Fishing Report - 01/31/09

GREETINGS FROM THE TROPICS

IF YOU TURN THE PAGES OF HISTORY SLOW ENOUGH YOU CAN SEE THE IMAGES OF YOUR LIFE PASS BY. THIS WEEK CLAY GOFORTH RETURNED TO FISH WITH US. THE LAST TIME CLAY FISHED WITH US HE WAS JUST SEVEN YEARS OLD, HIS PARENTS HAD BROUGHT HIM FISHING IN ALASKA. NOW TWENTY YEARS LATER HE IS BACK FISHING WITH US IN PANAMA. CLAY TOLD ME THAT THE TRIP IN ALASKA HAD CHANGED HIS LIFE, FOR SOME REASON IT MADE ME FEEL PROUD.

CLAY WAS PART OF A GROUP OF ANGLERS ASSEMBLED BY DR. "BRONCO" BILL MARTIN. HIS GROUP INCLUDED CLAY GOFORTH, TROY MANCHAC, MIKE RUTLEDGE AND MIKE CRABTREE. RETURNING ANGLERS DR. MIKE PELL AND TED MERLETTI WERE ONCE AGAIN FISHING WITH US ALONG WITH JAKE CARUSO. THEN WE HAD A GROUP OF GYNECOLOGISTS "TEAM SNAPPER" THAT INCLUDED DR. RALPH SPERRAZZA, MOEEN ABU-SITTA AND KEVIN FITZPATRICK.

THE BEST THING ABOUT THE COIBA ISLAND REGION IS THERE IS ALWAYS SOMETHING TO CATCH, WHETHER IT BE INSHORE OR OFFSHORE. THIS WEEK THE OFFSHORE FISHING WAS A BIT SLOW BY OUR STANDARDS BUT THAT DIDN'T SLOW US DOWN. EVEN WITH THE SLOWER FISHING WE WERE ABLE TO WORK HARD AND HAVE A SOME GREAT CATCHES. FISHING WITH CAPTAIN KILI, CLAY AND MIKE CRABTREE WERE ABLE TO CATCH A PANAMA GRAND SLAM LANDING A 500 LB BLACK MARLIN, A 300 LB BLUE MARLIN AND A SEVERAL SAILFISH. MIKE ROUNDED THE TRIP OUT WITH A 50 LB CUBERA AND A NICE ROOSTERFISH ON THE LAST DAY.

BRONCO BILLY, TROY AND MIKE WERE OUR BOTTOM FISHING SPECIALISTS FOR THE WEEK LANDING MANY CUBERA SNAPPER, MULLET SNAPPER AND A FEW NICE AMBERJACK. THEY PUT IN THEIR TIME AT THE BANK AND MONTUOSA BUT THE MARLIN WERE NOT COOPERATIVE. CAPTAIN TATIN FISHED HARD WITH THE BOYS AND WAS ABLE TO FINISH OFF EACH DAY WITH A GREAT BOTTOM FISH BITE! BRONCO BILLY WAS ABLE TO PULL UP A BIG AMBERJACK THAT WAS IN THE 60 LB CLASS.

"TEAM SNAPPER" FISHED HARD ALL WEEK LONG. THEY WERE FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO SEE A GREAT AMBERJACK BITE AT HANNIBAL BANK. AT ISLA MONTUOSA THEY FOUND A SCHOOL OF YELLOWFIN TUNA AND WERE ABLE TO LAND AN 80 LB AND A 90 LB YELLOWFIN ON POPPERS. THE TUNA BITE STARTED AT THE SAME TIME AS THE WIND AND THIS SLOWED FISHING DOWN A BIT. THE ANGLERS HOOKED A FEW OTHER BIG TUNA BUT WERE UNABLE TO LAND THEM DUE TO THE WAVES.

CHI CHI MADE SURE THAT DOC MIKE, TED AND JAKE HAD PLENTY OF FRESH SUSHI ALL WEEK LONG. THEY SPENT MOST OF THEIR WEEK CASTING THE ROCKS AND JIGGING THE EDGES FOR REEF DONKEYS, CUBERA AND MULLET SNAPPER. THEY WERE ALSO PART OF THE TUNA BITE AT MONTUOSA LANDING SEVERAL TUNA IN THE 40-80 LB CLASS ON TOP WATER.

ONCE AGAIN WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK EVERYBODY FOR THEIR PATRONAGE AND FISHING WITH US IN OUR LITTLE PIECE OF PARADISE!

SEE YA ON THE PLANKS,
CAPTAIN BEN FLOYD
CAPTAIN JAY GUSTIN

FISHING TIP OF THE WEEK: THIS WEEK DOC PELL, WHILE FISHING BAREFOOT, ACCIDENTLY STEPPED ON A FIGHTING BELT HARNESS THAT WAS LAYING ON THE DECK. IT MADE A DEEP PUNCTURE WOUND IN THE BOTTOM OF HIS FOOT. NOTHING THAT HE COULDN'T FIX WITH A COUPLE OF SHOTS TO DEADEN THE AREA, THEN A FEW STITCHES, BANDAGE JOB, ANTIBIOTICS, PAIN KILLERS AND A FEW MARGARITAS. OTHER THAN GETTING IMPALED BY A HOOK, THE MOST COMMON INJURY I SEE IN FISHING IS PEOPLE GETTING HURT BY NOT WEARING SHOES WHILE FISHING. THERE IS A MESSAGE HERE!

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK:


KEVIN WITH A BIG DORADO


THE BOTTOM FISH EXPERTS WITH ONE OF MANY DOUBLE HEADERS


MIKE AND SHANEEN WITH A NICE SAIL


RALPH WITH A YELLOWFIN ON TOPWATER


ANOTHER NICE SAIL


MIKE CRABTREE WITH A NICE ROOSTER


NICE MULLET SNAPPER


LOOKS LIKE DINNER


ANOTHER NICE DORADO


MOEEN WITH ANOTHER BIG CUBERA!