The Billfish Report is counting down its Top 10 Billfisheries of the Year, with #2 Jaco-Quepos, Costa Rica . Criteria for our Top 10 include fish numbers, variety of billfish species, reports, average size of fish, length of season and number of boats fishing. With over 9,000 Billfish Reports submitted to us in 2018 from around the World, to even be considered for our Top 10 makes a fishery one of the best!

Jaco-Quepos, Costa Rica – At some point you would think you would think you would get numb to the sheer numbers of Blue Marlin. When someone catches five (5) Blue Marlin in a day, and you can call that “average” you have something special on your hands. The vision of putting a World Class Marina, led to World Class Boats & Crews, which I guess had to create World Class Fishing..Not exactly as the fish don’t care, but don’t think for one moment that this fishery would have ever seen its full potential had Los Suenos Marina not been built. In an even more odd occurrence, somehow this went from a Sailfish destination to one of, if not the Best Blue Marlin fishery in the World. We first ranked this fishery an Honorable Mention in 2010. They entered our Top 10 in 2012 as the #8 Billfishery and have never left. They have been ranked the #1 Billfishery in the World three (3) times and just narrowly got edged out by this year’s winner.

So, let’s get this started.  This fishery produced an astounding sixty-one (61) reports where five (5+) Blue Marlin were released. This was followed by an even more astounding fifty-six (56) reports of 10+ Blue Marlin in a Day. This would place it the best place in the Pacific and likewise in the World to catch a Blue Marlin and in great quantity. They tripled (3X) the next closest fishery, creating the widest margin we have ever seen on numbers. Capt. Andy Flood on the Parranda recorded the best day of the year releasing 29 Blue Marlin and a Black Marlin. Here are a few of the more impressive day(s).

Big Oh released 105 Blue Marlin over 5-Days (21/Day Average)

Tijereta released 65 Blue Marlin over 4-Days (16/Day Average)

On Location released 39 Blue Marlin over 2-Days (19/Day Average)

Open Fly released 32 Blue Marlin over 2-Days (16/Day Average)

Tranquilo released 39 Blue Marlin over 2-Days (19/Day Average)

This is as diverse of a fishery as we cover with Blue Marlin, Sailfish, Striped Marlin and Black Marlin all being caught routinely. 2018 was no exception, with twenty-one (21) Grand Slams reported to us. This placed it not only Best in the Pacific, but likewise the Best in the World on Grand Slams.

This has always been a quantity over quality type of fishery, but we did get nine (9) Marlin reported to us over 500 lbs. Oddly enough, all of them were Black Marlin, with the largest fish estimated at 900 lbs. on Hoos Your Daddy.

Where did all the Sailfish go? This fishery remains an excellent Sailfishing destination, but we only got three (3) reports of 10+ Sailfish (Fish Tank, Open Fly) and no reports of 20+ Sailfish released in a Day. That has not happened since we started covering this fishery.

This is the definition of year round fishery with billfish caught a released in every month. This is also one of the largest fleets we cover.

Congratulations to Jaco-Quepos our #2 Billfishery in 2018!