Bushwacker Sport Fishing

Tours & Activities in Playa Flamingo, Guanacaste, Costa Rica.

Bushwacker Sport Fishing leaves from Playa Flamingo, a small Guanacaste beach town on Costa Rica's northern Pacific. Captain Emilio Villarreal runs the days on Bushwacker, a 42-foot Bertram set up as a game boat. You are choosing between a longer offshore hunt for billfish and tuna, or a half-day inshore trip built around roosterfish and other coastal species.

Stay in Flamingo, Potrero, or Brasilito if you want a short ride to the harbor. A room farther south in Tamarindo, or inland toward Liberia, means a darker, earlier alarm. There is no street number for the Flamingo meeting point, so get the dock details with the booking.

Match the charter length to the fish you want

Offshore days are sold as three-quarter day or full day. Inshore days are half day. Make that choice first. It sets your wake-up time, your stomach, and what you tell the captain you want to catch.

Go offshore for Blue Marlin, Black Marlin, Striped Marlin, and Sailfish. Those are open-water fish. The run is longer and the motion is bigger. Dorado and tuna share that same offshore menu, so a billfish day can still turn into a tuna or dorado day if the bite shifts.

Go inshore for roosterfish. That fishery lives closer to rocks, beaches, and current lines. The inshore list also includes dorado, wahoo, small tuna from about 5 to 25 pounds, amberjack, jack crevalle, mackerel, and bonito. A half day leaves afternoon open in Flamingo for lunch or the beach.

Packages can be aimed at Sailfish, tuna, Blue Marlin, and similar targets. If one person wants marlin and another wants a short roosterfish morning, treat those as two different days. Do not try to stack both habitats into one short trip.

Who runs the boat, and what you are boarding

Captain Emilio has worked in sport fishing since 1990. He spent those years as a captain and professional mate targeting billfish. The work included tournament boats and a flats fishing charter in South Padre Island, Texas.

He later bought Bushwacker in Flamingo from Capt. Skeet Warren, who had operated it for 18 years. The two met in 1996 in Cabo San Lucas while both were running sport fishing yachts. He is a tournament-winning captain with more than 35 years on the water.

The boat is a 42-foot Bertram. That is a proper sportfishing hull, not a small panga. Fishing gear comes with the charter. Guest count, rod rotation, food, shade, and a restroom are items to settle when you reserve.

Tell Captain Emilio who has never fished blue water and who already knows a cockpit. Mention seasickness, bad backs, or limited mobility when you book. He can then say whether the Bertram and that day's run make sense for your group.

Species worth planning around in Flamingo

Northern Pacific Costa Rica is a mixed fishery. Bushwacker's offshore list is Blue Marlin, Black Marlin, Striped Marlin, Sailfish, dorado, and tuna. The inshore list is roosterfish, dorado, wahoo, small tuna, amberjack, jack crevalle, mackerel, and bonito.

Use those names when you book. A week that is good for Sailfish is not automatically good for roosterfish, and the reverse is also true. No charter can promise a hookup. Pick the habitat that matches the fish you care about most.

If you hope to keep fish for dinner, say so early. Billfish are often a release fishery. Dorado, tuna, and some inshore species are the more typical table fish, depending on the day's rules. If you want every fish released, say that too, so the crew is not guessing.

Getting yourself to Playa Flamingo on time

Most visitors fly into Liberia and drive west to the coast. Flamingo sits north of Tamarindo and near Potrero Bay. The last stretch is local roads, speed bumps, and beach traffic. Rain makes that slower.

There is no weekday open-close schedule. Departure time comes from the captain. Pacific fishing days often start early, but only this crew can tell you when to be on the dock. Message the afternoon before for the slip, parking, and start time.

If you are coming by taxi or hotel driver, give them a buffer. A late van is how groups miss the window they paid for. Leave extra luggage at the hotel. Bring a photo ID and the phone you will use to message the boat.

Packing for a Guanacaste day on the water

Sun is the main opponent, not cold. Pack a long-sleeve shirt, a hat that stays on in wind, polarized sunglasses, and sunscreen. Wear shoes with grip that can get wet. A small dry bag keeps phones and passports off the deck.

If you use motion-sickness medicine, take it on the schedule your clinician recommends, usually before you board. Eat a light breakfast. A heavy one sits poorly once the Bertram starts punching swell. Coffee is fine. Skip the greasy plate.

When you book, get a clear answer on water, drinks, lunch, licenses, fuel, and tackle. Pack only the gaps. A light rain layer helps from May into November. Bring cash if you like to tip the crew.

How to lock the day and what to do after

Reach Captain Emilio at 1-956-343-5264 on WhatsApp, or email capt.emiliovillarreal@gmail.com. Online reservations are also available. Use the phone for holds and weather. Use email if you need to send names or a short written plan.

Message for the date you want, the offshore or inshore style, and how many anglers will fish. Write down the deposit, the currency, and what happens if wind or swell cancels the run. If your trip has only one free morning, that weather backup is the detail that matters.

After you have a time, send it to everyone in the group the night before. Charge the WhatsApp phone. In Flamingo, the rest of the day is easy: a shower at the hotel, a plate in town, and a slow walk on the sand. Potrero and Brasilito are the next beaches over if you still want water without another long drive.

Location

Phone: 1-956-343-5264