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
(231 reviews)
Angler's choice
Quepos
 Last booking: 9 hours ago
 Instant Confirmation
Trips from US $600

Customer reviews

Rating summary
Excellent
4.8 / 5
out of 5 stars from 231 reviews
Boat
Excellent
4.7 / 5
Crew
Excellent
4.9 / 5
Experience
Excellent
4.8 / 5
Photos & videos by reviewers (393)
Great crew
Great crew
Great crew
+390
Angler rating
199
22
7
1
0
Anglers claimed
Good experience
92%
Friendly captain
99%
Recommend this charter
95%
Appropriate for children
90%
Satisfied with the boat
98%
Caught fish
89%
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Showing:
5 of 231 reviews
Brian H.
Quepos, Costa Rica
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Half day inshore with Captain Jose

VERIFIED   Half Day Inshore on May 26, 2023
Crew works extremely hard to deliver you a great experience! Definitely would fish with them again.
Brian H. recommends Hidalgo Sportfishing
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Brian H. recommends Hidalgo Sportfishing
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Matt C.
Excellent
4.7 / 5
Experience:
Very good
4.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Fishing with Jose

VERIFIED   Half Day Inshore on September 12, 2024
Matt C. recommends Hidalgo Sportfishing
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Matt C. recommends Hidalgo Sportfishing
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Patrick L.
Very good
4.0 / 5
Experience:
Very good
4.0 / 5
Boat
Very good
4.0 / 5
Crew
Very good
4.0 / 5
Overall

Great trip and guide but no fish

VERIFIED   5 Hour Trip โ€“ Offshore on July 1, 2024
The weather was not ideal. And the captain, Jose worked very hard for us and was great. Most people come to Costa Rica because...
Patrick L. recommends Hidalgo Sportfishing
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Patrick L. recommends Hidalgo Sportfishing
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Sean K.
Very good
4.0 / 5
Experience:
Good
3.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Very good
4.0 / 5
Overall

Fishing Quepos

VERIFIED   Half Day Inshore on March 26, 2024
Fishing was slow but had a great time with Hose and his mate. Jose was very knowledgeable and gave us some tips on what else...
Sean K. recommends Hidalgo Sportfishing
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Sean K. recommends Hidalgo Sportfishing
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Dean M.
Excellent
4.7 / 5
Experience:
Very good
4.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Fishing with Jose

VERIFIED   Half Day Inshore on January 6, 2024
Dean M. recommends Hidalgo Sportfishing
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Dean M. recommends Hidalgo Sportfishing
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You found this review helpful