Costa Rica is known around the world for its big-game saltwater fishing done on the Pacific and Caribbean coasts, which is done from boats to catch large open-water species such as tuna, wahoo, dorardo and billfish (marlin, sailfish and swordfish).
Recently, Sport Fishing Magazine sought input from seven angling experts, historians and authorities and did their top 100 world’s records most amazing and best saltwater catches. Even if Costa Rica has had 100s of world records, they came away with six amazing all time IGFA world records for a country so small in coast (612 miles on the Pacific and 115 miles on the Caribbean). Each catch (and not listed in order) represents a phenomenal accomplishment, requiring great skill and patience to achieve. In other words, the best of the best world record catches.
For more visit Top 100 Word Records. and go to Costa Rica Fishing Photos
No. 45 — Pacific Sailfish –
Weight: 56 pounds, 15 ounces
Line Class: W-2 (fly)
Angler: Stacey G. Parkerson
Location: Playa Carrillo, Costa Rica
Date: Jan. 30, 2008
Fight Time: 2 minutes
Lure/Bait: Allen Special fly
Tackle: Stren line; Abel Super 10 reel; Gold Cup rod
Captain: Scott Jones
Noteworthy: Catch marks the only billfish caught by a female angler with a fly rod and 2-pound tippet. It was over quickly, as the two-minute fight time indicates.
No. 49 — Pacific Blue Marlin –
Weight: 187 pounds, 4 ounces
Line Class: W-16 (fly)
Angler: Stacey G. Parkerson
Location: Playa Carrillo, Costa Rica
Date: Dec. 18, 2007
Fight Time: 4 hours, 20 minutes
Lure/Bait: Enrico Special
Tackle: Stren line; Abel reel; Custom Biscayne rod
Captain: Scott Jones
Noteworthy: Catch marked the first Pacific blue marlin ever to be landed on fly gear by a female angler — and it remains to this day the largest blue caught by a female on IGFA fly tackle. The catch required an epic, 4-hour, 20-minute battle.
No. 50 — Pacific Blue Marlin
Weight: 161 pounds, 7 ounces
Line Class: M-8 (fly)
Angler: Enrico Capozzi
Location: Playa Carrillo, Costa Rica
Date: Dec. 15, 2007
Fight Time: 20 minutes
Lure/Bait: Enrico Special
Tackle: Stren line; Abel reel; Custom Biscayne rod
Captain: Scott Jones
Noteworthy: Over 20-to-1 on light fly tippet of a jumping fish. Catch came three days before Capozzi’s girlfriend, Stacey Parkerson, became the first female angler to catch a Pacific blue on fly.
No. 58 — Pacific Sailfish –
Weight: 111 pounds
Line Class: M-2
Angler: Jerry Dunaway
Location: Flamingo Bay, Costa Rica
Date: July 5, 1993
Fight Time: 6 minutes
Lure/Bait: Ballyhoo
Tackle: Stren line; Shimano TLD15 reel; Bill Boyd Custom No. 2 rod
Noteworthy: A very large sailfish on the lightest of line — ratio of more than 55-to-1. Note how quickly this fish was boated, an indication of close teamwork between the captain, crew and angler.
No. 59 — Pacific Sailfish –
Weight: 102 pounds
Line Class: W-2
Angler: Deborah Dunaway
Location: Flamingo Bay, Costa Rica
Date: July 9, 1992
Fight Time: 8 minutes
Lure/Bait: Ballyhoo
Tackle: Stren line; Shimano TLD15 reel; Bill Boyd Custom No. 2 rod
Noteworthy: Fabulous light-line billfish catch.
At one time, Dunaway actually held records for all nine billfish species simultaneously, a record that will never be duplicated, says Mike Leech.
Those fish were Atlantic and Pacific blue marlin, Atlantic and Pacific sailfish, swordfish, black marlin, white marlin, striped marlin and shortbilled spearfish.
The abbreviated fight time indicates that adroit boat handling played a big role in this and other ultra-light-tackle records.
No. 89 — Pacific Cubera Snapper –
Weight: 51 pounds
Line Class: M-12
Angler: Dick Love
Location: Isla de Cano, Costa Rica
Date: March 14, 1989
Fight Time: 20 minutes
Lure/Bait: Blue runner
Tackle: Stren line; Shimano TLD20 reel; Bill Boyd custom rod
Noteworthy: Love was reportedly fishing for black marlin with live bait when this monster hit.
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