Another summer is in the books, as is yet another productive green season of fishing in Costa Rica.  Because the months of December through April are considered the peak fishing season in Costa Rica, many assume (incorrectly) that by default the months of May to October must therefore be the offseason.  Year after year we try to explain that the fishing in the green season is every bit as good as the peak season, sometimes even better, but we know it still takes some convincing. Below is our Costa Rica Fishing Report – Summer 2021 with daily reports and monthly overviews from up and down the Pacific Coast.

May picked up where April left off with a steady, if not fantastic, sailfish bite the first half of the month. Similar to last year’s epic green season bite, the currents had pinned baitfish along the coast of the Nicoya Peninsula. Boats leaving from the Los Suenos Marina that were willing to make a longer run north were able to enjoy some great fishing for a couple of weeks.  A few of the Maverick Yachts even hit 20+ releases a few days.  Unlike last year however when the borders were closed and few boats fished that biomass, this year it was hit hard and it broke up after just a few weeks. The second half of May offered much lower sailfish numbers in reaction to the bait spreading out. The big dorado action from April cooled off, and while many were still caught they tended to be the smaller schoolies that are common in the green season. Fortunately the yellowfin tuna bite was as consistent as ever so most anglers went home with at least something to eat.

July has always been one of our favorite months to fish in Costa Rica, and is arguably the most underrated. The green season bit is well established and in full swing, so everything from inshore to offshore to bottom fishing is going off at the same time. On top of that, every July in Costa Rica there is a nice 2-3 week stretch of gorgeous weather called the Veranillo de San Juan, or ‘the little summer of San Juan.’ This annual phenomenon isn’t exclusive to Costa Rica, it actually happens throughout much of Central & South America. A combination of changes in the Antarctic cold fronts and the Trade Winds makes for an atypical dry season patch in the middle of our green season, hence it’s name “veranillo“. If you can time it right, you’ll get dry season weather and a peak season billfish bite, all while enjoying low season rates and less crowds. You can see in the month of July the day-by-day Costa Rica Fishing Report – Summer 2021 the marlin bite picked up significantly in July, and there were still plenty of sailfish around most days for the Los Sueños fishing charter fleet, but the bite was especially good up in Guanacaste.

July 1 – Captain Tom – 2 sailfish and 3 tuna
July 2 – Gamefisher II – 10 for 14 on sailfish
July 3 – Tiger Fly – 10 sailfish, 1 dorado, and some tunas
July 4 – Captain Tom – 21 tuna!
July 4 – Go Fish – 14 for 28 on sailfish, 3 snapper, 3 grouper
July 5 – Gamefisher II – 5 for 6 on sailfish and 2 dorado
July 6 – Bushwacker – 3/3 on marlin and 2/2 on sailfish
July 7 – Gamefisher II – 3 for 5 on sailfish and tuna
July 9 – Sea Fly – 1 blue marlin, 1 sail, 1 mahi, and 3 tuna
July 10 – Gamefisher II – 2/2 on marlin, 2/2 on sailfish, and 2 tuna
July 12 – Gamefisher II – 1/2 marlin, 1/2 sailfish, 5 tunas
July 13 – Go Fish – 20 for 22 on sailfish
July 14 – Wet Ass II – 10 for 14 on sails plus a marlin
July 15 – Satis Fly – 4 blue marlin
July 16 – Sea Fly – 4 blue marlin and 1 sailfish
July 17 – Tiger Fly – 2 marlin and 3 yellowfin tuna
July 17 –  Sea Fly – 6 sailfish and 2 tuna
July 17 – Good Day Too – 1 blue marlin, 4 sails, 4 tuna, 2 wahoo
July 19 – Pelagic Pursuits – 4 for 6 on blue marlin and 1/3 on sails
July 20 – Tiger Fly – 4 blue marlin, 1 sail and 1 tuna
July 22 – Gamefisher II – 2/3 on marlin and 3/4 on sailfish
July 23 – Good Day Too – 5 sailfish released and 7 tuna
July 24 – Bushwacker – 7 for 10 on sailfish
July 25 – Captain Tom – blue marlin and 4 sails released
July 28 – Sea Fly – 9 sailfish released
July 30 – Good Day Too – 11 yellowfin tuna
July 31 – Sea Fly – 2 blue marlin, 1 sailfish, 11 tuna