Freshwater Machaca: Costa Rica’s Hidden Sportfish on a Fly Rod
Costa Rica is world renowned for its incredible biodiversity and untouched, pristine environment Wildlife and nature lovers from around the globe venture here to seethe jungle’s immense populations of exotic birds and land animals. While Costa Rica has long been known for offshore billfish,, its freshwater fishing scene has largely been overlooked.
Although Costa Rica is roughly the size of West Virginia, it boasts and incredible array of freshwater fishing opportunities for venturing fly anglers. Various elevations ranging from sea level to over 10,000 feet offer unique habitats that hold rainbow trout, tropical panfish called Mojarra, Guapote, also known as Rainbow Bass, Jaguar Guapote, Bobo Mullet, various gar species, and Machaca.
As a fly fishing guide living in Costa Rica for the past four years, I‘ve had the thrill of discovering what this Costa Rica has to offer to anglers willing to get out of their comfort zone and chase new species. For me, no fish in the jungle comes close to the thrill of a big machaca on fly. Landing these large fish in a flowing river with tons of fallen trees will test even the most seasoned fly anglers.
Machaca are a cousin to piranha and live in Costa Rica’s low to mid elevation rivers. They have a largely vegetarian diet, consisting of a variety of fruits, nuts, seeds, and flowers that fall into the rivers at different times throughout the year. While this is their main diet, they will also eatsmall fish, insects, and anything else they decide to sink their razor sharp teeth into.
With such a diverse diet we have spent the past several years honing in on what flies work best for these fish and why. We’ve discovered the machaca’s primary food source where we fish comes in the form of a small fruit called Chilamante that falls from the trees. It is common to see schools of feeding fish under a fruit tree attacking falling fruit as soon as it enters the water. Chilamate ranges in size from a small marble to the size of a tennis ball. Realizing the importance of this fruit and imitating it with flies made machaca consistently catchable and turned them into a viable gamefish.
Surface Fly Fishing for Machaca: Costa Rica’s Hidden Sportfish
Machaca can also be caught on poppers ,but nothing gets them more excited more than the sound of a chilamate imitation smacking the surface of the water. This sound often generates extremely ferocious topwater eats—watching multiple fish fight over your fly is a common occurrence.
After we explored and better learned these jungle river ecosystems, it became clear that we needed a better way to navigate these waters.. That is when we began using inflatable standup paddle boards to move quietly down river while maintaining a proper vantage point to spot fish. Being at an elevated position also gets the angler up off the water and in a better position to set the hook on these lighting fast fish.
These paddle boards were a game changer, and we soon began to catch some seriously large fish. While the average fish is between one and three pounds, we have encountered fish in the eight pound range that fight like bulldogs and jump like baby tarpon! When it comes to landing these larger fish on 8-weight rods, you better know how to control the fish. We have broken many rods trying to keep these fish out of structure like rocks or fallen trees.
, exploring these lowland rivers via paddle craft can be sketchy . Most of these areas we fish are deep into the jungle and a variety of dangers like snakes, crocodiles, and even other humans can quickly turn a great day into a deadly situation.
Through the years, we have developed a love for these fish and are doing what we can to protect rivers with high populations and restore those that suffer from overfishing and pollution from pineapple and banana farming.
As a guide, I am constantly learning about machaca and their habitat. Working with local rafting guides has played a huge roll in our ability to navigate these rivers and build lasting relationships with the local community. Together, we are beginning to realize what a resource machaca can be to this area.
Jesse Males
www.506outdoors.com
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Cast and Blast the World is your Oyster
As the saying goes. The opportunity for the sporting individual are endless. From those that truly love fall, know cast and blast makes for the perfect day. Shoot Teal in the morning and fly fish for trout in the late morning through the afternoon like in Tombstone Grayling.
