Captain
Jose Hidalgo

Member since January 2023 Quepos, Costa Rica
Background
Hidalgo Sportfishing began with a simple goal: to share our passion for fishing and create unforgettable experiences on the water. Thanks to the support of our amazing clients and dedication to improving every trip, that dream has become a reality. We started with our first boat and built a strong reputation—backed by great reviews, happy memories, and countless photos of successful catches. Today, we’re proud to offer an upgraded and fully customized boat designed for your comfort and enjoyment. (Our profile photo shows the newly modified vessel.) With over 10 years of experience fishing these rich tropical waters. Whether it’s live bait fishing, trolling, or bottom fishing, we excel on curating trips for anglers of all levels of experience. We also offer recreational trips, snorkeling, and even spearfishing adventures—so there’s something for everyone.
Techniques
My favorite types of fishing are with live bait, although on many occasions we use different methods and different techniques for the different species we have in our waters. We fish for mahi mahi by trolling, with lurs and baliju, which is a bait that is very popular with sailfish and mahi mahi. Normally, when we are fishing off shore we are attentive to the communication radius and the other fishing companions. In the area this gives us a better result to find good spots, for example, yellowfin tuna always live at 20 miles which is a good distance to catch different large species. If we fish in-shore we use the live bait and casting technique, we often use rapalas and enjoy trolling on the islands and near the national park. If we fish in the mouths of the rivers or near the rocks we can find roosterfish, red snapper, snook, among others. The important thing for us is that our clients have the best bites.

Hey, I'm Captain Jose Hidalgo

Quepos, Costa Rica
Background
Hidalgo Sportfishing began with a simple goal: to share our passion for fishing and create unforgettable experiences on the water. Thanks to the support of our amazing clients and dedication to improving every trip, that dream has become a reality. We started with our first boat and built a strong reputation—backed by great reviews, happy memories, and countless photos of successful catches. Today, we’re proud to offer an upgraded and fully customized boat designed for your comfort and enjoyment. (Our profile photo shows the newly modified vessel.) With over 10 years of experience fishing these rich tropical waters. Whether it’s live bait fishing, trolling, or bottom fishing, we excel on curating trips for anglers of all levels of experience. We also offer recreational trips, snorkeling, and even spearfishing adventures—so there’s something for everyone.
Techniques
My favorite types of fishing are with live bait, although on many occasions we use different methods and different techniques for the different species we have in our waters. We fish for mahi mahi by trolling, with lurs and baliju, which is a bait that is very popular with sailfish and mahi mahi. Normally, when we are fishing off shore we are attentive to the communication radius and the other fishing companions. In the area this gives us a better result to find good spots, for example, yellowfin tuna always live at 20 miles which is a good distance to catch different large species. If we fish in-shore we use the live bait and casting technique, we often use rapalas and enjoy trolling on the islands and near the national park. If we fish in the mouths of the rivers or near the rocks we can find roosterfish, red snapper, snook, among others. The important thing for us is that our clients have the best bites.
Anglers Choice
Verified

My Charter Listing

Excellent
4.8 / 5
(213 reviews)
Angler's choice
Quepos
 9 bookings in the past week.
 Instant Confirmation
Trips from US $600

Customer reviews

Rating summary
Excellent
4.8 / 5
out of 5 stars from 213 reviews
Boat
Excellent
4.7 / 5
Crew
Excellent
4.9 / 5
Experience
Excellent
4.8 / 5
Photos & videos by reviewers (342)
Hard Working Captain and Crew
Great trip
Great trip
+339
Angler rating
182
22
6
1
0
Anglers claimed
Good experience
92%
Friendly captain
99%
Recommend this charter
95%
Appropriate for children
92%
Satisfied with the boat
99%
Caught fish
88%
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Showing:
5 of 213 reviews
Glenn M.
Excellent
4.7 / 5
Experience:
Very good
4.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

A great value and very personal crew and service.

VERIFIED   NEW  Full Day Offshore on January 23, 2026
The experience was very pleasurable and fun the whole day.ย  The captain and crew did their best to ensure that we caught fish...
Glenn M. recommends Hidalgo Sportfishing
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Emily B.
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Friendly crew, personalized experience

VERIFIED   Half Day Inshore - 12:00 PM on January 7, 2026
My family and I did the 5 hour inshore trip. The crew members were very kind and considerate, allowing us to do the fishing...
Emily B. recommends Hidalgo Sportfishing
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Xavier B.
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Awesome days (Inshore charter)

VERIFIED   Half Day Inshore on December 28, 2025
I reserved two AM of fishing with Hidalgo Sportfishing. The first one was supposed to be an offshore one, but the captain has...
Xavier B. recommends Hidalgo Sportfishing
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Paolo B.
Excellent
4.7 / 5
Experience:
Very good
4.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Unforgettable fishing experience with Captain Josรฉ!

VERIFIED   3/4 Day Offshore on November 24, 2025
We had an absolutely amazing day out on the water with Captain Josรฉ. From the very beginning, he proved to be extremely professional,...
Paolo B. recommends Hidalgo Sportfishing
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Ray H.
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Epic Day of Fishing

VERIFIED   Full Day Offshore on November 19, 2025
I had a really great day on the water with Captain Jose and Hidalgo Sport Fishing. The captain and crew worked hard from start...
Ray H. recommends Hidalgo Sportfishing
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