Just when you think The Zancudo Lodge can’t get any better the owners’ level up yet again for 2024 with a fully renovated dock area and new 44’ custom Contender in addition to their existing fleet of 32’ Contenders.This was our fourth visit to the lodge (saying “lodge” really doesn’t do this place justice since it really is more like a small five star luxury resort) and once again TZL DID NOT DISAPPOINT! From the moment we walked in after our 3 hour drive through wild jungle and rural coastal communities, we immediately noticed amazing changes to the already exceptional facilities and grounds.

In the past we have arrived by taking a 35–40-minute flight from San Jose, the Capital, to Golfito followed by a scenic 15 minute boat ride to the private dock at TZL. This time we were visiting some other resorts further up the coast and decided to drive down – however, driving all the way from San Jose can take up to 8-10 hours so flights are recommended to save on precious time that can be better spent pulling on some of the world’s most exciting fighting fish.

Although this has reportedly been one of the hottest and driest years in in Costa Rica, somehow when we entered the property from the dusty roads and sun-bleached countryside, a lush green oasis welcomed us. The grounds of the resort are home to a vibrant playground for wildlife with white faced monkeys foraging for food, scarlet macaws squawking and sloths relaxing in the canopy.

Upon entering the main facility, we were immediately greeted with cocktails and smiles from the professional staff we have come to know and love in seasons past. The staff here always greets us by our first names and makes us feel like we have never left. We’re pretty sure once you experience the staff and overall charm of this place your first trip won’t be your last either.

The Rooms

This visit we stayed in a junior suite and as we approached our room the sun was just beginning to dip into Costa Rica’s Golfo Dulce or “Sweet Gulf” directly in front of the resort. Costa Rica has some of the most dramatic sunsets you’ll ever witness and our first night was no exception. This is not a large lodge/resort and features only about 15 rooms and a main resort building with open air restaurant facing an expansive beachfront property. The intimate setting and limited number of guests really ensures perfect service and the ultimate laid back yet luxurious escape. The suites and junior suites just to the left of the other rooms and are in their own buildings.

We have stayed in the standard rooms, and junior suites in the past and are hoping to reserve a master suite (which looks unbelievable) for our next trip down. A large saltwater filtered swimming pool is lined by tall palm trees and awesome Pre-Columbian style statues and ceramics with flowering tropical planets that add to the tropical allure and really make you feel like you’re on vacation.

All rooms are turned down TWICE a day, once while you are having breakfast and again while you are having dinner. The rooms offer extremely comfortable beds and pillows and have large TV, ice cold air conditioning (critical in Southern Costa Rica) and solar battery backups in the event of power outages which can happen in the jungle. Getting a good night’s sleep is imperative to fully enjoy a full day offshore fishing and we had NO PROBLEM achieving this in these ultra comfortable rooms. The TV’s (although we didn’t watch) were stocked with every news, sports and movie channel conceivable and the internet was reliable enough to stream Netflix and Amazon prime on our devices. Our Jr Suite had beautiful hardwood floors with ceramic floors in the bathroom.The rooms were very elegant and more importantly extremely comfortable with well though out places to stash gear and belongings. It seemed like every time we left and came back the room was straightened up with bottles of ice cold filtered water waiting.

The Gamefisher Restaurant

If the surreal jungle sounds, dreamlike grounds, and exotic beach don’t get you to drop your jaw, just wait until you try the cuisine. We were both sure we had one of the best meals of our lives on that first night which included freshly grilled Mahi Mahi on a bed of pasta in a smoked yellowfin tuna sauce that was amazing. This was preceded with a fresh ceviche and some of the freshest “belly” tuna Sashimi we had ever tasted. The Key Lime Pie for desert provided the perfect finish and would have made even a key west native (lime) green with envy. Three meals daily are included with TZL packages, and they are designed by a professional chef and fused with the local flavors from their organic gardens.

The Fishing

When it comes to fishing, owner Gregg Mufson has thought of everything an angler could want and checks all the boxes for those with the bar set high for their bucket list trip of a lifetime. He himself is a passionate pro caliber angler and takes pride in having the best of everything.

As you walk down the dock (recently renovated) at sunrise at the rear of the lodge you are welcomed by something out of an Ansel Adams photo. The dense mangroves open up to a sunrise on a pristine rainforest covered lagoon, with exotic birds flying overhead, monkeys in the trees and a few crocs floating by. A thatched palapa with a sitting area overlooks an elite collection of 32’ custom contenders outfitted with all the bells and whistles. The newest member of their fleet the 44’ Contender is a sight to behold and will make any angler drool. If you are lucky enough to find a slot when this boat is not fully booked, I highly recommend it. If not the entire fleet of “run and gun” 32’ contenders are amazing and will get you to the bite in speed and comfort.

No matter how awesome the boat and how cool the toys are, without an organized, knowledgeable captain that knows how to communicate with anglers and his crew, all of this is for nothing. Almost all of TZL captains have been around since the lodge’s inception, and some worked at before TZL when it was Roy’s Zancudo Lodge almost two decades ago. They know the fishing grounds the way old alpha lions know their way around the grasslands of the Serengeti plains.

We only had one full day to fish because we visited several resorts this stay, but what a day we had! We left the dock at 6am and were out of the lagoon and into Costa Rica’s Golfo Dulce within 5 minutes. We got thick into bait-fish 10 minutes after that and were catching full strings of blue runners at about 40-60 feet.

With a full bait-well we cruised offshore through the rainforest covered gulf and within 45 minutes we had already found sea birds dive bombing and spotted dolphins feeding. Jackpot. We immediately got lines in the water. As we waited in anticipation eyes deadlocked on the “50” Okuma Makaira reels at the rear of the boat anticipation grew…but still no bites. We could see large individual fish on the high def Simrad screen, but they were just not feeding. All this changed within about half an hour as we started to see large tuna exploding from the surface in pursuit of bait and BOOM…we got our FIRST big strike. If you’ve ever caught big YFT you know the routine. First they come in the direction of the boat fairly easily because they haven’t figured out they’ve been hooked yet. But as soon as they figure it out…..let the 12 rounds of mayhem begin. My fish immediately dove to 70 and then 90 feet. Every time I got him up to 30 feet…..he would circle then dive back down to 70-80 feet! What a fight! If you plan on visiting the lodge to pursue these big boys, do yourself a favor and hit the gym now! They are no joke. We got the GAFF in the fish after about 55 minutes of this circling and diving routine and the fish was a 90-100lb individual. We ended up getting four about this size BEFORE 11 AM!!!!! and then went inshore to take it easy and enjoy some roosterfish and Cubera snapper. This was a dream day and because of the captains, the fast boat, and the great gear and we landed all the fish with no equipment problems. TUNA ARE STRONG – and can be dangerous without the proper equipment and knowledgeable captains, TZL has everything to pull off a bucket list day like this.

Although I am still sore from my battle with that first massive tuna, I highly recommend targeting tuna to any angler who really wants a challenge. This is a marathon, not a sprint. Other anglers we talked with were getting several shots at sailfish and blue marlin during the same time we were there. If you enjoy inshore fishing, all the bucketlist species are here and I highly recommend targeting roosterfish and snapper.

If you’re looking for the best of the best when it comes to sport fishing, accommodations, dining and service in Costa Rica… this is the place. We will definitely be back next year with hopefully three or more full days to fish. It just doesn’t get better! We are currently relaxing back at the lodge pool with the sun setting and almost completely reset and ready to return to life in the real world hahaha. Can’t recommend this place enough!