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
(155 reviews)
Angler's choice
Quepos
 2 bookings in the past week.
 Instant Confirmation
Trips from US $580

Customer reviews

Rating summary
Excellent
4.8 / 5
out of 5 stars from 155 reviews
Boat
Excellent
4.7 / 5
Crew
Excellent
4.9 / 5
Experience
Excellent
4.8 / 5
Photos & videos by reviewers (238)
Lots of fish!
Lots of fish!
Great Tour
+235
Angler rating
129
18
5
1
0
Anglers claimed
Good experience
92%
Friendly captain
99%
Recommend this charter
94%
Appropriate for children
93%
Satisfied with the boat
99%
Caught fish
87%
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Showing:
5 of 155 reviews
Hussein M.
Excellent
4.3 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Good
3.0 / 5
Overall

Fishing with Jose

VERIFIED   5 Hour Trip โ€“ Offshore on January 30, 2024
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Jeremy H.
Good
2.3 / 5
Experience:
Bad
2.0 / 5
Boat
Good
3.0 / 5
Crew
Bad
2.0 / 5
Overall

Don't get your hopes up.

VERIFIED   (7AM) Inshore Fishing on July 14, 2023
Spend a bit more and choose a charter out of the marina. This boat is tide dependent. We couldnโ€™t leave out until after 9...
Jeremy H. does not recommend Hidalgo Sportfishing
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1 person finds this review helpful
You and 1 other person found this review helpful
Jeremy H. does not recommend Hidalgo Sportfishing
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1 person finds this review helpful
You and 1 other person found this review helpful

Rose P.
Good
2.7 / 5
Experience:
Good
3.0 / 5
Boat
Good
3.0 / 5
Crew
Bad
2.0 / 5
Overall

Okay

VERIFIED   5 Hour Trip โ€“ Offshore on March 27, 2024
Thatโ€™s it. Just okay. If you want friendly energetic guides this isnโ€™t it. If you want to catch anything this isnโ€™t it.
Rose P. does not recommend Hidalgo Sportfishing
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2 persons find this review helpful
You and 2 people found this review helpful
Rose P. does not recommend Hidalgo Sportfishing
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2 persons find this review helpful
You and 2 people found this review helpful

William P.
Good
3.0 / 5
Experience:
Good
3.0 / 5
Boat
Very good
4.0 / 5
Crew
Bad
2.0 / 5
Overall

Fishing with Jose

VERIFIED   5 Hour Trip โ€“ Offshore on February 1, 2024
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1 person finds this review helpful
You and 1 other person found this review helpful
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1 person finds this review helpful
You and 1 other person found this review helpful

Tim W.

The captain canceled

VERIFIED   July 5, 2023
The charter operator canceled on trip date. This is an automated posting.
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3 persons find this review helpful
You and 3 people found this review helpful
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3 persons find this review helpful
You and 3 people found this review helpful