Written By: Lance Kittel

I've been traveling to Costa Rica for almost a decade -- the country became my second home in 2015 when I bought a small casita deep in the rainforest. My humble house served as a rental project that would bring in just enough money to pay for my plane tickets to return to Costa Rica. In each visit, I learned more about the country and as my interest in fly fishing grew, I learned about the 50+ species of fish that one can catch on the fly in Costa Rica. One of those species, arguably the most notorious, is The Silver King -- Atlantic Tarpon.

Most folks envision tarpon fishing as a saltwater pursuit, a species that you'll find in mangrove forests and out on the flats. While this is certainly true, tarpon can also be found in some unexpecting places -- like a freshwater river less than 70-feet wide, hundreds of miles away from saltwater. As I learned more about Costa Rica, the species, and where to find them, I caught word of Jungle Tarpon Reserve (JTR), a lodge in northern Costa Rica that allows for access to freshwater jungle tarpon fishing. Giant tarpon have been a dream of mine for years, and a freshwater jungle river is the most nonsensical place to find them. So I called my buddy Stephen, booked some flights, and headed down to Costa Rica to experience these fish for ourselves.

Stephen and I booked a week at JTR with the intention of hopefully finding a decent tarpon. As some of you probably know, tarpon fishing is hard. It takes patience, persistence, and a mean strip set to get past the first few jumps. We knew to keep our expectations in check as we boarded our shuttle van in San Jose. A few hours of driving through Costa Rica's central mountains and northern plains led us to JTR, and within fifteen minutes of our arrival, were out on the boat for our first afternoon session.

The afternoon proved humbling. We had moved at least 6 tarpon, none of which we kept on the hook for more than 5 seconds. We suffered from a bit of excitement, eagerness, and Trout Set Syndrome that afternoon, and were reminded of why we were here and the fish that we hoped to land. We were stoked regardless though, as we were off to the races and moving tarpon! That in itself was a win. Little did we know, the week was just beginning.

On the first full day, Stephen and I were dialed in. I moved and landed a 40lb tarpon that morning, and Stephen also put a similar-sized fish on the board. We maneuvered around the first jumps and second strip sets, fighting hard as these fish pulled us from bow to stern and back again. These fights tested our ability to control the fish -- our guide Felipe and captains Napo and Rasta were key elements in us going from losing fish to bringing them boatside. Tarpon fishing (and the fights) take an entire boat to manage. The angler battles the fish, the guide calls out angler movements, the captain moves the boat, and the last person films the entire sequence. By the end of day 1, we had a system dialed in to battle these monsters and document their intense fights. v

The following days were subtle steps up in our adventures and abilities. Day 2 had us fighting 80- and 110lb tarpon, day 3 had Stephen on fire with around 5 different moves and takes. Every session provided more opportunities, and we seized each moment with focus and energy. As the days went by, we slipped well into the "Eat, Sleep, Fish, Repeat" program and we keyed in on how to handle these fish. We also explored the eastern lagoons, where the tarpon are targeted in a similar fashion to flats fishing; poling a boat through skinny, calm water, looking for rolling backs. Near the end of the trip, we targeted a massive tarpon that we had seen rolling all week. I was fortunate to hook into the 150lb beast, for all of 3 seconds. I'll have to return to find that fish again.

By the end of the week we had caught 9 tarpon ranging in size from 30-120lbs, and moved another 2 or 3 that were over 150lbs. We had countless takes, endless casts and coffees, and enough photos and videos for a short film. We left Costa Rica a week after arrival with smiles on our faces and discussions of when we would return. This experience was the ultimate check on my bucket list, and the amazing accommodations, great boat companions, expert guiding, and surreal setting made it a once-in-a-lifetime trip.

We will be returning to JTR from August 30 - Sept 7, 2025 and have 3 spots available. Reach out to me at lance@pescavida.net for more info and to book your spot.