- We come to you. A tender picks you up on the beach in front of where you are staying, anywhere inside the Gulf. South of Flamingo, we drive you to Flamingo Marina instead.
- A captain who has fished this water for decades. Not a guide reading from a chart — somebody who knows which rock holds roosterfish in March and where the sailfish are running this week. That local knowledge is most of what you are paying for.
- Everything is aboard. Rods, reels, tackle, bait, ice and licences. You do not need to bring anything but sunscreen and a hat.
- Beginners are genuinely welcome. Plenty of our charters are somebody's first time holding a rod. The crew rigs, teaches and lands — you just have to hold on.
- Sashimi and ceviche, made on board. We do not cook on the fishing boat — but if you land something worth eating, the crew will cut it fresh right there. Ceviche made an hour after the fish came out of the water is not a thing you can order in a restaurant.
- What you keep, and what goes back. Snapper, grouper, mackerel and wahoo come home with you. Billfish and roosterfish are catch and release, always — sailfish, marlin and rooster go back in the water. You get the fight and the photograph; the fish gets to keep swimming. We do not make exceptions on that.
Ocean Experience · Gulf of Papagayo
Sport Fishing in the Gulf of Papagayo
Most of the Pacific is a desert. This part is not, and there is a reason for it — the same wind that dries out Guanacaste every January pushes the surface water offshore and pulls cold, nutrient-rich water up from below. Plankton follows. Sardines follow the plankton. And everything with teeth follows the sardines. That is why boats have been fishing out of this coast for generations, and why you can be into fish forty minutes from the beach. Your charter is private — your group, your captain, your day. Nobody else aboard, and nobody else deciding when to head back.
Your own private charter in one of the Pacific’s richest fisheries — sailfish, marlin, mahi-mahi, roosterfish, forty minutes from the beach.
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Quick answer
Sport fishing in the Gulf of Papagayo is a private charter off the Guanacaste coast of Costa Rica, where the dry-season winds pull cold, rich water up from below. Choose 4 hours inshore for roosterfish, jack crevalle and snapper, 8 hours offshore for sailfish, mahi-mahi and tuna, or a 10-hour run for marlin. Crew, tackle, bait and licences included — from $1,120 per private charter.
4 to 10 hoursInshore or offshoreGear & licencesPrivate charter
Last verified September 2026 by Miller Contreras, naturalist guide
Duration
4 to 10 Hours
Group
100% Private
Guide
Local Captain
Level
All Levels
Location
Gulf of Papagayo
Fleet
5 boats
What you’ll experience
A private day on the water
What fish are running in Papagayo, and when?
You can catch most of these fish here at any time of year. What changes month to month is not whether they are around — it is your odds. Here is where those odds sit.
Sailfish — peaks in June and July. They show up through the year, but that is the stretch where your chances are highest. It runs against what most visitors assume about Costa Rica, which is a good reason to ask us rather than guess.
Marlin — peaks in October and November. Here is the part nobody advertises: our best marlin window is also the emptiest time of year. Fewer boats on the water, lower prices on everything ashore, and the fish are in.
Mahi-mahi — honestly, it depends. Some years they come in thick, some years they barely show. Right now there are a few around, but the boats are landing one or two and none of them big. We will tell you what the week actually looks like before you book, not after.
Roosterfish — all year, if we can get live bait. With roosterfish the season is not the limiting factor; the bait is. When we can get live bait aboard, your odds are good in any month.
December to March — the trade winds, and you should know before you come. This is our windy season, and it gets properly windy. The Papagayo winds push the warm surface water offshore and the sea turns genuinely cold. Offshore days get bumpy and some mornings are not worth running.
But the fishing does not stop — it moves. We work the bottom closer to shore for grouper and snapper, in the lee of the coast where the wind has less to grab. It is a different day from chasing billfish, and on the right morning it is a better one. We would rather you knew that before booking than discovered it at seven in the morning.
The Boats We Fish
Every charter is priced by how long you go out — four, eight or ten hours. Within each of those, the boat you choose moves the price: a four-hour inshore trip starts at $1,120, and a ten-hour offshore day can reach around $5,470 on the largest boat in the fleet. Below is what we run, smallest to largest. Tell us how many are coming and what you are hoping to catch, and we will tell you which one fits. Each price below is where that boat starts on a half day. Eight- and ten-hour charters run higher, and we quote them when you tell us what you want to fish for.
25 Feet · up to 5 guests
A single 250 HP engine, comfortable seating and good shade, with a marine head aboard, freshwater, rod holders and Garmin GPS with a fish finder. This is an inshore boat: it works the rocky points and headlands close to the coast, where roosterfish, snapper and jacks hold. The right call for a couple or a small group who want a half day on the water without paying for range they will not use.
From $1,120 · 4-hour charter
30 Feet · up to 5 guests
Twin 250 HP Suzuki engines, outriggers, a live well and tournament-grade tackle, with Garmin GPS, radar and a fish finder. The live well is the part that matters: roosterfish are here all year, and the difference between a good day and a slow one is almost always whether we have live bait aboard.
From $1,670 · 4-hour charter
32 Feet · up to 5 guests
A high-performance hull on twin 300 HP Suzuki engines, with outriggers, dredges and a live well. The dredges are for raising billfish — this is the smallest boat we run that is rigged to tease sailfish and marlin up into the spread. It also gets out and back fast, which turns into fishing time on an eight-hour day.
From $2,070 · 4-hour charter
40-Foot Yacht · up to 8 guests
Twin Cummins 480 HP engines, outriggers, dredges, a live well and tournament-grade gear, with radar and a depth sounder. Below deck there is an air-conditioned salon, a cabin and a bathroom with a shower — the difference between surviving a long offshore day and enjoying one. Full kitchen and minibar aboard.
From $3,200 · 4-hour charter
48-Foot Yacht · up to 8 guests
Twin Caterpillar 660 HP diesels, outriggers, dredges and electric teaser reels — the full billfish setup — with tournament-grade equipment throughout. Three cabins, two bathrooms with showers, an air-conditioned salon, a full kitchen and a minibar. This is the boat for the ten-hour run offshore after blue marlin and yellowfin tuna.
From $4,000 · 4-hour charter
Which boats are free on a given date changes week to week. Tell us when you are coming and we will tell you what is actually available.
Inshore or Offshore?
This is the question that decides your day, and most people book without knowing the difference.
Inshore means staying close — the rocky headlands, the reefs and the drop-offs inside the Gulf. Shorter runs, calmer water, and steadier action: roosterfish, snapper, mackerel, barracuda, jack, and the odd tuna or bonito. It is the better choice with children aboard, with anyone unsure about their stomach, or when you want to be back for lunch.
Offshore means running out to where the blue water starts. Longer day, bigger water, bigger fish — sailfish, marlin, mahi-mahi, tuna. Fewer bites, but the ones you get are the ones you remember.
And the long day is for people who came here specifically to chase billfish, and want the hours to do it properly.
The table below shows all three, with what each includes.
Private Charter
From $1,120 per private charter
For your whole group. Private charter, price per boat. Includes taxes, card payment, professional gear and bait, licensed crew, and your guide.
| Charter | Duration | Target | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inshore half day | 4h | Roosterfish, jack crevalle, snapper | $1,120 |
| Offshore full day | 8h | Sailfish, mahi-mahi, tuna (C&R) | $1,470 |
| Marlin & Tuna deep run | 10h | Blue marlin, yellowfin — tournament tackle | $3,600 |
Price scales with the boat — from a center-console for a small group to a tournament yacht for up to twelve. Ask us which fits your day.
See the experience
What the day looks like
Drag to explore — the fight, the catch, the release, and lunch on board in the Gulf of Papagayo.
Fighting a Fish
Sailfish
Roosterfish
Billfish Release
Ceviche on Board
The Fighting Chair
Book direct with the operator
We run these tours ourselves
- We run these tours ourselves. No middleman, no reseller.
- Private from two people — no minimum group to fill, no strangers in your van.
- The price you see is the price you pay: taxes and door-to-door pickup included.
Good to know
What should you know before you book?
- Four hours inshore, eight hours offshore, or a full ten-hour day for billfish
- Pickup is usually around 7:00 am — the fish and the sea are both better early. We confirm your exact time when you book
- Everything included: captain and crew, fuel, rods, reels, tackle, bait, ice and licences
- Bring sunscreen, a hat, sunglasses and a light layer
- Free cancellation up to seventy-two hours before pickup. The clock runs from your actual pickup time, not from the calendar day — we confirm that time with you when you book. Inside seventy-two hours there is no refund
- If we cancel for safety, you get everything back. High wind, storms, or any kind of severe weather — if the captain calls it off, your refund is 100%. We would rather lose the booking than take you out on a day the sea does not allow
- We do not cook on board, but the crew will prepare sashimi or ceviche from your catch
- Snapper, grouper, mackerel and wahoo are yours to take. Billfish and roosterfish are catch and release
- Prices include taxes and card payment
Frequently asked
Sport fishing questions
No. We set the day to your level — first-timers are welcome, and experienced anglers can focus on specific species. Your captain calibrates from the moment you step aboard.
The 4-hour inshore trip is a focused morning close to shore. The 8-hour goes offshore for the bigger pelagics. The 10-hour deep run is for anglers serious about blue marlin and yellowfin.
Sailfish and marlin are always catch-and-release. Keepable species like mahi-mahi and tuna, you can keep — and the crew will fillet your catch on the boat.
Yes. Land something keepable and the crew makes fresh ceviche right there. It's one of the best parts of the day.
Right on your beach, anywhere in the Gulf of Papagayo up to Flamingo. From Tamarindo, Playa Grande or Hacienda Pinilla we drive you to Flamingo Marina to board.
We adjust the run to keep the day safe and productive. In case of genuine force majeure we reschedule or refund.
Seventy-two hours before your tour begins, counted from the start time and not the day. Cancel before that and your deposit comes back in full.
“
★★★★★ 5.0
We had the best fishing trip ever, with Miller and his crew. They went above and beyond what we expected.
FTripadvisorVerified review
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By the Guanadreams team, led by Miller Contreras — naturalist guide, born and raised in Guanacaste.