Costa Rica Tarpon Adventure – A Bucket List Trip of Note!

For Anglers StaffJune 20, 2024

0 5 minutes read

WORDS: Tom Lewin, Frontier Fly Fishing IMAGES: Supplied

*A tarpon gets airborne. These giant tarpons jump repeatedly during the fight.*

Every year, during the months of September and October, Frontier Fly Fishing hosts trips to Costa Rica to fish for the world’s biggest tarpon. Our weeks are carefully chosen to coincide with the ideal moon phases so that fishing for these giants is almost always a huge success. The trips are open to anglers of all disciplines – fly, spin and bait – with each having been proven to be very successful. Anglers can realistically expect to hook between 30 and 50 tarpon during the 7 days of fishing, with fish ranging in size from 100 to 250 pounds. The trip comprises seven full days of fully guided fishing.

*Anglers travel along the river on their way out to sea for a session of tarpon fishing. Fishing is done from 30 foot* panga boats in and around the river mouth and also in the adjacent open ocean

The anticipation builds ahead of fishing for the biggest tarpon on Earth. Anglers fish two to a boat and there is plenty of room to move around. Double hook-ups occur often, and when that happens, the best kind of chaos ensues!

*We stay in the heart of the Costa Rican jungle in a lovely guesthouse that has comfortable, air-conditioned rooms and the food is out of this world.*

A short 2-minute walk is all it takes to reach the boats that take us out fishing every day. We divide the day into two sessions – morning and afternoon, and it’s nice to have a break over a great lunch and swap stories from the morning’s fishing.

*An average size Costa Rican tarpon comes to the boat.*

*Another great fish is landed and photographed. To get this done from the boat and to release it safely is quite a task so great care is taken.*

*Enjoying dinner and bragging (or rather celebrating) about the day’s catches is done in 5-star!*

*This beautiful fish was caught and landed in the clear, blue water adjacent to the river mouth.*

The 2024 trip dates are 20-26 September (fishing days) and 21-27 October. Price is $4,650.00 (or the ZAR equivalent). This includes all ground transfers, 2 nights hotel accommodation in San Jose at the beginning and end of the trip, 8 nights accommodation at the lodge, 7 days fully guided fishing and all meals. Price does not include the international flight to San Jose, drinks and guide and lodge staff gratuities.

*Costa Rican tarpon really pull hard. Here, Rich Valentine attempts to put the brakes on a massive fish.*

*The boats are spacious with plenty of room for two anglers to move around. The boat launch or pick-up is a mere 2-minute walk from camp and anglers can get on the boat dry-footed.*

*A huge tarpon and a very happy angler pose for the camera.*

*A happy client cradles his trophy giant tarpon. To get into the water with a giant like this is truly a humbling moment, one that no-one will ever forget.*

*These trips are suited for women as well and they regularly catch monsters!*

*These tarpon are the largest in the world and to capture this type of picture does not become every angler, it is really a special experience!*

We recommend anglers bring their own fishing equipment, but Frontier Fly Fishing can assist with any information in this regard. The trip is also not limited to fly fishing, and artlure and bait fishing is also possible. The well-versed and extremely experienced guides are able to get the best results from any method.

Tom Lewin (front left) is enjoying the atmosphere with the jubilant group. Tom is the co-founder of Frontier Fly Fishing which was established in 2002. He spent 6 years guiding the Seychelles and for the past 10 years has been hosting giant tarpon angling safaris in Costa Rica. Tom considers them to be the greatest saltwater fish on the planet. He has caught many giant tarpon over the years, including a fish estimated at more than 250-pounds in 2017 on fly tackle that took just under a hour and a half to land.

Click on the link below for a fascinating interview with Tom. He concludes: “Frontier Fly fishing hosts angling adventures to Costa Rica every year during September and October, the two prime months of the year. Groups of anglers are always accompanied by myself or my business partner and we take proper care to ensure that their chances of catching their dream fish are the best that can be. We cater to all disciplines of anglers. Come and join us!”

“One of the most popular game fish in the world dates back to the time of the dinosaurs, namely tarpon (Megalops atlanticus). The species is found in warm tropical waters throughout the Atlantic Ocean from Africa to Central America. Their bodies are covered in large silver scales, which in addition to their incredible fighting ability earned them the nickname “the silver king.

“Tarpon in Central America is a prized game fish because it is challenging to hook and even harder to release. Their bony mouths leave little room for a hook to be placed and once you do they’ll leap out of the water in an incredibly display of athleticism, sometimes reaching heights of 8-10 ft! Tarpon have sharp gill plates as well that seem custom-designed to cut through your leader, so when they take off to start their leaps remember the all-important phrase, ‘bow to the king’!

“One of the most interesting traits about tarpon is their ability to “breathe” air. They can gulp air directly into their air bladder, which is what they are doing when you see them rolling at the surface. This enables them to survive in freshwater or even water that is basically void of oxygen, which is an incredible advantage when competition for food sources heats up. More importantly, very few predators can go where tarpon go so it is thought that they use this ability to spawn and raise their young in “nurseries” that are safer than the ocean itself. Tarpon that spend most of their lives in freshwater and brackish water have a golden or brown tint to them due to the presence of tannic acid.

“Central America is the only place on Earth where tarpon are found in the Pacific Ocean as well. Having made their way through the Panama Canal over the past several decades, they have been caught as far south as Columbia and as far north as El Salvador. Tarpon can lay more than 10 million eggs at a time and the survivors will take approximately seven years to reach maturity.”

Acknowledgement: https://www.centralamericafishing.com/meet-the-fish/tarpon-fish/

*For more information on this incredible fishing adventure please contact Frontier Fly Fishing: www.frontierflyfishing.com; WA: +27 82 676 0792; Tel: +27 11 463 9048, Email: info@frontierflyfishing.co.za