How To Fish Lake Arenal Costa Rica
Your One Stop Lake Arenal
Fishing Resource
Want To Hear How I Caught This
Big Guapote Bass From Shore

Here's a nice Lake Arenal Guapote the author caught in 2009 at
7 AM while kayak fishing
A View Of Volcano Arenal
From Lake Arenal Costa Rica
Contact Us:
2010 Spinnerbait Review
Many
local swear by red deep diving crank baits or white spinner baits to
catch big Guapote Rainbow Bass in Lake Arenal Costa Rica. The locals use
a live minnow or a palmetto bug buzzing on the surface to entice the big
Guapote to bite. Whatever the lure or color you use it will also require
some casting to locate a big one. The big Guapote are not as common as
they used to be. Illegal spear fishing by locals have hut the Guapote
population.
Fishing On Lake Arenal:
Lake Arenal Costa Rica Fishing Report
for January, 2010:
The Big Guapote Are Biting Again!!
| |
"Fishing
is in full gear on Lake Arenal now that the lake is completely
full of water and starting to fall again. Areas of Lake Arenal are accessible now
that you cannot fish in low water seasons. Make your way to
where the rivers flow into lake Arenal. These areas will be
productive in the early morning hours just after daylight. Use a
white 1/4 ounce spinner bait with gold blades. Work the lure
around the stumps and grass near the shoreline with slow
retrieve, letting the spinner bait bounce off the stumps. Fishing on
Lake Arenal can be slow. One reason the fishing can be
challenging is because of
local spear fishing. Although illegal, many people dive the lake and
the rivers feeding the lake to spear the Guapote. We spoke
with one local in 2009 that reported spearing over 60
large (5 to 8 lb Guapote) in less than 2 hours during the early
morning hours of daylight. Unless the Government takes action
the Guapote may soon disappear from Lake Arenal.
The lake however
is very beautiful and clean. I highly recommend a
boat tour /
fishing trip to view the lake up close. On our last boat
tour in April 2009 we saw Toucans, Howler Monkeys and many other
species of local animals. We also got some great footage of
Arenal Volcano from the lake. Kayaking on the lake is also
becoming very popular."
Lake Arenal Fishing Tips:
According to Glenn from Lake Arenal Pontoon Boat Tours & Fishing
Excursions, the best fishing for Guapote is when the lake starts
rising (mid June through July) and when it's starts dropping in level
(Feb-April).
Thanks Glenn for the hot tip. For
Lake Arenal Fishing Tours
contact us. |
|
Roy Fuller,
Webmaster & Freelance Sports Writer
www.oneofakindgem.com
The Town of Nuevo
Arenal, Costa Rica
Nuevo
Arenal is located approximately 30 miles from and across Lake Arenal
from the Arenal Volcano. The town of La Fortuna is approximately
30 minutes from our rentals. Nuevo Arenal a safe distance from the
volcano with action activities nearby such as
Arenal Volcano Tours,
White Water Rafting,
Fishing Lake Arenal,
Aerial Trams,
Zip Lining the rainforest,
Windsurfing on Lake
Arenal,
Sailing,
Kayaking,
Canoeing, Hiking,
Boating,
ATV Rentals,
Horseback Riding to 5
remote Rainforest Waterfalls,
Eco Tours, Butterfly
Museums, Snake Museums, Coffee Plantations, Monteverde Cloud Forest,
great restaurants and very friendly locals.
If you are planning a trip to Lake Arenal, Costa Rica you have to try
the local fishing. Lake Arenal is world famous for guided fishing
trips for Guapote rainbow bass. Guapote fishing has been featured by
Bass Pro Shops, American Sportsman and many other top fishing magazines.
More on Fishing Lake Arenal Below. Try catching one of these
monsters on fly fishing tackle also.
Lake Arenal Costa Rica
is approx 33 Miles with a paved road along the eastern shoreline.
There are several public ramps with good access to the lake. The
lake has strong winds in January, February and March and windsurfers
come from all over the world to enjoy windsurfing.
Check Out These Other Fishing Links below:
How To Catch Guapote In Lake Arenal Costa Rica
Guapote Rainbow Bass Information
Site
Southwest
Florida Fishing
Fishing
For Redfish in Southwest Florida
Lake Arenal Costa
Rica Vacation Rentals
Costa
Vacation
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Tours
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Riding
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Lake Arenal Fishing
If you
are planning a trip to Lake Arenal, Costa Rica you have to try the local
fishing. Lake Arenal is world famous for guided fishing trips for Guapote
rainbow bass. Guapote fishing has been featured by Bass Pro Shops, American
Sportsman and many other fishing magazines.
Lake Arenal Guided Fishing.
Guided Kayak Fishing On Lake Arenal Costa Rica
Guapote / Rainbow Bass:

Guapote (also known as rainbow bass) is one of the primary
target fish on Lake Arenal. Highly desirable for eating and
catching. The Guapote is a great fighting fish and requires great skill to
stop the initial run. Guapote fight like saltwater fish. They have
been caught up to 15 lbs, however the average fish will weigh upward of 2-5 lbs.
Fishing action can be slow at times and may require a lot of casting with your
favorite lure, but its worth it when ones strikes!! Stay with it and
you'll hook up with a Big Guapote. See our lure recommendations.
Home |
Techniques That Work |
Baits To Use |
Boat Ramps |
Guided Guapote Fishing |
Boating Lake Arenal |
Other Activities
Kayak Fishing
Techniques That Work:
Guapote fishing on Lake Arenal can be successful
by walking the shoreline and casting parallel to the shore in
early morning or late afternoon. Since Lake Arenal is located on
the equator, the days and night are almost equal in length. There
is 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of dark. It gets daylight
around 5am and very dark by 5-5:30pm in the evening. Guapote
fishing is best at or just after daylight. The fishing is good
up until mid morning to noon, and then action slows as they move to
deeper water. We recommend a trolling technique and try lures that
will run 18 to 25 feet.
Catching big Guapote requires a lot of dedication and a lot of casting.
It is much more difficult to catch a Guapote during mid day from the
shore or from a boat. However, one local Guapote Fishing Guide reported
catching the unofficial IGFA World Record Guapote Rainbow Bass
weighing 6.5 Kilos at 2 PM last November. So you never know when
a big Guapote will strike.
Book your Lake Arenal Lodging with us
and we'll help you decide on a Guided Guapote trip, many
fisherman want to rent a canoe or Kayak and try their own luck. Many
tourist travel to the Lake Arenal area for the climate and other
activities such as horseback riding to remote jungle waterfalls,
white water rafting, zip lining over the rainforest canopy, windsurfing
or just boating on the lake. Fishing for the Guapote
Rainbow Bass or taking a boat tour on the lake is highly
recommended.
Return To Home |
Baits To Use |
Boat Ramps |
Guided Guapote Fishing |
Boating Lake Arenal |
Other Activities |
Guided Kayak Fishing
Baits To Use:
Some of the local guides swear by white or red
spinner baits. Others swear by dark red floating/diving plugs. The
lures you use will depend on the type of Guapote fishing you are doing.
In the morning try jointed minnow imitations in red, green, orange and yellow.
Also try some top water plugs in silver, red and gold. Guapote will hit
almost anything a large mouth bass will. Later in the day use lures that
will dive from 5 to 8 feet as the sun rises. Its difficult to fish deep
diving plugs from shore as they will get hung up in the sunken trees or the
rocks as you retrieve them to shore. During the middle of the day when the
sun is warmest try trolling 18 to 25 feet deep a hundred yards off the shore.
Return To Home |
Techniques That Work |
Boat Ramps |
Guided Guapote Fishing |
Boating Lake Arenal |
Other Activities |
Guided Kayak Fishing
Boat Ramps:

You can fish Lake Arenal from the shore in many areas,
from a boat as there are several free boat ramps with access to the lake.
We offer guided fishing on Lake Arenal to our guests for FREE.
Kayak Fishing. We provide the latest in lures, graphite
fishing rods and reels. Tackle will be similar to bass fishing tackle, except
the Guapote will make a much harder run, more like the Florida Saltwater Snook.
Fishing licenses are required by law, but the process of securing one is
complicated and take time. Most people fishing Lake Arenal do not have
fishing licenses and I have never seen anyone checking for one on or around the
lake. You will be able to spend the entire day on the lake and will
probably not even see another boat.. Also, marinas and houses on the water
are not allowed, so the lake is very beautiful. The rainforest growth goes
all the way down to the lake front in most areas. The lake is
approximately 33 miles long and up to 200 ft deep in areas. The
water temperature is a constant 76 degrees year round. This is some of the
cleanest lakes in the world.
There are a couple of public ramps with free access to Lake
Arenal. One of the most popular ramps is located in the Arenal
Public Park
located just outside the small town of Nuevo Arenal and the other
ramp is located at the dam itself. The ramp at the dam would
probably require a 4X4 vehicle, but the Arenal park ramp is paved and very easy
to access.
Return To Home |
Techniques That Work |
Baits To Use |
Guided Guapote Fishing |
Boating Lake Arenal |
Other Activities |
Guided Kayak Fishing
Kayak Fishing On Lake
Arenal
We offer
kayak fishing for Guapote rainbow bass on Lake Arenal to our
Bed & Breakfast guests for FREE. Guapote fishing on Lake Arenal
can be exhilarating and the initial Guapote run can be very exciting.
Guided Guapote Fishing Trips start at 5:30am and go until 10:30am.
Guapote Bass head for deep waters in the lake after the sun rises and they are
more difficult to catch. The lake is very beautiful and sightseeing can also be
exciting with
many varieties of birds, sloths and monkeys. The rainforest comes down to
the water shores in many places as developments on the shore are prohibited.
When you paddle around the lake it looks like a virgin lake and you probably
won't see another boat on the water.

Check Out These Other Fishing Links below:
How To Catch Guapote In Lake Arenal Costa Rica
Guapote Rainbow Bass Information
Site
Southwest
Florida Fishing
Fishing
For Redfish in Southwest Florida
Lake Arenal Costa
Rica Vacation Rentals
Return To Home |
Techniques That Work |
Baits To Use |
Boat Ramps |
Guided Guapote Fishing |
Boating Lake Arenal |
Other Activities
How to fish Lake Arenal Costa Rica |