san juan del sur — rivas
Fishing bay on Nicaragua's South Pacific coast, a base for trolling for sailfish and mahi-mahi and for rock fishing for roosterfish and snapper.
San Juan del Sur is a fishing village on a crescent-shaped bay in Rivas department, near the Costa Rica border. Pangas and launches leave from here for two kinds of fishing. Offshore, trolling with artificial and natural baits targets sailfish, mahi-mahi and yellowfin tuna, with a chance at marlin. Close to shore, off the rocky points and beaches north and south of the bay, anglers fish for roosterfish with poppers and live bait, and for Pacific dog snapper (pargo perro), Pacific jack and sierra. The village now lives more on tourism than on fishing, and the options range from simple pangas to launches equipped for deep water.
best season
Coastal fishing all year. From December to March the wind blows hard off the land and shortens the trips; in the rainy season the sea tends to be calmer for going offshore.
Local rules: The Fisheries Law (Law 489, art. 85) reserves all billfish for sport fishing, catch and release with circle hooks, and art. 84 requires a sport fishing permit: check with the operator that the boat and the angler are in order. INPESCA minimum sizes in the Pacific: Pacific dog snapper 27 cm, sierra 25 cm, groupers and cabrillas 35 cm. In the municipality is the La Flor Wildlife Refuge (MARENA, 7,349 ha), a sea turtle nesting beach: follow the area's rules. Confirm local rules.
- getting there
- From Managua, about 140 km along the Pan-American Highway to Rivas and then on to San Juan del Sur. From the Peñas Blancas border with Costa Rica, less than 1 hour by car.
- facilities
- Hotels and inns at several price levels, restaurants, fishing operators, and pangas with a skipper at the beach and the bay pier.
- country
- Rivas, Nicaragua
tip
With a strong offshore wind, the sea stays flat near shore and rough farther out: come back early. For roosterfish, cast the popper tight to the rock and retrieve without stopping.
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Each card shows the day's index (0 to 100) and, below it, a strip with the index for each hour, from 0h to 23h. from poor to excellent.
what you can catch here
before you fish in Nicaragua
INPESCA is the fisheries authority and MARENA manages protected areas. We have not confirmed from an official source how a tourist obtains a sport fishing license: lodges and guides on the Río San Juan provide guidance. Confirm with INPESCA before the trip.
- Minimum catch sizes in inland waters (INPESCA, 2019): tarpon (sábalo real) 120 cm; common snook (robalo flecha, Centropomus undecimalis) 50 cm; Centropomus pectinatus snook 50 cm; fat snook (robalo peva, C. parallelus) 30 cm; guapote lagunero (Parachromis dovii) 25 cm; gaspar 80 cm.
- The Indio Maíz Biological Reserve and the Río San Juan Wildlife Refuge, in the department of Río San Juan, are MARENA protected areas: follow the visiting rules and enter only with a local guide or operator.
The rules and closed seasons in the rest of the app are Brazilian. Outside Brazil, the regulations of the country and province apply: confirm with the official agency.
sources and references
Access, facilities and season information changes: check with the lodge, a local guide or the city hall before you travel.
- official Ley 489 — Ley de Pesca y Acuicultura (La Gaceta 251, 27/12/2004), texto no site do INPESCAArt. 84 (sport fishing permit) and art. 85 (billfish only for sport fishing, catch and release with circle hooks)
- official INPESCA — Tallas mínimas de captura permitidas: litoral Pacífico (2019)Pacific dog snapper (Lutjanus novemfasciatus) 27 cm; sierra 25 cm; groupers and cabrillas 35 cm
- official MARENA — Refugio de Vida Silvestre La Flor en San Juan del Sur (15 de abril de 2025)Protected area of 7,349 ha in San Juan del Sur municipality, a sea turtle sanctuary