Golfito & Golfo Dulce
Costa Rica
2026 Fishing Trip Report
Trip Date:
February 9-13, 2026
Inshore and Offshore Fishing
I just returned from a very good fishing trip to Golfito, Costa Rica, which we will be offering to our guests who enjoy bluewater fishing for offshore and inshore species. Golfito is on the west coast, about 25 miles north of the Panamanian border.
Last November, Guy Schoenborn (the owner and agent of Fishing with Larry) received a call from Roy Roig. Roy had started Roy’s Zancudo Lodge about 30 years ago. Both Guy and I have been to Zancudo before, along with many of our guests. After selling the lodge, Roy stepped away for a time to enjoy retirement. Well, what happens to some people—especially highly motivated people—is they get bored. Roy was ready to get back into the sportfishing business. He was hired by an investment group that owns a hotel and a marina in Golfito to launch a quality-fishing program. Roy called Guy to tell him about his plans for the new program and invited him to Golfito to experience the lodging, restaurant, and fishing for a few days.
Guy’s schedule was full, so I was the fortunate one who had the opportunity to travel to Golfito to see if the new program would be a good fit for our guests—and for us.
I traveled with Sam Sickles, a fellow fly-fishing guide on Oregon’s Deschutes River. We left Portland the morning of February 9th, flew on United Airlines to Houston, then Houston to San José, Costa Rica. When we arrived at the San Jose airport and cleared Customs, we walked outside the terminal and found a driver holding a sign with our names. I told Sam they had passed the first test. There’s not much worse than arriving at a destination and having no one there to pick you up—I know, as it has happened to me before.
We were driven to the Fairfield Hotel in San José, which was very nice. The staff spoke English and were very friendly. There's a restaurant in the hotel, but we walked across the street to an Argentine-style steakhouse. We had a nice meal at an affordable price.
The next morning, a driver picked us up around 4:30 a.m. for our 5:45 flight on Sansa Airlines to the port town of Golfito, located on Golfo Dulce in Puntarenas Province. We flew on a 12-passenger plane, and the hour-long flight included one brief stop to drop off a passenger. We met Roy and a driver at the airport and drove about 10 minutes to Marina Bahia Golfito. Our hotel was onsite—Amaka Ocean Living Lodge.
Amaka Ocean Living Lodge
Roy joined us at the hotel, and we enjoyed a wonderful breakfast at the waterfront restaurant on the first floor of the hotel and part of the Marina Bahia Golfito complex. All of our meals were excellent, and the service was exceptional.
Our very comfortable room overlooked Golfito Dulce Bay.
32 Foot Contenders and More...
We met the two captains that we would be fishing with for the next three days—Tommy and José. Both were friendly, efficient, and experienced in offshore fishing.
On our first day offshore, we landed four Sailfish. Sam had never been offshore or billfishing for Bluewater species.
We were fishing from a 32 ft Contender, equipped with two 300 HP Yamaha four-stroke engines. The boat was very comfortable and equipped with a good selection of quality rods and reels. We trolled lures and bait.
For offshore fishing, it’s customary for anglers to take turns playing fish, with four to five rods fishing at any given —the more lures you’re pulling, the better your chances. I told Sam to take the first one. His first sailfish was a nice one—well over 100 pounds and an unforgettable introduction to billfishing.
Watch Sam’s First Sailfish in Action:
Sam with his First Sailfish
On the second day, Tommy and José had heard about a school of yellowfin tuna that had been located the day before. We decided to forgo fishing for sails and make a long run in search of the tuna. We saw plenty of birds and porpoises, but only a few tuna were feeding on the bait below us. There were fish scales in the water from the birds and other fish feeding on them. Unfortunately, we did not hook any tuna.
We did catch one sailfish on the way back before entering Golfito Bay.
The next day, we wanted to experience the inshore fishery that the area has to offer. We stopped not far from the marina and caught some small baitfish, hoping that they would attract larger fish.
We trolled north of the bay, probably within ¼ to ½ mile of the coastline. We caught a few roosterfish—nothing very large, with the biggest around 15 pounds. We also caught a couple of jacks.
Sam with his first Roosterfish
Later, we ran offshore to a nearby seamount that rises to within 150–200 feet of the surface. Using jigs, we caught a few red snappers; we kept one for dinner that night, and it was delicious. We caught a few other species as well. José and Tommy also kept three fish, similar to an amberjack, for the table.
Brad Staples with a Red Snapper
For this package, I suggest planning on three to four days of fishing. A scenic jungle eco-tour is also available and would complement the trip nicely.
Roy and his team were very personable, and the hotel manager, Ana, came down to the restaurant one evening to make sure Sam and I were pleased with the service.
Friday morning, we had breakfast, then headed to the airport for our flight back to San José and on to Portland.
Click here for Golfo Dulce's main page.
Guy or I are always available to discuss this trip.
Brad Staples
1-800-205-3474 ext. 3
Cell (503) 250-0558
Email: brad@fishingwithlarry.com
Guy Schoenborn
1-800-205-3474 ext. 1
Email: guy@fishingwithlarry.com
Information Packet
