At the very southern end of town in Mal Pais, Costa Rica sits a friendly fishing village that is home to many local panga boats.  I fish with these local panga fisherman frequently as they are very affordable (usually around $45 per hour) and very knowledgeable fishermen. Inshore trolling in the early morning can usually yield nice size cero mackerel, big eyed jacks, small roosterfish and small barracuda. This fishery has very low pressure from the local fishermen and you can almost be guaranteed to have a successful day.
The potential is there for using live bait around some of the exposed reefs. This live bait method can result in catching large roosterfish, snook, grouper, amberjack and dog toothed red snapper. Braided line in the 50 lb. to 80 lb. class is advised because of the razor sharp reef. You really never know what you will catch as a result of live bait fishing, which makes it a fun type of fishing.

photo credit: mschuelk

Fishing in Costa Rica is as diverse as anywhere in the world. I have been fishing there for 15 years and you can catch many different species of salt water fish there from large reef jacks to beautiful sailfish and almost everything in between. This article will focus on fishing from the reefs.

Fishing from the reefs is one of the most exciting areas for me to fish because of the danger involved in standing on the reef and dodging the incoming surf. I usually try to find an accessible reef at high or low tide with a taller vantage point so that you can look more into the water and see the unexposed parts of the reef thus better avoiding getting your rig snagged on it. I generally use floating plugs when fishing from reefs as the will glide over the unexposed reef and not get snagged. Many of the fish you can catch like roosterfish and big jacks will require a larger popping plug. I prefer wooden lures (yellow and white works well for me) thrown past submerged reef with a very fast retrieve. Smaller floating rigs can also be used for the smaller jacks as well as cero mackerels.  I also use braided line tied off directly to the lure which makes for an easier landing of the fish and lessens the chance that you will be cut off by the razor sharp reef.

One word of advice for fishing from the reef: Always keep your eyes on the incoming swells because they sneak up on you in a hurry!