That’s Fishin’ – November 2024

November 11, 2024

The wait is finally over and November welcomes the start of our new Fishing season here in Quepos. It is one of our favorite fishing months for good reason, with the peak of our Dorado & Marlin fishing & some exciting tournaments to look forward to.

2024 DORADO DERBY!

We have The Dorado Derby 1 & 2 taking place on November 9th & 16th. Last year saw a record entry of 57 boats for the 1st event and the winning team fishing aboard Sky 2 with Capt. Roy Zapata scooping almost $60,000 in prize money! Team TRIP took top honors in last years Derby 2 and the Quepos fleet will be back out there on Nov 9 & 16 to see who can be crowned this year’s champions. The Dorado Derby is one of the favorite tournaments of the year amongst Quepeños with lots of local & visiting teams taking part. Prizes for Heaviest Dorado, Top Lady Angler, Top Junior Angler plus a host of other cash Jackpots and prizes are on the line. I hope to see you there & wish you luck finding that Bull Dorado of your dreams! Even if you are not fishing, come on down and join us for the weigh in and live music on 9th & 16th which is always a blast.

If you would like to fish the event just let me or the Team at the Marina Pez Vela Guest Centre know if you need help finding a boat.

OFFSHORE FISHING

We experienced truly epic off season Sailfishing during September & October with some insane numbers of Sailfish being released. BUCKETLIST & CAROLINA GENTLEMAN had some great days on the water and some of their top Sailfish days of the year. Team TRIP broke their boat record for numbers of Sailfish released in a day, huge congrats guys! Fingers crossed for some more great Sailfishing during November to get the season started off with a bang.

The Blue Marlin Bite has been solid also, November & December are typically our peak months for Marlin during day trips so the next 2-3 months are the perfect time to target Marlin here.

If world class Billfishing is not enough for you then we also our best Dorado fishing month to look forward too. Lots of Dorado in the 15-25lb range can be caught this time of year with some exceptional fish in the 30-60lb class showing also. November marks the end of our rainy season & there is typically lots of floating debris on the current breaks 8-15 miles Offshore where Dorado can be targeted.

Further Offshore in the 20-40 mile range should provide some excellent opportunities for Yellow Fin Tuna which can be caught alongside mega pods of Spinner Dolphins, something you have got to experience during a Fishing trip here if you have not before.

INSHORE FISHING

Our Inshore fishing should begin to start firing on all cylinders as the rains subside as November progresses. We usually get some good Snook fishing in November at the rivermouths along with Snappers, Jacks, Mackerel, Tripletail & more.

Small to medium sized Roosterfish can be targeted along the beaches and then head to the rocks and islands to target the Big Roosters. Late November through April provides the best Inshore fishing here in Quepos as huge schools of sardine baitfish move in and we look forward to seeing what this season has in store.

We have some great inshore boats available at the Marina Pez Vela to suit all budgets and sizes and just let us know if you would like to go fishing.

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

The 2025 tournament calendar is now set and you can find our full event schedule at marinapezvela.com/tournaments/

Nov 9 Dorado Derby 1
Nov 16 Dorado Derby 2
Nov 23 Country Day School Dorado Cup
Jan 9-12 Pelagic Rockstar
Feb 1 Roosterfish Rodeo
Feb 20-22 Pescadora Billfish Championship (Ladies Only)
Mar 8 Sailfish Slam
Mar 13-15 IGFA Open (New!)
Apr 5 Marina Pez Vela Open
Apr 6-10 Offshore World Championships