Fishing Report - 01/17/09

GREETINGS FROM THE TROPICS

THE SEA WAS CALM AROUND HANNIBAL BANK. A FEW PORPOISE WERE FEEDING AND THE SEA GULLS WERE DIVING DOWN TO PICK UP THE SCRAPS OF FOOD LEFT BEHIND. FOR THE MOST PART IT HAD BEEN A FAIRLY QUIET DAY OF FISHING. SEVERAL SAILFISH HAD BEEN CAUGHT AND RELEASED, A COUPLE OF DOLPHIN HAD BEEN STORED AWAY IN THE FISH BOXES FOR DINNER. THERE HAD BEEN REPORTS OF A COUPLE OF MARLIN BITES BUT UP TILL NOW, NO HOOK-UPS. BUT THAT WAS ABOUT TO CHANGE. CAPTAIN TITO HAD OUT HIS STANDARD MARLIN BAITS, LARGE BONITA WITH LARGE CIRCLE HOOKS SEWN TO THE TOP OF THEIR HEADS, WAITING FOR A STRIKE. IT CAME AT 3.00 P.M.! A MASSIVE BLACK MARLIN AGGRESSIVELY DEVOURED A BONITA AND THE FIGHT WAS ON! ANGLER GORDON BRAUNINGER WAS FIRST TO TAKE THE ROD BUT AFTER A FEW MINUTES HE KNEW THAT HIS BACK WAS NOT GOING TO LET HIM FIGHT A FISH OF THE SIZE AND STRENGTH. THE ROD WAS SUCCESSFULLY PASSED OF GORDO'S FISHING PARTNER, CAL CUNNINGHAM. CAL SLIPPED INTO THE STAND-UP HARNESS, ATTACHED THE SHIMANO 50 WIDE SPOOLED FULL OF 8O POUND LINE AND WAS INTO THE BIGGEST FISHING BATTLE OF HIS LIFE! FOR THE NEXT 3 1/2 HRS CAL WOULD FIGHT THIS POWERFUL FISH. I WOULD SAY THIS IS DAMN GOOD FOR A MAN THAT HAS 68 YEARS OF LIVING BEHIND HIM. CAL WOULD GET THE FISH TO THE BOAT BUT THEN IT WOULD TURN AND HE COULD ONLY WATCH AS THE LINE SLIPPED OFF THE REEL. AFTER 3 1/2 HOURS THE FISH WAS STILL FIGHTING STRONG BUT CAL WAS SPENT. HE ASK IF THE YOUNG DECKHAND, JONATHON, IF HE WOULD LEND A HAND IN TRYING TO SUBDUE THE FISH. NOW JONATHON IS AN EX JUNGLE RANGER THAT IS CONDITIONED TO CHASE DRUG RUNNERS THROUGH THE DARIEN JUNGLE ON THE BORDER WITH COLOMBIA. LET'S JUST SAY HE IS ONE TOUGH YOUNG MAN. INTO THE STAND-UP HARNESS HE WENT AND FOR ANOTHER HOUR MAX PRESSURE WAS APPLIED TO THE FISH. FINALLY AFTER 4 1/2 HOURS THE STILL VERY ACTIVE BLACK MARLIN WAS BROUGHT ALONG SIDE THE BOAT AND THE LIVE RELEASE WAS MADE. THE FISH QUICKLY SWAM AWAY TO FREEDOM AS IF NOTHING HAD HAPPENED AND THE FISHERMEN ALL STOOD IN AWE OF ONE OF MOTHERS NATURES MOST MAGNIFICENT ANIMALS. CAPTAIN TITO, WHO HAS BEEN FISHING THESE WATERS FOR OVER 10 YEARS ESTIMATE THE FISH AT WELL OVER 800 LBS! CAL SAID IT WAS SO BIG IT DIDN'T EVEN SEEM TO BE REAL! NOW THERE IS A FISHING STORY FOR THIS WEEKS REPORT!

SEVERAL OTHER BLACK MARLIN WERE CAUGHT AND RELEASED THIS WEEK INCLUDED; A 300 LB BLACK MARLIN CAUGHT BE TED, ROSS HAD AN ESTIMATED 350 LB BLACK AND DAVID'S BLACK WAS ESTIMATED AT 300 LB WHEN IT WAS RELEASED.

HARRY LOWELL WITH HIS SON HOBIE WERE FISHING WITH US AGAIN THIS WEEK. THEY ARE HERE FISHING WITH US SEVERAL TIMES A YEAR. I THINK YOU COULD CALL THEM REGULARS. ALSO THE GROUP THAT FISHES WITH THEM ARE ALSO REGULARS AND INCLUDED PAUL PFAFF, BEN MARTZ, ROBERT "HOOP" HOOPER, ROSS HOOKER, MARK FIRING AND DAVE IANNONE. WE WELCOMED BACK GORDON BAUNINGER AND HIS FISHING PARTNER CAL CUNNINGHAM.

A NEW GROUP TO FISH WITH PESCA PANAMA THIS WEEK WAS CURTIS ECKERT, TED SCHULL AND JOHN SAMUELS. THESE ANGLERS HAD GOOD LUCK CATCHING AND RELEASING LOTS OF BIG CUBERA SNAPPERS. BUT IT WAS NEAR ISLAS JICARON AND JICARITA WHERE THEY FOUND A "HOT" YELLOWFIN TUNA BITE. WHEN THE ROD WERE PLACED BACK IN THE HOLDERS THEY HAD LANDED 15 YELLOWFIN IN THE 25 LB TO 120 LB RANGE, ALL CAUGHT ON POPPERS.

CAPTAIN KILI'S ANGLERS ALSO HAD GOOD YELLOWFIN ACTION IN THE SAME AREA. ANGLERS BEN, PAUL AND "HOOPER" LANDED 14 TUNA ON TOP WATER BAITS.

WE FISHED IN A CALM OCEAN THIS WEEK. INSHORE IT WAS GREAT FISHING FOR CUBERA SNAPPERS WITH SEVERAL BIG SNAPPERS IN THE 60 LB TO 70 LB RANGE CAUGHT AND RELEASED. OFFSHORE BLACK MARLIN IN THE 300 LB TO 800 LB RANGE WERE CAUGHT AROUND HANNIBAL BANK. WE ALSO HAD BIG PACIFIC SAILFISH FEEDING IN THE AREA. BIG SCHOOLS OF YELLOWFIN TUNA IN THE 25 LB TO 125 LB RANGE WERE BEING TAKEN ON POPPERS. DOLPHIN WERE ALSO IN THE AREA MAKING FOR A GOOD MIXED BAG OFFSHORE. THANKS TO ALL OF OUR "OLD TIMERS" AND OR "NEW COMERS" FOR FISHING THIS WEEK WITH PESCA PANAMA.

TIGHT LINES,
CAPTAIN JAY GUSTIN

FISHING TIP OF THE WEEK: AS NEAR AS I CAN TELL CATCHING FISH CAN BE EFFECTED BY THE PHASE OF THE MOON, THE STAGE OF THE TIDE, THE COLOR AND TEMPERATURE OF THE WATER, THE AMOUNT OF BAIT IN THE AREA, THE FACT THAT THE FISH ARE FEEDING OR NOT AND PROBABLY MANY OTHER UNKNOWN FACTORS. BUT THE ONE THING THAT SEEMS TO HOLD CONSTANT THROUGH ALL OF THIS IS THAT THE FISHING DOES NOT SEEM TO BE EFFECTED BY THE UPS AND DOWN OF WALL STREET!

PHOTOS OF THIS WEEKS FISHING:


GREAT SHOT OF ROSS HOOKER'S MARLIN


CAL'S BIG MARLIN TAKES TO THE AIR


CAL HOOKED UP TO THE BIG BLACK MARLIN


GORDO WITH A BIG CUBERA SNAPPER


BEN BARES ALL FOR A PHOTO OF A CUBERA











HOOP AND PAUL WITH A HUGE CUBERA


PAUL WITH ONE OF THIS WEEKS BIG CUBERAS