Fishing in Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula
How to get to the Osa and Where to Go Fishing
One of the most raw and wild places to experience fishing in Costa Rica is the Osa Peninsula. You won’t be spending your nights in a five star high rise with Miami beach-like bars and shopping, but you will be listening to the sounds of one of the jungle come alive around you at night in one of the world’s most bio-diverse destinations. In fact, some of the coolest small boutique style hotels you will ever find are located along the coasts of Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula (See list of Osa Peninsula hotels here). You will also get to play the game called “What’s pulling on my line?” as the inshore fishing is so diverse, you won’t be sure what you have until the fish gets close enough to the surface to see…and even then your captain may also need help identify it.
As many as 12 different kinds of snapper have been identified in the Golf Dulce – you will also find, and probably catch at least some of the following: Roosterfish, Bluefin Trevally, African Pompano, Black Snook, Jack Crevalle, Congrio, Grouper, Barracuda, and more can be taken any day of the year from this amazing gulf that at one point was almost voted in as A Wonder of the World.
Getting to the Osa is Half the Fun
Two options, equally as intriguing, are available for those seeking to pluck roosterfish or billfish from the waters of Costa Rica’s Golfo Dulce or the fertile blue waters surrounding the Peninsula on Costa Rica’s South Pacific Coast. The easiest option is a flight on single engine plane over Costa Rica’s majestic central valley mountain range – part of the the same Continental Divide that forms the Rocky Mountains and extends through Central and South America all the way to Tierra Del Fuego. Flying over cloud covered lush green rainforest mountains and over the snake like rio sierpe (an amazing mangrove system that looks like a giant twisting serpent from the air) until you reach the rainforests edge which seems to drop off and bathe in Costa Rica’s Golfo Dulce.
Flying Into The Osa Peninsula
There are three airstrips to fly into for visiting the Osa – Puerto Jimenez, Drake Bay or Golfito. Most fly into Puerto Jimenez as the majority of tourism infrastructure can be found there including access to lots of seasoned fishing captains. Drake Bay is situated in an amazingly beautiful location with access to part Corocovado National Park and the amazing Aguila de Osa Lodge, filled with those seeking to dive around Cano Island or fish offshore in Costa Rica’s billfish paradise or in the legendary Rio Serpe, the largest mangrove system in Costa Rica rivaling even the canals of Tortuguero in terms of shear biodiversity.
Osa Options
Golfito like Puerto Jimenez, is also an option for those wishing to be directly on the Golfo Dulce to target one of the most diverse inshore fisheries on the planet. The Golfo Dulce is home to several World Record holding captains as well as Roosterfish to 70 plus pounds, pitbull like cubera snapper as well as about 10 or so other snapper varieties, elusive black snook, and even the tuna and dorado sometimes right in the gulf. There are a few private marinas located in this neat little waterfront town, once the home of United Fruit and now a famous drop-off point for Yachts and fishing boats. Restaurants shops and some very cool shore excursions are close to town.
Like Road Trips? Rent a Car
If you are feeling like more of a road trip you can also rent a car from San Jose and drive down the Pacific Coast and explore famous fishing towns like Herradura – Home to the Los Suenos Marina, then to Jaco and Queops and through sleepy surf towns like Dominical and finally onto the Osa Peninsula.
Two famous fishing lodges can also be found in the Osa – Crocodile By Resort (Puerto Jimenez), as well as The Zancudo Lodge (Zancudo Osa Peninsula). Both of these operations have been fixtures on the Osa Peninsula for years and offer access to the same stomping grounds with slightly different resort experiences at each. Zancudo lodge is more on the luxury side for hardcore anglers where Crocodile Bay Resort is more rustic and features tons of activities for family members and non-anglers. The layout for Zancudo is probably the most luxurious in terms of fishing accommodations and boats we’ve ever seen in the Osa. They recently completed an upgrade on all their facilities and it is beautifully done.
Really the coolest thing about the Osa Peninsula other than the diverse fishery is the staggering amount of wildlife you can see. You don’t have to book a tour and drive for hours either. Just walking around Puerto Jimenez you will almost surely witness at least one if not many Scarlet Macaws, white face monekys, a tucan or two and more tropical birds than you can shake a stick at. If you’re looking for Costa Rica best fishing in a wild environment, the Osa Peninsula is for you.
Published by OsaFishingTrips.com
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