Los Sueños Marina, Playa Herradura, Costa Rica — 259 confirmed catches
Reported by Maverick Sportfishing fleet — October 8, 2026
September was a month of change on this coast. The tuna schools that carried the summer moved off, and in their place the dorado showed up in numbers, the bottom kept producing, and the sailfish held steady. Two hundred and fifty-nine confirmed catches across the fleet, spread across nine species.
If you fish here often, you know this is the turn. The bite reshuffles in September, and what replaces it is usually worth being out for.
Offshore
Mahi mahi were the story. Forty fish, up from fifteen in August. That is the sharpest move on the board and it is still building — the bigger dorado started showing toward the end of the month, which is exactly the pattern you want going into October. They hold around floating structure and current lines, they fight well above their weight, and they are the best eating fish that comes over the rail here.
Sailfish held at forty. Down from seventy-six in August in raw count, but the fleet spent more days inshore and on the bottom this month, so the per-trip picture is steadier than the total suggests. Sails remain the species to watch from here: the numbers climb through the back half of the year and run hard into the tournament season.
Yellowfin tuna dropped off sharply, from 153 in August to 16. The porpoise schools that held off this stretch of coast all summer have moved, and when they go the tuna go with them. Nothing unusual in that, but it is the single biggest change in the month.
One blue marlin and one wahoo rounded out the offshore board. September is not the marlin month here — that comes with the December through April season.
Inshore and bottom
Snapper led every species at 96 fish. Down from August’s 171, but still the most-caught fish of the month by a wide margin and the backbone of the fleet’s inshore days.
Grouper nearly doubled, from 32 to 62. Between the two, bottom fishing accounted for well over half of everything caught in September.
That is worth saying plainly: if you are booking in the next few weeks and you want bent rods rather than a long run and a long wait, the bottom is where the fish are right now. It also suits mixed groups, families, and anyone who would rather not spend the whole day offshore.
Two jack and one roosterfish completed the inshore board.
The month at a glance
Conditions
With El Nino in full effect, we are seeing typical conditions for this time of year. If anything, it is much drier than in past years, which is making for great offshore weather during what is traditionally a wet time of year. As the mountain rains kick in, we are seeing a lot of debris offshore, which is bringing the mahi in closer. Water temperatures are high for this time of year, which is the norm for El Nino years. Billfish action slowed down, but this is common for this time of year and historically means we should see great action from December to April.
Catch of the month
No single day stood out. Since this is traditionally a slower month, the highlight was completing seasonal haul-outs for 10 of our 12 boats, getting the fleet ready for the upcoming season.
What to expect in October
The dorado run is the thing to watch. Forty fish in September with the bigger ones arriving late in the month points to a strong October, and that is already what the crews are seeing on the water.
Bottom fishing should hold up through the fall. And the sailfish count climbs from here — the season builds through the back half of the year and runs into the tournaments in the new year.
Low-season rates are in effect through December 15, which makes the next few weeks the best value window of the year to fish Costa Rica.
