Bob Newman's Outdoor Zone - Endorsed Lodges
Crocodile Bay Lodge

Long the dream of California businessman Robin Williams, Crocodile Bay Lodge opened just a few years ago on Costa Rica’s Golfo Dulce, which is Spanish for “sweet gulf.” I initially visited the lodge in its first year of operation and have since been back three times, with my latest foray being in May of 2002. The lodge was great to begin with, and somehow it continues to get better and better.

The reasons Crocodile Bay Lodge is one of the most popular fishing lodges in Costa Rica are many. Below are just some of them.

(1) Todd Staley. Once considered a mythical beast that lurked in fog banks off Costa Rica’s Pacific coast, Todd Staley, the lodge’s fishing director, does in fact exist and is really the #1 reason why so many anglers (fly, light tackle and conventional) come to, and so often to, Crocodile Bay Lodge. A lodge might be situated on tremendously productive waters, but if the fishing program is run badly, the lodge is doomed to failure. Todd’s centuries of experience fishing and running lodges in Costa Rica makes him persona gotta hava, which is a mixture of Spanish, Latin, babble and gibberish for must-have guy.

(2) Robin Williams. Robin does not cut corners. He knows what he wants, knows what his guests want, and takes it from there. Frankly, he’s spent a fortune (and not a small one, either) making Crocodile Bay Lodge a beautiful, relaxing, exciting place that has been covered far and wide in the angling press because everything is so perfect, from the most diverse fleet of boats (flats, bay, offshore center consoles and the big 32-foot Strikes) in the country and gorgeous grounds to excellent cuisine and captains & mates who take their jobs seriously.

(3) Location. Situated just outside the town of Puerto Jimenez, it is a very short drive from the airstrip to the lodge, which makes things logistically pleasant. The lodge’s location in regards to all the fish is also pleasant, with huge roosterfish within casting distance of the dock, toothy snapper (several species, including greenbar, Colorado, cubera, and yellow) right around the point, offshore species (sailfish, marlin, tuna, dorado, tripletail, etc.) a short run from the dock, and jacks, bluefin & big-eye trevally, African pompano, goliath grouper (the politically correct new name for jewfish), sierra mackerel, and even a species of deep-water bonefish all over the gulf. And the lodge is located a short drive from the lush, critter-filled jungle of the famous Osa Peninsula, making all sorts of “eco” adventures easy and exciting.

(4) Captains and mates. These guys are among the sharpest I have fished with. I’ve fished with about two dozen of the lodge’s captains and mates and guarantee you that every one of them is a professional who will do everything humanly possible (and then some) to find gamefish for you.

I don’t return to many lodges because I have to visit so many in my line of work. Crocodile Bay Lodge is one of the handful I do return to. If you are planning a fishing trip for saltwater species, you must put Crocodile Bay Lodge among the top five lodges in the Northern Hemisphere.