Pacific Sailfish are caught throughout the year in our Northern Waters with May through August normally being the top months. They begin to thin out around October/November. These are truly beautiful fish! They use their sail to help ball up bait and then use their bill to slash through the bait and stun it before swallowing it. They are known for their breathtaking jumps and this what makes Costa Rica Sailfishing charters so popular.
There is quite a debate surrounding the two species of sailfish which have historically been called Atlantic Sailfish and Pacific Sailfish. Recent advances in genetics have shown that there is actually only a single species.
Sailfish in Papagayo, Costa Rica typically range from 50-100lbs, but much larger fish have been caught. They often travel in schools because the slashing/stunning technique means that many injured fish are not immediately eaten by the fish that made the initial attack. Less active members of the school benefit from the efforts of the others.
Sailfish can be very aggressive when chasing a lure or whole dead bait behind the boat. Similar to many other billfish are iredescent and can “light-up” to make themselves more effective when balling up bait. They also do this when attacking lures behind the boat.
Learn more about Sailfish on Wikipedia
