Costa Rica Dairies -The End

There is something about Costa Rica that appeals to me. I’ve been to Caribbean multiple times with family and although I always enjoyed the trips I never really wanted to return to any of the places. They are cool to visit as a tourist, particularly with a young family, but the appeal stops right there. Maybe they are just too many darn Americans there that it feels like home too much. When I went to Mexico I though it was much more friendlier place, and the scenery was harsher as it was the sun. Yes, I know there are some places out there that no one should attempt to set a foot in.
Costa Rica on the other hand is constantly on my mind. I am pretty sure that whole stretch of coastline, be that Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, etc, they all feature similar terrain and probably similar fishing opportunities. But from what I’ve heard and read , Costa Rica is considered the safest destination out of all of those places.
Maybe its because it reminds me of where I grew up, where people are pleasant and guys still use hand line to catch fish. Where food is still natural and harvested from land and sea, instead of a box from a supermarket.
Maybe its the insane biodiversity of the country and its scenery. You want to surf the waves? Planes to Costa Rica are loaded with young dudes and gals with surfboards. You want to do an eco tour? There is no place on earth I know that did a better job of promoting their natural resources than Costa Rica. You want to fish for anything from inshore species like cuber snapper, roosters or jacks or offshore for tuna and marlin? Costa Rica is considered one of the top 5 world destinations for angling.

For me, I don’t think its the fishing to be honest. I think its the people and scenery. It reminds me of my childhood, where life moved at slower pace, where everyone knew your name, where the best part of the day was a dinner with family or friends.

The boat guys have the place dialed in and maybe a little too much, to be honest. You can thank the Americans for that. I am sure years ago when you went to Costa Rica and even Panama, you could find a local panga for very little money to take you out and catch a ton of fish. With most of the tourists being Americans these days , the prices are reflecting that and now you can expect to pay similar price for charter boat as you would at home.

Few things that I took home with me

Spiderwire Camo line is cool, not only too look at, and the PENN Clash is one hell of a reel. Patrick Sebille is insane, his lures are insane and I can’t wait to see the relaunch of the whole line at ICAST. Something tells me PENN has few more aces up their sleeve but I am not at liberty to share it at this time.

For the surf guy however, Costa Rica shoreline are still a virigin grounds in so many places. I can honestly say that I could fish there all day in a blazing sun and not catch a darn thing, and still say to myself ” this is freaking awesome”. The scenery is spectacular, from the big surf crashing on shore, palm trees in the background. Big coral reefs interrupting miles of the finest sand you’ll ever see and a crystal clear water, the kind I’ve never seen anywhere else. The food is local and out of this world, natural, and the way God intended. I remember few years ago when we went to Guanacaste and we stopped by a local deli to grab some food. I bit into a tomato and it took me back 30 years to my childhood. I freaking forgot how real tomato is supposed to taste like! Instead I buy a tomato at Shoprite that lasts as long as presidential election cycle!

There are place on earth that are on everyone bucket list. Some are far away like catching GT in christmas Islands off Australia or fishing in Amazon or even Alaska I consider a far away place. But Costa Rica is still my #1 choice to visit as an angler. There might be better place if you only are looking for one particular specie, like roosters. There are places in Mexico you can rent an ATV and run  down the beach for miles, something that is (at least i think) hard to do in Costa Rica with river mouths, coral reel and a lot of protected ecological areas. Costa Rica is only about an hour longer flight than Caribbean and although tropical, the “vibe” is much different.

The same week we were at Crocodile Bay Resort, Ryan Collins who runs very popular My Fishing Cape Cod website (https://myfishingcapecod.com/), was on the other size of the bay in Playa Zacundo. His fiancee booked the trip without him even knowing of any fishing opportunities. He brought a rod and just cast without any prior knowledge of the place or the structure.
How did he do ?
Does this answer your question ?Costa Rica-PURA VIDA