Quepos Fishing Packages

Perhaps more than any other beach town in Costa Rica, Quepos is responsible for putting fishing in Costa Rica on the world map. The combination of calm seas and bountiful billfish numbers while offshore fishing, highly productive inshore fishing for roosterfish and Pacific snook, the Manuel Antonio National Park, abundant wildlife, and beautiful beaches was hard to beat – and still is today! For the anglers who have been fishing in Quepos since the 80s, 90s and early 2000s, there is no doubt that they’ll remember walking out on the big cement pier, “El Muelle”, and then putting their knees and ankles to the test walking down the floating ramp (which was often wet) to board their fishing boat. Today, Quepos is the proud home of the Marina Pez Vela, a world class marina that features 195 wet slips, shops, restaurants, and luxury condos. The Marina Pez Vela hosts several international billfish tournaments each year, including the biggest offshore fishing tournament in the world, the Offshore World Championship, every year since 2013. Quepos has long been one of our favorite destinations in Costa Rica since I caught my first roosterfish here back in 2003, but it’s been producing incredible fishing experiences for our guests for us the past twenty years. Check out our YouTube video to see why we love it:

The town of Quepos, also referred to as Manuel Antonio, is located along Costa Rica’s Central Pacific Coast. Quepos is the town you’ll see on the map and where the marina is located, Manuel Antonio is the famous national park. The two are located about four miles apart, and the main road that connects them is where you’ll find all the best hotels, villas, and restaurants in the area so the names are used interchangeably. For all Quepos fishing packages, you will want to fly in and out of the Juan Santamaria Airport in San Jose (SJO).

From San Jose we will take you down to Quepos in a private, air-conditioned van with a professional, insured English-speaking driver. The drive time between the SJO Airport and Quepos is approximately 3 hrs depending on traffic. One piece of advice that we give to all our guests is that they stop at the Rio Tarcoles to break up the drive as it is about the halfway point in your journey. Here you’ll find a couple local restaurants serving cold drinks and typical Costa Rican dishes. The main reason to stop here of course is to walk out on the bridge and look down on 15-25 totally wild American crocodiles below. The Rio Tarcoles is said to have one of the densest populations of crocodiles in the world, so seeing them beneath the bridge is almost a guarantee.

If your international flight arrives early enough into SJO, we can also fly you from San Jose down to Quepos on a short, 25-minute domestic flight. This is convienent and what a lot of our repeat guests prefer to, but it can be risky because if your international flight is delayed you may miss the domestic flight. The last flight of the day from San Jose down to Quepos is often 3-4 PM during the dry season.

The peak fishing season in Quepos is December through April. That’s the common answer that most tourism or charter boat websites give, however that doesn’t tell the full story nor cover the nuances of the different species. Due to the combination of offshore, inshore, bottom fishing available, Quepos truly does offer great year-round fishing. The full answer is that the peak billfish season runs from December through April. Our peak mahi (dorado) months are October through December. The peak variety and meatfish season when we catch tuna, smaller mahi, and wahoo runs from May through November. The months of May through September are when we offer our overnight trips marlin fishing at the FADs. October is the slowest month of the year, in part because it is also the rainiest month of the year. This month many boats take the opportunity to come out of the water for repairs and paint jobs. Inshore fishing is productive year round, but is certainly better when the baitfish are around and the water is clear. Below you can review our Quepos fishing calendar and the best fishing by species, but keep in mind these are historical patterns, not an exact science as every year is different. Our twenty year history has also taught us that El Niño and La Niña years affect the fishing in different ways

When is the Best Marlin Fishing in Quepos?

The peak marlin fishing months in Quepos are December, January, and February. Those months are the start of our dry season, so the waters are clear, blue and full of baitfish. This immediately follows the peak mahi run of Octobter & November, plus with the increased tuna population thanks to new commercial fishing laws set in 2022, there are plenty of fish to keep the marlin around. Once we move into March and April the water temps warm up a bit and the marlin bite slows down as the sailfish bite heats up, but they are certainly still around. One of the most overlooked time to marlin fish in Quepos is during our green season months of June, July, and August. This is a particularly good time to catch black marlin, which are often found on the deep water reefs when we are targetting cubera snapper or wahoo. I’ve personally caught blue marlin in September so we can truly catch them any month of the year, but if this is your target species we can help you plan your trip to be here at the right time and on the right boat.

When is the Best Time to Catch Sailfish in Quepos?

The best months to catch sailfish in Costa Rica are December through April, which is considered our peak billfish season. Not coincidentally, this coincides with the dry season, or summer, months in Costa Rica so the seas are calm, flat, and filled with clear blue water. Better evidence of this is that all of the major billfish tournaments that the Marina Pez Vela hosts are held from January through April. That doesn’t mean that sailfish simply leave the area during our green season months of May to November, we will catch sailfish every month of the year, but the numbers are higher from December to April. June & July are sneaky good months for sailfish most years.

When is the Best Time to Catch Dorado in Quepos?

The best months to catch dorado in Quepos are October through December. This is the annual peak mahi run, where not only do we catch a ton of fish, most of them are large, mature adults. Better evidence of this is that the annual Dorado Derby touranment is held every November, so the numbers are pretty good in order to form a tournament around one specific species! Once we get into the peak billfish months of Dec-Apr we will still catch mahi, and usually big mature fish, but it’s typically one or two a day. When we move into our green season months like May, June, and July, we can find huge quantities of fish, but these tend to be the smaller schoolies and juvenile sized fish.

When is the Best Tuna Fishing in Quepos?

The answer to this question used to be “in our green season”, but thanks to new commercial fishing laws we truly catch them 12 months a year. Commercial boats have been pushed out to 80 miles, so we’ve all seen a drastic and tangible increase in tuna numbers the past five years. Rather than a seasonal treat, it’s more of a weekly occurence now.

When is the Best Time to Catch Roosterfish in Quepos?

The best roosterfish bite in Quepos is during the dry season, December through April. Roosterfish are not particularly fond of freshwater, green water, or dirty water, so the best roosterfish action tends to be during our dry season when the coastal waters are clear blue. That said, they are not a highly migratory fish like the pelagics, so we do catch them 12 months a year. May, June, and July are very good months too because the afternoon rains start to push the bait out of the rivers, so while we don’t catch as many roosterfish this time of year, they do tend to be bigger. The slowest months are August, September, and October as those are the rainiest months in Quepos. My personal best day was 7 roosterfish, and that was in December. The all-time Central America Fishing record is a whopping thirty four roosterfish (34!) in a single day, set in January 2024 by the Johnson family right here in Quepos.

When is the Best Snook Fishing in Quepos?

The best snook fishing in Queops is January through May. The fishing for Pacific snook has grown in popularity over the years, in large part due to several different IGFA world records being set in the waters around Quepos. During the dry season months, they can’t access the rivers as easily so they spend more time in the coastal waters, where anglers like us can target them. Once the rainy season is in full affect, it opens up more territory for them and makes them much harder to find. All of the world records for Pacific snook were caught during the dry season months of January to April.

The pride of Quepos is the new Marina Pez Vela. Talked about and partially built for over a decade, it finally opened in 2012 and instantly brought the small fishing town into the 21st century. For those of us who fished here in the 90s and early 2000s, we remember walking out on the long cement pier, known as “El Muelle”, and signalling to our boats idling in the distance to come pick us up from a floating platform. In 1999 the lease was given to finally build the marina, but when the economy crashed in 2008 the project came to a grinding halt barely a quarter of the way finished. Fortunately, new investors picked up the plan and finally completed the first building in 2012. The classic Costa Rican fishing town finally had it’s modern marina, not just to rival the Los Sueños Marina to the north, but any marina in Central America.

Today the Marina Pez Vela boats 195 wet slips and the ability to accommodate yachts up to 200 ft long.  Every slip has fiber optic interet and digital cable wired to it, making it extremely attractive to leisure yachts and fishing boats alike. It also offers 40 dry rack spots that can house boats up to 38′ long. The yacht yard is one of the finest in Central America with a lift system that has a 200 ton capacity. Last but not least, the marina village is inviting to anglers and non-anglers alike. It offers multiple restaurants ranging from sea food to pub food to a gelatore store. There is a guest center, a dive shop, and offices for numerous adventure activities like jet skis and catamaran cruises. There are also several shops including a tackle shop, a souvenier shop, clothing stores, a mini mart, and the first and only Pelagic store outside of the United States. You even have the ability to stay right in the heart of the action and walk to your boat in the morning by staying at the Marina Pez Vela Villas. These eight luxury villas range from 2-bedroom to 3-bedroom units and come fully furnished with everything you need to enjoy a luxury fishing vacation with your family or fishing buddies.

One of the aspects that we love about it is that it’s completley open to the public. Unlike many marinas that are private for boat owners or tourists with a reservation, locals and tourists alike enjoy meandering through the marina village and gazing at the boats on the water. The marina is also more family friendly than others, as evidenced that on Friday nights they play free movies in it’s amphitheater on an inflatable screen. Every year during the month of December they hang Christmas lights and have a boat parade for all to see. The marina has done a masterful job of creating both employment opportunities for locals and entertainment options for all it’s visitors.

Of course Costa Rica being one of the world’s leaders in it’s green initiatives, in January 2024 the Marina Pez Vela was proud to annouce they were the first marina in Central America to offer 100% polished diesel fuel. The fuel passes through six filtration stages and 24 microfilters before it touches any boat. In addition to improved efficiency and extended engine life for boat owners, it also provides reduced emissions.

The charter fleet in Quepos is as diverse as the fishery itself. Being one of the best billfishing destinations in Central America, the marina is full of high end offshore sport fishing boats. However due to the incredible inshore fishing, there is also a fleet of smaller center consoles and super pangas that dedicate themselves to that type of fishing. In the Marina Pez Vela you’ll find a mix of expat captains, mainly from the US, as well as local Tico captanis. Unlike most other marinas in Costa Rica, in Quepos you still still find quality charter boats for around $1,000/day.

Offshore Fishing Boats

We have three tiers of offshore fishing boats in Quepos: Small (26′-34′), Medium (36′-42′), and Large (45′-60′). All of the offshore boats will have bathrooms, but the the Medium and Large boats typically have air conditioned salons as well. For the smaller offshore boats, 3-4 anglers is ideal.  The medium sized boats are great for groups of 4-6. They are also an upgraded choice over the smaller boats as they are typically faster, more luxurious, and have air condtioned salons. For larger groups or those looking for a VIP charter fishing experience, we have a few luxury yachts that earn rave reviews every time they take our customers out fishing. While a bigger boat doesn’t guarantee more fish, it does guarantee a faster ride and a more luxurious experience inside and out. If the bite is 18-25 miles out, any boat in the marina can and will catch fish. The difference is that when it’s a challenging week and the bite is 40-50 miles away, only the best and fastest boats will make the long run to ensure that our guests catch fish.

Inshore Fishing Boats

While many of the same offshore boats say that they can take you inshore fishing, the truth is that we only have a select few captains that actually excel at and enjoy doing both inshore and offshore fishing. Oftentimes we often prefer to have you fish on a dedicated inshore boat with a captain who knows the tides, the best spots and who does this type of fishing every day. Our inshore captains typically drive smaller, more agile boats with outboard motors to get you close to the islands and river mouths where the fish can elude larger boats.

How to Pick Your Charter Boat in Quepos

Using an online booking site is one way to go about it, but most of our best captains don’t even list themselves on those types of faceless sites. In fact, we have relationships with a few captains that don’t work with bookings sites or any travel agencies for that matter. Due to our experience of living, working, and fishing here for the past 20 years, we have connections and contacts to make sure our CAF guests are fishing with the best captains in the marina. Every captain has a different personality, and every boat has different pros and cons, so trust our local knowledge to hand pick the perfect fishing charter for your group.

All our Quepos fishing charters are private so the boat is 100% yours, we do not set up shared charters or party boats. All Quepos fishing charters include bait, tackle, gas, lunch, snacks, and drinks (beer/water/soda). A quality tip for your crew is generally 15%-20% of the cost of the charter.

One of the first things that the Marina Pez Vela did was create a series of fishing tournaments that were fun and accessible to all. Unlike the prestigous Los Sueños Triple Crown that carries an entry fee of $15,000 per team, the Quepos fishing tournaments are often only $500-$1,000 per team. The Los Suenos Triple Crown is also strictly a billfishing tournament, whereas the tournaments in Quepos feature and reward various offshore species.  I was fortunate enough to fish in the first ever Marina Pez Vela open in 2013 as well as the Rooster Rodeo with one of CAF’s longest running repeat guest back in 2022, so I can tell you first-hand that they are well run and a ton of fun. Below is a list of the fishing tournaments hosted at the Marina Pez Vela.

Pelagic Rock Star Offshore Tournament

Normally held in January, this is said to be the largest and richest tournament in Central America with over $1,000,000 in prizes. There are different divisions for different sized boats and prizes for marlin, sailfish, tuna, and dorado. The legendary shotgun start is something you don’t want to miss.

Rooster Rodeo

Normally held in February each year, this one day tournament is all about catching and releasing as many roosterfish as possible. 

Pescadora Billfish Championship

This two-day tourney is proud to be a womens-only tournament. It has grown in popularity each year and is typically in mid to late Feb.

Sailfish Slam

This fun, one-day tourney only costs $300 to enter. Held in March, it’s all about sailfish!

Marina Pez Vela Open

The flagship tournament of the marina, this one-day tourney has prizes for marlin, sailfish, tuna, and dorado.

Dorado Derby

One of the most fun tournaments of the year, the Dorado Derby has been around since 2021. There are two, one-day tournaments held in November during the peak dorado run. Nothing else matters, just dorado (mahi-mahi)

The Offshore World Championship (OWC)

The grand-daddy of them all, the OWC is said to be the largest offshore tournament in the world. The Marina Pez Vela has been proud to host it since 2013 as teams from all over the world come to fish in this invite-only tournament.