World Class Tarpon and Snook Sport Fishing 

TORTUGUERO CANALS - BARRA DEL COLORADO

You will lodge in a rainforest lodge on the northern Caribbean coast in the Tortuguero Canals of Costa Rica. Rustic beauty and a stunning setting guaranties for privacy and unspoiled jungle experience. The lodge is surrounded by rainforest.
You will fish the pristine waters of northeast Costa Rica or in the Caribbean Sea, Barra del Colorado, the Tortuguero Canals, While fishing the backwater lagoons also an array of wildlife such as monkeys, crocodiles and exotic birds can be seen. You fish on 24 open Fisherman.150 HP Yamahas and/or 24 foot, center consoled, full electronics and U.S. Coast Guard approved safety equipment. All tackle and lures provided. Fish species available include Tarpon, four varieties of snook, guapote, mojarra, machaca and much more.

Best Time for Fishing

Tarpon are here by the thousands from January through May. In September and October, only scattered tarpon are found in the rivers and lagoons. Instead, they congregate in vast numbers just out side the river mouth in the Caribbean. Most fishing is done is sheltered rivers and lagoons. When the sea is calm, it's possible to venture outside the river mouth where tarpon are bunched. Still there's enough action inside to make the trip to the sea un necessary. Tarpon average 75 pounds and some exceeding 150 pounds are caught each season.  Snook are unpredictable actors, but in January swarms invade the Río Colorado and surrounding waters. These snook average about five pounds, with many in the 12-pound class. A few more of 20 pounds a re taken. This is one time that a snook fancier is almost guaranteed his fill of sport. Large snook become more numerous in April and increase in numbers through May. September and October are the best months for taking really big snook, but now the action moves to the beach. Surf casting is most productive because the 30 pound plus heavyweights are on a spawning run.    Tarpon are also hooked in the surf and a 75 or 90-pound tarpon on your line with no boat to aid in chase presents a challenge. Tarpon begin their move inside the rivers in January and build up to a peak during the spring months. It's not unusual for an angler to jump 30 tarpon in half a day when the fish are grouped in the deeper areas.The same fantastic action is often found with snook during their spawning run. In January, it's possible to catch a fifty snook in half a day's fishing. In addition to tarpon and snook, anglers can enjoy sport with smaller gamesters such as machaca, guapote, roncador

Fishing Tackle

High quality tackle is available for anglers to use, the only cost is for lures that are used. Reels: Penn 320 GTI (Bait Cast), Abu Garcia Ambassadeur (Bait Cast) and Shimano (Spinning). Rods: Unbreakable UGLY STICKs. Fly fishing tackle is available but we recommend to bring your favorite rods and flies along!

Tarpon tackle: (Supplied by the lodge) 6 to 7 foot heavy action rod with reel capable of holding 200 to 250 yards of 20 to 25 pounds test line. Ext ra terminal leader material (80 lb. minimum recommended).
Lures: Coast hawks, 2 oz. multicolour. Buck tail jigs 1 ½ to 2 oz multicolor with jelly tails in red-yellow-orange-white. Rapalas #11 and 14, sinking and floating in red-white/blue and green mackerel . Mirror lures, M65 in fire tiger, blue, white, silver combination, red, yellow and gold combination.
Fly fishing tackle for tarpon: (Recommendations for personal tackle) 9 foot #11 or #12 flyrods for 12 weight line. Sinking fly lines of 600 grain density compensated sinking and depth charge or straight lead core lines and shooting heads work well fishing at the mouth of the rivers or out in the deeper saltwater. In the ri vers a medium or intermediate sinking flyline works best. There are times when a floating WF flyline would work, especially if the fish are taking poppers or surface feeding. Fly Reels must have sturdy drags with direct or anti-reverse drivers, be saltwate r resistant and have a backing capacity of more than 250 yds. Bring sufficient leader material for building your choice of leaders. The minimum recommendation is a 20 lb. tippet utilizing an 80 lb. shock.
Fly fishing lures for tarpon: Whistler or Clouser tied streamers in colors White/Silver, Orange/Black, White/Yellow, Blue/White or Cockroach patterns with bucktail/feather, bucktail/rabbit fur are good producers of positive strikes. Most streamer flies should be weighted. Flashabou is optional and utilize a 3/0 saltwater hook. Large poppers are good if you can find the fish feeding on the surface.
Tackle for snook: Medium action rod and reel with capacity to hold 150 yards of 15 to 17 pounds test line. Lures for snook: Red and white in Mirror Lures. Rapalas and Rattle Traps in Fire Tiger, Blue/Silver and Orange colors work well. Small to medium (3/4 to 1 ounce) buck tail jigs with jelly tails. Surf ace plugs such as Creek Chub Darters in red and white, Sosin Jumpin Minnow in red and yellow and Zara Spooks in blue and white are also good.
Fly tackle for snook: 9 foot #8 or #9 flyrods for 8 or 9 weight density compensated sinking or Hi-D line or when fishing from the beach it would be best to use Hi-D or Floating Shooting Heads. Reels capable of handling 150 yards of 20 lb. backing with 12 to 15 lb tippet and 40 lb. shock rigged according to angler's desire. Guapote Bass-Mojarra and Machaca: Light to ultra light bass tackle, 6 to 12 pound line.
Lures: Poppers, small rapalas and cray fish, crank baits; spinner baits in multicolour. General Bass tackle works well. Poppers, small rapalas and cray fish, crank baits; spinner baits in multicolour. General Bass tackle works well. Poppers, small rapalas and cray fish, crank baits; spinner baits in multicolour. General Bass tackle works well.
Fly fishing tackle: 7 to 9 foot #4 to #8 flyrods for 4-8 weight WF floating flylines. When using large popping bugs or on windy days, a bug taper would be advised. Multicolored, natural cork and fo am bodied poppers sized 4, 6, 8 with rubber legs are popular. Pencil, Slider and hair bodied poppers are sometimes very productive in color of Black/Yellow, Orange/Red, Yellow/Black and Chartreuse. Machaca fishing would require using a short piece of light wire shock leader because of its teeth. Poppers with long shank hooks are also preferred. Wet flies are also used and are very productive when the mojarra and machaca fail to strike the poppers. Small streamers in yellow, red and tinsel color combinations are effective. Shrimp flies in beige, brown and gray produce when the fish are feeding deep. Yellow nymphs, small Clousers in size 8 hooks are also effective. Rods and reels are available on a loan basis, but a replacement fee will be charged if dam aged, lost or broken. All lost or severely damaged lures are charged at replacement cost. These recommendations are made by your hosts and fly fishing experts based on our experience and it is intended to aid you in your tackle selection. We welcome any additional inquires in regards to tackle.