What We Catch from Los Sueños, Costa Rica
On a Dream Boats CR fishing charter out of Los Sueños Marina in Playa Herradura, Costa Rica, you target nine sport fish species: blue, black, and striped marlin, Pacific sailfish, yellowfin tuna, dorado (mahi-mahi), wahoo, roosterfish, cubera snapper, grouper, and jack crevalle. All marlin, sailfish, and roosterfish are mandatory catch-and-release under Costa Rican law. Tuna, dorado, wahoo, snapper, and grouper can be kept within legal bag limits.
Los Sueños Marina sits inside Herradura Bay on Costa Rica's Central Pacific coast, a 90-minute drive from San José International Airport (SJO). The marina is recognized as the billfish capital of Costa Rica, home base of the Los Sueños Triple Crown tournament series, which has released over 5,500 billfish across three legs (January, February, March) since 2004. Inshore reefs sit within 3 to 10 miles of the dock. Blue water billfish grounds start 22 to 28 miles offshore at the continental drop. That geography is why we routinely run multi-species days that put roosterfish, sailfish, and dorado on the same boat.
FAD and Seamount Access for Trophy Marlin
Serious marlin anglers run 70 to 140 miles offshore to fish the fish-aggregating devices (FADs) and underwater seamounts where trophy blue and black marlin feed. These are pre-dawn or multi-day trips, and they produce the 400 to 800+ pound fish that tournament-level anglers travel to Costa Rica for. Los Sueños is the closest major Costa Rica marina to the most productive FAD clusters, which is why the Triple Crown is fished out of Herradura Bay.
Inshore Within 10 Miles, Blue Water Within 30
Los Sueños sits at one of the few points on the Pacific coast where rocky inshore structure and offshore blue water are both reachable in the same day. Roosterfish, cubera snapper, grouper, and jack crevalle hunt the volcanic reefs and ledges 3 to 10 miles from the marina. Sailfish, marlin, yellowfin tuna, dorado, and wahoo patrol the temperature breaks 22 to 28 miles offshore at the continental shelf drop. Run times from the dock: 20 to 40 minutes to inshore grounds, 45 to 60 minutes to blue water.
This is why a single Dream Boats CR charter can deliver both trophy inshore and offshore species on the same trip. Repeat anglers often book a half-day for roosterfish followed by a full-day for billfish later in the week.
The Los Sueños Advantage
Black Marlin
(300 to 800+ lb class, year-round on structure)
Black marlin (Istiompax indica) are the less common but largest billfish in the area. They show up year-round near deep structure, with the heaviest fish landed on FAD and seamount trips. Black marlin over 600 pounds are landed at Los Sueños every season.
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Pacific Sailfish
(80 to 120 lbs, January to April peak)
Pacific sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus) are the fastest billfish in the ocean, hitting speeds up to 68 mph. They peak January through April, when Los Sueños boats regularly post 15 to 20 sailfish release days during the Triple Crown tournament series. See our spoke on sailfish fishing in Los Sueños for the run plan, bait choice, and what a typical peak-season day looks like on the Dream II.
Blue Marlin
(200 to 400 lbs average, up to 800+ lbs on FADs)
Blue marlin (Makaira nigricans) are the primary offshore target out of Los Sueños. They average 200 to 400 pounds in the standard 22 to 28 mile drop-off zone and can exceed 800 pounds on FAD and seamount runs. Peak blue marlin action runs June through August and November through December, with consistent shots through the Triple Crown months (January to March). See our spoke page on blue, black and striped marlin fishing in Los Sueños for tackle, technique, and trip-by-trip detail.
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Billfish: Marlin and Sailfish
Three marlin species and Pacific sailfish make Los Sueños one of the most productive billfish fisheries in the world. Every billfish caught on a Dream Boats CR charter is released alive at boatside, using mandatory circle hooks and FECOP-aligned safe handling protocols.
Striped Marlin
(50 to 120 lbs, November to January peak)
Striped marlin (Kajikia audax) are smaller and more acrobatic than blues. They peak November through January and often show up on the same trips as the early sailfish bite. Their aerial displays and direction changes make them the most exciting marlin species on lighter tackle.
Quick Species Reference Table
Grouper share the reef structure withEvery species at a glance: average size, peak months out of Los Sueños / Herradura, and whether you keep or release. several other bottom-dwelling species. Here's how they compare.
Cubera Snapper
(50 to 100 lbs trophy class)
Cubera snapper (Lutjanus cyanopterus) are the largest snapper species in the ocean, holding inside rocky holes and volcanic ledges along the Central Pacific coast. Peak cubera action runs December through April during the dry season. We encourage release of very large breeding-class fish and keep smaller cubera as outstanding table fare. Full guide on our cubera snapper charters in Los Sueños spoke.
Pacific Sailfish
(80 to 120 lbs, January to April peak)
Pacific sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus) are the fastest billfish in the ocean, hitting speeds up to 68 mph. They peak January through April, when Los Sueños boats regularly post 15 to 20 sailfish release days during the Triple Crown tournament series. See our spoke on sailfish fishing in Los Sueños for the run plan, bait choice, and what a typical peak-season day looks like on the Dream II.
Roosterfish
(20 to 60 lbs, December to April peak, catch-and-release)
Roosterfish (Nematistius pectoralis), known locally as pez gallo, are one of the most iconic inshore gamefish in the Eastern Pacific. They are found only in the warm coastal waters from Baja California to Peru. Peak action runs December through April near rocky points, sandy beach breaks, and the Herradura headlands inside the bay. All roosterfish are mandatory catch-and-release under Costa Rican law. Read our spoke on roosterfish fishing in Los Sueños for the live-bait technique and where we run from Herradura to find them.
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Inshore and Reef Species
Grouper
(20 to 60 lbs)
Striped marlin (Kajikia audax) are smaller and more acrobatic than blues. They peak November through January and often show up on the same trips as the early sailfish bite. Their aerial displays and direction changes make them the most exciting marlin species on lighter tackle.
Yellowfin Tuna
(30 to 100 lbs standard, up to 300 lbs)
Yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) hunt the offshore drop-off year-round and peak June through August out of Los Sueños. Schools of 30 to 100 pound fish are common, with occasional 200+ pound "cow" tuna landed on dedicated FAD trips. Yellowfin can be kept and are sashimi-grade when bled and iced at boatside. See our yellowfin tuna fishing offshore spoke for the full breakdown.
Dorado / Mahi-Mahi
(15 to 40 lbs average)
Dorado (Coryphaena hippurus) are the most acrobatic and brightly colored pelagic in our spread. They peak September through November with strong shoulders running January through May, hunting floating debris lines and weed edges 15 to 25 miles offshore. Schooling behavior produces double, triple, and quadruple hookups. Read our spoke on dorado and mahi-mahi fishing in Los Sueños for the floating-debris technique and how we keep schools at the boat.
Wahoo
(30 to 60 lbs, January to August)
Wahoo (Acanthocybium solandri), known as ono in Hawaiian, are one of the fastest predatory fish in the ocean at speeds over 60 mph. They run on Dream Boats CR charters from January through August, taken on high-speed trolling spreads along temperature breaks. Wahoo have firm white flesh widely considered the best table fare in offshore fishing. Full breakdown on our wahoo fishing in Los Sueños spoke.
Pelagic Gamefish
Catch-and-Release Rules in Costa Rica
Costa Rica has some of the most progressive billfish conservation rules in the world. Every Dream Boats CR charter follows them strictly:
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All marlin (blue, black, striped) must be released alive.
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All Pacific sailfish must be released alive.
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All roosterfish must be released alive.
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Circle hooks are mandatory on all billfish setups.
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Tuna, dorado, wahoo, snapper, grouper, corvina, and snook can be kept within legal size and bag limits.
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Costa Rica requires a sport fishing license issued by INCOPESCA: $15 for one week or $30 for one month. Required for every angler age 16 and over.
2026 Season Update
The 2026 season has produced strong action across every species out of Herradura Bay. The January through April sailfish peak delivered double-digit release days on most offshore charters from Los Sueños, with several boats reporting 20+ releases on the best days. Striped marlin mixed in through March. Blue marlin activity is building into the May through October offshore peak as water temperatures rise.
Roosterfish and cubera snapper stayed active through the dry season on the inshore reefs inside Herradura Bay and along the headlands toward Jaco. Grouper and jack crevalle have been consistent year-round. As we move into the green season, dorado and yellowfin tuna take over the offshore action.
Why Dreamboats
Fish Species
The waters in Costa Rica near los suenos provide the perfect temperature for inshore/Offshore fishing. Sport fishing charter clients can head to costa rica's Pacific Coast to hunt for a variety of amazing billfish and fish that include three types of marlin (Black marlin, blue marlin and striped marlin). You will also find Pacific and Atlantic sailfish fishing, and it might be challenging, but it is also the most rewarding. If you want to fish for Sailfish, you need to be prepared for its lightning speed, large size, and spirited fight. You will also catch yellow-fin tuna, dorado(Mahi-Mahi)and trophies like roosterfish and cubera snapper, and wahoo. Dreamboats Costa Rica offers the best experience to sports fishers who are looking for a company that goes out of its way for its clients.
Sport fishing yachts at los sueños resort fish tournaments like the triple crown billfish tournament and the world class signature triple crown billfish tournament at los sueños marina.
Book Your Charter for Your Target Species
Every Dream Boats CR charter is a private booking on the Dream II, a 32 foot Luhrs Open Express running twin Cummins diesels at 24 knots, fishing up to 5 anglers out of Los Sueños Marina, Playa Herradura. Tell us which species you want to target and we'll build the trip around it: offshore billfish runs, inshore roosterfish and snapper, FAD and seamount marlin expeditions, or multi-species days that combine inshore and offshore action.
Half-day (4-hour) and full-day (8-hour) charters are available year-round. Multi-day FAD and seamount trips book by season. Contact us to check availability and pricing for your dates.
Frequently Asked Questions
A Los Sueños fishing charter targets nine sport fish species: blue, black, and striped marlin, Pacific sailfish, yellowfin tuna, dorado (mahi-mahi), wahoo, roosterfish, cubera snapper, grouper, and jack crevalle. All marlin, sailfish, and roosterfish are mandatory catch-and-release. Tuna, dorado, wahoo, snapper, and grouper can be kept within legal limits.
Los Sueños fishes well year-round, but the species rotation is the key. January through April is peak Pacific sailfish (15 to 20 release days are common) plus striped marlin and roosterfish. June through August is peak yellowfin tuna and offshore blue marlin. September through November is peak dorado. Wahoo run January through August.
Black marlin over 800 pounds are landed at the Los Sueños FAD grounds (70 to 140 miles offshore) every season. Blue marlin average 200 to 400 pounds in the standard offshore drop-off zone. Pacific sailfish run 80 to 120 pounds. Yellowfin tuna in the 200 to 300 pound "cow" class show up during the June through August peak.
Los Sueños Marina sits inside Herradura Bay at Playa Herradura on Costa Rica's Central Pacific coast. It's a 90-minute drive from San José International Airport (SJO) and 10 minutes north of Jaco. The marina is the home base for the Los Sueños Triple Crown tournament and is recognized as the billfish capital of Central Pacific Costa Rica.
Yes. All marlin (blue, black, and striped) must be released alive under Costa Rican law. Circle hooks are mandatory on all billfish setups. Dream Boats CR follows FECOP release protocols on every charter: boatside release, minimal handling, no removal from the water, and a quick photo before the leader is cut.
Yellowfin tuna, dorado, wahoo, snapper, grouper, corvina, and snook can all be kept within legal size and bag limits. All marlin, sailfish, and roosterfish are mandatory catch-and-release. We can arrange dockside cleaning at Los Sueños Marina, and several local Herradura and Jaco restaurants will prepare your catch for dinner.
Yes. Every angler age 16 and over needs a Costa Rica sport fishing license issued by INCOPESCA. Licenses cost $15 for one week or $30 for one month. Dream Boats CR helps arrange the license, or you can purchase one online before you arrive in Costa Rica through our fishing certificate page.
A FAD (fish-aggregating device) is a floating buoy anchored offshore that attracts baitfish and predators. Los Sueños operators run 70 to 140 miles to the FAD clusters for trophy blue and black marlin. These are typically pre-dawn or multi-day departures. Peak FAD action runs May through September. Los Sueños is the closest major marina to the most productive FAD beds.
Yes. Half-day (4-hour) inshore charters out of Herradura Bay are ideal for families and first-timers. The protected bay water keeps the ride smooth, runs are short (20 to 40 minutes to inshore reefs), and roosterfish, jacks, and snapper produce steady action. Kids 6 and up handle the trips well. The Dream II fishes up to 5 anglers.
Los Sueños Marina is the closest deep-water marina to the Pacific FAD grounds, which is why the Triple Crown tournament is fished out of Herradura Bay. Jaco itself doesn't have a sport fishing marina, so Jaco-area charters launch from Los Sueños 10 minutes north. Compared to Quepos (1 hour south) or Papagayo (5 hours north), Los Sueños offers the shortest run to billfish water on the Central Pacific coast.
