On February 12th 2026 my wife and I went on a fishing trip with Javier Cortez and Fabiola of Waltrip&Cortez Sportfishing. We just booked a half day inshore fishing, just to get the taste and the hang of catching some of the beautiful Costa Rica n fishes, as it was fishing in the topical Pacific for us for the first time.
Captain Javier and deckhand Fabiola first got us out many miles South to catch some baitfish which we need for catching the roosters later on. They let us catch many sardines and moonfish for bait and then also the barracuda showed up. Nice to catch some barracuda, but time to go because these were not the fish we’re after and the live bait well was already completely filled!
From there we went to a serious good fishing spot far beyond all the other boats, really near the shore where the huge waves break. This to getting us on the largest roosters. In this almost “private” fishing spot Javier and Fabiola got us hooked onto some really nice roosters. Because all the fun we had, a detour for spotting a humpback whale and some manta ray’s, our booked half day fishing went almost into an full day of ultimate pleasure on this boat.
The next day Javier and Fabiola took us out for a full day off-shore fishing to catch mahi mahi, yellowfin and sailfish which were on the bucket list for this day. And yes! They got us on these fish really quick. Within the first hour of fishing, 2 mahi mahi were already caught. Then we went spotting for the dolphins to try to catch my desired yellowfin, which often swim together. With over hundred dolphins in sight, the yellowfins should also be there. And were on it again! After a hour of real rope wrestling with a huge yellowfin, Javier helped me getting the yellowfin on board. And within 20 minutes they turned the hard fighting yellowfin into a delicious onboard carpaccio and a lot of tuna steak in the ice for our coming day’s BBQs.
After a cooling down of my muscles and a very good lunch with plenty fruits, yellowfin carpaccio and well filled sandwiches, the trip went on to catch the other fish on my bucket list. Sailfish. And here we go again.., 2 beautiful sailfish hooked out of 4 bites within the next hours. Of course catch and release for these bill fish, but, with letting me into the open ocean, 40+ miles out, to perform the both sailfish releases…. What an exciting experience to do it this way!
Letting us do the fishing by ourself and only providing the necessary hands and knowledge to lead us to the catches, made it an unforgettable experience with you! Also excellent onboard service with drinks, fruits and fresh meals! Javier and Fabiola, you both made our trips truly unforgettable. You both deserve 6 out of 5 stars!
For the reader: if you also want an unforgettable fishing experience? Choose Waltrip&Cortez fishing!
All regards from Holland
