Fishing Report - 02/13/10

GREETING FROM THE TROPICS

"THE CUBERA SNAPPERS MUST HAVE BEEN CONSPIRING IN THEIR UNDERWATER CAVERNS FOR THE CHANCE TO MAKE AN ALL OUT CHARGE! FOR THIS WAS THE WEEK WHEN THE BIG CUBERAS DECIDED IT WAS TIME TO CHALLENGE PESCA PANAMA'S ANGLERS AT EVERY CHANCE THEY HAD!"
- CAPTAIN JAY GUSTIN, FEB. 19, 2010

THE PESCA PANAMA BARGE WAS LOADED TO THE WATERLINE THIS WEEK WITH 14 ANGLERS ONBOARD. HEADING UP THIS DETERMINED GROUP OF MOSTLY RETURNING ANGLERS FROM COLORADO, WAS RING MASTER TOM DALSASO. ACCOMPANIED BY HIS TWO SONS TOM, JR AND TIM DALSASO, CHRIS BEE, JIM BEE, T.J. COBB, NATE TROOKMAN, MATT CRADDOCK, MARK MEYER, KEVIN KAVENEY, JOHN SHOOSMITH, BEN TUTT A LIFE LONG FRIEND OF SEVERAL OF THE ANGLERS FLEW IN FROM BERMUDA AND A GREAT MAN FULL OF OUTRAGEOUS STORIES FROM MIAMI, RAMIRO RAMIREZ.

NATE TROOKMAN WAS THE FIRST ANGLER TO HOOK INTO A REALLY BIG FISH. LATE IN THE EVENING CAPTAIN TOM WAS SLOW TROLLING A LIVE BONITA RIGHT ON TOP OF HANNIBAL BANK WHEN THE BLACK MARLIN SWALLOWED THE BAIT AND THE CIRCLE HOOK CAME TIGHT IN ITS' JAW. NOW NATE IS A BIG BOY, WEIGHTING IN AT 260 LBS, BUT THIS WAS NATE'S FIRST MARLIN OF ANY KIND AND HE HAD NO IDEA AT THE TIME OF THE STRIKE THE BATTLE HE WAS IN FOR. THE FISH WOULD COME UP, MAKE A SPECTACULAR JUMP AND THEN IT WOULD DIVE DEEP. THIS WENT ON FOR THREE HOURS AS NATE APPLIED MAXIMUM DRAG WITH THE SHIMANO TIARGA 50WLRS. DARKNESS FELL ON THE ANGLERS AS WE ANXIOUSLY MONITORED HIS PROGRESS FROM THE BARGE WHICH WAS ANCHORED 13 MILES AWAY IN THE LEE OF PUNTA HERMOSA. FINALLY THE WORD CAME THAT THEY HAD THE FISH TO THE BOAT AND IT HAD BEEN RELEASED, BREAKING THE 400 LB TEST AS IT WAS BEING LEADERED. THE CAPTAIN IS JUDGING THE FISH AT 500 LB PLUS, BUT YOU CAN BE YOUR OWN JUDGE. I AM SURE THE SIZE OF NATE'S FISH WILL CONTINUE GROW AS THE YEARS CONTINUE TO PASS.

RAMIRO WAS THE NEXT TO BOAT AN EXCEPTIONAL FISH WHEN HE LANDED A HUGE CUBERA SNAPPER. THIS SNAPPER LOOKED LIKE A FISH THAT HAD BEEN TAKING STEROIDS! RAMIRO SAYS HE THINKS THE FISH WOULD WEIGHT AT LEAST 50 LB PLUS. MY GUESS FROM LOOKING AT THE PHOTO IS THAT THIS WAS A MUCH HEAVIER FISH. BUT RIGHT NOW THAT DOESN'T MATTER AS MUCH AS RAMIRO ALONG WITH HIS CAPTAIN AND MATE MAKING A GOOD LIVE RELEASE OF THIS BEAUTIFUL FISH. RAMIRO DECIDED TO GIVE THE FISH A CHANCE TO LIVE AND HELP SPAWN ANOTHER GENERATION. CONGRATULATIONS RAMIRO!

JICARON ISLAND WAS WHERE IT WAS HAPPENING THIS WEEK. WITH THE BARGE CONVENIENTLY ANCHORED AT PUNTA HERMOSA, IT WAS JUST A SHORT 30 MINUTE BOAT RIDE TO BE ON THE BITE. JEFF AND JIM ARRIVED EARLY AND BOATED 10 FOOTBALL SIZED YELLOWFIN TUNA ON POPPERS AND JIGS. SEVENTEEN BIG CUBERA SNAPPERS IN THE 35 TO 50 LB WERE CAUGHT THIS DAY AND WE WERE ABLE TO RELEASE 15 OF THE THEM. ALONG WITH THE CUBERA SNAPPERS CAME CATCHES OF MULLET SNAPPER, YELLOW SNAPPER, WHITE TIP SHARK, RAINBOW RUNNERS, ROOSTERFISH, JACK CREVALLE, BLUE TREVALLE, AMBERJACK, ROCK SNAPPER WITH A FEW DORADO CAUGHT FOR DINNER. OUR ANGLERS WERE ALL SMILES.

LEADING THE WAY ON TUESDAY WAS A 70 LB CUBERA AND A 30 LB ROOSTERFISH CAUGHT BY NATE TROOKMAN. AFTER NUMEROUS ATTEMPTS THIS BIG CUBERA WOULD NOT GO BACK DOWN, SO IT PROVIDED A GREAT DINNER FOR ALL. JOHN SHOOSMITH WAS ALSO ABLE TO HOOK INTO A FEW TUNA LANDING A 80 LB TUNA AND LOSING AN ESTIMATED 150 LB FISH AT THE BOAT. CONGRATULATIONS JOHN ON A COUPLE OF GREAT BATTLES. MARK, JIM, AND JEFF FOUND TUNA ACTION BUT WAS DIFFICULT TO GET THEM TO BITE. THEY ENDED THE DAY LANDING 8 TUNA UP TO 30 LBS ON TOPWATER AND JIGS ALONG WITH A ASSORTMENT OF SNAPPER AND A 40 LB DORADO. SPENDING MOST OF THE DAY ON THE BEACH AT JICARITA;. MATT, COBB, AND BEN ENDED THE DAY LANDING 4 CUBERA SNAPPER ON THE WAY HOME.

HEADING BACK TO THE RIVER ON WEDNESDAY MARK MEYER WAS ABLE TO LAND A 80 LB TUNA ON A LIVE BAIT. ONCE AGAIN THIS WEEK THE TUNA PROVED TO BE ELUSIVE. WE VISUALLY SAW MORE FISH THAN WE WERE ABLE TO GET TO BITE. FRUSTRATING AT TIMES BUT ANY DAY NOW THEY COULD CLICK AND WE WILL BE IN FOR SOME EXPLOSIVE FISHING. THERE WAS ALSO MANY MULLET SNAPPER, AMBERJACK, AND A FEW MORE CUBERAS CAUGHT; INCLUDING A 50 LB FISH LANDED BY JOHN SHOOSMITH, TO FINISH OUT THE WEEK.

TIGHT LINES,
CAPTAIN JAY GUSTIN AND BEN FLOYD

FISHING TIP OF THE WEEK: JUST SOME REMINDERS I HAVE SAID BEFORE AND STILL SEE ARE NEEDED. BRING EXTRA CAPS, SUN SCREEN, LIP BALM, SUN BURN LOTION, SUN GLASSES, PRESCRIPTION GLASSES, KNEE PADS, GOOD DECK SHOES AND FINGER TAPE. OH, AND THE MOST IMPORTANT I ALMOST FORGOT, WASABI.

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK:


RAMIRO WITH HIS HUGE CUBERA


JOHN WITH MATE JUAN WITH A NICE ROOSTERFISH


T.J. AND BEN WITH A DOUBLE CUBERA CATCH, BOTH RELEASED


ANOTHER ONE OF NATE'S HUGE CUBERA CATCHES. THIS GUY WAS DIALED IN.


BLACK MARLIN, HANNIBAL BANK, NATE TROOKMAN, 2010


MARK WITH A COUPLE OF SMALL DORADO


JIM AND JEFF WITH A PAIR OF MULLET SNAPPER


MARK AND LUCHO BRINGING SUSHI TO THE BARGE


TOM JR WITH A JIG CAUGHT AFRICAN POMPANO


"PICO," TOM DALSO WITH A GRIP AND GRIN ON ANOTHER CUBERA