Flamingo Beach is one of the most popular destinations on Costa Rica’s northwest Pacific Coast. The beautiful white sand beach is stunning, and it is also a favorite spot for deep sea fishing.

Flamingo may not have the full service marina it once did but the fish haven’t gone anywhere and neither have the sport fishing charters.  With the Catalina Islands just offshore, most sport fishing charters need not head too far out to sea to look for great fish. 

Looking for waters less crowded, the local boats have had great success this year catching favorites like Blue and Striped Marlin, Sailfish, Dorado, Wahoo and Rooster Fish.

The fishing varies by season.  Marlin, once plentiful, has declined in numbers due in large part to the commercial fishing in the area.  Striped Marlin, the smaller of the marlin is available year round while the Blue and Black are seasonal. 

Marlin are the most sought after fish because of their power and size, approaching 1000 pounds here in Costa Rica.   Sailfish are more numerous and can be caught most of the year.  

Dorado, also known as mahi-mahi, is a fun fish to catch, jumping out of the water and traveling up to 50 mph.  Of course, it’s excellent food quality  makes it one of the most desirable fish to catch.

Wahoo and Rooster fish are often caught around the Catalina Islands near Flamingo and in the case of Wahoo is an excellent fish for eating, while Rooster fish are catch and release.

Many fishing  tournaments are held in Costa Rica as well.  The two most popular are the  Presidential Challenge and the Offshore World Championship.  The OWC was held in Costa Rica for the first time in April and drew 67 teams  from 31 countries. 

The four day tournament results were 821 billfish.  The OWC plans to return to Costa Rica in April 2014.  The Presidential Challenge has tournaments throughout the year in various locations.

Costa Rica is the first country in the world to enforce catch and release for billfish which will help preserve the sport fishing industry.  It was also the first to ban the export of sailfish meat.  

In addition, the use of circle hooks instead of J-hooks minimizes the trauma to the fish.  This reduces the fish mortality rate by 98%!  Not even the Unites States requires catch and release nor circle hooks. 

These are all measure to help preserve the sport fishing industry in Costa Rica.
Flamingo Beach is a great place to vacation or retire featuring all the amenities without the crowds.

Travelers of all types visit this beautiful section of Guanacaste not only for the sportfishing but also its central location for all the popular adventure activities and destinations Costa Rica offers.

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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.