LONG TIME COIBA ISLAND FISHING FANATICS JOHN MESSINA AND MARK ROY WERE ONCE AGAIN FISHING WITH PESCA PANAMA THIS WEEK. THEY ROUNDED OUT THEIR FISHING GROUP WITH ANGLERS KEITH AND KENT MCMILLION, MORGAN WINFREE, DWAYNE MILLER, MIKE CARNEMOLLA, MATT ADAMO, ERNIE MASTRIA AND EDDIE PERRY.

FROM THE FIRST DAY OF FISHING MIKE WAS IN ON THE ACTION BY LANDING A 70 LB ROOSTERFISH. THE VERY NEXT DAY CAPTAIN TOMMY GUIDED HIS ANGLERS TO THREE MORE BIG ROOSTERS WEIGHTING 55 LBS, 60 LBS AND MIKE'S AMAZING 80 LB ROOSTERFISH. NOW YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE TO TAKE MY WORD ON THE SIZE OF THIS ROOSTERFISH. THE THING IS, WHEN CAPTAIN TOMMY AND MIKE WERE LIFTING THE FISH TO TAKE A QUICK PHOTO BEFORE THE RELEASE, THE FISH MUST HAVE BEEN CAMERA SHY AS IT SLAPPED TOMMY UP THE SIDE OF HIS HEAD WITH IS TAIL KNOCKING OFF TOMMY'S COSTA DEL MARS, WHICH FELL INTO THE OCEAN, AND THE BIG ROOSTER JUMPED IN RIGHT BEHIND THE GLASSES. THIS WAS REALLY A GREAT ENDING MAKING FOR YET ANOTHER UNFORGETTABLE ANGLING EXPERIENCE.

OUR ANGLERS CONTINUED CATCHING YELLOWFIN TUNA THIS WEEK. PESCA PANAMA'S CAPTAINS FOUND SCHOOLS OF TUNA FEEDING IN SEVERAL DIFFERENT AREAS. THE FIRST TUNA SCHOOLS WERE ENCOUNTERED BETWEEN ISLA LADRONES AND ISLA MONTUOSA. THE NEXT DAY, SCHOOLS OF TUNA WERE FEEDING NEAR ISLA JICRON. ANGLERS FOUND THE YELLOWFIN EAGER TO HIT POPPERS. MOST OF THE FISH CAUGHT WERE IN THE 40 TO 60 LB RANGE, WITH THE LARGEST FISH WEIGHTING OVER 15O LBS. THESE ARE THE A NICE SIZE FISH TO CATCH ON SPINNING TACKLE. WE ALSO HAD THE HOOKS PULL OUT OF A BIG YELLOWFIN AS IT WAS NEAR THE BOAT. THE FISH WAS ESTIMATED TO BE AT LEAST 250 LBS. THE BIG ONES ARE ALWAYS THE HARDEST TO LAND!

DWAYNE WAS FISHING WITH CAPTAIN SERIGO WHEN HE GOT IN ON THE ROOSTERFISH ACTION AS A 60 LB ROOSTERFISH ATE HIS LIVE BONITA. ERNIE BOATED THE LARGEST "REEF DONKEY" OF THE WEEK, A 72 LB AMBERJACK THAT HAD HIM BUCKLED OVER THE GUNNELS. MARK, WHO HAS FISHED PANAMA SINCE 1990, LANDED A 70 LB. ROOSTERFISH THIS WEEK. IT WAS HIS LARGEST ROOSTERFISH CAUGHT TO DATE.

ON TUESDAY AFTERNOON THE BLACK MARLIN BITE ON HANNIBAL BANK WENT OFF. IT WAS JUST LIKE FLIPPING A LIGHT SWITCH AND THERE WERE MARLIN FEEDING ALL OVER THE PLACE. CAPTAIN SERIGO WAS FISHING WITH KEITH AND DWAYNE WHEN THEY HOOKED-UP A DOUBLE ON BLACK MARLIN. IT WAS THE FIRST MARLIN OF ANY KIND FOR BOTH OF THE ANGLERS. AFTER A LOT OF MANEUVERING BY EVERYONE ONBOARD THEY WERE ABLE TO MAKE LIVE RELEASES. ONE FISH LOOKED TO BE AROUND 400 LBS AND THE OTHER FISH WAS A LITTLE LARGER AT 450 LBS.

MARCOS WAS FISHING IN THE SAME AREA WITH CAPTAIN LUCHO WHEN HE HOOK-UP ON A BIG BLACK MARLIN. AFTER FIGHTING THE FISH FOR THREE HOURS ON STAND-UP TACKLE THIS FISH ENDED UP BEING A TEAM EFFORT, AS MATT AND ED TOOK A TURN AT THE ROD. WITH MATT HELPING TO REVIVE A TRULY TIRED FISH THEY WERE HAPPY TO MAKE A LIVE RELEASE. THE MARLIN WAS ESTIMATED TO WEIGH OVER 600 LBS.

WHAT ANOTHER EXCITING WEEK OF FISHING. IT WAS A MIXED BAG WITH THE MOST ACTION BEING THE ROOSTERFISH AND YELLOWFIN TUNA. THEN ADDED TO THAT WAS THE BLACK MARLIN BITE GOING OFF ON TUESDAY. YOU JUST NEVER KNOW WHAT GOING TO BITING NEXT WHEN YOU ARE FISHING WITH PESCA PANAMA.

TIGHT LINES,
CAPTAIN JULIAN JAY GUSTIN

FISHING NOTE OF THE WEEK: AS MY READERS KNOW BY NOW I LOVE FISHING TACKLE. BUT THEN WHAT FISHERMEN DOESN'T? ACCURATE REELS HAS SENT US TWO OF THEIR NEW TWIN SPIN 20'S TO TRY OUT. IN MY THINKING IT IS A MUCH EASIER REEL TO USE THAN THEIR TWIN SPIN 30 MODEL. THOUGH THE OPERATING SYSTEM IS THE SAME IT IS A MUCH FRIENDLIER SIZE TO USE AS IT IS LIGHTER AND JUST DOESN'T HAVE THE BULK. BUT THEN IT ALSO DOESN'T HAVE THE LINE CAPACITY EITHER. RICKY ZUNIGA USED THE REEL A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO AND HAD NOTHING BUT GOOD THINGS TO SAY ABOUT IT. NOW WE JUST HAVE TO SEE IF IT WILL HOLD UP UNDER CONSTANT USE.

FISHING PHOTOS OF THE WEEK: