What is the biggest fish you can catch off Quepos?

Blue and black marlin, which regularly pass 300 pounds and can exceed 500. They run best from November to April and are usually targeted on a full day offshore charter.

Can you keep the fish you catch in Costa Rica?

Tuna, dorado and wahoo can be kept and the crew will clean and bag them. Billfish, meaning sailfish and marlin, are catch and release only by law and by convention.

What fish can you catch inshore near Quepos?

Roosterfish above all, plus snook, snapper, Spanish mackerel, grouper and sea bass. These are caught close to shore over rock and reef, on a half day charter.

When is roosterfish season in Costa Rica?

Roosterfish are caught year-round on this coast, which makes them the most reliable target on the list. There is no season to plan around.

Do I need my own fishing gear?

No. Rods, reels, tackle and lures are all included on every fishing charter, along with a licensed captain and certified fishing assistants.

Top 5 Fish to Catch in Quepos, Costa Rica

Five species worth planning a trip around, with the season each one runs and the charter that puts you on it.

Whether you are a seasoned angler or casting your first line, the water off Quepos fishes well year-round. Here are five of the most exciting species you can target aboard Vuelto Loco, and when to come for each.

1. Yellowfin tuna

Fast, strong, and heavy. Yellowfin travel in schools and fight harder per pound than almost anything else out there. They are also the best eating fish on this list, which is not nothing.

Season: year-round
Average size: 20 to 200+ lbs
Book: full day offshore

2. Mahi-mahi (dorado)

Electric colors, acrobatic jumps, and a habit of showing up around floating debris and current lines. As good to photograph as they are to catch.

Season: May to September
Average size: 10 to 40 lbs
Book: full day offshore

3. Sailfish

Costa Rica is famous for them, and the Central Pacific is the reason why. Speed, agility and dramatic surface runs. We fish these catch-and-release only, for conservation.

Season: peak December to April
Average size: 80 to 120 lbs
Book: full day offshore

4. Roosterfish

The inshore legend, and the species that put this coast on the map for a lot of anglers. Wild to look at, stubborn to land, and found close in around rocky shoreline and reef. You do not need a full day offshore to catch one.

Season: year-round
Average size: 15 to 50 lbs
Book: half day inshore
Go deeper: the complete roosterfish guide

5. Marlin, blue and black

The offshore prize. These fish can pass 500 pounds and they are not for the faint of heart. Blue and black marlin both run here, with the best of it in the northern winter months.

Season: November to April
Average size: 200 to 600+ lbs
Book: full day offshore

Picking your dates

If billfish are the goal, come between December and April. If you want dorado and tuna with warmer, quieter conditions, May to September is the window. Roosterfish do not care what month it is.

There is more on why this stretch of coast fishes so well in why Quepos is the sport fishing capital of Costa Rica, and the complete sportfishing guide covers the practical side: costs, licenses, and what a charter day feels like. For what is biting this month, see the current fishing report.

Ready to get out there?

Every charter runs from Marina Pez Vela in Quepos aboard a 45-foot Viking with a local crew. Have a look at what we run, or ask us a question contact.