Silver King Lodge, Costa Rica

by the X-TREME ANGLING Staff

Nestled on the shores of the Rio Colorado, a tannin-stained river first popularized for its fantastic tarpon and snook fishery by anglers such as Lefty Kreh, Stu Apte and Nick Curcione, Silver King Lodge has emerged as one of the premier fishing lodges in all of Costa Rica and throughout the Caribbean. And, despite the much-storied history of the Rio Colorado tarpon and snook fishery, it continues to offer visiting anglers a current day fishing paradise. Constructed in 1992, Silver King continues to be the newest fishing lodge situated on Costa Rica's Caribbean coast. It has set the standard by which all future lodges will be judged.

Meticulous thought and planning occurred before the owners of Silver King Lodge decided to carve their upscale lodge into the jungle surrounding the Rio Colorado as they desired to offer their visiting anglers a world-class fishery that would be sustainable for many years to come. This river possesses more estuaries and lagoons than the other popular tributaries along the Caribbean. This system is not affected by the encroachment of banana plantations that affect the water quality and fisheries of neighboring Caribbean coastal rivers.  A combination of their excellent location and catch-and-release tarpon fishery will preserve the resource for many future generations of anglers. The prime tarpon season occurs from January through early June and from September through November. The best time for their snook fishery is from April through May and September and October. The fat snook season is November through January. An excellent wahoo run occurs from January through May, while the peak tuna season runs from January through May and September through October. The rivers are typically high and muddy during the months of mid-June through August and December.

Numerous gateway cities in the United States and Europe serve San Jose, Costa Rica. Upon arrival in San Jose, you will be greeted by representatives of Silver King Lodge after clearing Customs and Immigration.  You will then be d taken to the Hotel Cariari in San Jose. Early the next morning, you will be flown to the airport at Barra del Colorado and then taken to the lodge. Fishing will commence shortly thereafter.

Anglers are accommodated in a series of bungalows, constructed of local woods and materials from the adjacent rain forest. The Silver King philosophy is to give visiting anglers and guests the feeling that the lodge is part of the local environment and not encroaching upon the environment. Each large room consists of tiled floors, ceiling fans and private tiled bathrooms with hot water. All water to the rooms is filtered. The dining room is made out of semi hard woods and possesses custom-crafted furniture. The ceilings are constructed of wild cane, which grows alongside the river bank and looks much like sugar cane. The four dining room tables are set for buffet, family style service.  This is a great atmosphere to get to know the other anglers and swap stories.

The bar is decorated out of sura, an exotic Costa Rican hardwood. Fans, satellite television, stereo player and a well stocked bar round out the amenity list at Silver King Lodge. An immaculately clean 36' x 22' swimming pool with associated cascading eight foot waterfall and an enclosed jacuzzi provides a relaxing respite between the morning and afternoon fishing sessions and after a productive day on the water. Being able to accommodate some 26 anglers makes it very appropriate for corporate get-aways and functions.

The cuisine has been hailed as gourmet, and guests have frequently compared the quality of the food and the service to an upscale restaurant. The chef is on the premises on a full-time basis and was trained in the United States. The meals are served buffet-style and all one cares to eat. Breads, pastries and cakes are baked at the lodge daily. They even make their our own cheesecakes and ice creams. An open-bar is available for beers, soft drinks and national alcoholic beverages.

Anglers are afforded several angling opportunities upon arriving at Silver King Lodge. Two anglers are paired with an experienced, English speaking guide, one that has lived and fished the area all of their lives. Visiting anglers can elect to fish the Rio Colorado, or the adjacent Caribbean sea (located just a short cast from the lodge) for trophy tarpon, snook and jack crevalle. To ensure their client's safety, Silver King has designed a fleet of custom-built 23-foot deep V-hulled fishing crafts, powered by brand new 150 HP Yamaha outboards. The boats were built on the Ana Capri molds from Florida of hand laid fiberglass and have been constructed with seven times the required foam flotation of the U. S. Coast Guard. These stabile, ocean-worthy crafts have ensured a success rate of venturing through the mouth of the Rio Colorado into the Caribbean in excess of 72%. Unlike some of the other Caribbean coastal rivers of Costa Rica, the fishing on the Rio Colorado continues to be extremely productive. They continue to experience very good concentrations of tarpon and snook in the river. Those who choose to fish the river mouths have a chance of catching record size snook, while those fishing the rivers in the traditional manner will tend to catch fish in greater numbers.

For those that desire to try their angling hand at light-tackle species within the Barra del Colorado rain forest, Silver King Lodge offers more than a dozen estuaries where you can target mojarra (a super-charged bluegill), machaca (reminiscent of baby tarpon) and guapote (the fierce and highly combative rainbow bass). Silver King Lodge offers more lagoons, rivers and back-waters than any other jungle area on the east coast of Costa Rica. These areas receive very little pressure and are a great challenge for flyrodders. In January, the "calba" or fat snook migrate up the rivers to spawn. These snook can be caught in great numbers on light spinning gear or fly tackle and average 6 to 8 pounds. Jungle fishing is done out of 19-foot Carolina Skiffs that are unsinkable. They have flat bottoms with 2 small keels for stability. Due to the nature of fishing skinny water, these boats have proven themselves as safe and secure platforms for fighting anything from pan fish to river tarpon.

The Captains of Silver King's offshore boats, have been doing extremely well. Guests are catching giant wahoo, tuna, bull dolphin and sailfish. These fish are being caught from five to fifteen miles offshore of the beaches of Barra Del Colorado. Every guest with a five-day or longer stay will receive a complimentary off-shore charter included during their package.

This location would appeal to the non-angling guest or spouse. One can lounge by a beautiful swimming pool, with an 8 foot waterfall. There are tours through the rivers and estuaries with a naturalist guide, canoeing, and tours to Tortuguero National Park.

Temperatures throughout the prime fishing season average approximately 85 degrees. Sometimes a few degrees cooler or hotter. But, this is the most common. The Barra del Colorado typical rainy season commences at the end of June through August and then again around the beginning of December - throughout the month. It is always wise to pack a lightweight rainsuit in the event of rain and to protect camera gear with a waterproof bag.

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