Osa Peninsula Inshore Fishing

Osa Peninsula Fishing in Costa Rica’s Golfo Dulce

The Osa Peninsula may very well be the world’s best inshore fishing destination

A fishing boat from The Zancudo Lodge enjoys some Osa Peninsula inshore fishing at dawn

The Osa Peninsula is well renowned in ecotour circles as being the most biologically place on Earth. It holds 2.5 percent of all the biodiversity in the world and is literally crawling with wildlife. What a lot of websites don’t tell you is the same holds true for the waters surrounding the shores of the Osa Peninsula – The Golfo Dulce.

This is the largest area of responsible fishing in Costa Rica and it offers up a literal buffet of inshore fishing species that will get the most seasoned angler chomping at the bit. The volcanic, cavernous structure of the coasts, the large tidal swings, and depth of the gulf at almost a kilometer make this one of the worlds most diverse fisheries.

We’ve done a lot of fishing around the globe an in our opinion the inshore fishing in the Osa Peninsula offers the worlds most productive waters.

Big Roosterfish Inshore Fishing

Osa Peninsula Inshore Fishing Species: The Usual Suspects

A great thing about all the fish species inshore is that they are available year round. So you can expect good action any month of the year (watch out for October as it is the rainiest month of the year..but still good inshore fishing if you don’t mind getting wet)

Roosterfish (live bait works best)- Fishing for these bruisers probably ranks as the most popular as they tend to reverse gears right when you think you have them close to the boat, jumping and diving. Their seven comb dorsal fin and sleek stripes make them one of the coolest inshore species in terms of sheer beauty.

Cubera Snapper An Osa Peninsula inshore fishing trip is not complete without scratching a Cubera Snapper from your bucket list. These pit-bulls lurk in the volcanic holes throughout the gulf and are so aggressive they’ll come up on a top water lure if you make a good enough sized splash. Although some say there are over 10 kinds of snapper that call the Golfo Dulce home (rock snapper, wax snapper, yellowtail snapper, colorado snapper, red snapper, green bar snapper to name the most common) we’ve only experienced about 8 of them. The mystery of what is pulling on the other end of your line is one of things that makes this region so special.

African Pompano – A thin and interestingly shaped fish, the African pompano is a favorite table fare of fisherman in the area – and unlike those florida pompanos…these guys get huge!

Bluefin Trevally – Not only is this fish spectacular to look at with its gleaming neon blue speckles and stripes, but it is a great fighter (often mistaken for a jack crevalle and released) and and even greater at the dinner table with a tasty white flaky texture similar to dorado)

Jack Crevalle – The most disrespected fish in the ocean has a complex about not jumping or sporting cool colors – so he makes up for it with fight. These guys will test your arms and lower back.

Other Osa Penisula inshore fishing species you may encounter include black snook, needlefish, golden trevally, and barracuda

Osa Peninsula Inshore Fishing – Responsible fishing tips

A fishing licence is required for inshore fishing and can usually be purchased through your fishing lodge or captain. When booking your trip we try to make sure this is included for you. If not fishing licenses can be purchased online at Incopesca.go.cr .
We recommend releasing as many resident reef fish as you can – in particular large, pregnant, or juvenile fish. Please only take what you need for the dinner table.
The legal catch limit in Costa Rica is 5 fish per boat
The Osa Peninsula contains one protected fishing area that is not allowed to be fished. Check with your captain or lodge for more information.
All Roosterfish are protected by law and must be released
By law circle hooks must be used when fishing live bait – even inshore as they increase the fishes ability to recover after the release

These are just some of the species you will encounter and in general the most sought after. Some of the captains we recommend on this site are masters of pursuing them and have been fishing these waters since their childhood. If you’re ready to tangle with some of these inshore monsters give us a call and we’ll set you up with the perfect captain, boat and lodging options. We can also assist with local flights and San Jose Airport (SJO) pickup and drop off.

Hope to see you soon fishing Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula

Osa Fishing Trips Staff