Fishing in Sierpe, Costa Rica – A River of Fish

It is easy to get caught up in the beauty of the Sierpe River, which serves as the Northern border of the Osa Peninsula in the South West of Costa Rica.

The river is wide and deep allowing for 60 foot boats to motor the 15 miles up to the port city of Sierpe.

There are miles of mangrove, rain forest, hills and mountain ranges in the distance. You will see crocodiles, monkeys, hundreds of species of birds, various mammals and people in small dug out canoes. Truly there is so very much to look at, so much beauty and tranquility you may not think of fishing.

For the seasoned river fisherman it is almost too much to take in. Every corner, downed tree, undercut bank, overhanging branch begs to have a bait cast at it.

Many times I have traveled down the pristine Sierpe River with a fisherman on board. It is easy to see their anticipation of what it would be like to be fishing the river. “Look, over there” they’ll say, “there’s got to be a lunker under that deadfall”. The river just has that look about it like it’s brimming with big hungry fish.

The fish are there and if you know how to fish them they can be brought to the dinner table. The river has a good population of mangrove and red snapper along with snook, sea bass, grouper, rooster fish as well as other species closer to the ocean.

A seasoned trout or salmon fisherman from North America may think it is easy to catch these fish. “Au contraire“. These fish have not been stocked and have survived to be adult fish by being smart, fast, alert and lucky.

While they are plentiful, they are not easily tricked by a poorly presented bait. I cannot begin to tell you how many men in the last 15 years here have asked me how in the heck do you catch fish in this river.

One man, Pablo Chavez has grown up on the river and works constantly on new and better techniques to bring home the fish. I went fishing with him in the river the first time nearly 20 years ago when he was a young teenager. He caught the live bait and was very quiet on his approach. We caught fish. He is a man now and still loves the challenge the river offers but as you can see from the photos has mastered this difficult river to fish.

Other locals fish from small boats they paddle then tie on to overhanging branches and bump their live baits on the bottom using hand lines with extreme patience. Some will bring their catch to the local restaurants in an old refrigerator they keep in their boat like a cooler while others enjoy fresh fish for dinner.

The Sierpe river is an under fished resource with tons of fish but be prepared to work for them and do your homework

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Written by Jim Cameron.

Andrew Makarik

to@welovecostarica.com

Andrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.