The waters off Barra de Navidad are particularly good for sport fishing. Blue marlin, sailfish, mahi-mahi (dorado), and yellowfin tuna are the prizes, and the season peaks between May and November when warm currents push up the coast. Local boat operators run half-day and full-day trips from the lagoon anchorage, and the rates are competitive compared to the more developed resort towns to the north.
Barra's fishing tradition predates the town's tourism history by centuries. The lagoon shelters a working fleet of small-scale fishermen who have harvested scallops, shrimp, and finfish here for generations. Many of the sport fishing pangas are operated by the same families. If deep-sea fishing is not your interest, freshwater and lagoon fishing for smaller species is also possible and considerably cheaper to arrange.