Freshwater Fishing in Central America

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General Info

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Costa Rica

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Panama

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Available Species

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FAQ’s

With all the headline-grabbing saltwater fishing in Central America, the freshwater fishing is often overlooked. Whether it’s hunting a down a bucket list species or trying to catch fresh seafood, many anglers don’t even consider flying to Central America and spending time inland fishing on the jungle rivers and lakes that are chock full of hard-fighting exotic local species. You can dedicate your entire trip to freshwater fishing or simply try it for a day, but it’s a great change of pace from the saltwater, it allows you to see more of the country, and you can add new species to your catch list. Once you inquire with us we’ll work with you personally to customize your package to include some of the best freshwater fishing in Central America. Trust our decades of local expertise and see why nearly 40% of our anglers are repeat & referral guests!

Where is the Best Freshwater Fishing in Central America?

Before we got exposed to big game fishing on the ocean, many of us were first introduced to fishing on a freshwater lake, river or stream wherever it is we call home. It’s a natural evolution to seek new challenges and bigger fish, but too often that means anglers don’t even consider freshwater fishing in Central America. That is a mistake because not only is there some terrific light tackle action to be enjoyed, often times it’s our freshwater fishing trips that take you to places most tourists never visit, much less know of.

Chris Atkins holds Peacock Fish img 1100x924

While trolling offshore for billfish can feel like wandering in a desert some days, freshwater fishing in Central America can have you fish many of the same spots regular tourists pay to visit on their “eco tours”. In Costa Rica we can have you bass fishing at the base of a volcano or float down a jungle river with crocodiles resting on the banks and monkeys swinging overhead in the trees. In Belize you can fish lagoons and mangroves that serve as both hunting grounds and a nursery for all kinds of game fish. We can even have a 1,050 ft long Panamax cargo ship pass by your 23′ bass boat on the Panama Canal itself as it transfers from one ocean to the other.

Freshwater fishing in Central America is not mutually exclusive to saltwater fishing either, it’s very easy to incorporate both into the same package so you don’t have to decide which one to exclude. This can be accomplished by having you visit different destinations, fishing and exploring each one for a few days at a time so you can experience more of the region. In certain beach towns, it’s also possible to do both saltwater and freshwater fishing as we can have you fish lagoons, and mangroves, or even float trips down our jungle rivers. In addition to hard-fighting rainbow bass and peacock bass, our freshwater fishery can also offer up some surprisingly big fish like snook, tarpon, and the exotic tropical gar. The inshore and offshore fishing here certainly lives up to the hype, but the freshwater fishing can be the most memorable not only for the exotic fish you catch but also the beautiful places you visit.

Freshwater Fishing in Costa Rica

Of all the countries in Central America, freshwater fishing in Costa Rica is the most robust and productive. Famous for its biodiversity and for protecting 24% of the national territory with national parks, Costa Rica is carved up by pristine jungle rivers, lakes, and lagoons. The largest of them all, Lake Arenal, is also the most popular freshwater fishing destination in Costa Rica. This lake was actually man-made in 1979 to create hydroelectric power for the country and today covers a staggering 33 square miles.

Here the main target is the famous rainbow bass. Known locally as “guapote”, or “handsome one”, both the English and Spanish names give you the idea that this is one good-looking fish. It’s not just the beautiful array of colors that attract anglers to the lake every morning, it’s aggressive and surprisingly hard fighting so landing one is no guarantee. Other species on the lake include machaca, tilapia, and a variation of the rainbow bass called jaguar bass. The lake offers you the ability to fish the tall grass near the shore, structures like sunken logs, various streams, or even troll deep diving lures to try and entice the biggest fish.

North of Lake Arenal you’ll find the Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge, which is one of the world’s most important wetlands due to the incredible amount of birds, mammals, reptiles, and of course fish found here. Spanning over 24,000 acres, this series of rivers of lagoons is thought to be both a breeding site and nursery for game fish like snook, tarpon, and even bull sharks that come in from the Caribbean via the Rio San Juan. Local freshwater species here include guapote, mojarra, and the exotic tropical gar. Many visitors come here on a day trip from the Arenal Volcano area, but for a true backwater jungle experience it doesn’t get much better than this.

Last but not least, from coast to coast Costa Rica is sliced up by pristine jungle rivers that offer fantastic light tackle and fly fishing. The main target on these float trips is the high flying machaca, which is nicknamed “mini tarpon” due to it’s silver scales and acrobatic jumps once hooked. All of these rivers eventually empty into either the Pacific or the Caribbean, so at their lower parts the rainforest gives way to mangroves and you can find snook, snapper, corvina, and even tarpon in these waters.

Fishing Report from Panama’s Mothership – June 2015 img | Central America Fishing

The Best of Costa Rica

Arenal & Los Sueños

4-in-1 Fishing Trip

Costa Rica Bassmaster

Fly Fishing In The Jungle

Fly Fishing Quepos

Freshwater Fishing in Panama

The best freshwater fishing in Panama is done on a body of water everyone in the world has heard of – the Panama Canal. Technically known as Lake Gatun, this man-made lake was formed in the early 1900’s when engineers damned the Chagres River to create the Panama Canal. At 164 sq miles, at the time of it’s creation it was the largest man-made lake in the world. When the lake was formed, hilltops became islands and local rainforest became an underwater labyrinth creating perfect habitat for ambush predators. Ironically enough, the fish that the Panama Canal is most known for, peacock bass, isn’t even native to these waters.

Stories say they escaped from a nearby farm during a flood or that they were purposely introduced by bored US military men who were looking for something to do. Either way, since the 1960’s the population has flourished and it’s an extremely rare day you fish the Panama Canal and don’t catch peacock bass. While not as big as their Amazonian relatives, we still catch several fish in the 5-10 lb range every year. Snook are also a common catch here as they were naturally in this river long before the canal. While not as common, we certainly see plenty of tarpon in the canal every year as well. More recently we’ve even been seeing jack crevalle hunting in the lake, so sometimes you never know what you’ll catch in here!

The other main freshwater fishery in Panama is the mighty Bayano River. Located 1.5 hours east of Panama City, this was one of the first places in the world where tarpon where regularly observed on the Pacific Ocean. Native to the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, over time tarpon made their way through the Panama Canal and ended up on the Pacific. The highly adaptable fish were not only able to survive in the new ocean they discovered, evidence of juvenile tarpon suggests they are actually thriving and reproducing. Fishing this river is highly tidal dependent, but in addition to tarpon we can also catch snook, snapper, and corvina near the river mouth.

Fishing Highlights of Panama

The Best of Panama

Panama Canal Grand Slam

Freshwater Species of Central America

Peacock Bass

Snook

Tarpon

Mangrove Snapper

Rainbow Bass

Machaca

Mojarra

Tropical Gar

Freshwater Fishing FAQs

Do I need a fishing license to fish in Costa Rica?

YES. All anglers need a fishing license to fish in Costa Rica. These are sold by the Instituto Costarricense de Pesca y Aquacultura, or INCOPESCA as they are known here. Unfortunately their website has functionality and language issues so it’s not easy to use, so you can buy the license in the morning right before you fish for the first time. The cost is $15 for one week or $30 for one month and it must be paid in cash.

How many people will be on my fishing boat?

All fishing charters booked by Central America Fishing are private, so the boat is 100% yours. We do not set up any shared charters.

What is the standard tip for a fishing charter in Costa Rica?

A standard tip for a charter fishing crew in Costa Rica is 10%-20% of the cost of the charter. Most captains are paid a low salary with the idea they’ll earn more tips the more they fish, but many mates rely 100% on tips for their income. Tipping in USD or Costa Rican colones is fine. We recommend giving the entire tip to the captain and let him divide it up with the mate.

Can I bring my own fishing gear?

OF COURSE! Even though our private charters provide all the fishing tackle and bait you’ll need, you are always welcome to bring your own lures, reels, and even rods if you want to catch fish using your own tackle. Fly anglers are always encouraged to bring their own fly gear.

Which fish in Costa Rica are catch and release and which ones can I keep to eat?

By law, all billfish in Costa Rica are strictly catch and release. While not a law, we also strongly encourage releasing all roosterfish, tarpon, and cubera snapper as they are such prized inshore species. Other species like tuna, dorado (mahi), wahoo, snappers, groupers, corvina, snook can be kept and enjoyed for a fresh seafood dinner.

Can I bring fish back home with me to my own country?

If you really want to enjoy your catch our best advice is to eat it while it’s fresh here in Costa Rica. We understand many of you love the idea of a Costa Rican seafood dinner in the comforts of your own home, so the good news is there is no law against it and people do it all the time. However – we do not have the final say in this so there are some things you need to keep in mind:

1 – Unlike some other popular fishing destinations, in Costa Rica there is no service that will package and ship fish home for you. If you want to bring fish home with you you’ll have to do it yourself in your own luggage. Our best advice is to bring down a soft sided, leak-proof cooler, have your fish frozen completely solid, wrap them in newspaper, and then check your cooler as part of your luggage since it will stay cooler in the cargo hold of the plane versus in the cabin as a carry-on. If you don’t have a cooler or forget to bring one, you can purchase affordable plastic coolers here in local grocery stores.

2 – While Costa Rica does not prohibit you from bringing fish fillets home with you, your international airline might. We strongly recommend you confirm this with your airline (in writing if possible) or you may have the fish confiscated from you at the airport check-in.

3 – Even if your airline lets you fly the fish home, your local customs may have an issue with you bringing in meat products from a foreign country. In our experience most customs agents don’t seem too interested in you bringing back frozen fish fillets from your fishing vacation to Costa Rica, but it can depend on the agent and depend on the day.

What if there is bad weather on our fishing day?

First of all, it is extremely rare to have a fishing day cancelled due to bad weather. Costa Rica is too far south for hurricanes, and on top of that we custom design every single one of our Costa Rica fishing packages to factor in not only where you’ll have the best fishing but also the best weather & sea conditions for the time of year you visit us.

It does happen every once in a while however, so if the captain, local marina, or government deem the conditions are unsafe the trip will be cancelled. The first course of action is to try and reschedule you, but if that is not possible you will be refunded in full.

Please note that rain and dark clouds are not considered bad weather. We are in the tropics and rain is a common occurrence here so that is not a cause for cancelling the trip. Many great fishing days happen in the rain – as they say the fish are wet anyway!

Why Fish With CAF?

We have been fishing, living, and traveling around Central America since 2003. Plan your trip with local experts to make sure you are in the right place, at the right time, and on the right boat. We’ll help you fish for what you want, the way you want.

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Free vacation planning + the best direct rates. No booking fees!

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Personalized service from pre-arrival to 24/7 in-country support.

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Hand-picked accommodations, fishing captains, expert guides for the best vacation experience.

Nearly 40% of our anglers are repeat & referral guests. CAF puts you on the fish!

We are proud to have a global reach and have hosted anglers from 14 different countries here in Central America!

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Conservation & Charity Partners

All fishing vacations booked with Central America Fishing include the following:

Free Vacation Planning (no fees + direct rates)
VIP Airport Meet & Greet upon arrival into SJO
Private, air-conditioned transfers with English speaking driver.
Luxury, private accommodations hand-picked and customized for your group. Choose between private condos & villas, luxury beach resorts, exclusive boutique hotels, and fishing lodges.
Private fishing charters
All eco / adventure tours you’d like to include
All Costa Rican taxes
Free quotes on travel insurance
Pre-arrival assistance with dinner reservations, tee times, pre-stocking your condo or villa, hiring a private chef, and special requests.
24/7 support once you are here in country