Ed Blank's Adventures on the Fly has found the best fly fishing on both coasts of Costa Rica.  The wild Caribbean coast holds the largest year round population of giant tarpon, while our resort on the Pacific side can get you holding on to your fly rod with a world record sailfish attached to the other end.  Each page will have information on both destinations with the east coast listed first and the west coast listed second. 

The Caribbean Coast : The Jungle Tarpon Lodge lodge is small, and holds up to eight people. It is located in the Parismina area, on the edge of Tortuguero National Park. .   Being smack in the middle of eco-tourism paradise we can also entertain the non fishing member(s) of your family with numerous types of jungle, bird and turtle nesting tours. Our size means you will get more personal attention for both the fly fishing nuts and the birdwatching maniacs. Spend a week fly fishing for tarpon here and we can   guarantee  action. The fly fishing can be combined with conventional gear to increase your odds against these monsters.  The ocean holds some of the largest specimens and the fishing can be on the surface with tarpon busting bait all around the boat ( this is the time the fly rod works best) or the fishing can be near the bottom in 30-80 feet of water! ( this is when the conventional gear works best)  Since I love to fly fish so much I don't mind going out in the boat and spending some time searching for these big tarpon even though I get less hookups than my friends with spinning gear. I think the saying goes there are people who can't cast, there are people who can cast and then there are people who can cast when tarpon are in sight!

Back in the rivers and lagoons around the park a fly rod can be more effective than spinning gear.  There is much less pressure in this area than further north near Rio Colorado. The rivers in our area are smaller and clearer than Rio Colorado as well. In the our Rio California there are countless lagoons and holes where tarpon roll and feed most of the day.  The average fish is smaller in the rivers ( 10-60 pounds) while they average 50-100 pounds in the ocean.  The  added bonus of Machacha ( a hard fighting cousin of the freshwater dorado) keeps every day interesting.

The Pacific Coast: Golfito Sailfish Rancho is one of the top fly fishing destinations on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica.  Come live in a wonderful relaxed section of the coast while you pursue the dream of a Sailfish or Marlin on the fly.  The Lodge has 10 rooms and we cater to small groups of fishing enthusiasts.  Along with a fleet of  brand new boats  we have some of the most experienced fly fishing captains in all of Costa Rica.  The fleet holds several world records at this time. The lodge also has some of the best inshore fishing on the west coast as well.   An afternoon spent looking for roosterfish or blue trevally can be a welcome change from the open water pursuit of the sailfish and marlin.

There is a current that runs along the West Coast of South America northward to Costa Rica, hits the Oso Peninsula and then bends west out to sea. This current brings to the Golfito area an abundance and great variety of sport game fish. The mighty Blue and Black Marlin and Pacific Sailfish that range from 65-1050 pounds prowl these waters between December and May. (during the rest of the year we would send you to the northern end of the coast for the prime billfish season)  Add to these Roosterfish, Snook, Grouper, Snapper, Jack of all types, Tuna, Tripletail, Dorado and you will find exciting fishing all year long.