Costa Rica Tarpon Fishing With A Low-Budget Guide

Article Date: December 2007

Costa Rica's northern Caribbean tarpon scene has been relatively stable for the past 50 years or so. A handful of full-service lodges have emerged there to offer fishing for tarpon, mostly around the mouths of the Rio Colorado and the Rio Parismina. To be sure, the industry was shaken up a while back by the need to focus more attention on open-ocean fishing than river fishing, and that meant everyone had to buy bigger boats to negotiate the often treacherous rivermouths.

In the process of making that transition, some anglers drowned and others had the scare of their lives. The root cause of the shift from rivers to ocean is thought to be the use of insecticides by banana plantations upriver. The insecticides drove most of the tarpon out of the rivers.

All of the above is another story than the one to be told here. The big news is, an independent guide has emerged on the Caribbean coast, and he is shaking the industry to its core by offering fishing at a fraction of the cost of the lodges in the area. Equally important, the new guide is a fly fisherman with first-rate fly tackle and the background and experience to cater to fly anglers. The lodges accept fly fishermen, but most of the fishing along the Caribbean Coast now is decidedly low-tech. Heavy jigs and spin and baitcasting tackle predominate.

The new kid on the block is Daniel Herrera, a Colombian fly fishing guide who moved to Parismina two years ago in hopes of offering an alternative to the usual lodge scene and its hefty price tag. His thought was this: Offer people the same quality guided fishing experience they can find at the lodges, but make the experience more personal. Also, develop the skills........(continued)

CONTACT DETAILS FOR COMPANIES/INDIVIDUALS MENTIONED IN ARTICLE (if any)

Daniel Herrera, Mola Fish. Tel. 506-308-5518. E-mail: daniel@molafish.com, Web: www.molafish.com