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
(202 reviews)
Angler's choice
Quepos
 4 bookings in the past week.
 Instant Confirmation
Trips from US $350

Customer reviews

Rating summary
Excellent
4.8 / 5
out of 5 stars from 202 reviews
Boat
Excellent
4.7 / 5
Crew
Excellent
4.9 / 5
Experience
Excellent
4.8 / 5
Photos & videos by reviewers (326)
Friendly crew, personalized experience
Friendly crew, personalized experience
Friendly crew, personalized experience
+323
Angler rating
172
22
5
1
0
Anglers claimed
Good experience
92%
Friendly captain
99%
Recommend this charter
96%
Appropriate for children
92%
Satisfied with the boat
99%
Caught fish
89%
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Showing:
5 of 202 reviews
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   NEW  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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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   NEW  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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Xavier B. recommends Hidalgo Sportfishing
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Salvador B.
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Great fishing experience!

VERIFIED   NEW  3/4 Day Offshore on January 1, 2026
Captain Jose Hidalgo and his team (Esteban for our expeeince) were fantastic: grear communication leading up to and duenf the...
Salvador B. recommends Hidalgo Sportfishing
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Salvador B. recommends Hidalgo Sportfishing
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Julian C.
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Average 6 minutes per fish.

VERIFIED   NEW  Half Day Inshore on December 26, 2025
Captain Jose and skipper Esteban were great.ย  We booked a half day fishing trip with them.ย  There were 3 of us so the boat...
Julian C. recommends Hidalgo Sportfishing
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  Jose Hidalgo Captain replied

Fabrice L.
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

A wonderfull Day

VERIFIED   Half Day Inshore on August 11, 2025
An absolutely incredible fishing trip ! There were two of us on Josรฉโ€™s boat with his crew mate Daniel for 5 hours...
Fabrice L. recommends Hidalgo Sportfishing
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1 person finds this review helpful
You and 1 other person found this review helpful
Fabrice L. recommends Hidalgo Sportfishing
Mark review as helpful
1 person finds this review helpful
You and 1 other person found this review helpful