Myself and some buddies are looking at going Marlin fishing in Costa Rica in November and if possible would like to bring back some fish and was wondering if any of you guys had experience with this?

Besides catch and release Marlin fishing, I'd like to bring back some Dorado & yellow fin tuna fillets and have been told that as long as I declare it with customs and have it packed correctly that it shouldn't be a problem.

Plan being to take the fillets and freeze them in ziplock bags, line the yeti(two 40 soft) with a heavy mil plastic bag, fill the yeti up with ziplocks full of frozen fillets, seal it with a zip-tie and check it as luggage for the 6.5hrs worth of flights home.

I've been fishing in Costa Rica before and I'm looking forward to the trip, this is just my first time attempting to fly back with fish and I'm weary of dealing with customs without doing my homework first, so any advice from those who have done it would be appreciated.

Easy -- you leave fish with locals and then pick it up at local Kroger or HEB. Gotta pay for S&H though but it is inexpensive.

Have you ever done this?

Never costa rica, but cabo several times.
Guides will freexe it for you (or freeze at your house/hotel). Buy a cheap cooler. Get dry ice if you can. If not, they'll make you take all your regular ice out of the cooler. Tape cooler shut. Pay appropriate baggage fees.
I think the pick up at Kroger/HEB was somebody being funny
I laughed...

I have flown fish back from Key West, My Captain advised me to label the cooler " Bait ".

He said it was more likely to make it back to Dallas labeled that way.

Mo

I knew they were either trying to be funny or completely ill informed - so many people full of both in this forum.