WetAss II Sportfishing

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

WetAss II Sportfishing keeps a 31-foot Bertram Sport Fisher at Flamingo Marina in Flamingo, Guanacaste, Costa Rica. The hull has a comfortable cabin, a working head, and a Bimini top, with space for five anglers. Penn and Shimano reels and tackle are aboard. Captain Glen Cortes and a bilingual, English-speaking crew run half-day, three-quarter-day, and full-day charters on the northwest Pacific, from Flamingo and Tamarindo, across Flamingo, Tamarindo, Conchal, and Potrero year round.

The Bertram and a group of five

The Bimini shades the deck, and the comfortable cabin is there between bites. A working head is aboard for a day spent off Flamingo Marina. The crew runs Penn and Shimano tackle and shows how that gear is worked. Space is for five anglers. A private group may fill those places or leave some open.

Hours run from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. every day. That span is the daily window, not one shared departure clock. Each half-day, three-quarter-day, or full-day reservation needs its own meeting time. The operation is fully licensed and insured. The boat often places in the top three of tournaments it enters and won the 2017 Presidential Challenge in Costa Rica.

Offshore billfish, mahi, tuna, and wahoo

Offshore work centers on blue marlin, black marlin, striped marlin, sailfish, mahi mahi, tuna, and wahoo. Dorado and yellowfin tuna belong in the same regional catch. These fish are sought around Flamingo, Tamarindo, Conchal, and Potrero all year, and the mix changes with prevailing conditions.

Winds north of Cabo Vela, from about December into mid-May, mark the seasonal pattern on this coast. The operation keeps fishing these same regions outside that wind stretch as well. A date in those months and a date later in the year are both fishing days, with different water.

Releasing several sailfish, and even a marlin or two, in one day is common on this Pacific fishery. That is a general pattern, not a promised result for one reserved date. Mahi mahi, tuna, and wahoo are the offshore fish more often kept to eat. Sailfish and marlin are more often released. Dinner, a story, or pictures can all come home from the same charter when both kinds of fish show up.

Inshore roosterfish and snapper

Inshore fishing stands apart from the billfish search. The crew fishes roosterfish and snapper inshore, along with other good-eating fish. Grouper, rainbow runners, and mackerel also turn up in these waters. A roosterfish plan is not a compressed marlin trip under another name.

Wahoo appears in the offshore specialty and in the inshore mix, so the name alone does not set the route. Coastal water suits roosterfish and snapper. Offshore time suits sailfish, marlin, and a wider tuna or mahi search. Name the priority when the date is reserved so the grounds match the hope for the day.

Anglers hoping for dinner usually look toward snapper, roosterfish, mahi, tuna, or wahoo. Anglers hoping for a billfish should expect release as the ordinary result, with pictures as the keepsake. Both kinds of day run year round from Flamingo and Tamarindo.

Half-day, three-quarter-day, and full-day trips

Three lengths are offered. A full day gives more time when marlin, a wider tuna search, or a long offshore effort is the point. A half day fits a shorter stretch of sun and motion. The three-quarter day is the middle length when a full day would crowd plans on land and a half day feels brief.

No mileage figure is attached to any length, and no length guarantees a bite. The firm choice is which block of time to reserve, set beside a clear goal: sailfish and marlin, a meal fish such as mahi or tuna, or roosterfish and snapper inshore. People who have never fished from a sport fisher still belong on these trips. A shorter day is the easier match when patience or motion is the limit. A full day suits people who want the hours on the grounds.

Captain Glen Cortes and the crew

Glen Cortes is a native Costa Rican who grew up fishing Flamingo and Carrillo and has caught thousands of fish. First mate Denis Contreras fishes with him. The crew is bilingual, speaks English, and has worked these local waters for more than twenty-five years. Mates have been on the boat for years, and the day is aimed at professional anglers and newcomers alike.

The captain and crew demonstrate the tackle. Walking aboard without a personal way to set a drag is ordinary. On a strike, short cues carry the moment. Free spool means let line leave the reel. Wind means reel. A useful habit is keeping the rod tip up so the line stays off the fish and the deck.

A group of four once reported that everyone caught fish and that two yellowfin tuna were cleaned and packed for sushi that night. That single charter shows what a kept yellowfin can become. It does not mean every fish is boxed for dinner. Tripadvisor shows a 4.9 score across 155 reviews. The business also meets Tripadvisor's animal welfare policy, which fits a fishery where sailfish and marlin are commonly released.

Clothes, motion, and the reservation

Tackle is on the boat. Long sleeves, a secure hat, polarized glasses, and sunscreen match an open deck under a Bimini, where sun still reaches skin. Non-slip shoes are a better idea than loose sandals on a wet deck. A dry pouch is a practical place for a phone on a wet boat. Leave jewelry that can catch a reel.

Anyone who gets queasy in cars or on ferries can handle that before departure, using the timing on the product they choose. A normal breakfast is a steadier start than an empty stomach. Nearer the middle of the boat, with eyes on the horizon, the run is steadier than a low seat spent on a screen. Children fit when an adult helps with balance and the length matches their patience.

Trips are held by reservation. State the fish priority and the length together, and count the group against five anglers. Flamingo Marina in Flamingo, Guanacaste, is the base. The boat also fishes from Tamarindo, and Conchal and Potrero stay in the year-round grounds. The phone is (506) 8301-1991. Email is not given with that number. Use the phone for the date, the meeting point, and the length, and mention a newcomer if someone aboard is new to offshore fishing.

Location

Phone: (506) 8301-1991