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
(187 reviews)
Angler's choice
Quepos
 Last booking: 6 hours ago
 Instant Confirmation
Trips from US $350

Customer reviews

Rating summary
Excellent
4.8 / 5
out of 5 stars from 187 reviews
Boat
Excellent
4.7 / 5
Crew
Excellent
4.9 / 5
Experience
Excellent
4.8 / 5
Photos & videos by reviewers (291)
MAHI MAHI
MAHI MAHI
MAHI MAHI
+288
Angler rating
158
21
5
1
0
Anglers claimed
Good experience
91%
Friendly captain
99%
Recommend this charter
95%
Appropriate for children
92%
Satisfied with the boat
99%
Caught fish
88%
Sort by:
Featured  
Showing:
5 of 187 reviews
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   NEW  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
Mark review as helpful
You found this review helpful
  Jose Hidalgo Captain replied

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   NEW  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
Mark review as helpful
You found this review helpful
  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
Mark review as helpful
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

Traycie K.
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Jose Was Amazing!

VERIFIED   Half Day Inshore on July 21, 2025
Jose and his first mate were amazing! It was the last day of our 3 1/2 weeks in Costa Rica and my son wanted to go...
Traycie K. recommends Hidalgo Sportfishing
Mark review as helpful
1 person finds this review helpful
You and 1 other person found this review helpful
Traycie K. recommends Hidalgo Sportfishing
Mark review as helpful
1 person finds this review helpful
You and 1 other person found this review helpful

Gaard A.
Excellent
4.7 / 5
Experience:
Very good
4.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Great guy, experienced fisherman.

VERIFIED   Inshore & Snorkel combo on July 20, 2025
Jose is a stellar captain, he helped us coordinate a shared charter, went above and beyond any other captain to help us reduce...
Gaard A. recommends Hidalgo Sportfishing
Mark review as helpful
You found this review helpful
Gaard A. recommends Hidalgo Sportfishing
Mark review as helpful
You found this review helpful