If you’re a fisherman, you know Costa Rica is world famous for its sport fishing, with its amazing Billfish and Marlin catch. Most also know Los Suenos is Costa Rica’s premier and most modern marina for all things yachting and sport fishing. This world-class 200-slip marina is strategically located near the most productive fishing grounds on the Pacific Coast and is the only government-sanctioned marina operating in Costa Rica.
It’s also home to one of the fishing world’s biggest sport fishing events – Los Sueños Signature Billfish Series. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the annual Los Sueños Signature Billfish Series, which consists of two tournaments fished out of Los Sueños Marina in Playa Herradura, Costa Rica. Every year, whether as a weekend warrior or a tournament pro, passionate sport fishers make the journey to Los Sueños to participate in this major event.
In 2012, Southern Pride was the winning vessel, with a total of 4100 points from 36 sails and 1 marlin. In second place was Crush’em, which came in with 37 sails and a total of 3700 points. Third place went to Bandolera with 26 sails and 2 marlin for a total of 3600 points. Treated like Titans of the sea, these winners took home a total of $90,000 in cash and other prizes provided by tournament sponsors. Along with the hefty purse came a prize ceremony held on the white sands in front of the Beach Club, with Los Sueños Marina as the backdrop.
The Los Sueños fishing tournament is a two-leg event. Leg I is held January 16-19, and Leg II is March 13-16. The tournament is exclusively catch-and-release and points are only awarded for each successful catch and release. 500 points are given for any species of marlin and 100 points for Pacific sailfish. Entry fees are $7,000 per boat per tournament or $10,000 per boat for the Series (both tournaments). The entry fee includes seven social tickets for tournament events, four angler bags, and T-shirts and caps for anglers and crew.
The Los Sueños Signature Series is sanctioned by the World Billfish Series (WBS). Anglers competing in the Los Sueños tournaments are automatically enrolled in the WBS and compete for points in the Pacific Rim Division. Teams also compete for an invitation to the International Game Fish Association (IGFA) Offshore World Championship.