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


	Pesca Panama 62 Epernay Circle Little Rock, AR 72223 Ph: 1-800-946-3474 Fx: 501-868-9346 Email Us

Fishing Report - 02/20/10

GREETING FROM THE TROPICS

DUE TO AN AILING BACK PROBLEM I HAD TO STAY HOME THIS WEEK AND SEND THE BARGE ON ITS WAY WITH CAPTAIN BEN FLOYD. BEN GREETED RETURNING FISHERMEN JIM AND JAMES MCCORD WHO BROUGHT BRIAN DOERR AND JEFF GREENHILL WITH THEM. OUR NEXT GROUP OF FISHERMEN ARE FROM FRANCE; CLAUDE PORT, JACQUES PLANCHOT AND HERVE AUBRILL. OUR THIRD GROUP OF FISHERMEN ARE WORLD TRAVELING ANGLERS; LARRY AND DICK OLSEN, TOM STOKES AND ED WEBSTER, FROM YAKIMA, WASHINGTON.

GETTING AN EARLY START FROM THE BARGE ON SATURDAY, THE CREW ENCOUNTERED MEDIOCRE FISHING AT BEST. THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE DAY INCLUDED A PAIR OF SAILFISH LANDED BY TOM AND LARRY WHILE FISHING NEAR LADRONES ISLAND. THE BOTTOM FISHING WAS SLOWER THAN USUAL BUT WE WERE STILL ABLE TO LAND A FEW NICE CUBERA WITH THE BIGGEST BEING A 45 POUNDER LANDED BY CLAUDE. ALL OUR BOATS HEADED BACK TO THE BARGE AT AN EARLY HOUR TO ENJOY A GREAT MEAL PREPARED BY RETURNING CHEF EDINA, KNOWING THAT THE BETTER FISHING WAS YET TO COME.

HEADING OFFSHORE TO MONTUOSA ISLAND THE NEXT DAY WE FOUND VERY NICE WEATHER BUT VERY LITTLE ACTION. BAIT WAS HARD TO COME BY AND THE MARLIN AND TUNA EVEN HARDER. AS THE BOATS SLOWLY MADE THEIR WAY TO COIBA ISLAND WE ENCOUNTERED A POD OF PORPOISE NEAR HANNIBAL BANK. ONCE AGAIN WE VISUALLY SAW TUNA UP TO 150 LBS ON THE SURFACE BUT IT WAS VERY HARD TO GET THEM TO BITE. WE THREW EVERYTHING AT THEM FROM CEDAR PLUGS, MARAUDERS, POPPERS, JIGS, BLUE RUNNERS, AND BONITA OF ALL SIZES AND WERE ONLY ABLE TO GET A FEW SMALL TUNA ON POPPERS. BY MID AFTERNOON THE BOATS HAD MOVED INSHORE TO TRY THEIR LUCK WITH ROOSTERFISH AND CUBERA SNAPPER. THE GUYS FOUND GREAT ACTIVITY WITHIN MILES OF THE BARGE WITH SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS BEING A 45 LB ROOSTERFISH LANDED BY JAMES ON A LIVE BONITA AND A 50 + LB CUBERA LANDED BY TOM.

MONDAY THE BOATS HEADED OFFSHORE LOOKING FOR MARLIN. WITH BOATS SCATTERED BETWEEN HANNIBAL BANK AND JICARON ISLAND WE FOUND GOOD ACTION COUPLED WITH NICE WEATHER. IT WAS GOING TO BE A GREAT DAY OF FISHING. BUT IT WAS A DAY THAT THE FISH WON. WITHIN A SPAN OF 1 HOUR MISSING OR LOSING FOUR MARLIN. TWO SPIT THE HOOKS ON THE INITIAL JUMP AND ONE HAPPENED TO EAT A BAIT ON A TIAGRA 30 AND IN THE PROCESS NEARLY SPOOLED THE REEL AND BROKE THE LINE AFTER ABOUT 45 SECONDS. AS THE OFFSHORE BITE COOLED DOWN THE BOATS AGAIN HEADED INSHORE TO ENJOY SOME OF THE SAME ACTION WE HAD FOUND THE DAY BEFORE. BROTHERS DICK AND LARRY FOUND A GREAT CUBERA BITE LANDING AND RELEASING 6 CUBERA SNAPPER BETWEEN 30 AND 60 LBS IN ABOUT 30 MINUTES. CLAUDE, JAQUES AND HERVE WERE ALSO ABLE TO GET IN ON THIS BITE LANDING 4 CUBERA SNAPPER AND A FEW MULLET SNAPPER. WHILE THAT WAS GOING ON JAMES WAS DOING BATTLE WITH A 50 + LB ROOSTERFISH. MINUTES LATER ED WOULD CATCH AND RELEASE THE BIGGEST ROOSTERFISH OF THE YEAR, BRINGING BOAT SIDE A 70 LB ROOSTERFISH. THIS FISH WAS LITERALLY HOOKED WITHIN SITE OF THE BARGE AT PUNTA HERMOSA. TALK ABOUT LIVING ON THE FISHING GROUNDS.

EARLY TUESDAY MORNING WE WOKE TO THUNDER, LIGHTNING AND HEAVY RAIN. AS WE HEADED OUT FOR THE DAY WE ALSO ENCOUNTERED A STRONG WEST WIND AND 6 TO 8 FOOT SEAS. THIS WAS GOING TO MAKE FOR DIFFICULT FISHING. FINALLY AROUND MID AFTERNOON THE WIND ABRUPTLY STOPPED, THE SEAS DROPPED INTO FISHABLE CONDITION AND WITHIN MINUTES JAMES, JIM, BRYAN AND JEFF WERE ABLE TO GET INTO A WIDE OPEN CUBERA BITE. THEY LANDING 9 CUBERA BETWEEN TWO BOATS IN A MATTER OF MINUTES WITH THE BIGGEST BEING A 60 LB BRUTE TAKEN BY JIM MCCORD. JIM, A TWELVE YEAR COIBA ISLAND FISHING VETERAN SAID, "THIS WAS THE BEST CUBERA BITE HE HAD EVER SEEN." BRYAN CAPPED OF HIS DAY A FEW MINUTES LATER LANDING A SMALL, 25 LB ROOSTERFISH ON TOP WATER. TOM AND DICK WEATHERED A SLOW DAY OF FISHING FINISHED THE DAY OFF WITH A 30 AND 50 LB ROOSTERFISH AFTER THE SEAS HAD CALMED DOWN.

HAVING SEEN GREAT INSHORE FISHING ALL WEEK THE CREW WAS READY TO HEAD BACK OFFSHORE LOOKING FOR PELAGICS THAT THIS AREA IS SO FAMOUS FOR. THE WEATHER HAD CALMED DOWN QUITE A BIT BUT THE LEFT OVER WAVES MADE FOR A SLOW TRIP OUT TO THE FISHING GROUNDS. TODAY THE ACTION WAS TO BE FOUND AT MONTUOSA ISLAND. JEFF STARTED OFF THE DAY LANDING A SAIL. MINUTES LATER TOM HOOKED INTO THE MARLIN THAT HE WAS LOOKING FOR. THE ONLY PROBLEM BEING THAT THE FISH ATE A BONITA THAT WAS STILL ON THE BONITA RIG. TOM AND LARRY WOULD SWITCH OFF OVER THE NEXT FOUR + HOURS DOING BATTLE ON AN ESTIMATED 450 LB BLACK MARLIN ON A 30 LB ROD AND A SHIMANO TIAGRA 16 REEL. THEY WERE ABLE TO BRING THE FISH TO WITHIN 30 FEET OF THE BOAT TWO TIMES BUT AFTER FIGHTING THE FISH ALL AFTERNOON THEY FINALLY BROKE THE ROD AND SOON AFTER BROKE THE LINE.

THIS WAS THE WEEK FOR CATCHING AND RELEASING BIG CUBERA SNAPPERS. SEVERAL BIG ROOSTERFISH WERE ALSO CAUGHT AND RELEASED. OUR THANKS TO THIS WEEK'S FISHERMEN FOR A VERY ENJOYABLE WEEK. YOU JUST NEVER KNOW WHAT KIND OF FISHING EXCITEMENT TO EXPECT WHEN FISHING WITH PESCA PANAMA!

TIGHT LINES,
CAPTAIN JAY GUSTIN AND CAPTAIN BEN FLOYD

TIP OF THE WEEK: TO BE A SUCCESSFUL FISHERMAN YOU HAVE TO ADAPT TO THE FISHING CONDITIONS. IF YOU STAY FISHING WITH ONE METHOD OF FISHING THAT ISN'T PRODUCING FISH YOU ARE GOING TO LIMIT THE AMOUNT OF FISH YOU HOOK. SOME FISHERMEN PREFER TO JUST FISH ONE METHOD, JUST AS I PREFER TO BIRD HUNT ONLY WITH AN O/U SHOTGUN. I JUST LIKE IT AND THAT IS WHAT I DO. THE BOYS WITH AUTOMATICS MIGHT SHOOT MORE BIRDS BUT I AM CONTENT WITH WHAT I SHOOT WITH AN O/U. SAME GOES WITH FISHING. IF YOU ENJOY WHAT YOU ARE DOING EVEN THOUGHT IT ISN'T PRODUCING, THEN GREAT. IF YOU WANT TO CATCH MORE FISH THEN CHANGE TO WHAT IS WORKING. IT ALL DEPENDS ON THE FISHERMEN. THERE IS A BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FISHING AND CATCHING FISH.

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK: