Packing for any destination fishing trip can be a daunting task. From rods and reels to technical apparel, weeding through your gear to decide what makes the cut seems impossible. Add to that, fishing three unique fisheries in Costa Rica, and it’s hard to know where to start. In this guide to how we packed, we’ll break down all our essential gear and what we brought to fish from coast to coast.
Apparel
The basis of packing for any destination trip is apparel. What you bring to wear can be the difference between a comfortable day of fishing and an outright miserable day of battling the elements. Rain or shine, this is the technical apparel we relied on in Costa Rica.
Sun Protection
In any sub-tropical or tropical climate, sun protection should be a top priority. Costa Rica, located fairly close to the equator, can leave you baking in the sun. While sunscreen will help, having a selection of UPF-rated sun apparel will protect you all day.
The first key piece of gear we packed was sun shirts. To cover all our needs, we packed a mix of sun hoodies, long sleeves, and button-up shirts. For sun hoodies, we chose Columbia’s Uncharted Hoodie and Wild Cast Hoodie. These are sun-blocking and moisture-wicking hoodies designed to keep you cool, even in the humid climate of the tropics. If you don’t like a hood, options like the Uncharted Long Sleeve offer the same sun protection but with a hoodless design. Last, mixing in a few technical fishing button-down shirts is always smart. They can be worn out on the water or out to dinner, giving you a versatile option.
Next in terms of sun protection are pants and shorts. A good pair of sun pants should be lightweight, breathable, and UPF-rated. The Columbia Uncharted pants fit this bill and feature the same technology as the Uncharted Hoodie, keeping you cool on the water. They also help lessen mosquito bites. We also always pack a few pairs of shorts. While you may not wear these on the water, they are perfect for relaxing after a long day of fishing.
Rain Gear
Costa Rica is known for its rainforest, and with that comes rain. Lightweight and packable rain gear that you can grab at a moment’s notice is essential. For this trip, we packed the PFG Force XII ODX Jacket. It’s made with a lightweight waterproof fabric that will not wet out, and sealed to keep any and all water out. Best of all, the lightweight construction makes it wearable in tropical climates. If you’re looking for a head-to-toe rain system, the matching set of bibs will keep you comfortable in the worst storms.
Footwear
Jumping from boat to boat and from ocean to jungle means packing adaptable footwear. A good starting point is a breathable deck boot, like the PFG Pro Sport Boot. These waterproof shoes are designed to give you ample traction on slippery surfaces and keep the elements out. In addition to deck boots, a pair of sneaker boat shoes, and flip flops, rounded out our footwear essentials for this trip.
Other Essentials
On destination trips, we like to bring everything we may need. Some other key essentials are a sun buff and sun gloves. When worn with sun shirts and pants, you are completely protected from UV rays.
Gear
While apparel is important, gear is critical. Packing the right fishing gear can make or break any trip. This particular trip involved three unique fisheries, all with different gear requirements.
Rods and Reels
In fishing the Pacific, the jungle, and the Atlantic of Costa Rica, we targeted a variety of different species. Narrowing down what rods and reels was no easy task. These are what we settled on.
Rods
On the Pacific coast, we targeted billfish and rooster fish. For this, we packed a 15-wt, a 12-wt, and a 10-wt. The larger rods were specific for marlin and sailfish, while the 10-weight served as a do-it-all for other saltwater species. In the jungle, machaca were the primary target species. For this, we fished a 5- or 6-weight rod. The last and final stop along the way was the Atlantic Coast, where we target tarpon. In general, an 11-weight rod is ideal for tarpon. However, for the sake of consolidating gear, we used the same 12-weight we packed for sailfish.
Reels
Costa Rica’s mix of powerful pelagic fish and smaller jungle species makes packing reels tricky. In an effort to cut down on gear and save some space, we opted to bring three reels. The first, a marlin reel, had a large arbor design and a smooth drag to tame their powerful runs. The second reel was a large arbor 11/12 weight reel for the sailfish and tarpon fishing. Rather than bringing multiple reels, we brought one reel and different fly lines to tackle these two scenarios. The last reel was a 5/6-wt reel for jungle fishing. Drag is not super important here, so don’t splurge on a top-of-the-line reel. Most trout reels will do.
Packing
With our gear sorted through and laid out, it was time to pack everything for the journey ahead. For long trips, duffel bags are always our preferred packing method. They allow you to fit a lot of gear and organize large items like rod tubes. Two of the Landroamer 60L duffels were able to fit all of our clothing and fishing gear.
Final Thoughts
Packing for destination trips can be intimidating. Preparing for the unknown often means lots of gear and limited space. This was the case heading to Costa Rica, and trying to prepare for three different fisheries. While every angler’s gear list may look slightly different, the essentials we packed prepared us for any combination of fishing conditions Costa Rica threw our way.
