Snook Fishing in Costa Rica

Snook are one of the most welcomed bites in Costa Rica due to their delicious white meat.  

They're found all over Costa Rica – from both Caribbean and Pacific coasts Coast to inland rivers and lagoons. Typically, snook are found near shore, in brackish estuaries, or even in freshwater rivers depending on the time of year.  

Snook are hard fighters, and - like tarpon - will do violent head shakes, but they are most often coveted for their meat than their fighting ability.

There are actually several different kinds of snook found in Costa Rica, but all are easily identifiable by the very obvious black lateral line along their sides. Snook can vary in color from brown to green to gold to black. They all have a large lower jaw and two distinct dorsal fins.

Similar to tarpon, the main diet of snook consists of small reef fish and crustaceans. They can be caught with live bait like mullet fish, artificial lures, spoons, and even on the fly.

The IGFA world record snook (53 pounds 10 ounce in 1978) was caught right here in Costa Rica off the Caribbean coast. Most snook today aren’t that big, but 20-30 pound snook are still quite common on both Caribbean and Pacific sides of Costa Rica.

Snook typically inhabit shallow coastal waters, estuaries, brackish water, and even far inland, up freshwater rivers.  

They can be found along both coasts, most typically caught by anglers in or near river mouths. The freshwater Caño Negro Reserve is also a good spot to catch them in season, as it is thought to be a breeding ground for them.

Snook can be caught all year round, you just have to know where to go and when.  

On the Pacific coast they can be found in river mouths from January through April, while on the Caribbean they tend to mimic the tarpon season (January-June, September-October).  

Costa Rica is a great destination for snook fishing. Contact us and we'll be happy to put something together for you.