Costa Rica Real Estate Magazine

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MAKING THE MOST OUT OF YOUR COSTA RICAN FISHING VACATION

Booking your trip Whether you book your trip direct or through an agent you want the ability to talk to the charter operator before your trip. Ask the agent if they know the crew personally. An agent who says they represent 200 boats cannot possible know all the boats he is booking. . Many wholesalers and captains rely on repeat business, so they want to be sure your trip proves more than a boat ride. If all the information you need isn’t on an operation’s web site, call them and ask. Many of the captains will contact you directly so have your list of questions ready to avoid and endless chain of phone calls or emails. Things you might want to ask are, hours of fishing time, type of equipment, are fishing licenses included, are the crew women and child friendly, and level of English onboard. A fishing license is required so ask if it is supplied or do you need to purchase one. Once you arrive for a chartered day and step on the boat, have a conversation with the captain and crew before you leave the dock. Be honest with your level of experience as far as fishing is concerned and remember, there are no stupid questions, particularly if fishing for billfish is a whole new ballgame for you. Most crews will be happy to give you as much or as little help as you want. But you need to tell them. Most anglers come here for sailfish, but the inshore fishery is not to be overlooked as roosterfish and cubera fighters are strong and if possible, visiting anglers should experience both. Sunscreen or protective clothing is a must, and although the ocean is usually calm bring non-drowsy motion sickness pills if you are susceptible to motion sickness. It is a preventative not a cure and if you wait till you feel bad, it will be too late. There are bonuses to being on the ocean here. You might just see, humpback whales, orcas, manta rays, turtles, and pods of dolphin 1000 strong depending on the time of year while you are fishing. When a sailfish or marlin take your line, it is like having a fast forward ballerina going across a cobalt blue dance floor. Something not soon forgotten.

port fishing is a big part of Costa Rican tourism. In fact, it is around 13% of the tourism´s contribution to the Gross National Product, nearly $500 million and bringing 150,000 people each year with the primary reason for their trip is to fish. Today, nearly 50% of all new anglers are women and the demographics of the group has evolved over the years and sport fishing has become more of family vacation here in Costa Rica. Families usually book an extended stay and also participate in other activities like adventure tours besides fishing. World renowned for its variety of fishing opportunities, Costa Rica offers Pacific coast offshore bluewater fishing for marlin, sailfish, tuna and dorado (mahi mahi) and near shore gamesters like roosterfish, cubera snapper, and a variety of other species. The Caribbean coast offers some out of this world tarpon fishing and several world record snook have come from both coast. There is jungle fishing freshwater opportunities and fishing for Guapote, (rainbow bass) below the Arenal Volcano. The fishing charter industry has grown from a handful of boats in the late 80´s or early 90´s to almost 600 boats today licensed to fish charted operations. There are some steps you can do to insure the best trip possible. Do your Homework Go on line and research the fishing options that interest you. Remember every destination does things a little different than the next and be open to that way of thinking. Fishing for sailfish in Florida for example is quite different than Costa Rica. Search the web for responsible operators. All billfish, marlin and sailfish must be released alive. It is illegal to remove one from the water for a “hero photo.” By dragging the fish across the boat´s gunnel, it removes the natural protective slime for the fish as well as damages internal organs diminishing the survival rate. Tourist anglers are also allowed to keep 5 eating species fish per boat. If you see a website with billfish out of the water or a boatload of fish, keep searching as that operator is not a responsible fisherman. Once you have made your mind up as you what type of fishing you want to experience, Communication is the key, both before and during your trip.

COSTA RICA REAL ESTATE MAGAZINE 41