Teasing and then casting a fly to a large billfish is one of the ultimate saltwater adrenalin rushes. When you travel to Quepos bring a 14- to 15-weight rod, a reel with at least 300 yards of backing, and loads of sunscreen.

The capital city, San Jose, is located near the center of the country in a high (3,500-foot) mountain valley, and the majority of international flights coming into Costa Rica land at San Jose's Juan Santamaria international airport (there is another little used international airport at Liberia in the NW part of the country). From San Jose it's a short 25-minute commuter plane ride to Quepos, and with some planning you can be in your hotel in Quepos the same day you arrive in Costa Rica.

Another option is to rent a car in San Jose and drive to Quepos through the mountains and then along the Pacific Ocean (a 4-5 hour drive), but the roads are not well marked nor are they friendly at night. I generally fly to Quepos because air travel within Costa Rica is very reasonably priced and car rentals are not. You really don't need a car in Quepos because all of the fishing boats have vans to pick you up in the morning and once you get back to the dock they will take you back to your hotel. If you want to go anyplace taxis and buses are everywhere and very reasonably priced.

Billy Pate (above) uses a heavy fly with rattles and a fast-sinking fly line.

When to Go
Some areas along Costa Rica's Pacific coast are rough at various times of the year but the waters along the coast near Quepos are predictably calm all year. Fishing both inshore and offshore areas adjacent to Quepos is good all year, but sailfish congregate more heavily in the dry season from November through April. January, February, and March are the busiest fishing months because it's winter in North America and Europe and there are lots of anglers looking for a place to escape.

Sailfish are the primary target offshore of Quepos during January, February and March, but marlin, mahi mahi (dorado), tuna, and a few other species are also present during these months as well as the rest of the year.

Jeremy Librett who runs the 28-foot center console fly fishing boat called "On the Fly" out of Quepos told me that are the best months for mahi mahi are April through August.

Pacific sailfish are not as famous for their strength or their long or deep runs like Atlantic sailfish so if you have a 12-weight tarpon outfit it will also work for Pacific sailfish as well as the occasional 30- to 50-pound mahi mahi or yellowfin tuna you may run across. Some anglers use heavy 13- to 15-weight rods in an attempt to land the fish quicker and get on to catching more fish.

Reels also need to be tarpon size or larger as smaller reels will have difficulty recovering line fast enough when you are trying to bring the fish to the boat. While it's always good to have a quality drag like you'll find in an Abel, Pate, or Tibor, drag quality is not as important when fishing for Pacific sailfish as it might be for a hard-charging tarpon or tuna.

As with tarpon reels, backing should be 30-pound test with a minimum of 300 yards on the reel. While the new GSP backing materials will allow you to put more backing on a smaller reel. Dacron works fine as long as your reel is big enough to hold 300 yards of it.

If you don't already have a big reel spooled with backing, you should install chartreuse backing because it is easier for both the angler and boat captain to see when you are backing down on a fish in blue water. Orange or white backing looks pretty, but is not as easy to see in offshore waters as chartreuse.

San Jose Hotels (Moderately Priced)

Aurola Holiday Inn 011-506-233-7233 800-465-4329

Hotel del Ray 011-506-221-7272

Hotel Presidente 011-506-222-3022 800-972-0514

Hampton Inn Airport 011-506-443-0043 800-426-7866

Quepos Hotels

Best Western Kamuk (moderately priced) 011-506-777-0811 800-528-1234

Hotel Eclipse (expensive) 011-506-777-0408

Hotel Si Como (inexpensive) 011-506-777-0777 800-237-8201

Charter Reservations

On the Fly (Jeremy Librett) www.nowfishing.com onthefly@sol.racsa.co.cr 011-506-777-3197

JP Sportfishing jpfishin@sol.racsa.co.cr tel 011-506-777-0757

Tico Travel www.ticotravel.com 954-493-8426

Fly line type is a subject that can be debated for hours on end. Some captains and anglers like a floating line because a floating line keeps the line and fly where the angler and boat captain can both see it, and with a sailfish converging on a boat that is still moving, they feel it is better to have the line and fly where it is easiest to see.

There are also those who like a slow-sinking line because they feel the fly should be below the surface much like a baitfish would be. The latest theory used by famed bluewater angler Billy Pate and others says the fly line should be a fast sinker and the fly weighted, because with the boat still moving forward when the presentation is made, the line will have a natural tendency to be pulled to the surface by the moving boat. All billfish feed under the surface, so the more weight you use, the easier it is to keep the fly down.

I have seen all three types of fly lines (floating, intermediate and fast sinking) used for Pacific sailfish, and my experience has been that if the fish is going to eat, it doesn't matter what type of line you're using. One technique used by many experienced billfish anglers is to cut off a length of the fly line so they have only the front 40 to 60 feet of the head left. When I first fished in Costa Rica with Billy Pate he was using the front 60 feet of fly line, but he now cuts off an additional 20 feet leaving only a 40-foot head. With less fly line there is less drag on the line caused by the water when the fish first accelerates, and you rarely cast more than 40 feet to a fish.

Leader construction is also a debatable subject, but one of the few details most bluewater anglers agree on is that with the big flies needed for sailfish, the butt section should be 60- or 80-pound test, and the overall length of the leader should be under 9 feet.

Some anglers like a single 4- to 6-foot piece of 60-to 80-pound monofilament with the class and abrasion tippet looped directly to this butt section, and others like to add an intermediate piece of 30- to 40-pound monofilament in between the butt section and class tippet with a blood knot.

All billfish should be released unharmed.

There are several methods of attaching a class tippet to the butt section of an offshore leader, with loop-to-loop being the most common. With the loop-to-loop method, tie a 2-inch loop in the end of your butt section using a surgeon's knot. Tie a similar 2-inch loop in your class tippet, allowing you to connect the two loops by passing the class tippet loop through the butt loop and then the fly through the class tippet loop. You can also tie the class tippet directly to the butt section with a blood knot.

The most popular method of attaching a class tippet to the abrasion tippet is with a Huffnagle knot, but some (Billy Pate and this writer included) use a jam knot.

If you are not fishing for records, another leader system used by some anglers is to tie the fly directly to the end of a 4- to 6-foot butt section of 60- to 80-pound-test monofilament. The last knot you will need is a three-turn clinch knot, Homer Rhode loop knot, or snell knot to attach your fly to the abrasion tippet.

Flies
Flies are another subject that generates a lot of discussion between sailfish anglers and with few exceptions the only detail they will agree on is that sailfish flies should be large and contain double hooks. Some anglers like a fly with a large popper head to create a lot of commotion, alerting sailfish to the location of the injured baitfish the fly is attempting to imitate. Other anglers like a fly that will sink below the surface. Billy Pate adds rattles to his flies to create noise and and adds lead wire to his flies so they will sink fast. Flies should be tied with 5/0-8/0 hooks. Some effective flies include the green-and-white, blue-and-white, or chartreuse Big-Fish Deceiver from McKenzie or Hightower's Billfish Fly from Umpqua. Kate and Bill Howe's Flashy Profile Flies are also effective for sailfish.

Catching a sailfish is vastly different from catching freshwater fish. You, your mate, and the captain are all intimately involved in catching sailfish--it is in effect, a team sport.

The captain will troll a hookless teaser to bring the sailfish within casting range and get it in an eating mood. The mate will work the teaser bait close to the boat and in a single moment the captain will throw the boat into neutral, and you throw the fly to the fish.

If the sailfish eats the fly your Captain will tell you whether to set the hook or wait. Some captains prefer to wait until the fish turns, and the hook slides to the corner of the mouth. To set the hook, hold the fly line in one hand and jerk on the rod with the other.

With so many sailfish off of Costa Rica's central Pacific coast, you'll get lots of shots and chances to perfect your technique. After a few days fishing you will find one of those unique watering holes in beautiful downtown Quepos called El Gran Escape, and even if you don't imbibe in alcolohic beverages your trip will not be complete without a visit to this world famous watering hole. Don't miss it.

Climate and Clothing
It's often hot and humid along Costa Rica's Pacific coast. Since Costa Rica is only 500 miles north of the Equator you will need copious amounts of sun screen. Clothing requirements are similar to what you might wear while fishing in any of the southern States in the summer. However, with Costa Rica's diverse topography, there are many areas in the higher elevations of the country where it can be cold, so be prepared with long pants, a jacket, and socks if you plan to explore inland.

San Jose is often cool in the evening. May thru October is the rainy season in Costa Rica, so if you're planning a trip during these months, be prepared not only with rain gear, but for delays on the highways due to flooding.

How to Get There
Miami is the hub for travel to Costa Rica but Orlando, Atlanta, Houston, Los Angeles and a few other American cities also have direct flights to San Jose. I recommend using your local travel agent when booking your ticket but Tico Travel (800-493-8426) in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, specializes in travel to Costa Rica and I often use them when I travel there.

They are very good at arranging air travel, hotels, and fishing trips in Costa Rica. LACSA (the national airline of Costa Rica) and American have the most flights to and from Costa Rica. During the winter and spring months when the sailfish congregate off of Costa Rica's west central Pacific coast, many of the independent charter boats on the Pacific side of Costa Rica congregate at the town of Quepos, where in addition to abundance of sailfish, there is also an abundance of hotels.