Costa Rica Fishing Report By Todd Staley, Fishing Director – Crocodile Bay Resort, Costa Rica – May 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.
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
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.
For more information visit www.crocodilebay.com