January 23 2019

Dorado & Small Yellowfin Tuna in the Golfo Dulce, Costa Rica [VIDEO]

10  comments

Ryan Collins

The Golfo Dulce is a deep fjord in Costa Rica, which is home to roosterfish, mackerel, dorado, yellowfin tuna and many other sportfish.

During January of 2019 I visited this region of Costa Rica for the third time, and I brought down some members of myfishingcapecod.com with me to share in the experience.

On January 14 we hired a local commercial fishing captain and hopped onboard his panga boat. We set off to the edge of the Golfo Dulce and trolled with Rapala's for small yellowfin tuna and dorado. We even caught a few on poppers which was a rush!

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Timestamps:
00:32 - tiger shark sighting
00:59 - good shot of the Rapala lure
01:10 - first yellowfin tuna!
03:06 - second yellowfin
04:40 - third yellowfin
05:42 - fourth yellowfin
08:03 - BIG dorado on a popper!
12:00 - nice underwater shot of dorado
13:14 - success landing dorado!
13:30 - second dorado

Equipment used in this video:
Van Staal VR150
St. Croix Travel Rod
30lb Seagur Fluoro
30lb Power Pro Braid
Tactical Angler Bomb Popper white 2oz
Variety of 5-7 inch Rapala divers
GoPro Hero 4 (refurbished)
GoPro battery pack life extender
Flexible camera tripod attachment

What do you think?

Let me know by commenting below.

  • Looks awesome. Is that in continental shelf type depths?
    The fight on the mahi was incredible. I don’t think I’ve ever found one on spinning gear.

    • Catching the mahi on spinning gear is great. What a fight! They are so aggressive it’s ridiculous. About a month ago they were catching 30-40 pound mahi on poppers here – I an only imagine what that fight must be like!

      The tuna were caught in about one hundred feet of water. However two days ago I plucked the mahi below on a popper, about 1/2 mile from shore in about 50 feet of water.

  • Unbelievable video! Very exciting! Go Jane! (I have to meet her some time!) Beautiful fish! Was the Sushi good?! How long were you out there? Looks like you left about sunrise? Do you have to fish the tides like you do in New England? That was sweet catching the fish on poppers and good ole SP Minnows! Ryan, can you tell me the telescopic extending pole you use for your GoPro? Thanks! Great job!

    • Hi Leslie, it was super exciting. I’ve watched the video probably five times already, trying to relive the experience. I almost contacted you last year, to see about fishing Coast Guard Beach, I remember you saying you caught there in the evenings. Am I correct? Next summer for sure.

      The sushi was really good with a dab of wasabi!

    • Yeah Jane is a great sport! You would definitely enjoy meeting/fishing with her.

      The sushi was fantastic. The small yellowfins are perfect for sashimi. The meat is very “buttery” and almost melts in your mouth.

      We left at sunrise and returned at 1pm. Tides do matter depending on the area you are fishing, similar to New England.

      Here’s a link to the GoPro telescoping stick that I use ? https://amzn.to/2Whf7av

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