Bite is big on Caribbean; inshore action good on Pacific

Fishing is red-hot and the weather great on the Caribbean side, with anglers hooking multiple tarpon almost every day, according to Dianne Sánchez at Río Colorado Lodge. Most boats are seeing as many as 10 a day, and all the fish have been big. The smallest fish recorded this week was about 80 pounds, with most fish running 120 to 180 pounds. There are also lots of jacks and sharks.

Eddie Brown, down the coast in Tortuguero, reports that fishing has picked up again after a short lull, with lots of tarpon outside the river mouth. Seven- to 10-pound snook have been hitting jigs up at Samay Lagoon, he says.

Dr. Alfredo López at Río Indio Lodge in southern Nicaragua has been getting guapote up to nine pounds in the lagoons off the Río San Juan. He predicts the action should last another five weeks before the rain fills the lagoons and the fish move up into the flooded jungle, where they are hard to access.

On the Pacific side, the action is a little slower. Down south at Crocodile Bay, there are still plenty of sails around but the last couple of days the fish have been lazy. Boats are having eight to 12 fish come into the spread, but only a few are hanging around long enough to take bait.

On the central Pacific coast, it is pretty much the same news with a little more action up near Los Sueños than out of Quepos. Fishing inshore for roosters, jacks and snapper has been the best bet lately in those areas.

A few more sails are starting to move into the Guanacaste area, as it is getting near the beginning of the season for the Northern Zone. As on the rest of Pacific coast, the inshore action has been good.

George Large, a lure designer for Yo-Zuri, tested a prototype lure near the surf at Carate and took a few roosterfish and 30 jacks. The lure should be on the market by the end of the year.

Skippers, operators and anglers are invited to email fishing reports by Wednesday of each week to todd@crocodilebay.com. To post reports and photos on The Tico Times’ online fishing forum, go to wordpress-257819-2837440.cloudwaysapps.com/Weekend/Fishing/Fishing-Forum.