Fishing Reports: Pesca Panama Fishing Charters ~ Offshore and Inshore Fishing off the Pacific Coast

Tropical Fishing Adventures Panama
PO Box 2104
Montauk NY 11954
631 668 2019

2009 REPORTS

2010 REPORTS

GREETINGS FROM THE TROPICS

12/11/10

THE MONTH OF DECEMBER CONTINUES TO PROVIDE SOME OF THE MOST DELIGHTFUL FISHING WEATHER I THINK I HAVE EVER SEEN. YOU COULD EVEN DESCRIBE IT AS "BALMY." IT SURE BEATS FREEZING YOU BUTT OFF IN A BLUE NORTHERN BLOWING OUT OF WHITEHORSE. ON TOP OF THE GOOD WEATHER WE ARE ENJOYING SOME GREAT FISHING. POPPING AND LIVE BAITING INSHORE IS WERE WE ARE STILL CATCHING MOST OF OUR FISH.

THIS WEEK WE FISHED WITH A GROUP OF CANADIAN ANGLERS THAT INCLUDED RETURNING ANGLERS THOMAS HORN AND DON GRESS ALONG WITH "BUFFALO" BILL BOUFFIOUX AND MIKE HALLS. FROM SOUTH OF THE 49TH PARALLEL WAS PAT KIRK, CHRIS KERGER, BUD CRAGAR HAD RETURNED TO FISH WITH HIS TWO SON-IN LAWS, DONNIE KELLY AND TRACY LOCKE. KEVIN CRAGAR, ALSO A RETURNING FISHERMAN, WAS FISHING WITH RICK STILL AND JULES GALIOURAS. GALIOURAS IS A GREEK THAT WAS BORN AND LIVES IN NEW ORLEANS. I GUESS THAT WOULD QUALIFY HIM AS HALF COON ASS. ANYWAY HE WAS A LOT OF FUN AS MOST COON ASSES ARE.

ONE OF THIS WEEK'S HIGH LITES WAS WHEN MIKE HALLS HAD A WAHOO "SMASH" HIS POPPER WHILE CASTING OFf THE EAST END OF COIBA ISLAND. AFTER A REEL DUMPING, DRAG SCREAMING RUN AND HAVING TO FOLLOW THE FISH AROUND THE BOAT SEVERAL TIMES HE WAS ABLE TO LAND THE BIGGEST WAHOO ANY OF US HAVE EVER SEEN CAUGHT AROUND HERE. THE FISH WAS FILLETED AND PUT ON ICE BEFORE IT WAS BROUGHT BACK TO THE BARGE TO BE WEIGHTED, BUT EVERYONE ONBOARD AGREED THAT IT WAS IN THE 100 LB PLUS RANGE. CONGRATULATION MIKE.

TRACY LOCKE CAUGHT ONE OF COIBA ISLAND'S, COLOSSAL CUBERA SNAPPERS IN THE 60 LB RANGE. BUD FOLLOWED UP THE NEXT DAY WITH ANOTHER BIG CUBERA. IT WAS A GOOD WEEK FOR CATCHING CUBERA SNAPPERS ALONG WITH WAHOO AND ROOSTERFISH MIXED IN.

BUT WAHOO, ROOSTERFISH AND CUBERA SNAPPERS WERE NOT THE WHOLE STORY OF THIS WEEKS FISHING. "BUFFALO" BILL WAS KEEPING TRACK OF HOW MANY SPECIES HAD BEEN CAUGHT THIS WEEK. HIS FINAL NUMBER WAS 26. NOW THAT IS INDEED A MIXED BAG OF FISH. LIKE I KEEP SAYING, "YOU JUST NEVER KNOW WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO HOOK WHEN FISHING WITH PESCA PANAMA."

THIS WILL BE PESCA PANAMA'S LAST FISHING REPORT BEFORE CHRISTMAS. IN FACT, NOW THAT I THINK OF IT, IT IS THE LAST FISHING REPORT FOR THIS DECADE. FOR SOME REASON THAT SURE SOUNDS STRANGE TO ME. IT WAS IN NOVEMBER OF 1999 WHEN TRAVIS PETERSON AND I LEFT MIAMI TO START UP THE PESCA PANAMA FISHING OPERATION. DAN "ROOSTER" LEAVENS HAD BEEN FISHING IN PANAMA A COUPLE OF YEARS PRIOR TO US ARRIVING, SO WE HAD SOME IDEA OF HOW GREAT THE FISHING POTENTIAL WAS GOING TO BE! WE HAVE NOT BEEN DISAPPOINTED!

THE TIME SEEMS TO FLY BY BUT THE MANY FISHING MEMORIES REMAIN FOREVER. FROM ALL OF US AT PESCA PANAMA WE WOULD LIKE TO SAY, "THANK YOU," FOR FISHING WITH US AND MAY YOU AND YOUR FAMILY ENJOY A HAPPY HOLIDAY SEASON.

12/4/10

THERE ARE TWO THINGS I LOOK FORWARD TO EVERY WEEK, SUNSHINE AND EAGER ANGLERS. THIS WEEK WE HAD BOTH! NIKKI BRANDT, ALES KONVICKA AND MICHAEL HAGEN WERE THE FIRST THREE ANGLERS TO ARRIVE AFTER A TWO DAY FLIGHT FROM EUROPE. THEY WERE HAPPY TO GET SOME SHUT EYE AND REST UP BEFORE THE FISHING STARTED.

NEXT TO ARRIVE WERE JUSTIN ALLENSWORTH AND MIKE KINGSLEY JOINED BY LEE MARGRAVE. ALL THREE ARE VETERAN PESCA PANAMA ANGLERS. ANGLER GREG ROBERTS WAS LEFT BEHIND THIS YEAR BUT HIS WIT AND ENTERTAINING WERE SURLY MISSED AND NOW HAS BEEN DULY NOTED IN THE FISHING LOG .

BY SUNDAY MORNING, MASTER GUIDE MIKE AUGAT ARRIVED WITH ANOTHER GROUP OF "MOSS BACK" REGULARS ALONG WITH SEVERAL NEW ANGLERS. DAVE BELL, DAN HUTCHIONSON, THIS 12TH TRIP TO FISH WITH PESCA PANAMA, ALONG WITH COLEY BURKE, BILL POSSIEL, BARRY FINGERHUT, ROBERT POWER, KEN HENDERSON AND OUR JOKE TELLER FROM NEW YORK, SIDNEY WAUD. WE WELCOMED ALL OF OUR ANGLERS, LOADED UP IN THE FISHING BOATS AND HEADED OUT TO FISH IN THE TROPICAL PACIFIC OCEAN.

AS IT TURNED OUT, WE HAD FANTASTIC WEATHER ALL WEEK, A LITTLE RAIN, A LITTLE WIND AND THE MOST DELICIOUS AIR AND DELIGHTFUL TEMPERATURE ONE COULD EVER HOPE FOR.

THE ACTION WAS INSHORE THIS WEEK AND THAT IS WHERE MOST OF OUR ANGLING WAS DONE. AT LAST COUNT OR ANGLERS HAD CAUGHT 18 DIFFERENT SPECIES, WITH BIG ROOSTERFISH, CUBERA SNAPPER, WAHOO AND A WIDE ASSORTMENT OF DIFFERENT SPECIES OF JACKS PROVIDING LOTS OF ROD BENDING ACTION. OUR POPPERS WERE REALLY PRODUCING SOME NICE CATCHES FOR OUR ANGLERS. BUT OUR ANGLERS FROM EUROPE, THOUGH EXPERIENCED ANGLERS, WERE HAVE TROUBLE GETTING INTO THE PANAMA FISHING GROOVE. THROUGH LOTS OF EFFORT AND MAY MILES GETTING BOUNCED AROUND ON THEIR ASSES THEY WERE ABLE TO MAKE SEVERAL NICE CATCHES. JUST WISH THEY COULD HAVE DONE BETTER.

A SPECIAL THANKS TO MIKE FOR DELIVERING THE GENERATOR PARTS WE WERE NEEDING. JUSTIN FOR PROVIDING US WITH HIS C&W MUSIC, SIDNEY FOR SOME OFF THE WALL FUNNY JOKES AND GREG FOR THE SPORTING CLASSIC MAGAZINE HE SENT ME. THANKS TO ALL OF THIS WEEKS ANGLERS FOR CHOOSING TO FISH WITH PESCA PANAMA. I SINCERELY APPRECIATE YOUR PATRONAGE.

11/27/10

YOU TALK ABOUT EXCITED FISHERMEN, THIS WEEK WE FISHED WITH A GROUP OF ANGLERS FROM ILLINOIS THAT HAD NEVER EXPERIENCE FISHING IN PANAMA. IT WAS A REAL EYE OPENER FOR THEM AND SOMETHING THAT I KNOW WILL CHANGE THEIR FISHING EXPECTATIONS FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES.

STEVE AND RICHARD HESTER HAD PUT TOGETHER A GROUP OF FAMILY AND FRIENDS TO MAKE THE FISHING TRIP. FISHING WITH THEM WERE BRIAN FALETTI, RAY FIALA, JONAS KUJAWA, JAMES ANDREWS, RICK KAUFMAN, JAMES HERING, THOMAS STARR, ROBERT ETTEMA, DAN WALLACE AND RANDY GRAVES.

THE FISHING WAS GOOD RIGHT FROM THE START OF THE TRIP. CUBERA SNAPPERS ON POPPERS AND AMBERJACKS ON LIVE BAIT KEPT THESE ANGLERS BENT OVER THE RAIL FOR MOST OF THE TRIP.

THE FIRST WORDS IF EXCLAMATION I HEARD FROM THEM WAS, "I HAVE NEVER CAUGHT SO MANY DIFFERENT KINDS OF FISH IN ONE PLACE IN MY LIFE." THEY WERE AMAZED, AS A LOT OF OUR ANGLERS ARE, AT THE VARIETY OF FISH WE HAVE TO FISH FOR HERE IN PANAMA.

BUT EVEN WITH THE GOOD FISHING THAT WAS NOT THE MAIN TOPIC OF THE WEEK. IT WAS THE RAIN. IT RAINED HARD ENOUGH TO, "DROWN A DUCK." ALL THE ANGLERS HAD PRUNED HANDS AND A COUPLE WERE STARTING TO SHOW SIGNS OF DEVELOPING WEBS BETWEEN THEIR TOES.

AS I WRITE THIS ON FRIDAY AFTERNOON THE WEATHER HAD STARTED TO CLEAR UP. LET US HOPE IT HOLDS UP FOR NEXT WEEK. UNTIL THEN I WILL BE DRYING OUT MY RAIN SUIT.

11/20/10

PESCA PANAMA'S FIRST BRAZILIAN ANGLERS OF THE SEASON ARRIVED THIS WEEK. OLIVO GROMES WAS THE GROUP ORGANIZER AND THE ANGLERS INCLUDED; ZECA MAGALHAES, RICARDO RETZ, CHRISTIAN KELETI, ANDRE PIEDADE, EDUARDO DAVILA, BRUNO BOFF AND BASSIN TRABULSE.

TRUE TO FORM, THESE BRAZILIAN ANGLERS LIKE TO THROW POPPERS. MOST OF THIS WEEKS' CATCHES WERE TAKEN WITH POPPERS AS YOU CAN SEE BY LOOKING AT SOME OF THE PHOTOS. WE FOUND GOOD INSHORE FISHING FROM THE PARADIAS ISLAND ALL THE WAY TO JICRON AND JICARITA ISLANDS. BIG CUBERA AND MULLET SNAPPERS WERE RISING TO THE SURFACE TO ATTACK THE POPPERS THAT WERE OFFERED. DORADO WERE SHOWING UP IN THE TRASH LINES AND THEY WERE ALSO READY TO ATTACK POPPERS. ADD IN ROOSTERFISH IN THE 60 LB PLUS RANGE ALSO CAUGHT ON POPPERS AND LET'S JUST SAY, "THE BITE WAS ON!"

THE FIRST NIGHT IN THE PARADIAS ISLANDS WE WERE ABLE TO CATCH A LOT OF LIVE BAIT. THESE LIVE BAITS PRODUCED SOME NICE CATCHES OF AMBER JACKS WHEN DROPPED ON TOP OF THE MANY SUBMERGED ROCKS AND REEFS THAT OUR CAPTAINS HAVE MARKED WITH THEIR GPS UNITS.

WAHOO GONE WILD

NICE CATCHES OF WAHOO ADDED TO THE FISHING ACTION THIS WEEK. TWO OF OUR FAVORITE LOCATIONS TO FISH FOR WAHOO, JICRON ISLAND AND WAHOO ROCK, WERE WHERE WE FOUND THE MOST WAHOO SCHOOLED UP. MOST OF THE WAHOO CAUGHT WERE IN THE 40 LB RANGE WITH A 70 LB WAHOO BEING THE LARGEST. A COCK PHEASANT SQUAWKING AS HE RISES FROM THE CORN FIELD, THE FLUSHING OF A COVEY OF QUAIL RIGHT UNDER YOUR FEET AND THE SCREAMING OF THE REEL WHEN A WAHOO MAKES IT FIRST RUN ARE THREE THINGS MAKE MY OLD HEART RACE AND MY BLOOD RUN HOT.

WE PUT IN A GOOD DAY MARLIN FISHING AT HANNIBAL BANK AND AROUND MONTUOSA BUT DIDN'T RAISE A ONE. THE WATER WAS OFF COLOR AND I REALLY WOULD HAVE BEEN SURPRISED IF IT HAD BEEN HOLDING MARLIN.

IT WAS A GREAT WEEK OF FISHING WITH A GREAT GROUP OF ANGLERS. I WANT TO SAY, "THANK YOU," FOR CHOOSING TO FISH WITH PESCA PANAMA. WE HOPE TO SEE YOU AGAIN AND OFTEN.

11/13/10

AFTER TWELVE SUCCESSFUL YEARS OF FISHING THIS MOST INTERESTING AREA WE ARE STILL CHALLENGED AND ENCHANTED BY ONE OF THE MOST DIVERSE FISHING AREAS TO BE FOUND ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD.

THIS FIRST WEEK'S FISHING PROVED TO BE A RECONFIRMATION OF JUST THAT. IN THE TWELVE YEARS I HAVE BEEN FISHING THIS AREA I CAN NEVER REMEMBER US HAVING A WIDE OPEN YELLOWFIN TUNA BITE IN NOVEMBER. BUT IT HAPPENED THIS YEAR. FISHING WEST OF ISLA MONTUOSA, CAPTAIN TATIN ENCOUNTERED A HUGE BAIT BALL OF RAINBOW RUNNERS THAT WERE RAVENOUSLY BEING FEED ON BY YELLOWFIN TUNA. OUR ANGLERS, JIM BUTTERWORTH, BILL BOTELER AND MIKE NEWBERRY WERE ABLE TO SUCCESSFULLY BOAT 11 TUNA IN THE 50 TO 150 POUND RANGE. BUT IT WAS THE MONSTER TUNA THAT THEY ALL FOUGHT FOR AN HOUR AND FORTY MINUTES THAT EARNED THEIR RESPECT. THE ANGLERS WATCHED IN AMAZEMENT AS A HUGE TUNA STRUCK ONE OF THE TOP WATER BAITS THEY HAD THROWN. IT WAS AT THIS MOMENTS THEY KNEW THEY WERE GOING TO GET THEIR BUTTS KICKED! UNCHARACTERISTIC OF THE TYPICAL YELLOWFIN TUNA FIGHT, THIS BIG GIRL STAYED SWIMMING ON TOP AND FOUGHT TO STAY AWAY FROM THE DEADLY GAFF. AS SHE WAS REELED INTO GAFF RANGE AND THE MATE MADE HIS LONGEST REACH, SHE MADE A STUNNING DIVE RIGHT UNDER THE BOAT AND THAT WAS THE LAST THEY EVER SAW OF HER. BUT THESE ANGLERS ARE GREAT SPORTSMAN AND WERE NOT DISMAYED AT THE LOSS. THEY ALL AGREED THAT AN ANIMAL THIS MAGNIFICENT DESERVED TO LIVE.

THE WEATHER THIS WEEK WAS RAINY AND THE OPEN SEAS WERE FISHABLE BUT NOT COMFORTABLY. THE BARGE STAYED SAFELY ANCHORED IN THE PARADIAS ISLAND WHERE THE EVENING BITE ON ROOSTERFISH WAS GOOD. OUR BIGGEST CATCH ON ROOSTERFISH WAS EIGHT ONE EVENING. BY FISHING SO CLOSE TO THE BARGE OUR ANGLERS WERE ABLE TO FISH RIGHT UP TO LAST LIGHT BEFORE RETURNING TO THE COMFORT OF OUR FLOATING HOME.

BESIDES THE ROOSTERFISH, OTHER CATCHES IN THE ISLANDS THIS WEEK INCLUDED LOTS OF BIG JACK CREVELLE, SIERRA MACKERAL, CUBERA SNAPPER, HORSE EYE JACK, RAINBOW RUNNERS AND DORADO. ADDING TO THE LARDER WERE THE LARGE JUMBO SHRIMP AND SOME SMALLER SIZED LIVE LOBSTER WE BOUGHT FROM THE LOCAL FISHERMEN. LET'S JUST SAY IT WAS A GREAT WEEK TO START THE FISHING YEAR IN PANAMA AND NO ONE WENT HOME ANY SLIMMER.