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Southern Pacific

The region includes Golfito and Playa Zancudo, Corcovado and Drake's Bay.

Golfito is the largest town on Costa Rica's southern coast, but there are only a half dozen operators scattered between the northern end of Dulce Gulf, the town of Golfito, Puerto Jimenez on the Osa Peninsula and Zancudo beach. Zancudo is a narrow peninsula with miles of beach on the ocean side and bordered by several rivers on the other. Expect to raise a dozen or more sails and likely a marlin or two outside Matapalo Cape during peak season, and plenty of jacks, runners, mackerel, amberjack, roosterfish, and big snapper inshore.

There are two modern marinas in Golfito, both offering fishing charters as well as facilities for transient yachts. Light tackle fishing inside Golfo Dulce, with its profusion of small coves and rocky isles and shoreline, is also good for small barracuda and snapper, corvina and occasional snook to over 40 pounds. Fishing the drop-off outside Matapalo Cape brings in sails, marlin, tuna and other blue water species, and inshore there are roosters that average over 30 pounds, grouper, jacks, barracuda, trophy size Pacific cubera snapper and more.
There is also excellent snook fishing inside the Zancudo peninsula, and farther north, at the mouth of the Esquinas river.

Fish and Seasons

Marlin
Marlin peaks from August through December, but you can pick up an occasional striped, blue or black if the water temperature is up.

Sailfish
Sailfish peaks from December through March. Slows from April into early June and picks up again in August and September.

Tuna
Best fishing for yellowfin, 100 pounds and up, corresponds with marlin and sailfish season, but the schools of up to 30 pound tuna can nearly always be found outside.

Dorado
Known as dolphin fish or mahi mahi, dorado is one of the most exciting fish to catch on light tackle. This extremely colorful fish is an extremely fast swimmer. It's been estimated that they can reach speeds of 50 mph in short bursts. Best runs are traditionally from late May through October, when the rivers are running full.

Roosterfish
The region is famous for its big roosters and they can be caught practically in any month of the year.

Snook
Snook can be found all year, but is best from mid- or late-May through July and in January and February.

Wahoo
These fish are not abundant, but an occasional wahoo may be taken most any time of the year while trolling offshore for billfish near Matapalo Cape.