos and there were some epic Marlin days recorded this time last year. You can expect some big Yellow Fin Tuna schools 30+ miles Offshore as well as pretty much the TOP month of the year for Dorado! We have had some great Dorado fishing during September & October along the current lines off Quepos and this action should peak this month when good sized fish should be here in numbers. Often some of the best Dorado action can be found less than 10 miles from the Marina Pez Vela, an added bonus—less running time & more fishing!
Take your kids fishing!
Inshore Fishing trips are a great option for families or those worried about spending a full day Offshore. Half day Inshore trips will give you 5 hours on the water, take you along the stunning coastline where you can target Roosterfish, Snook, Snapper, Mackerel, Jacks & more. With the bulk of the rains out of the way, water clarity will improve as the month progresses, large shoals of sardines will gather inshore with the big guys not be far behind!
By Benn Gilmour
We are now in what are traditionally our wettest months here on the Pacific Coast where heavy rains & flooded rivers cause an abundance of trees, branches and other debris to make their way down the rivers and out into the Ocean creating huge areas of weed & floating debris along our current lines. Any fisherman will tell you that this means only one thing, a super-highway for DORADO!
AWESOME DORADO ACTION OFFSHORE!
Nice Bull Dorado
Floating debris creates the perfect Dorado fishing environment and anglers should find some excellent sport during offshore trips. On a day charter during the peak of last year’s rains, we caught 18 Dorado up to 50lbs aboard the GOOD DAY! At one point we hooked 6 good sized Dorado at the same time, carnage is an understatement with rods, lines & jumping fish everywhere but our guests had a blast catching these hard fighting, excellent eating fish!
SUSHI ANYONE!?
Tuna Time
Our Yellow Fin Tuna fishing has been fantastic this year and should continue over the coming months as water temperatures remain cool. Our Tuna fishing has to be experienced to be believed!
Hundreds of Spinner Dolphins, diving birds and Tuna busting the surface as they hunt down their prey. Picture an airborne Flying Fish with a hungry Tuna in hot pursuit, jumping clean out of the water behind it. Discovery Channel material for sure but a common sight for a Captain in Quepos! We are so lucky to witness the wonders of the ocean play out before our eyes.
We catch many Tuna in the 40-80lb range, plenty over 100lb and there are a few HUGE 200lb-300lb Tuna caught off Quepos every year also.
Aside from the Tuna & Dorado action there will be Blue Marlin and Sailfish offshore as well as some excellent ‘deep drop’ bottom fishing for Snapper and Grouper. Inshore boats will be in search of Roosterfish, Snook, Snapper, Mackerel, Jacks & more and a half day inshore trip can be a great option during the rainy season with trips ending at lunchtime.
Welcome to the fishing promised land, a.k.a. Quepos, Costa Rica. If you’re new or just visiting, make sure to go down to Marina Pez Vela and check out all your fishing choices. There’s plenty there. We’ve got a world record bite, world record holding anglers and captains—the only thing missing is you, and unfortunately me. That’s why after 3 years of writing the fishing article for Quepolandia, I am stepping down and handing over my fishing article to Benn Gilmour. It’s one hard thing to do, but I feel happy that my readers will be entertained now by a close friend and very well respected fisherman in our community. I love you all and greatly miss the good friends that I’ve made while living in Quepos. Don’t get too upset though, because Sarah has big plans for the fish and otherwise. You’ll be seeing me sooner than you think! Until then, I leave you in Benn’s most capable hands. Tight lines friends. See you on the water! Sarah Munro
MARLIN, MARLIN, MARLIN!
Blue Marlin
If catching a Marlin is on your bucket list…do not stop reading! Some years ago around 100 miles Offshore from Quepos, the BEST BLUE MARLIN FISHING ON THE PLANET was discovered at the area known as the Seamounts/FADs. The area possesses an incredible series of underwater mountains where the Sport Fishing Industry has worked together to deploy FADs (Fish Aggregating Devices) on top of these underwater Seamounts creating artificial structure to attract baitfish, which in turn attracts the big predators…namely, Blue Marlin!
I got to experience a FAD trip for myself just a few weeks ago aboard CARIBSEA, a 46’ Guthrie and a real classic Sportfisher based here at the Marina Pez Vela. We did a 2 night trip which included one full day (around 13 hours!) of fishing at the FADs, non-stop from the moment it was light, until the sun dipped over the horizon. And wow, those sunsets when you are bobbing around 100 miles off the coast, simply breath-taking!
By Benn Gilmour
