Tarpon Ville – Costa Rica

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Tarpon Ville

Costa Rica’s southernmost fishing lodge is located on the Caribbean coast just above the border of Panama. Tarponville offers some of the best chances at some of the most powerful Tarpon you will ever encounter. Fishing shallow waters with intermediate and floating lines the excitement of these fish will leave you breathless.

Accommodation

Complete Tarponville fishing packages include accommodations in an air-conditioned, clean and comfortable beachfront lodge located just outside the village of Manzanillo. Due to being located in a Wildlife Refuge, there is no vehicle access directly to the lodge and a walk of 300 yards is required.

Each room at the lodge has air conditioning, two beds, ceiling fans, a private bathroom, and a beachfront view (all but one room) of one of the most beautiful coral reefs in the Caribbean. The rooms are located only a few yards from the water’s edge on a beautiful beach perfect for swimming, snorkeling, or just plain relaxing. The combination of air conditioning, fans, and consistent ocean breezes make sleeping quite comfortable. The lodge is located in the middle of the Manzanillo/Gandoca Wildlife Refuge, one of the most beautiful places in the entire area. Howler monkeys, sloths, a ridiculous number of bird species, and other wildlife can all be viewed from your front porch in the mornings and evenings.

Food and Beverages

All meals at the lodge will be prepared by local cooks, and the menu will include such items as snapper, local fruits and vegetables, and other local delicacies.  Packages include a  daily happy hour which includes a rum bar and beer. Tarponville does offer cocktails at an additional charge.

Non Fishing activities

Other activities in this spectacular area, fun regardless of whether or not you are an angler, include wild dolphin watching tours, ocean kayaking with wild dolphins, river kayaking, guided jungle hikes, snorkeling and Scuba diving, horseback riding, indigenous cultural tours, botanical gardens, beachcombing the miles of undeveloped white sand beaches, and the legendary Caribbean nightlife in Puerto Viejo.

How to get there

After flying into San Jose, guests can get to the lodge by plane or by car. Flights from San Jose to Puerto Limon are offered daily. The plains are small and can not always get all luggage on board so In the case of larger groups, We do recommend going by car and getting directly to the lodge via private van 4- hours drive. the van provides complementary wifi and A/C

Documents Required

A valid passport is required for all visitors to Costa Rica and must be valid for at least six (6) months beyond the duration of your stay.

Fishing

Tarpon will always be the main event at Tarponville, but you will encounter a variety of other fish as well. Jacks will be stocking the river mouth, competing with Tarpon for your fly! Snook can be tucked tight into the river mouth and banks waiting to ambush bait. At times you may find bait jumping out of the water while the jacks and King Fish taunt them from below.

Tarpon

There is nothing more impressive than feeling the line come tight and watching a 100lb Tarpon come rocketing into the air or tail walking across the water with your fly in its mouth! This is why we call these fish the “Silver King”.

Nowhere in the world are your chances of landing a Tarpon over 100lb or hooking into a tarpon of 200 pounds more likely than Tarponville.

The Tarpon fishery at Tarponville caters to all levels of fly fisherman from the beginner to the expert, from blind casting to sight casting.

Jacks

These fish are the biggest bi-catch while fishing for Tarpon around the Sixoala River mouth. These aggressive and explosive fish will be so thick at times, that the Tarpon can’t even get to the fly! Fish as large as 30 pounds can be caught and are surprisingly strong, even on a 12 wt.

Snook

The snook fishery comes in a few forms. While fishing close to the river mouth for tarpon, you have a shot at some monster snook getting to the fly while you are fishing for Tarpon. Take a day fishing the Gondoca lagoon for snook anywhere from small fries to medium size fish. Some of our beaches along Gondoca beach can also hold snook and be worth making some casts into.

Trigger Fish

Take the TRIGGER FISH CHALLENGE!! Test your stalking skills for tailing triggerfish on the shallow reef directly in front of the lodge. This is a fun game and can test your patience. With calm conditions, you can find these fish either tailing on the reef or watching their backs move through the water while they dash from reef to reef in search of crabs and crustaceans. In addition to the triggerfish, you can also encounter Parrotfish found on the same reefs.

Fishing Schedule

Breakfast- 6:30

Depart for fishing grounds- 6:50

Lunch (on boat or beach)- 12:00

Return from fishing grounds- 3:00pm

Happy hour- Apitizers/ Beer/ Rum-5:00-6:00pm

Dinner- 7:00pm

Tackle

Rod/Reels
We recommend 12-14wt rods for our adult Tarpon. 10/11wts are fine for smaller fish, but once you get into a tarpon over 100 pounds, things change, prepare to have your mind blown. You will want a rod with stiff action and a lot of fighting power. You want you to be able to really give these fish everything once they are hooked and a good rod can help assist. Reels need to be strong, in good shape, and have a reliable drag system, and be capable of holding a minimum of 250 yards of backing (recommended 300). Common things that break on reels are the drag itself, handles, and knobs. Make sure that all of the components of your reel are in good working order prior to arrival and that all backing and line have been properly spooled onto the reel.

Lines (fly lines, backing)
Starting with the fly line, our fly line of choice is an intermediate sinking fly line. Full sink intermediates, floating intermediate, or intermediate shooting heads will all get the job done. You will want the fly to sit 2-4ft in the water column, depending on the drift, an intermediate line does just that. Next is the backing, you can get away with a minimum of 30# dacron backing but we recommend a minimum breaking strength of 40# (our backing of choice is Hatch premium braid, 68#) and at least 250 yards of a good quality backing (300-400 recommended). Pack extra backing in case you get spooled or damage your backing due to knots or tangles (AGAIN, make sure that your reels are spooled by a professional on a good reel spooling machine or have been double-checked prior to arrival).

Leaders/ tippets
You have options here. You can build your leaders or you can buy pre-built leaders. Tarpon leaders can be confusing with all of the different knots and different types of material that can go into them. Keep it simple, purchase pre-built leaders, and have leader building material and tippet in case you run out or need to try something different. Our fishery does not require any fancy or secretive type of leader. Mono-filament leaders are just fine, but if you are looking for the edge, try some fluoro leaders as well. A class leader of 20-22 pounds is just fine with a bite/ shock of 80-100# (100# preferred) is the best. Follow that up by bringing some backup tippet and leader material and you will be all set!!

 

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