Colombia

Wild Pacific Coast!

Colombia saltwater fishing trip

Wild Pacific Coast!

Your group trip begins at your home airport. Several airlines, including KLM, Lufthansa and Iberia, offer connections to Medellín, with direct or connecting flights depending on your departure point. The journey can take up to 17 hours.

Most routes pass through Bogotá, where you may need to collect your luggage and check it in again for your onward flight. Depending on your airline and booking, your luggage may be checked through to Medellín – please confirm this at check-in.

On arrival in Medellín, a hotel representative will meet you at the airport and transfer you to Hotel Diez, around 45 minutes away. After checking into your room, you can explore the surrounding area. The hotel is in the heart of one of Medellín’s most popular nightlife districts, with plenty of restaurants for dinner and bars where you can round off the evening.

Flying to the Wild Pacific Coast!

The following morning, your transfer will take you to the domestic airport, approximately 30 minutes away. Our local representative will help you check in for your flight, which takes around 50 minutes.

On arrival at the airport near Darien Lodge, you’ll transfer to the small harbour, where your boats will be waiting. A 20-minute boat ride will then take you to the lodge.

You’ll usually arrive at around 9.30 am, leaving plenty of time to settle into your room and prepare your tackle for the days ahead.

After a hearty lunch, you’ll head out for your first fishing session on the Pacific Ocean – an ideal opportunity to get a feel for the fishing and familiarise yourself with the boats.

The Fishing / Offshore

Fishing days usually begin with a hearty breakfast at around 6.00 am, before heading out onto the Pacific at approximately 7.00 am. A typical day on the water ends at around 5.00 pm.

Colombia’s Pacific coast offers a wide variety of fishing opportunities. Your group trip takes place during one of the best periods for yellowfin tuna, so it’s worth dedicating plenty of time to targeting them. Tuna often gather along the outer drop-off close to the lodge, with journeys to the fishing grounds taking between 20 minutes and an hour.

We target tuna with poppers and stickbaits, and chasing fish feeding at the surface is thrilling. The boats’ spacious casting platforms accommodate two or three anglers. Our highly experienced captains will position you for the best possible cast.

Once a yellowfin hits your popper or stickbait, hold on tight! We’ve had days with catches of up to 100 tuna per boat. Fish range from 5 to 100 kg, with the average size varying from shoal to shoal. Alongside the lure fishing, captains also deploy live baits on trolling outfits. This extra rod often produces a large tuna or even a marlin.

Depending on the season, sailfish, marlin and huge dorado are also plentiful offshore. We can arrange private trips tailored to your preferred species and time of year. Get in touch, and we’ll help you plan your ideal fishing adventure!

The Fishing / Inshore

Fishing along the coast offers the chance to catch roosterfish, cubera snapper, jacks, snook and other inshore species. The tides help determine which spots will be most productive.

As these fish move extensively along the coast, it’s important to allow plenty of time for inshore fishing. You may need to cover long stretches of coastline to find them. In our experience, the fishing can be challenging, and persistence is often the key to success.

The best approach is to work steadily along the coast, exploring rocky areas, bays and sandy stretches with poppers, stickbaits, jerkbaits and live bait. Depending on the location, you can encounter cubera snapper, roosterfish and jacks, as well as African pompano and amberjack.

There are also several productive spots for large snook close to the lodge, where big rocks rise from the sandy beach. Timing your cast is crucial: you need to place your lure in the strike zone between the waves. It’s an exciting and engaging way to fish!

The departure

On your departure day, you’ll leave the lodge after breakfast for the journey to the small jungle airport, which takes around an hour. From there, you’ll fly back to Medellín and spend another night at Hotel Diez.

The following morning, we’ll transfer you to the international airport for your flight home. You’ll usually arrive at your home airport the next day.

Accommodations Colombia Pacific Fishing Trip

The Accommodation

Wild Pacific Coast!

Darien Lodge

Darien Lodge enjoys a spectacular location near the Panamanian border and is one of the region’s most exclusive fishing lodges.

Completed in April 2024, the lodge has eight rooms, each with a private bathroom, veranda, air conditioning and a fan.

The spacious communal area features a bar and swimming pool. Meals are also served here, with dishes inspired by local cuisine.

Soft drinks, Gatorade, water and beer are included in your stay. Cocktails and spirits are available at an additional cost, payable at the lodge.

Catering

Meals: Full Board

Beverages: Non-alcoholic drinks and beer are included; spirits, wine, and cocktails will be charged according to consumption

Medellin

Hotel Diez

We’ve booked Hotel Diez for your stay in Medellín, close to one of the city’s most popular nightlife districts.

Each room has two single beds and a private bathroom with a shower and toilet. Accommodation is on a twin-sharing basis, with two guests per room.

Breakfast is included in your package. There are also several restaurants nearby serving a variety of cuisines.

Free Wi-Fi is available in the rooms and lobby.

Catering

Meals: Breakfast included

Beverages: Drinks can be paid for on site according to consumption

Your boats in Colombia!

The Boats

A range of boats is available for your fishing trip in Colombia. Measuring 36–38 feet, they are powered by either twin 200 hp or twin 250 hp engines.

Colombian Center Console Boats!

El Bizcocho & La Sardina

El Bizcocho and La Sardina were purpose-built for fishing Colombia’s Pacific coast. Both boats measure 36 feet and feature a 3.7-metre casting platform at the bow, with a safety rail and room for up to three anglers. Each is powered by twin 200 hp engines.

Both boats are equipped with fish finders, chartplotters, radios and a live-bait tank.

Centre Console Boot!

Syrius Star

Syrius Star is an American-built, 38-foot centre-console boat powered by twin 250 hp engines. It is equipped with tuna tubes, a live-bait tank and the latest sonar and chartplotter technology.

The boat also features a dedicated casting platform at the bow and two fold-down outriggers for trolling for marlin, sailfish and other species.

You need this fishing gear in Colombia!

Tackle Talk

For fishing in Colombia, you’ll need four rod setups. For roosterfish inshore, use rods rated PE6–8. Lighter PE4–6 rods are suitable for jacks and smaller species, while powerful cubera snapper call for PE8 rods.

For targeting tuna with spinning tackle, bring a rod rated PE10–12.

Smaller poppers, stickbaits, plugs and skipping lures are the main choices for inshore fishing.

Tackle hire available!

Our local partners provide high-quality tackle on board, including trolling, popping and jigging rods. Rod hire costs USD 100 per week.

You need these fishing baits in Colombia!

Popper / Stickbaits

A wide variety of lures work well for inshore fishing, but surface fishing offers some of the most exciting action. We use poppers up to 160–200 mm long. Popular choices include the Halco Roosta Popper, FCL Epipop, Rapala Xplode 130, Yo-Zuri Mac Popper 130 and Tackle House Feed Popper 150. Bring a selection of sizes.

Skipping lures worked quickly across the surface are also highly effective. The GT Icecream is a good example.

Stickbaits and plugs also produce excellent results, with both sinking and floating versions worth packing. We recommend the Tailwalk GUNZ 160 S & F, Hybrida J1 Tropic, DUO Rough Trail, Tackle House Minnow K, Rapala X-Rap Long Cast and HOWK Tunastick 150.

Bring a good selection of natural colours, including blue/silver, bonito patterns and blue/white. Roosterfish also respond well to pink, so include a few lures with prominent pink markings or an all-pink finish.

These are the fishing lures you need for tuna in Colombia!

Popper / Stickbaits

For tuna popping, choose poppers with smaller cups. The Halco Haymaker 195 and River2Sea Dumbbell Pop have proved effective, while the 160 mm Yo-Zuri Mag Popper is another excellent option.

Fast-sinking stickbaits and long-casting plugs also work well. The Tackle House Britt and Flitz are good choices for tuna. The HOWK Tunastick 150 is a heavy stickbait that offers excellent casting distance, while the 160 mm Tailwalk GUNZ is a more affordable alternative.

The best lines and leaders for Colombia!

Leader & Main Line

For inshore lure fishing, use leaders rated at 40–175 lb. For offshore fishing, you’ll need 200–240 lb leaders, while 40–60 lb fluorocarbon is recommended for live-bait fishing.

Choose high-quality leader material from brands such as Fishermen, Varivas, Nomad or Climax.

Your main line should be a high-performance PE braid. For inshore fishing, use at least PE6 (65 lb), stepping up to PE8 (80 lb) when targeting cubera snapper. For offshore tuna fishing, use a minimum of PE10 (100 lb).

For jacks, braid rated at 40–60 lb is sufficient. Good options include Gosen Diver X8, Daiwa J-Braid X8, JB Line One and other high-performance braids.

Terminal Tackle

Hooks & Terminal Tackle

There’s no room for compromise when it comes to popping hooks. Please bring only BKK GT-Rex hooks in sizes 3/0–5/0. For smaller poppers, use sizes 1/0–4/0.

For jigging, we recommend VMC Jigging Assist Hooks (7264 BN) in sizes 8/0–13/0. Remember to bring rubber octopus skirts for your assist hooks.

Split rings and solid rings for popping should have a minimum breaking strain of 220 lb. Heavy-duty solid rings in sizes #7.5–#9 and split rings in sizes #10–#11 are good choices.

For bait-and-switch fishing, use circle hooks, such as Gamakatsu Octopus Circle hooks in sizes 6/0–8/0 and Mustad Demon Perfect Circle hooks in sizes 10/0–12/0 for marlin.

Helpful tools for your fishing trip

Other fishing equipment

We recommend bringing a good pair of split-ring pliers. The hPa Game Plier is a reliable choice, allowing you to open even heavy-duty split rings with ease.

A waterproof boat bag is also worth bringing. Zeck Fishing offers some excellent options, including the Tackle Container Pro and Tackle Container Pro Catfish.

As you’ll often be fishing for several hours at a time, we recommend packing a good pair of gloves.

Colombia can get very hot, so bring UV-protective shirts, a sun hat and SPF 50 sunscreen. Our Expeditions UV shirts are available to order directly from us.

Good polarised sunglasses are essential for fishing. We recommend gloryfy unbreakable sunglasses, which combine polarised lenses with exceptionally durable frames.

Take a closer look at the gloryfy unbreakable range of polarised fishing sunglasses here: Polarized Sunglasses for Anglers!