Costa Rica Fishing Tournament in Quepos on 6 April

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COSTA RICA · SPORT FISHING

This Costa Rica fishing tournament, called Bisbee’s Costa Rica Offshore, sends teams after marlin and sailfish off Quepos, a Pacific port town, in April 2027. The organiser, Bisbee’s, runs it from Marina Pez Vela from Tuesday 6 to Saturday 10 April.

For a US angler, this Costa Rica fishing tournament is a team event with a published schedule, set rules and an awards night. For everyone else, it is a dated reason to plan a trip to the Quepos coast.

What the Tournament Is and Why It Matters

Bisbee’s is a fishing tournament company based in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, and says it has awarded over US$200 million in prizes. Its Quepos event is the first in its series to use an all-release billfish format, meaning every marlin or sailfish goes back alive.

Billfish are large ocean fish with long spear-like bills, such as blue marlin, black marlin and sailfish. The tournament also scores yellowfin tuna and dorado, a bright gamefish also called mahi-mahi, which crews bring in to be weighed.

The organiser calls the prize purse of its Costa Rica fishing tournament multi-million dollar but gives no figure for 2027. It says the dates are timed for the peak of the season on the Pacific coast.

Teams win by releasing the most billfish, and each release must be proved on video and on a scorecard. Separate awards go to the best captain and crew, the top tuna and the top dorado, plus trophies for the top lady and junior anglers.

Our <a href=”https://www.riotimesonline.com/costa-rica-sports-activities-events/”>Costa Rica Sports Guide</a> shows where fishing fits among Costa Rica’s sports. The marina also hosts the <a href=”https://www.riotimesonline.com/marlin-invitational-quepos-costa-rica-fishing-tournament-guide-2026/”>Marlin Invitational</a> on 10 to 12 December 2026, covered in a separate guide.

Schedule Day by Day

On Tuesday 6 April, team check-in and registration run from 3:00 to 7:00 in the evening at Marina Pez Vela. The captain’s meeting follows at 7:00, and a kick-off party starts at 7:30.

Fishing runs on Wednesday 7, Thursday 8 and Friday 9 April. Boats start together at 6:30 in the morning in a shotgun start, which means one signal sends the whole fleet out at once.

Lines come out of the water at 4:00 in the afternoon each day. The gamefish weigh-in is open from 4:00 to 7:30 in the evening, and release videos and scorecards are due by 7:30.

The awards ceremony and cocktail celebration take place on Saturday 10 April from 5:00 to 7:00 in the evening at Marina Pez Vela. All times are Costa Rica time, two hours behind New York in April because Costa Rica has no daylight saving.

Entry Fees and Prizes

The organiser’s fee page lists a participation fee of US$500 per team, plus US$140 for government tax and processing, which makes US$640. Each team must also choose a division, Sonar or Non-Sonar, at US$4,500, so the base entry comes to US$5,140.

Sonar means the boat carries a rotating sonar with a shaft-mounted transducer, such as the Furuno Omni, while a fixed-transducer fish finder counts as Non-Sonar. The tournament committee decides each boat’s division at registration, and its decision is final.

Half of the base entry fees go into the prize pool, and 70% of that pool goes to the top billfish release teams. The base entry includes merchandise and awards-night access for six team members.

Teams can add optional daily jackpots, and the organiser says 85% of each jackpot entry is paid out as prize money. With every jackpot, the total comes to US$147,140 for a Sonar team and US$82,140 for a Non-Sonar team, according to the organiser.

The fee tables describe the 2026 edition, so the 2027 amounts may differ. The organiser pays cash awards in US dollars from a US bank account, and its fee tables carry dollar signs.

Rules and Licences

Boats fish inside a 50 nautical-mile radius of the jetty buoy at Marina Pez Vela. Tuna must weigh at least 40 lbs and dorado at least 20 lbs, with two of each species allowed at the scale per day.

Teams have no size limit, and everyone on the entry form counts as an angler, including the captain and deckhands. Everyone aboard needs a Costa Rican fishing licence, which the organiser plans to sell at registration, though this is not guaranteed.

Each team names one contact person who receives confirmations and any refunds, with a cell or local Costa Rica phone number. Anglers can be added or removed by email before fishing starts each day, but never after it starts.

Withdrawals must be in writing, and a full refund is possible only before an early-bird deadline that the page does not date. After fishing starts there are no refunds.

Winners are paid in one US dollar transaction from a US bank account, by check or wire. Every registered angler must first sign a prize disbursement form.

Registration runs through an online system called CatchStat, and a printable entry form is also available. The organiser’s contact address is [email protected], and release questions go to [email protected].

Where the Boats Leave From

Marina Pez Vela is a marina in Quepos, a port town in Puntarenas province on the Pacific coast. It is the headquarters of this Costa Rica fishing tournament, and the awards night is held there.

The marina’s website lists phone numbers at +506 2774 9000 in Costa Rica and 1-866-739-8352 from the United States. The organiser does not name a host hotel, shuttle or parking, so ask before you book.

Manuel Antonio National Park, a coastal park known for beaches and wildlife, sits near Quepos. The park is closed on Tuesdays and open Wednesday to Monday from 7:00 in the morning to 3:00 in the afternoon.

Foreign adults pay US$16 plus sales tax, and tickets are sold only on the park’s website, says SINAC, the national parks agency. Tuesday 6 April is therefore a closed day, while Sunday 11 April is open.

Check our <a href=”https://www.riotimesonline.com/costa-rica-weather-and-climate-guide-2026/”>Costa Rica Weather and Climate Guide 2026</a> before you pack for the Pacific coast. Our <a href=”https://www.riotimesonline.com/costa-rica-travel-guide-costs/”>Costa Rica Travel Costs 2026 for US Visitors</a> has US$ price benchmarks.

Tips for US and Foreign Visitors

The US State Department says authorities may permit US citizens to stay up to 180 days without a visa, but they need not do so. It lists a return ticket as required.

The State Department advises Americans to exercise increased caution in Costa Rica because of crime. It says petty crime is common throughout the country and violent crime, including armed robbery, also affects tourists.

The US Embassy in San José answers on +506 2519-2000, or +506 2220-3127 after hours. The State Department warns that overseas care providers want payment up front, so check your insurance.

If you are staying on after the tournament, our <a href=”https://www.riotimesonline.com/expat-cities/san-jose/”>San José expat guide</a> covers the capital. The flight and visa guides below cover the way in and longer stays.

If you are not entering a team, ask the organiser whether the weigh-in and the awards night are open to guests. The weigh-in, from 4:00 to 7:30 in the evening, is the likeliest time to see the catch, if access is allowed.

For flights, see <a href=”https://www.riotimesonline.com/new-us-flights-to-costa-rica-high-season-2026/”>new US flights</a> and the <a href=”https://www.riotimesonline.com/united-dulles-liberia-costa-rica-nonstop-2026/”>United nonstop</a>. For longer stays, see our <a href=”https://www.riotimesonline.com/costa-rica-digital-nomad-visa-2026/”>Digital Nomad Visa</a> guide.

What Is Not Confirmed Yet

The organiser has not posted 2027 entry fees for this Costa Rica fishing tournament, nor a registration deadline or an early-bird date. It also has not said how many teams will enter.

The organiser has not said whether the public can attend the weigh-in or the awards night. It names no host hotel, shuttle or boat requirements, and it gives no rules for foreign boats.

The prize purse is described as multi-million dollar, but no total is published for the 2027 Costa Rica fishing tournament. Whether Costa Rican fishing licences will be on sale at registration is also open, since the organiser says only that it plans to offer them.

This Costa Rica fishing tournament is an entry event for teams, not a ticketed show, so there are no public tickets to buy. Entry goes through Bisbee’s and its online registration page, and the organiser lists no spectator prices.

More: Costa Rica news in English, every day from The Rio Times.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the Costa Rica fishing tournament in Quepos?

Bisbee’s Costa Rica Offshore runs from Tuesday 6 to Saturday 10 April 2027 at Marina Pez Vela. Fishing takes place on Wednesday 7, Thursday 8 and Friday 9 April.

How much does it cost to enter?

The organiser’s fee page lists a base entry of US$5,140 per team, including a US$4,500 division fee. The page describes the 2026 edition, so the 2027 amounts may differ.

Do US citizens need a visa to go?

US citizens may stay up to 180 days without a visa, but authorities are not required to grant that much, says the US State Department. It lists a return ticket as required.

Sources: Bisbee’s, Costa Rica Offshore tournament page, accessed 31 October 2026; Bisbee’s, Costa Rica Offshore schedule, accessed 31 October 2026; Bisbee’s, Costa Rica Offshore categories, fees and awards, accessed 31 October 2026; Bisbee’s, Costa Rica Offshore general information and entry, accessed 31 October 2026; Marina Pez Vela, tournaments calendar, accessed 31 October 2026; US State Department, Costa Rica country information (entry, embassy), accessed 31 October 2026; US State Department, Costa Rica Travel Advisory, accessed 31 October 2026; SINAC, Manuel Antonio National Park (opening days, fees), accessed 31 October 2026.

This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief