The Rainbow Bass are part of the cichlid family, which includes oscars, wrasse, angel fish, the closely related peacock bass. Better known as “guapote” here in Costa Rica, which in Spanish means “handsome one”. They are the main target of freshwater anglers. They live in tropical jungle lakes, lagoons, canals and rivers.
The name Rainbow Bass was coined by a couple of Costa Rica sportfishing legends, Richard Krug and Todd Staley, who wanted an English name for this striking freshwater game fish that could be easily pronounced and remembered by foreign-language challenged Americans.
The size of a “guapote”
They typically range in the 3-10 lb range, but many have been recorded larger than that.
Where To Fish for Rainbow Bass in Costa Rica
Guapote are found in Costa Rica – Lake Arenal and the Caribbean coast near the Nicaraguan border. But the main spot to fish for guapote in Costa Rica without doubt is Lake Arenal.
The other popular spot to encounter rainbow bass are the freshwater lagoons and rivers along our Caribbean Coast.
Best months to catch a Rainbow Bass
A rainbow bass can be caught all year round, but the fishing is typically better when the lake water levels are lower as they have less space to hide in. Those months would coincide with Costa Rica’s dry season, so January until May.
Because of their limited habitat, Guapote are not that well known world-wide, but if anglers come to Costa Rica with Guapote fishing in mind, these fish are definitely worth pursuing.
If you want to fish on a lake while you are on your (fishing) vacation in Costa Rica, you should travel to Lake Arenal. And you´ll catch a rainbow bass just as my friend Henry from Arenal recently did. Check out the video!
