Los Sueños Fishing Report: August 2026
Los Sueños Marina, Playa Herradura, Costa Rica — 467 confirmed catches
Reported by the Fly Boat fleet— September 2, 2026
Another great month of fishing here at Maverick Costa Rica. August brought 467 confirmed catches across the fleet, up from 339 in the same month last year, and the diversity is what made it fun. The sailfish came back, the bottom fishing stayed hot, and there was something worth running for almost every day of the month.
Here is the full report.
Offshore
Sailfish are still here. Seventy-six releases against sixty-nine last August, and after a thin July that is the number worth celebrating. The bite held through the month rather than coming in one or two big days, which is what you want to see heading into the fall.
Yellowfin tuna stayed strong at 153. That is a touch under last August's 168, but context matters: tuna were the whole story in July at 153 fish, and holding that level through a second month means the schools have not moved off. When the porpoise are up, the boats are on them.
Mahi mahi jumped to 15 from 11. Small numbers, real trend. Dorado show up around floating structure and current lines, and August put more of both in range.
Marlin were light at four. August is not the month for them here — the big billfish numbers come with the December through April season, and that is exactly when the tournament tournament season kicks in.
Bottom and reef
Snapper had an incredible month: 171 fish, against 47 last August. That is more than triple, and it made snapper the single most-caught species of the month across the whole fleet. The bottom fishing has been on fire all summer and shows no sign of slowing.
Grouper came in at 32, just under last year's 38, but steady enough to keep the reef trips producing all month.
If you have never bottom fished in Costa Rica, this is the season to try it. It is the right call for mixed-experience groups, families, and anyone who wants steady rod-bending action rather than a long run and a long wait.
Year over year
| Species | Aug 2025 | Aug 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snapper | 47 | 171 | +264% |
| Yellowfin tuna | 168 | 153 | −9% |
| Sailfish | 69 | 76 | +10% |
| Grouper | 38 | 32 | −16% |
| Mahi mahi | 11 | 15 | +36% |
| Marlin | 6 | 4 | −33% |
| Total confirmed | 339 | 467 | +38% |
Six leading species shown, plus 16 additional catches across other species. Counts are confirmed releases and catches across the Maverick fleet.
Conditions
Heading into the peak of our offseason, conditions are pretty predictable. For the next few months, the weather is our classic summter time pattern. Beautfiful sunny mornings, cloudy afternoons and showers in the afternoon or evengings. For the fishing, this makes for a lot of diversity. As the rivers surge from onland rains, lots of debree and structure is washed offshore. This makes for excellent Mahi action as well as marlin tend to hang around this floating structure as well. Bottom fishing remains great as bait and inshore debree keeps things close.
Catch of the month
A 60-pound mahi caught aboard Sea Fly on August 21! We saw several mahi this month, and enjoyed some delicious fresh ceviche, too.
What to expect in September
Bottom fishing should stay strong through the fall, and the sailfish numbers moving in the right direction is the thing to watch. From here the season builds: sailfish counts climb through the back half of the year, and by December the boats are into the run that carries through the tournament season in the new year.
Seasonal rates are in effect through December 15, which makes the next few months the best value window of the year for a Costa Rica fishing trip. Full-day charters are the core of it, and selected boats can also run half days and private sunset cruises.