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 Roosterfish               

                          
One of the most sought after and exciting fish inshore, they roam the entire west coast of Costa Rica.

They are generally silver in color, and exhibit a wide range in size. Averaging 15 to 20 pounds, 40 pounds are common, and fish over 80 pounds have been taken in Costa Rican waters. It is distinguished by its "rooster comb", seven very long spines of the dorsal fin that makes him a truly unique fish.

They are voracious predators feeding primarily on small fishes like sardines and other small silvery fishes; they travel in packs chasing food onto the shore.

A member of the jack family, they are edible but not considered a prime food fish.

Locations: They frequently travel in large schools and roam considerable distances, normally following schools of smaller bait fish; located in warm water temperatures in excess of 80 degree and at depths of up to 100 feet.  Volcanic rock outcrops are one of their favorite hangouts, but they also roam behind the surf lines and near the mouths of rivers that flow into the Pacific.

Fishing Methods: Trolling Rapalas or similar lures will take roosterfish as well as slow trolling belly baits on skirts. It is usually caught with slowly trolled mullet, live baits such as sardines just outside the surf line, outwards from shore to about a quarter-mile. Roosters can be taken all year round but they are more commonly caught from November through March. 

Marlin
Marlin are one of the most prized and sought after game fishes in the world. Costa Rica is fortunate enough to have three different types of marlin roaming its cobalt seas:  

Blue marlin: blue back with light blue stripes, silvery white belly, electric blue fins and tail. They have flat folding pectoral fins, two keels at junction of body and caudal fin, a lavender dorsal fin, a curved down short lower jaw and a short heavy round bill; the start of second dorsal begins forward the start of second anal fin.

- Striped marlin: is characterized by its long compressed body that is dark blue above, silver below and has series of light blue and vertical stripes on its sides. The upper jaw forms a long rounded spear with small teeth. The first dorsal fin of the Striped Marlin is dark blue, forming a triangular peak greater in length than the body depth; this first dorsal fin ends near the origin of the second dorsal fin.

- Black Marlin: is characterized by a long robust body that is dark blue to black above, silver-white below, has a limited number of -if any- vertical stripes on its sides and pectoral fins that do not fold flat against the body as a key identification characteristic. Its upper jaw forms a long rounded spear, and it has small teeth and long slender bill

Blue marlin are the most frequent marlin caught in Costa Rica. These range in size up to to five hundred pounds with occasional bigger fish boated. Costa Rica has yet to see a grander, although several fish over 900 pounds have been taken and fish over 1000 pounds have been hooked and lost. Black marlins are also taken in the same waters. Several fish over 700 pounds have been recorded and it has been reported that much larger fish have been hooked up. These brilliant fighters average 150 to 200 pounds.

Typical location: Along current lines, continental shelf drop off, reefs and shore where warm current is running or in open ocean around bait fish. Juveniles move in schools of similar age along coast and islands.
Fishing methods: Trolling mullet or mackerel, trolling live skipjack and other small tuna or lures and plastic squid. The marlin can be caught throughout the year but is better between April and August with a peak in May.

Swordfish are large, highly migratory, predatory fish characterized by a long, flat bill in contrast to the smooth, round bill of the marlins. They are a popular sportfish, though elusive. Swordfish are elongated, round-bodied, and lose all teeth and scales by adulthood. They reach a maximum size of 14 ft (4.3 m) and 1,190 lb (540 kg).

Swordfish are nocturnal, that is why night fishing is becoming more popular with the sporting anglers.

Its back color is variable: black, grayish blue, brown, metallic purple or bronze; its sides are dusky; dirty-white underbelly; long, flat, sword-like upper jaw; lack scales, teeth, and pelvic fins. It has single keel on each side of the body in front of the tail; the first dorsal fin is high, rigid and short; and swordfish has large eyes.

Typical location: Swordfish are distributed throughout the world's marine ecosystem: in tropical, subtropical and temperate waters. They tend to concentrate where major ocean currents meet, and along temperature fronts. They inhabit the mixed surface waters where temperatures are greater than 15 °C.
Fishing method: Good bait is a key to any fishing: dead bait such as mackerel or a nice squid on a pin rig work great. Live bait work well, too. You should trim the tails down on the live bait to make them easier for the swords to catch, this will help your hook ups.  


Sailfish

 
Sailfish live in all the oceans of the world. All sailfish species are fast-growing, reaching 1.2 to 1.5 meters in length in a single year, feeding on the surface or at mid-depths on smaller pelagic fishes and squid. Generally, sailfish do not grow to more than 10 feet in length and rarely weigh over 200 pounds, although larger specimens have been seen off the shores of Costa Rica.
 
Individuals have been clocked at speeds of up to 68 mph making them the fastest fish in the ocean.

They are blue to gray in color. The Sailfish is characterized by its enormous sail-like first dorsal fin which is much taller than the width of its body, it runs almost the length of its body and has many small black dots more common at the anterior end. The coloration of the Sailfish is dark blue back and white underneath.

Typical location: The Sailfish is a tropical and temperate water species, it is normally found above the thermal incline in the first 100 feet of the water column. It prefers offshore water of 21 to 28 centigrade temperatures. 
Fishing method: Use teasers to bring the sailfish to the boat and target them individually with live bait or lures. Caught every month of the year, May to August are normally the peak season. September to November are the slowest months. 


Bonito

Bonito might be confused with the Black Skipjack (which has 5 to 6 horizontal stripes along its upper sides and distinguishing black spots) or the Skipjack Tuna (series of 4 to 6 horizontal diagonal stripes along its upper sides and no spots).

This is a quite streamlined tuna. It’s the only tuna with longitudinal stripes on its back. Known to live at least 9 years, they typically reach sexual maturity at age 2. It can weight 10kg and reach a length of a meter.

Bonito has "tuna-like" appearance, dark blue-gray back (darker on the head), silver flanks and belly, and a series of 5 to 6 oblique stripes running along its upper back. The dorsal fin of Bonito is dark, although the second dorsal fin has a white tip. There are no spots between the pelvic and pectoral fins.

Typical location: Bonito can be found all around the Nicoya Gulf often seen on the surface as they chase small baitfish.
Fishing method: Live bait, rapidly trolled feathers or lures. For it size it puts up a great fight.  


Dorado

The Dorado, Dolphin Fish, Mahi-Mahi or "golden" in Spanish is instantly identifiable because of its unique shape and brilliant coloration. When hooked, this fish lights up with almost neon colors and put up and exiting, high jumping, tail walking fight.

It has a compressed body with a long concave anal fin, a single long dorsal fin that extends the length of the body, very long pectoral fins that are greater than one-half the length of the head, pelvic fins that originate under the pectoral fins, and a deeply forked caudal fin. The fins are normally yellow.

The male has an upright head and the female has a rounded head. The male is larger and heavier than the female.

Typical location: In open ocean around logs, flotsam, weed lines, in warm currents and around buoys.
Fishing methods: Trolling dead mullet, mackerel or squid, trolling strip baits (often in combination with plastic squid), trolling smaller lures, or drifting with small live bait (often with chum). More properly known as dolphin, they are more abundant from late May through October.  


Skipjack Tuna

The Skipjack Tuna might be confused with the Black Skipjack (which has 5 to 6 horizontal stripes along its upper sides but has distinguishing black spots or botches between its pelvic and pectoral fins), the Striped Bonito (8 to 11 broken horizontal stripes along its sides, and no spots), or the Eastern Pacific Bonito (5 to 6 oblique dark stripes on upper back and no spots).

This fish is characterized by its "tuna-like" appearance that is dark blue on its back and silver on its flank and belly. It has a series of four to six horizontal-diagonal stripes along its upper sides, and no spots between the pelvic and pectoral fins; the upper body is dark blue to black and the lower body is silver with four to six long dark stripes and short pectoral fins.

Typical location: Along current lines, continental shelf drop off and deep reefs. In open sea around small bait fish.
Fishing methods: Most fish are caught by trolling or casting small lures from a boat. Catches are also made using flies or baits of whole, small fish or flesh strips. 


Yellowfin tuna
 
The Yellowfin Tuna is not easily confused with other species. However it is similar in appearance to the albacore (which has extraordinarily long pectoral fins and dark gray fins), the bigeye tuna (which has a very deep body, big eyes, yellow fins edged in black, and an iridescent blue band down its side), and the northern blue fin tuna (which has short pectoral fins, a second dorsal that is reddish brown, and dusky yellow fins with black edges).
 
The Yellowfin Tuna, perhaps the king of the tunas, is characterized by its "tuna-like" body, dark blue metallic back, yellow to silver sides, and a belly with 20 broken slanting vertical white lines. It also has very large anal and second dorsal fins which are quite close together, and it has bright yellow anal and dorsal fins and narrow black boarders. 

Typical location: Open ocean along current lines and temperature changes.
Fishing methods: Trolling lures, plastic squid, live bait or bait strips often in combination with plastic skirts, or drifting at anchor with bait and chum. 

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