Many fascinating species of fish inhabit the world’s tropical freshwaters and Costa Rica is of no exception. For a fly fisherman seeking an exotic angling adventure, nothing is more exciting than floating through this winding river system surrounded by dense vegetation and the ambient sounds of the forest, while casting upon a monster fish lying in wait below the surface of the murky waters. The Jungle Tarpon Reserve in Northern Costa Rica offers you the opportunity to entice and land these megalithic fish of a lifetime. The reserve consists of a vast system of freshwater rivers, creeks, and flooded lagoons embedded amidst dense rainforest and swampland. Though tarpon can be caught in many places around the world, the fish inhabiting these inland rivers in northern Costa Rica are quite extraordinary. Growing to epic proportions, it’s not unusual to encounter tarpon weighing in the triple digits, making this location one of the world’s finest fly-fishing trophy tarpon destinations. Despite its world-class characteristics, this region has managed to stay just below the radar resulting in large and aggressive tarpon who aren’t afraid to charge and inhale your fly. 

Guests fish from simple but efficient river pangas (motorized river boats), with two anglers per boat taking turns on the bow. The reserve’s dynamic environment requires that you employ various fishing techniques including sight casting at hunting tarpon in the river or in the shallow lagoons and creeks, waiting to cast at tarpon as they roll or break bait on the surface. There are even times when tarpon congregate at the mouth of one of the jungle’s many creeks and line up in feeding lanes like giant trout in an explosive feeding display that one must see to believe. As in most tarpon fishing worldwide, knowledge of distance casting and accurate presentation is a major asset, however, this intimate jungle environment provides anglers an opportunity to get much closer to their quarry than in other fisheries, making this a unique place to hone one’s skills. Overall, anglers can expect shots at fish ranging from 50 lbs to well over 100 lbs each day. 

Many of the tarpon you’ll encounter are very large (within the 100-200 lb range) and therefore require that you use a 12 wt. rod. Floating lines work best in most scenarios as you’ll hunt the tarpon across the flooded delta, though interchangeable sink tips or fast sinking lines can also be very useful when targeting tarpon in deeper pools. Having one of each rod/line setup rigged onboard is recommended. On windless hot days, tarpon can be observed basking on the surface of the glassy lagoons, during which we stalk the fish by pushpoling the boats within casting range and upon which we delicately present a fly and avoid spooking the fish.

Given that these tarpon feed mostly on various types of minnows and other small-medium baitfish, large 3-6 inch deceivers and variants of deceivers are highly recommended. We also recommend bringing flies that either complement (orange, red, yellow) or contrast (black, white) with the reddish tannin-stained waters, preferably in combination (orange/black/white, red/black/white, yellow/chartreuse, etc). We recommend using weighted flies that break the water’s surface quickly, and flies with spun deer hair heads which push the maximum amount of water.