Costa Rica: A Fly Angler's Dream Destination

Chase the Silver King

Tarpon, also known as the Silver King, must be on every saltwater fly angler’s wish list. They have a high burst speed, leap high and have exceptional stamina. Some say there are only two types of fish in the sea – tarpon and bait.

The best opportunity to catch trophy tarpon

Since our first visit to Costa Rica in 2017, we have hooked hundreds of fish, boated countless fish over 150 lbs and set personal records with several fish over 250 pounds. Our world-class guides always find fish and position their boats to give you the best possible shot at hooking a fish. Drifting onto large pods of fish rolling in the estuary mouth is some of the most exhilarating fishing you will ever experience.

Mayhem is the only way to describe a tarpon’s initial run

Tarpon hit the fly hard. Once you have set the hook the fish will accelerate like no other fish you’ll have hooked before. They have the ability to jump exceptionally high and fight with stamina like no other fish you will encounter in the ocean. Once hooked things happen quickly and anglers need to have their wits about them.

Tarpon will test the limits of your gear. Soon you will have backing streaming off your reel while the guide will be trying his level-best to keep you calm. “Bowing to the king” reduces the chances of the fly being thrown as the fish jumps. Keeping the line tight to the fish is all you can do as the fish tries to escape.

Tackle Requirement

We recommend rods in the 14- to 16-wt range paired with reels with super strong drags that hold at least 300 yards of backing. Once you tangle with one of these behemoths you will understand why tackle like this is required.